As H1N1 sweeps through schools and workplaces, the handshake is going the way of the dinosaur. Old niceties have flown out the door to be replaced by some, ahem, swinish behavior.

Schools and workplaces are being urged to take measures to curb the spread of H1N1.

OSHA’s guidelines on how to deal with a pandemic indicate that a handshake is bad form these days. In fact, it is surprising that there isn’t a federal ban.

For example, OSHA urges business people:

• Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with coworkers and customers. (Wow, you’d need long arms to bridge that gap).
• Avoid shaking hands and always wash your hands after physical contact with others. (But what do you do instead?)
• If wearing gloves, always wash your hands after removing them. (“Sorry, Jack, I’ll just put my gloves on to seal the deal!”)
• Minimize group meetings; use e-mails, phones and text messaging. If meetings are unavoidable, avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with others and ensure that the meeting room is properly ventilated.

Can you imagine how Kathie Lee’s butt bumping would go down at your next business meeting?

“Mary, please meet our president, Jack Gifford … ”

“Delighted to bump you, Jack!”

That’ll work. NOT.

How are you replacing the handshake?

Are you nodding your head and mumbling something about how you’d love to shake his hand but you’re really worried he’s the Typhoid Mary of 2009?

You can get more info on business planning for swine flu and recommended behavior at Flu.gov.

Julie Power is editor in chief of the print publication, Internet &  Marketing Report and the companion blog, eIMR.blogspot.com.

She twitters @JuliePower.

This strain of flu seems to spread more through the air and perhaps not at all through physical contact.

So even if sick employees come to work and keep to themselves, they may infect others just by spewing the virus into the air.

So the message to employees this fall and winter should be: If you have the flu, go home and stay there until you’re well.

And companies may have to modify their attendance policies to help encourage that.

You’d think from reading some of the media coverage that all any of us have to do to keep from getting H1N1 is wash our hands frequently.

But despite that recommendation from all sorts of health authorities, including the CDC, members of the medical community aren’t in complete agreement about the importance of hand washing.

A Newsweek article quotes doctors on both sides of the issue. Some experts say there is no evidence that flu is spread through physical contact. Some studies seem to indicate its sole method of transmission is through the air.

Take-home for businesses: Your strongest defense against a flu outbreak may not be the hand washing that even the President is recommending. Better bets: Tell employees to go home and stay home if they’re sick, and encourage them to get H1N1 shots when they become available in October.

Reason: It’s possible your company will be dealing with employees who are ill due to swine and regular seasonal flu at the same time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued that warning along with updated recommendations for the upcoming flu season.

Important components of a workplace flu pandemic plan:

• Be prepared to ensure business continuity. Identify essential functions in case of higher absentee rates. Cross-train employees to carry out these functions.
• Identify possible work-related exposure and health risks to your employees. This OSHA Web site can help companies determine what risks they face.
• Review HR policies to make sure they’ll accommodate people who have the flu or have to care for family members who are sick. Don’t require doctor’s notes from workers with the flu.
• Allow employees to stay home if they have flu symptoms. The CDC recommends workers return only when they’ve been fever-free (under 100°) without fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours.
• Look into telecommuting to increase social distancing.
• Plan to minimize exposure for employees who report to work. If the outbreak is more severe than this spring’s, the CDC recommends there be at least 6 feet of distance between employees at most times.
• Set up authorities, triggers and procedures for activating and terminating your flu plan. Local health officials can help you make these decisions during an outbreak.
• Contact local healthcare providers to set up flu shot vaccinations at your workplace. There will be separate vaccinations for regular seasonal flu and swine flu. It’s important employees get both.

Even before flu season starts, employers should encourage employees to have good personal hygiene, including frequent hand washing, covering mouths when coughing or sneezing, and cleaning surfaces that are more likely to have frequent hand contact, such as workstations, countertops and doorknobs.

The federal government’s flu Web site is www.flu.gov.