Some staff ‘using swine flu to skive’

Small business bosses are concerned that staff are taking advantage over the current fears concerning swine flu to take time off work.

Over a 1,000 companies have contacted Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) to seek advice over employees who they fear may be using swine flu as an excuse to be absent from work.

"Managers feel that some staff are simply taking advantage of concerns about the transmission of swine flu to take an extra few days off work," said Peter Mooney, ELAS's head of consultancy.

"Because the emphasis has been on not going to your local GP but using websites to assess the infection and the risk to others, those who stay at home are not going to need a doctor's note or have too many people calling on them to see how they feel."

The National Pandemic Flu Service advises that individuals who appear to have symptoms associated with swine flu should stay at home for up to seven days to recover and avoid passing on the virus.

www.ukba.co.uk