1. H1N1: The Basics
2. What is New York City doing to prepare?
3. Pandemic Continuity Planning
   
   Potential impacts of a pandemic could include employee absenteeism, supply shortages, and changes in demand for products and services. The following documents outline broad issues to consider in creating or refining your plan:
   Private Sector Workplace Questions
   Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Infrastructure Recovery Guide
   Preparing Your Business for the flu by OEM
   Guidance for Businesses and Employers for the Fall Flu Season
   Checklist: Business Pandemic Influenza Planning
   Checklist: Businesses with Overseas Operations
   CDC Guidance for Responses to Influenza for Institutions of Higher Education during the 2009-2010 Academic Year
   
   World Health Organization (WHO) Levels and Triggers
   When planning for pandemic flu, it is important to understand the indicators and triggers used by the world's governing health bodies. The following documents offer some clarification about the significance of WHO levels:
   WHO: What is Phase Six?
   Statement by NYS DOH Commissioner Daines
   Statements by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano on WHO decision to declare H1N1 Virus a Pandemic
   
   Human Resources
   The high levels of employee absenteeism that could result from a pandemic influenza pose a number of human resource and sick-leave policy challenges. Review and, if necessary, adapt your policies and discuss them with your employees now before any issues emerge.
   Human Resource Policies and Pandemic Planning Workplace Questions (flu.gov)
   The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: ADA-Compliant Employer Preparedness for the H1N1 Flu Virus
   Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) & Privacy Issues Questions (flu.gov)
   
   Insurance
   Review your insurance policies or talk to your insurance agent about how a pandemic would affect your coverage. If you provide insurance, how would your employees' needs be addressed? If you have business interruption insurance, would your policy cover time you spend closed due to a pandemic?
   Workplace Benefits Questions (flu.gov)
   
   Train Your Employees
   Talk to your employees about pandemic flu preparedness. OEM, DOHMH, and the CDC offer several forms of training:
   "Get the Facts about Novel H1N1 Influenza" CDC power point presentation for business
   Request a presentation from the NYC Health Department

   Telecommuting
   If a severe pandemic hits and many workers are forced to telecommute, the telecommunications infrastructure may be strained to meet the surge in traffic. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) outlines the best practices to network managers and individual employees to increase their ability to telecommute:
   Enterprise Network Best Practices, Telecommuting Best Practices, and General Public Best Practices
   
   

4. Information for Employers
5. Information for Employees

If you can't find the answers to your questions here or if you would like to see additional information on a specific subject, e-mail your question to the Public/Private Initiatives unit.