H1N1 exposes weak leave policies

When Great Falls resident Carolyn Cuppernull's 10-year-old daughter came down with swine flu, she didn't have to take time off work to stay home with her.

Cuppernull is senior marketing manager of the Washington office of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt. Under the group's former policy, she would have had to use paid leave to stay home if she or a relative got sick. But the firm recently updated its rules to allow employees to stay home with full pay -- without using leave time -- for H1N1-related absences.

"I have a laptop and a BlackBerry," Cuppernull said. "I was able to attend a meeting telephonically and participate in online training with hardly a blip."

In Washington and across the country, the arrival of the flu season has prompted companies of all sizes to weigh how to accommodate sick workers while keeping the business running. President Obama has declared the swine flu situation a national emergency, and federal agencies recommend that businesses remain flexible and let sick workers stay home.

Congress has also weighed in with a proposal that would mandate employers to offer paid sick leave. Under a bill introduced last week by members of the House Education and Labor Committee, employers with 15 or more workers would be required to provide five paid sick days per year for workers sent home with contagious conditions such as the swine flu.

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