Short term sick note measures to help control swine flu
July 9, 2009
Daily news reports have been keeping us updated on the dramatic spread of swine flu over the last few months. Each day thousands more people are being diagnosed, and increasing fatalities are also occurring where people with existing medical problems are contracting the virus. Because of the threat of the virus and its highly contagious nature, the government is considering ways to attempt to control the spread of swine flu.
One possibility that has been suggested by the Department of Health is to temporarily increase the number of weeks an employee can self-certify for sickness absence from one week to two, meaning they would not need to get a medical certificate (doctor’s note) from their GP until they had been off work for a fortnight. This measure would only be put in place for a period of six months, and the change would probably be introduced without any consultation period due to the emergency nature of the situation. The aim of the measure is to reduce the amount of time spent in GP surgeries, both from a resourcing point of view and to reduce the spread of the virus by concentrating a high number of people carrying it in one place whilst trying to get certification.
Of course, there are claims that this type of measure could encourage staff members to abuse the new rules and take more time off sick as they would not need to be certified, however organisations’ existing sickness absence management processes should be used to combat this issue in the same way they do for the current self-certification period. It has been well documented about the possible damages to business a full scale outbreak of swine flu could cause, and so any measure to reduce this risk is probably a positive step. Even so, organisations should be mindful of the risks swine flu could cause to their business and put in steps to react should an outbreak leave them with a reduced workforce, such as facilities for home working.
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