SINGAPORE companies are adopting flexible approaches to quarantine in the face of the rising number of people infected by the H1N1 virus and the growing list of countries affected.

The Straits Times spoke to 27 companies to ask how they were dealing with the pandemic and whether they quarantined staff returning to work from trips or vacations to H1N1-stricken areas.

Those who responded included Deutsche Bank and Citigroup, as well as CapitaLand, Tangs, StarHub, Raffles Medical Group and the Singapore Exchange.

Most reported that they were not making quarantine compulsory for employees returning from personal visits to affected areas, but advised them to stay at home for seven days if they felt unwell.

This policy is broadly in line with Ministry of Manpower (MOM) guidelines, which state that for non-work related travel to an area with sustained community spread of H1N1, the employer may request employees stay away from work.

The list of affected areas is currently Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

MOM's guidelines on how employers should treat time off for quarantine - as annual leave, sick leave or an unpaid holiday - are flexible.

It states that employers 'are encouraged to be flexible and compassionate when implementing such arrangements'.

Whether employees must use their personal leave during quarantine depends on the individual policies of companies and, in some cases, the employee's job.

HSBC does not require staff to take annual or medical leave for a quarantine.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.