Businesses hit as staff go sick
THOUSANDS of workers took advantage of the swine flu crisis by ringing in sick, business leaders said last night.
Medical advice to those returning from affected regions has been to stay at home if they felt unwell. But some bosses said staff were using it as an excuse for a few days off.
Around 27,000 people are estimated to have taken the day off on Monday, when news of the crisis broke. It is thought this figure is around 2,000 more than usual for the time of year.
Business leaders are worried that any increase in sick days will have a major impact on the fragile economy. Stephen Alambritis of the Federation of Small Businesses said: “We’re very concerned that people will be taking days off because they have seen swine flu on the news.”
But firms have also been urged to draw up plans to deal with an outbreak affecting staff.
Ben Willmott of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said: “Employers should have in place strategies to allow them to run on skeleton staff levels.”
