Company bosses fear that measures designed to reduce the impact of swine flu on the workplace could end up creating a “skivers’ charter”, it was claimed today.

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. Shropshire businesses are already feeling the pressure, with Telford & Wrekin a hot spot for the disease.

Employment Law Advisory Services 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.

Shropshire Chamber of Commerce is already helping employers prepare for a drop in workforce numbers following a report which said one in eight workers could be forced to take time off, with the numbers going up if staff take advantage by falsely claiming they have the disease.

Richard Sheehan, chamber managing director, said: “If the projected figures for the number of people contracting swine flu come to pass, companies will be hit by intense periods of staff absence.

“The internet and remote working will allow many firms to continue to operate normally should their workplace be affected by swine flu.”

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

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

“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.

By Amy Bould