Michigan News
Businesses brace for flu absences
AP
(AP) — Businesses across Michigan are bracing for the swine flu by paying for vaccinations and setting out hand sanitizer, but health officials are urging them to be flexible about employee absences.
Absenteeism could top 30 percent at businesses as workers stay home either because they’re sick or to care for a sick family member, The Flint Journal reported Sunday.
‘‘For an employer that has recently gone through a downsizing and already stretched thin in terms of staffing, 40 percent absenteeism in a given month could be devastating,’’ said John A. Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
The US. Chamber of Commerce estimates the loss of work because of typical seasonal influenza cost American businesses about $10 billion last year. With the outbreak of swine flu, those losses are expected to be greater this year.
Absenteeism could top 30 percent at businesses as workers stay home either because they’re sick or to care for a sick family member, The Flint Journal reported Sunday.
‘‘For an employer that has recently gone through a downsizing and already stretched thin in terms of staffing, 40 percent absenteeism in a given month could be devastating,’’ said John A. Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
The US. Chamber of Commerce estimates the loss of work because of typical seasonal influenza cost American businesses about $10 billion last year. With the outbreak of swine flu, those losses are expected to be greater this year.
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