Elaine Keim wanted to avoid a pandemic panic in Canonsburg. As vice president of human resources at Ansys, she had seen how the swine flu outbreak affected her engineering software firm's satellite office in Pune, India. "Employees are given masks when they show up to work," she said.

No longer was the potential for a pandemic just a hot topic of conversation -- it was now an illness that had swept through her colleagues' office halfway around the world. Ms. Keim's department tried to keep the tone calm as it sent out a company e-mail promoting sanitation.

But talk of swine flu is everywhere -- it's been the best thing for cable news since SARS -- and it was an Ansys employee who requested more be done to prevent infections in the Western Pennsylvania offices. The company is now installing a hand sanitizer station in every bathroom.

The dire predictions on the effects of a possible swine flu outbreak -- up to half the country infected, 1.8 million hospital admissions, as many as 90,000 deaths -- have area businesses bracing for something that could cause a public health disaster or could simply pass by with little fuss. It seems many swine flu policies at local businesses are really just dusted-off avian flu policies, plans prepared for yet another infectious disease that had worried health officials.

The swine flu -- also known as the H1N1 virus -- first appeared in April and spreads from person to person much like the regular flu. The Centers for Disease Control is planning for a possible outbreak this fall, when schools go back in session and the cooler months set in.

Until then, concern about the H1N1 virus is busy wreaking havoc on human resources departments.

Offices seem to be stocking enough hand sanitizer to fill water coolers and the slightest hiccup spurs talk of quarantines. Many human resources departments have to offer guidelines on who should stay home at the first sign of a sweat -- and juggle concerns that sick employees worried about running out of time off will come in anyway. Companies are reteaching employees lessons last heard in kindergarten: wash your hands and cough into your sleeve.

Swine flu fears have some businesses preparing to incur significant costs.

It's a fall tradition for Quaker Steak and Lube to offer $5 flu shots to its employees at its 37 locations, six of which are in the Pittsburgh area. This year, the company plans to offer its staff swine flu vaccinations for $5 (or about the price of a Premium Pretzels appetizer). The company, based in Sharon, will pick up the rest of the tab.

The food industry is especially vulnerable to pandemic scares. Not only do employees work with food but also they often rely on shifts for a majority of their nonsalaried income. The prospect of calling in sick means a night of no tips and a week of apologies to fellow servers forced to cover extra tables.

The CDC said the H1N1 vaccination should be available in the fall. Quaker Steak and Lube filed a request for 100 shots two months ago, said Connie Schenker, human resources and safety director.

Even those in the business of health care are struggling to plan for possible swine flu problems.

Insurer Highmark is advising its employees to stay home at the first sign of symptoms, said Rob Yarsky, director of business continuity planning.

He's had experience with hypothetical pandemics: Highmark had a plan for an avian flu outbreak.

"When swine flu reared its ugly head, we made modifications to the plan," Mr. Yarsky said.

But for all of the internal warnings on keeping germs out of the office, Mr. Yarsky said he could see employees growing reluctant to take off if an outbreak occurs after the G-20 summit, which is Sept. 24 and 25.

That's because the 5,000 Highmark employees in the Pittsburgh campus also are being encouraged to stay out of the office during the summit rather than risk gridlock on the commute Downtown. Employees can make up the time working, or they can take personal days.

"We could see a problem if there's an outbreak after the G-20 because there will be two less personal days in a lot of peoples' sick banks," Mr. Yarsky said.

Companies might want to consider making it easier for people to stay home, said Linda Argote, professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University. The school last week announced 26 confirmed cases of swine flu on campus.

Adding days to sick banks in preparation for swine flu sickness could alleviate employee concerns about missing work and also boost company morale, said Dr. Argote. "The daily push to be productive can conflict with employers expecting people to stay home," she said.

That kind of move -- though another expense -- would help both the health of the employees and the health of the organization, she said.

"That way not one sick employee can knock off the whole department, and it helps employee loyalty because it seems like they're being looked out for," Dr. Argote said.

The nature of work at health care facilities compounds their swine flu concerns.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's plan -- also an avian flu policy remix -- instructs employees to follow guidelines set by the CDC. That means no return to a health care facility for at least seven days after the illness begins or, if the illness lasts longer than a week, at least 24 hours after a fever has broken.

"By that point, many are just bucking at the chance to get back to work, saying, 'I feel fine, I feel fine, I feel fine,'" said Dr. Joe Suyama, a member of UPMC's swine flu task force.

Non-health-care workers are told to stay home for at least 24 hours after a fever has subsided.

Dr. Suyama said leave options for UPMC's 50,000 employees run the gamut: from personal time to sick leave to vacation time.

For businesses that don't have an old avian flu plan to revamp, the federal government has launched a site to offer information and suggestions: www.flu.gov.

For information on identifying symptoms, check out www.flu.gov or the Centers for Disease Control H1N1 guidelines at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.