I know I was a little taken aback when I stumbled across the "Zombie Blog" on the the CDC website last week. I have to admit, while the journalist in me dug around for answers, the fanboy in me could barely contain myself. I giggled uncontrollably like my son in the Lego store.
I mean, Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan penned the blog himself, so it had to be legit, right?
I first thought hackers had played a funny little prank on the organization. But the blog appeared too seamless to be the work of someone on the outside. Then I thought it must be some kind of commercial tie-in since the feds are in worse financial shape than most of your employees. But I knew the next season of "Walking Dead" was at least five months away.
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As I read through the blog, it all came together. Khan, an admitted zombie movie fan, as well, decided the center's annual disaster preparedness notice might catch someone's attention if it wasn't buried in the same tired, old press release the feds issue to the media's fatigued indifference every spring. So Khan dressed that same old info in ragged clothes, zombie flesh and an undying hunger for brains.
The result was equally dramatic. Within hours, the CDC website crashed as the traffic swarmed over the helpless servers like so many apocalyptic survivors.
"If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak," Khan grimly explained in the blog. "CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine)."
Aside from the graphic violence and death tolls, you face a similar apathy in your role as a human resource manager. Every year, you find yourself going over the same information with the same bored employees.
In fact, the only change you might have for them is usually the bad kind — whether it's benefit cuts or premium bumps. So I guess the best you could hope for is the usual enrollment tedium. Maybe you could mix it up, too. Make your presentation a little more interactive. Actually involve your benefits broker, an enrollment specialist or maybe even the big boss. Sure, it's no apocalypse, but it's not like that would be covered in any critical illness policy anyway.
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