Workers 'using swine flu to skive'

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More than 1,000 firms have contacted one employment law service to seek advice about staff who use the pandemic to extend their summer holidays.

Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) says it has been inundated with inquiries from managers who claim colleagues without any signs of illness are using a self-diagnosis website and causing more disruption to the workplace than the flu itself.

Peter Mooney, ELAS's head of consultancy, said his firm began receiving calls from angry managers at the end of last month.

He said: "Managers feel that some staff are simply taking advantage of concerns about the transmission of swine flu to take an extra few days off work.

"Because the emphasis has been on not going to your local GP but using websites to assess the infection and the risk to others, those who stay at home are not going to need a doctor's note or have too many people calling on them to see how they feel.

"Based on the volume - and the nature - of calls we have been taking, the number of deliberate false cases of the condition is having a significant impact on workplaces across the country, something bosses are keen to tackle."

The National Pandemic Flu Service advises that individuals who appear to have symptoms associated with swine flu should stay at home for up to seven days.