Nov 3, 2009 5:23 pm US/Central
Some Companies Change Sick Leave Policy For H1N1
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Sentinel Technologies has decided none of the 300 workers in the Downers Grove IT firm will be marked off for sick time related to H1N1.
CBS
As you do your best to stay healthy, employers are also bracing for an H1N1 outbreak. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole found in some cases it means changing the company's sick leave policy.
Some studies estimate employee absenteeism could reach 40 percent if firms have to cope with an H1N1 outbreak. The office can also be a prime location to spread the illness.
Workplaces are now struggling through a delicate balancing act: how to continue to do business while coping with high levels of sick employees.
IT Technician Gus Gloede is back on the job after five days of suffering through fever and nausea from the H1N1 flu.
When asked if he could have come to work when he had flu symptoms, Gloede said, "No. Actually I don't even think I would have even been able to drive."
But Gloede wasn't docked for even one day of sick leave. His employer, Sentinel Technologies, has decided none of the 300 workers in the Downers Grove IT firm will be marked off for sick time related to H1N1.
"Yeah, it's awesome," Gloede said.
The policy also extends to healthy employees who just have someone at home coping with H1N1.
"We have two responsibilities: one to our employees and their families, you want to keep them as well as possible," said Denny Hoelzer, President of Sentinel Technologies. "Also we put our employees on our customer accounts on a daily basis, so if we put sick employees on our customer accounts, we're going to infect our customers and make them less happy with our services."
Hoelzer says the company began forming the plan last spring.
Beyond controlling the spread of disease, in a tough economy, moves like these also relieve workers' job security fears.
A recent study found those concerns kept 53 percent of those eligible for paid sick days still going to work. It's why the Centers for Disease Control are urging all employers to re-access their sick policies according to labor attorney John Murphy.
"To see if they need to liberalize their policies on absenteeism to get us through a crisis," Murphy said.
Back at Sentinel, they've also taken additional steps by installing hand sanitizers throughout their offices, and posting reminders about how to control the spread of the flu in close quarters.
"I thought it was pretty clear. You've got to keep people home that are sick and you've got to keep them away from other employees, and you've got to keep them away from customers," Hoelzer said.
Sentinel's policy isn't a favor. It is requiring workers to stay home even if just their roommate has H1N1. They'll also ask you to go home if they find out you've come to work feeling under the weather. Of course, this all has to be documented by a doctor.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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