Pandemic Preparedness:

Roles and Responsibilities for

Supervisors

Objectives of this trainingThe knowledge you gain by completing this course will

help you to understand your role and responsibility as a Supervisor, in responding to a pandemic event in the workplace.

• In this course you will learn:– Difference between seasonal and pandemic influenza– Different types of influenza: avian, swine, and the Novel

H1N1 influenza – How the virus spreads– How to reduce spread/exposure in the workplace– State Agency Human Resource Policies– Your role as a Supervisor

Pandemic Preparedness: Roles and Responsibilities for Supervisors

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What is seasonal influenza?Seasonal influenza:• Is a serious illness occurring annually• More than 225, 000 hospitalizations per

year in U.S• 36,000 deaths/year in the US

– Most deaths in persons 65 years old and older• 6th leading cause of death in adults• Kills nearly as many or more Americans as:

– AIDS (14,000)– Breast Cancer (40,000)

• Is a “big deal”

What is Pandemic Influenza?• Novel strain of virus• Little to no immunity in the general public• Virus infects all age groups• The “novel” virus can spread easily person-person• Spreads throughout multiple countries and continents• More than one wave of influenza is likely• Waves typically last 6-8 weeks

Implications of a Pandemic• Essential Services could be disrupted

– Health care Facilities overwhelmed– Banks, stores, restaurants, government,

post offices, transportation/delivery of food and fuel

– Health care systems overwhelmed

• Social distancing implemented– Schools may be closed– Large gatherings/meetings canceled– Mass transit services curtailed

Impacts on Employers• Absenteeism could impact up to

40% of the workforce during the peak of the pandemic– Sick with flu– Caring for ill family member – Children at home if

schools/daycares close– Afraid to come to work

• Increase in demand for certain services

• Essential supply chain disruptions

Avian or “Bird” Flu

• Also known as Highly Pathogenic (HP) H5N1• Virus that affects birds• Not easily transmitted from human to human• Predominately occurring in SE Asian countries• Could change and become a human pandemic• Properly cooked/prepared poultry is not a risk

Swine Flu• Respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses• People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen• Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited• You can’t get Swine Flu from eating pork

Novel H1N1 Influenza New influenza virus that isspreading from person-toperson.

Is a combination of severaldifferent strains: swine flu,bird flu and one strain ofhuman flu.

Declaration of PublicHealth Emergency in theUnited States

World Health Organizationhas raised Pandemic level toPhase 6

Signs and symptomsSymptoms of Novel H1N1 flu in people are similar to those

associated with seasonal flu.

• Fever

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Body aches

• Headache

• Chills

• Fatigue

• In addition, vomiting (25%) and diarrhea (25%) have been reported. (Higher rate than for seasonal flu.)

How does Novel H1N1 Influenza spread?• This virus is thought to

spread the same way seasonal flu spreads

• Primarily through respiratory droplets – Coughing– Sneezing– Touching respiratory droplets on

yourself, another person, or an object, then touching mucus membranes (e.g., mouth, nose, eyes) without washing hands

How can you create a healthier work environment?

• If your employees are ill request they stay home.• If your employees become ill at work, ask them to

leave the workplace.• Encourage employees to cover their cough and wash

hands often. • Encourage employees to wipe down work stations

often with sanitizing wipes.• Alcohol-based hand wipes or

gel sanitizers are also effective.

If employees get sick…• Current recommendation is for people to remain

at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F),or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.

• Remind them to limit their contact with other people as much as possible.

Employees will be needed at work• State government will continue to have

people to support and services that must be delivered.

• People will still have their disabilities, illnesses, or support needs, even if they contract the flu.

• People will continue to request our services, may even be an increase in requests for certain services from our customers.

• Citizens will look to all of us during an emergency

PRIORITY SERVICE ONE 1Immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare These functions must remain uninterrupted. Generally, these would include functions that operate 24 hours a day and/or 7 days a week. (Priority Service One functions do not cease on holidays or weekends)

PRIORITY SERVICE TWO 2Direct economic impact, or have constitutionally or statutorily mandated time frames for completion These functions may be disrupted temporarily or might be periodic in nature, but must be re-established within a few days.

PRIORITY SERVICE THREE 3Regulatory functions required by law, rule or order that have the ability to be suspended during an emergency These functions may be disrupted temporarily (a few days or weeks) but must be re-established sometime before the pandemic wave is over (<6 weeks).

PRIORITY SERVICE FOUR 4 All other services that could be suspended during an emergency that are not required by law or rule These functions may be deferred for the duration of a pandemic wave (6-8 weeks).

General Human Resource Expectations

• Policy: To continue providing critical services to the citizens of Minnesota to the extent possible. – Employees will be expected to report to

work as assigned. – Managers will be expected to take the

necessary steps to accomplish the agency’s priority services.

Labor Relations – Emergency Administration

• Policy: Per Minnesota State Statute, 12.21, Subdivision 3, Certain collective bargaining agreement and plan provisions may be suspended in order to manage the state’s critical services – Collective bargaining agreements and plans will be honored to the

extent possible.– Changes will be considered in relation to state statute.

(not at the risk of failing to provide critical services to the citizens of the state of Minnesota)

Leaves• Policy: Certain discretionary leaves may not

be granted to employees except as required by law or in accordance to the collective bargaining agreements. – Rescission of leaves– Sick leave use– FMLA– If work is not available

Assignments, Schedules and Position Filling

• Policy: Appropriate measures will be taken to adequately staff the state’s critical services – State employees may be deployed to alternative

worksites or another state agency.– Employees deployed to perform critical services will be

expected to report to work. – Social Distancing measures will be in place.

Compensation and Payroll• Policy: The state will

continue to pay employees who work as assigned or on approved paid leave – Compensation provisions

not expect to change.– May be delays or

priorities identified relating to processing the types of payments.

Insurance Benefits

• Policy: Insurance benefits expected to be maintained during pandemic period.– Insurance eligible employees will continue to receive

health insurance coverage and will continue to receive the employer contribution during this time.

– Employees expected to continue to pay the employee contribution.

– Agencies will be required to continue to make the employer contribution for health insurance coverage.

– Insurance laws still apply including COBRA, HIPAA and other relevant provisions of employer benefit programs

Health and Safety

• Policy: State agencies will implement occupational health and safety recommendations.– Consistent statewide application of

recommendations important.– Safe workplace critical to ensure worker confidence.

Performance Management

• Policy: Employees are expected to report to work and perform duties, unless directed otherwise.– Recommendations from the Department of Health will be provided as

necessary.

Your role as a Supervisor• Familiarize yourself with agency policies and guidance on

dealing with a pandemic health crisis

• Identify alternative methods for continuing critical office functions during a pandemic health crisis and discussed them with your employees: – Alternative work arrangements, such as remote

access, working from alternative sites, and flexible or compressed work schedules

– Communication plans and procedures – Teleconferencing and/or videoconferencing

arrangements

• Review your agency and office human resource policies

• Watch for alerts or changes to policies relating to sick leave (for example, sick leave usage)

Your role as a Supervisor• Update employee contact information and

develop a plan for keeping the information current

• Establish and test procedures for contacting employees (i.e., telephone call trees or comparable procedures)

• Develop a contingency plan for accomplishing work during increased employee absenteeism, including cross-training workers to cover for employees who are not able to work.

• Plan for 3-deep in priority 1 and 2 services

Your role as a Supervisor

• Familiarize yourself with your agency Employee Assistance Program (EAP) procedures and communicate with employees about the EAP

• Identify employees with special needs, such as those with physical impairments, and include their needs in planning

• Familiarize yourself with employee and agency requirements and obligations for requesting and approving leave and other agency-specific policies and procedures

• Familiarize yourself with agency specific guidance on communications and discuss the guidance with employees

Actions Supervisors can take• Discuss the pandemic and the possibility of

an other wave of an outbreak with your employees

• Explain that state government operations will continue. Stress need for employees to plan for how they will continue to work (in office, at alternative site, or from home)

• Remind your employees about the availability of information on the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Management and Budget Websites (listed at the end of this presentation)

Actions Supervisors can take

• Reassess all positions and employees for potential remote access agreements – Establish agreements/procedures in accordance with agency’s remote

access plan and offer remote access agreements to eligible employees– Implement remote access arrangements as broadly as possible so

systems and employees are fully prepared for remote work

Summary Minnesota Department of Health

anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the fall because the population has little to no immunity against it.

• We must all work together to limit and control the transmission of novel H1N1 influenza in order to continue priority government services.

Special thanks to….• Dept of Natural Resources Audio-

Visual Production

• Minnesota Management and Budget staff

• Narrators– Rick Lorenzen– Colleen Schmitz

• Pandemic Flu Executive Committee– Department of Administration– Department of Health– Homeland Security and Emergency

Management– Minnesota Management & Budget– Office of Enterprise Technology

For more information

• Emergency preparedness– MN Homeland Security and Emerg. Management– Ready.gov– Red Cross

• Human Resources and Continuity Planning– BeReadyMN.com

• Pandemic influenza– Centers for Disease Control– MN Department of Health