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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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 H1N1 OUTBREAK 
13

County Will Fire Sick Employees for Working

Arizona municipality tries to put brakes on spread of swine flu

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(Newser) – In a desperate attempt to curb the spread of swine flu, Pima County, Ariz., has notified its employees that they could be canned if they come to work sick. Any employee with a fever over 100.4 accompanied by any other flu symptom will be sent packing. “It seems like we are being a bit draconian,” allowed a county official, but “we want people to feel free to call in sick.” The local government is urging private individuals and businesses to adopt similar policies.

Sick at work? Pima County, Arizona wants you at home.
Sick at work? Pima County, Arizona wants you at home.   (Shutterstock)
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BlueAyez
Oct 16, 09 1:22 PM CDT
That's what you get sick leave for. One sick employee can affect your whole bottom line. It's my number one pet peeve in the office. If you're sick stay the the hell home! Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
WallyEFunk
Oct 16, 09 2:05 PM CDT
And it's great ,when the bills that come in at the end of the month, take that into account and give 10% off them. so you can make ends meet. GET INTO THE REAL LIFE. missing a day ,makes the difference of making the medical Permian or ?? bill payment or not. NOT right,maybe making other PPL sick but like some PPL say it's there tuff luck. you have to have paid sick days or something then?
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0
IN RESPONSE:
Timinator2K
Oct 16, 09 3:06 PM CDT
People can be INCREDIBLY stupid by coming to work sick and "spreading their joys." Now, if they happen to get sick from a sick co-worker showing up, they get all bent out of shape.
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+3
cochiserocks
Oct 16, 09 1:24 PM CDT
I believe the main issue with this pandemic is not whether it is 'dangerous' - (it is surprisingly mild - I've had it), but how incredibly infectious it is. The problem is an economic one - if huge amounts of people call in sick all at once - an entire economy and its support services (police, ambulance, fire etc..) could be put out of action for a short period. So this sounds nuts, but if folks aren't careful - the few extra bucks they make by going while feeling ill, could end up destroying the company they work for and taking their job with it! Reply
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
BlueAyez
Oct 17, 09 10:04 AM CDT
My point exactly. Most companies do give paid sick days off for that very reason. It's better to pay someone to stay home than to go under because of critical business interruptions.
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