Charlotte Employers Gather To Discuss How To Handle H1N1 Virus

A room full of bosses gathered in southwest Charlotte on Thursday to get answers about the H1N1 virus that’s causing concern at workplaces across the country.

The Employers Association put together the seminar for one reason.

“We are receiving a lot of phone calls about pandemic planning and swine flu,” said Kenny Colbert, president of the association.

One of the people seeking answers was Kathy Sattizahn, vice president of human resources at Celgard.

“When this first came up, I really thought this was going to pass by, and I kept waiting and waiting and finally decided I need to do something,” she said.

Her company has done a lot, including posting sanitation reminders and putting out hand sanitizer everywhere.

But her company also set specific guidelines, telling workers when it's OK to work and when to stay home.

“if you have a cough and your cough is productive with secretions, stay home,” she said, reading from the guidelines sheet.

At Forest Hill Church in south Charlotte, the focus is usually bringing people in for worship. Now, in the upstairs offices, it's also making sure people stay away -- at least if they're employees and they're sick.

“Well, I think it's really important for us to be proactive,” said Tanya Kobylarz, the human resources manager. “We don't want people to come who aren't feeling well and maybe risk the chance of spreading the virus.”

One of the big questions that employers asked on Thursday is, “Can I make a worker go home?”

The Employers Association said, “Yes.”

"That's the employer's call to monitor the employees and if they see somebody who's sick, they have the right to send them home," Colbert said.

Colbert said companies should encourage prevention. In fact, he took advantage of a seasonal flu shot at Thursday’s seminar.

But he doesn't think enough companies have thought much beyond prevention.

“What they're not prepared for is if 50 percent of their workforce gets sick at one time, or if a larger percentage is in and out at one time. What are they going to do? They're not prepared for that,” he said.

Daryl Bennett, human resources vice president for TransAmerica Insurance, said he was thinking about that at the seminar. He said it's the unimaginable that bosses need to be imagining.

“We have to think about every contingency out there, and the possibility that if this spreads to be more of a broader pandemic, especially localized, of how we would handle that,” he said.

While the seminar was geared toward employers, employees should know their company's sick policy and how much sick time they have. Association officials also said you should also know whether you'd be paid and how much if your sick days ran out and you were out for any length of time.

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• VIDEO: What Employers Want To Know About H1N1 • PDF: H1N1 Mini Survey