Oct. 30, 2009 (The Korea Times) -- By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Kim, a 34-year-old working mom, will no longer have any vacation days left for this year once she uses up her remaining seven days to stay at home with her kids.
With two kindergarteners both kept at home due to school closings from the fast-spreading H1N1 flu, Kim decided it would be best to be by their side - even if it means taking criticism at work.
"I know my absence will pass on more work to my colleagues, but I have to do what I have to do," said the mother, who is a public relations officer at a major conglomerate.
Other office workers like Kim - who are taking leave for one reason or another linked to the swine flu - are pressing companies to chart out emergency plans to weather the pandemic storm.
The influenza A virus has so far taken 34 lives and was infecting an average of 4,000 people on a daily basis last week, according to government data.
"The virus is clearly spreading much faster than before, so we can't be passive about countermeasures," said a representative of Lotte, one of a growing number of firms encouraging employees who feel sick to work from home for a limited period.
Shinsegae and other companies in the retail industry are comparatively generous about allowing work flexibility for their sick staff.
But businesses that require harder on-site labor are bracing for direct damages from the rapidly spreading flu.
Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries, for example, have rigid project completion deadlines that must be kept, which means a full workforce is needed to make shipments on time.
"Thousands of visitors annually visit our shipyard from around the world, so the exposure puts us at a higher risk from the flu," said an executive at one local shipbuilder. "We need to take extra precautions to prevent the virus from bringing our operations down."
The financial sector is also rushing to come up with emergency solutions.
An average of three to four employees from each major bank has been infected with the H1N1 virus, according to industry officials.
"The number can quickly multiply, immediately impacting companies' customer service, so industry-wide countermeasures are needed at this point," said a manager of Shinhan Bank.
Companies including POSCO (NYSE:PKX) , Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group and SK Group are heightening their preventive measures by requiring employees to get their body temperature checked on a regular basis.
Hyundai Economic Research Institute forecast that in the worst case scenario, the virus can drag down South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) by 7.8 percent, and push down fresh labor demand by 1.01 million.
