Northern Arizona University

What all employees can do to be helpful:

• Follow the recommended flu precautions:
  
  • wash hands frequently – especially after you cough or sneeze; use soap and water when available or an alcohol based hand cleaner
  • cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash immediately
  • avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth – germs spread that way
• Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, work equipment, etc. if possible
• If you are sick or have flu symptoms, stay home from work, limit contact with others and, if necessary, contact your healthcare provider. Follow the regular departmental process for notifying your supervisor.

What if I have a medical condition that might make the flu worse for me?

If you have a medical condition that may make you more vulnerable to the effects of the flu virus, you may disclose that and request that special arrangements be made for you in the event of an outbreak. The university wants to protect the confidentiality of medical information as much as possible and provide you with options for disclosure:

• If time permits, you may disclose the information to the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) and give that office permission to work with you, your doctor and supervisor to make appropriate arrangements.
• If time does not permit, you should speak directly with your supervisor who can then consult with AA/EO or Human Resources as needed.

I have an immediate family member who is sick. Can I take sick time to stay home with them?

Yes, an employee can follow the regular departmental process to take approved sick leave to care for a family member who is sick.

My child’s school was shut down and I don’t have childcare. What options do I have?

You can explore options with your supervisor for working from home (if there is work that can be done from home) or using vacation leave, comp time or leave without pay.

Under normal circumstances, the occasional and brief presence of children in the workplace may be okay with a supervisor. However, it’s important in these situations that you not bring your child into the workplace – especially if their school was shut down due to a confirmed or suspected case of H1N1 flu.

I’m concerned about the possibility of being exposed to the flu virus at work. Do I have to come to work?

If you have a concern about the possibility of being exposed to the virus in the workplace (but are not yet sick), it’s most helpful to:

• Talk to your supervisor about that concern 
• Educate yourself about the current situation, prevention methods and how to avoid the spread of infection in public places by reviewing NAU Flu Update page or H1N1 (Swine) Flu information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). You may also want to talk with your healthcare provider to discuss your concerns.
• Discuss other options with your supervisor including:
  
  • Working from home temporarily (if the nature of your work allows it)
  • Taking vacation leave, comp time, or leave without pay

What managers can do to be helpful:

• Remind and encourage employees to follow the recommended flu precautions:
  
  • wash hands frequently – especially after you cough or sneeze; use soap and water when available or an alcohol based hand cleaner
  • cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash immediately
  • avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth – germs spread that way
• Be willing to explore with your employees options for flexible scheduling and working from home
• Anticipate how work will get done if there are higher numbers of (or longer) absences due to illness, school closings/child care challenges, sick family members, etc.
• Recommend that employees feeling ill or exhibiting symptoms should leave work and, if necessary, contact their healthcare provider

My employee has been out sick for more than a few days. Is there anything I need to do?

If an employee is out for more than three days, the supervisor and/or department must report that information to Human Resources so that the employee can be sent information about their rights and job protections under the Family Medical Leave (FML). Also remember that in that process, employees are allowed to request a leave without disclosing to a supervisor the specific medical concern. If you or your employee have questions about medical leave, please contact Human Resources.

If my employee misses more than three days of work do I have to require a doctor's note for them to return?

No. This is a common misconception about policy, but a note to the supervisor is not required in every circumstance. In a pandemic situation, because many people who have the virus likely won’t need medical attention and because it’s anticipated that healthcare providers could be overwhelmed, it may not be realistic to require a doctor’s note to return to work. However, if there are some special circumstances or concerns with a particular situation, please contact Human Resources.

One of my employees seems sick. Can I require them to go home?

Managers should express concern to the employee that they appear to be sick and recommend that they leave work and, if necessary, visit their healthcare provider. 

What if they won’t leave?

Every situation is unique, but if an employee refuses to leave and you continue to have concerns about their presence in the workplace, please contact the Human Resources employee relations team.

One of my employees has a medical condition that might put them at higher risk for complications if they get the virus. Can I require that they work at home for their own safety?

No, it’s really their right as an employee to monitor and make decisions about their own risk. You might want to remind all employees that if they feel they have increased vulnerability to the flu due to certain existing medical conditions, they can choose to disclose their concern in one of the following ways:

• If time permits, they may disclose the information to the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) and give that office permission to work with you to make appropriate arrangements.
• If time does not permit, they could speak directly with you as the supervisor and you should then consult with AA/EO or Human Resources as needed. Please remember that employees can express their concern for special arrangements without disclosing the specific medical information to a supervisor.

Supervisors are reminded that any medical information that should be disclosed by an employee should be kept confidential and disclosed only on a “need to know” basis. Generally, if special arrangements are made due to a medical issue, co-workers and colleagues do not have a “need” to know the reason for the special arrangements.

One of my employees doesn’t want to be at work because they’re afraid they’ll be exposed to the virus. Can I require them to work?

Supervisors are encouraged to be sensitive to employee concerns and should have a discussion about the specific issue causing concern for that individual employee. It is recommended that you:

• Help educate the employee on the present circumstances by referring them to the NAU Flu Update page or H1N1 (Swine) Flu information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or to their healthcare provider.
• Consult with Human Resources on other simple workplace adjustments that can help address the specific concern that is raised.
• You may, if possible, allow them to work from home temporarily or allow them to take vacation, comp time or leave without pay in order to be out of the workplace.

Who to contact about these types of workplace issues:

For concerns about work completion, scheduling or attendance, contact the HR Employee Relations team:

• Diana LaPier, A  dministrative Departments
  diana.lapier@nau.edu; 523-6139
• Michele Wallace, Academic Departments and Extended Campuses
  michele.wallace@nau.edu, 523-8959

For concerns about family medical leave (FML), contact the HR Benefits team:

• Anna Fallis, Administrative Departments
  anna.fallis@nau.edu; 523-6140
• Alicia Howard, Academic Departments and Extended Campuses
  alicia.howard@nau.edu; 523-0243