Prevention Matters

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is offering companies new guidelines for coping with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic amid concerns that employers could face crippling absenteeism as the U.S. flu season takes hold. The 16-page guide, entitled "It's Not Flu as Usual: An H1N1 Business Preparedness Guide," offers scenarios in which more than 10 percent of staff are too sick to come to work on any given day over the course of several months to a year.