H1N1 Information for Supervisors

      The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that H1N1 (“swine flu”) infection rates may double those of normal years (perhaps as high as 40 percent). Reports of H1N1 infections at UC—even before the term begins—and at other US campuses well before the typical flu season suggest that the CDC predictions may be fulfilled.  Following the advice of CDC for institutions of higher education (http://pandemicflu.gov/professional/school/preventfactsheet.html), the University has already notified students that they should not attend classes if they have flu symptoms.  The same is true for employees of the University. Employees should not come to work if they have flu symptoms. Following that advice may greatly reduce the spread of the virus.

      The University’s commonly recognized responsibilities include keeping UC open and our students learning—despite disruptions caused by absenteeism.  Less obvious but equally serious, though, is our duty to protect public health.  Achieving these responsibilities requires that we adapt to these new circumstances.

      The following guidelines for supervisors of staff employees are designed to help protect public health while maintaining operations:

• Ask all employees to observe the flu prevention guidelines posted throughout campus.
• Send employees who exhibit flu-like symptoms home.  Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, unusual fatigue, diarrhea, or vomiting. 
• Tell employees exhibiting flu-like symptoms to stay home from work and other campus activities until they have been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.  Such absences from work will not count as attendance policy violations. If you have questions regarding sending an employee home, please call UHS at 558-4457. Do not send employee to UHS. 
•  Employees who go home, were sent home or who stay home due to flu-like symptoms are not required to obtaina release from a private Health Care provider to return to work. 
• Note that if the presence of H1N1 has been confirmed in a specific work area, and there are employees in that work area who are at high risk because they are pregnant or a have chronic medical or immunosuppressive condition validated by a health-care provider’s statement, those employees shall be granted the use of sick leave to avoid contact with the virus.
• Employees who are eligible to accrue sick leave, but who have no accrued sick leave available will be advanced up to 5 days of sick leave.  The advanced days will be deducted from future accruals of sick leave.  The supervisor must send an e-mail to the Payroll Department at ucflexpa and include the employee’s name, UC ID number (M-Number) and the number of hours (up to 40).  If an employee’s symptoms persist, he/she may be granted an additional 5 days of advanced leave by the immediate supervisor.  Supervisors must again contact payroll. Employees can only claim flu for one series of consecutive absences.  
  

      UC’s Emergency Services area within Public Safety has gathered together additional information and links on these matters, as has our University Health Services office.

      If you have any questions, please contact HR Employee and Labor Relations at 556-6372.