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The Department for Work and Pensions has decided to propose a change in the sick leave regulations by increasing the number of self-certified sick leaves days from seven to 14. Following this announcement, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has comforted employers by saying that there was nothing to worry.

The Cabinet Office is looking into this plan, which allows swine flu infected persons to take a leave of 14 days without a doctor’s note. The Cabinet plans to pass such a plan only in the contingency of a radical increase in the cases of swine flu in the UK.

Before these plans can be put in front of the Parliament, the Government has asked its Civil Contingency Committee to make a draft outlining the regulations of the plan. The implementation of the plan as law will only be for a limited period of six months unless proven that there is a need for extension.

The step taken by the authorities was realistic and a provisional measure, said Ben Willlmott, CIPD Senior Public Policy Adviser. This step would help professionals find a way to battle the flu and prevent any further contamination from infected persons, he said. For employers, who could work well even with a short staff with workers going on sick leave, it should not seem like a big problem. However, the flip side was that a few people would use the opportunity to trick their employers. Contact the experts at Workplace Law Training to find out about their range of accredited CIPD courses which can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper HR procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.

Nevertheless, according to a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions, workers should not be forced to turn up for work when they couldn’t manage it.