New H1N1 Flu Guide Offers Practical Tools and Tips for HR Professionals

Minneapolis (PRWEB) November 9, 2009

Human resource (HR) professionals looking to fast-track preparedness and response efforts for the H1N1 pandemic have a new resource at their disposal. The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), in collaboration with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and contractual financial support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today released a new toolkit, Doing Business During an Influenza Pandemic: Human Resource Policies, Protocols, Templates, Tools, & Tips.

"We're beyond theory and onto execution. The pandemic is here. And we need every business to recognize the impact it can have. It's not too late, but time is of the essence," said Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., an international authority on pandemic influenza and business preparedness and CIDRAP director.

The toolkit, designed for organizations of all sizes, is intended to:

•     Help HR professionals new to pandemic planning come up to speed quickly on high-priority HR issues related to operating during an influenza pandemic
•     Provide concrete ways that organizations can implement federal guidance
•     Offer new ideas that can be used to improve existing plans
•     Serve as a reference for benchmarking.

The guide includes:

•     Lessons learned by HR professionals whose planning efforts and response skills were tested during the early, chaotic days of the H1N1 pandemic this spring.
•     Original content from CIDRAP and SHRM (the CIDRAP Business Source and the SHRM Knowledge Center) and respective Web sites.
•     Vetted, authoritative sources, including practical, science-based information from the CDC and other government agencies.

According to SHRM’s Chief HR and Content Integration Officer, Steve Miranda, “HR professionals should neither overreact to the potential of H1N1, nor minimize its possible seriousness. This will not be a conventional flu season, and our level of preparedness must be raised accordingly.”

To help HR professionals navigate this unconventional flu season, the toolkit includes a checklist, cross-referenced to the toolkit’s policies, protocols, templates, and tips, to assess an organization’s current level of preparedness, identify gaps, and benchmark efforts.

The toolkit is available free of charge as a PDF document and is available at:

•     http://www.cidrapsource.com/hrtoolkit
•     http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/safetysecurity/articles/Documents/CIDRAPTOOLKIT.pdf

About the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
CIDRAP, founded in 2001, is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. Part of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota, the center reduces illness and death from infectious diseases by effecting change through public policy refinement, fostering the adoption of science-based best practices in public health among professionals and the public, and conducting original interdisciplinary research.

About the Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. Visit SHRM Online at http://www.shrm.org.

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