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When kids are sick, try telecommuting
Aug 16, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Now that children are back in school, health experts predict a swine flu outbreak is soon to follow. That means moms and dads will be strongly encouraged to keep sick kids home, as this isolation helps check the spread of the H1N1 virus.
But a bedridden child can come between parents and their jobs. So, Valley Metro, the region's transit agency, wants to help employers and their workers cope with an outbreak's aftermath.
Valley Metro is starting next month a series of four Webinars, with the goal of teaching local businesses how to successfully implement telecommuting programs. If done correctly, employers can allow their workers to stay home with sick children yet not lose any productivity.
Maricopa County public health director Dr. Bob England has emphasized for months that companies need to prepare for an outbreak.
Consider this an excellent way to prepare.
Said county public health spokeswoman Jeanene Fowler:
"This is but one tool that employers should take advantage of when preparing for the upcoming flu season."
Eddie Caine, Valley Metro's professional services manager, is an expert in virtual workplaces. He said businesses and employees interested in telecommuting (or telework, as it is sometimes called now) would be advised to consider this is more than simply a matter of a cell phone and a high-speed modem.
"A lot of employers will give technical assistance to their employees, but that's as far as it goes," Caine said.
For one, companies should be aware of legal liabilities and risk issues. There's also the matter of finding the right workers -- some may seize this as an excuse to goof off, while others may burn themselves out because now "home" and "work" are one and the same.
"In most cases, telework doesn't happen overnight," Caine said.
The Webinars, each 45 minutes long, will take place on Sept. 15, 22 and 29, and Oct. 6. Businesses can register online at www.ValleyMetro.org/telework; registration is recommended by Sept. 11.
To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.
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