Swine flu sick leave ‘open to abuse’
Jul 22 2009
“The government has proposed extending sick leave from seven to 14 days for swine flu.”
Swine flu must not become an excuse for employees to take sick leave, says an employment law specialist.
The warning comes after government proposals to extend the amount of time off work for swine flu sufferers without a doctor’s sick note from seven to 14 days.
David Price, senior partner at Peninsula Business Services, says: ‘Doubling self-certification time will have a negative effect on employers, particularly for small businesses who don’t have the spare capacity to cover people. It’s sending out the message to employees that they can stay off for longer. At the moment, seven days seems to be the standard recovery time.’
Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, agrees: ‘Commercially, I don’t think extending self-certification time is the right move. People are naturally going to take 14 days off if they can.’
Mullins says that he has ordered 200 anti-viral swine flu kits to protect his staff. ‘We don’t have any contingency plans in place, as we just wouldn’t be able to recruit and train people to replace staff in time. Instead, I’m hoping we can prevent it.’
Price adds that employers should make it clear that cases will be examined in the return to work interview. ‘Employers should assess whether the absence seems reasonable by finding out who the employee contacted and what the advice was they received. They should also look at their attendance throughout the year,’ he says.
Last week the thinktank Oxford Economics warned that a six-month swine flu pandemic in the UK could cost the economy about £60bn and extend the recession by around two years.
For more information on preparing your business for the impact of swine flu click here.