GlaxoSmithKline cuts absenteeism by a third with vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has managed to decrease the number of staff off work due to winter sickness by between 30 and 35 per cent, it has been reported.

Pharmaceutical-Technology explained the company achieved this by offering more free influenza vaccines to workers and educating them about the benefits of the immunisation.

The firm also encouraged their 102,000 employers to clean up their act by handing out antiseptic wipes and asking them to clean their desks, telephones and desks.

Dr Ron Jones, medical officer for GSK, stated the effects were immediate and the overall aim was to get people into the habit of protecting themselves in case there was a pandemic.

According to the online resource, the drop in absenteeism supports research revealing how simple hygiene steps around schools and homes can reduce infections from stomach virus, colds and flu.

It concluded an influenza pandemic is “virtually certain” but it is impossible to predict when it will occur, or which strain of flu will cause it.

GSK is a research-based pharmaceutical company that supplies one quarter of the world’s vaccines.