Coronavirus craziness—managing sick employees during a pandemic

Outbreaks of influenza and other viruses aren't unusual during the winter months. Once in a while, a particularly virulent viral strain captures the headlines. Such villains include the "Spanish flu" of 1918, SARS in 2002 and 2003, and H1N1 (the "swine flu") in 2009. Now, the coronavirus is grabbing public attention and causing widespread concern in the workplace, especially with employers that have workers who travel to China. Because employment laws generally aren't written with the Black Plague in mind, the prudent employer should have policies and practices that will work during both a deadly pandemic and a lesser flu.