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What to do if you think your co-worker has swine fluMay 04, 2009 (McClatchy Newspapers - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- What do you do if you if that guy in the next cubicle is sneezing and coughing and you just can't help but worry that he might have the swine flu? I took this question and others to Mark Neuberger, a labor lawyer with Foley & Lardner in Miami. His answer? "You should not take any risk," said Neuberger. "Report to management and management should have a plan designed to handle these scenarios." Q: What if the person that's coughing and sneezing is your manager? A: Go up the chain. Q: As an employer, how do you handle it? A: Communicate that coming in sick and an added level of diligence, while appreciated in the past, is not appreciated now. Q: What if you don't have paid sick days and the person doesn't want to go home, maybe he even shrugs it off as allergies? A: Pull them privately into your office and suggest they go home. You can even say, "Go home and I'll pay you anyway." Or you can say, "Here's a laptop try to do what can home few days." Q: What if someone is so afraid they MIGHT get swine flu that they don't want to come to work? A: Try to have a rational discussion with them. Tell them no one in the office is sick, and their chances of getting it are remote. Say, "I encourage you to come to work." Or, you might want to let them telecommute. Maybe it's time to start thinking again about letting more of your workforce telecommute. In Mexico, everyone is working from home. With technology it's fairly easy to do. Q: What other advice do you have for employers? A: If you have emergency plans, start testing them out. Maybe those plans include letting workers telecommute. Let employees know the company policy. Tell them not to take a risk. If they are covered by insurance, use it. Also make hand sanitizer available and encourage frequent hand washing. Look at your company's cleaning and sanitation practices. Maybe there are things that can be done better. Be sensitive to where your workers are traveling, know where the hot spots are and cancel trips to those cities. The biggest part of it is staying on top of the news. ___ (c) 2009, The Miami Herald. Visit The Miami Herald Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.herald.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ TO SUBSCRIBE TO NEWS2USE Items in the News2Use package are not included in your MCT News Service subscription. You can subscribe to the News2Use package or purchase the items a la carte on MCT Direct at www.mctdirect.com. To subscribe, please call Rick DeChantal at Tribune Media Services at (800) 245-6536 or [email protected]. Outside the United States, call Tribune Media Services International at +1-312-222-4444or e-mail [email protected]. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |