Employer Enforcing Quarantine?

[Dominicgoings]

UK based ( not Scotland) and healthcare setting.

Just had an email to say that anyone who goes abroad on ‘non essential travel’ will have quarantine for 14days on unpaid or annual leave and undergo Covid testing before returning to work.

Reasonable or not?

Unreasonable. Contact Acas immediately. My friend had this, told the employer in no uncertain terms that they would be facing constructive dismissal if they tried to enforce this

Reasonable.

I think that's reasonable!

I think it's totally reasonable

Reasonable

Yes reasonable - why should the employer pay you to sit at home for an additional 2 weeks? I wouldn't want to risk my entire workforce going off on isolation because you brought it back with you because you couldn't wait a bit longer to have a foreign holiday 🤷‍♀️

Legally I don't think they can unless they're paying you for 2 weeks off at home?

Morally they're probably very worried about infecting potentially vulnerable patients.

Ok. Does anyone who think it’s reasonable think this should apply to every employee in the UK or just healthcare workers?

We have been told to avoid pubs, beach and going abroad (carer here) Still have to wear masks in shops.

We have avoid covid so far.

Reasonable. They may not be able to staff areas adequately if one person gets it and exposes everyone else.

@Dominicgoings

Yes the majority of employees unless they work on their own obviously or don't come into contact with others

We ll all be moaning if we have a second spike and we all know planes aren't the most sanitary of places at the best of times and are breeding grounds for all sorts

I think it's down to the employer and any risk assessments they have done. In some workplaces it would be less 'essential' to quarantine as strict social distancing can be applied.

What if they are going somewhere that there is no quarantine rule when you return? Are they still telling you to take the time off?

I think its a grey area. If the trip was booked pre-covid restrictions and can't be cancelled or rescheduled without loss, then employees shouldn't be penalised for going, but at the same time I can understand employers not wanting to pay people to quarantine. Using annual leave/unpaid leave is a compromise, I would say. However if the trip was booked in full knowledge of covid restrictions, tbh I think employers can do what they like.

What utter bollocks. The countries open for travel have far lower infection rates than us....could understand more if they told their workers they ant go to the pub, restaurant etc!!

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#countries-and-territories-with-no-self-isolation-on-return-to-england

Of course it’s reasonable; you’re putting everyone else at risk because you wanted a holiday.

And I think it should apply in all settings, not just healthcare.

Dementedpixie yes the current list of ‘safe’ countries is deemed irrelevant.

For transparency I have no plans to travel but am a line manager in the organisation and a number of staff are in uproar. Need to try and navigate the way forward.

why should the employer pay you to sit at home for an additional 2 weeks?

Assuming the travel is to a country not on the quarantine list there's be no need to sit at home for two weeks. Asking for a negative CV test before returning is reasonable, but requiring an additional two weeks unpaid with a negative test isn't.

@Dominicgoings

Dementedpixie yes the current list of ‘safe’ countries is deemed irrelevant.

For transparency I have no plans to travel but am a line manager in the organisation and a number of staff are in uproar. Need to try and navigate the way forward.

Speak to acas then. Or a union if you're a member.

Our company are applying this for anyone who booked their holiday after the 1st June of you booked before they are looking for ways to work around it (WFH, etc). This is to make it fair on everyone.

I don’t think it’s fair if the government is saying we can travel and not have to self quarantine (when returning from certain countries) If your employee goes to one of these countries then has to take 2 weeks off unpaid that’s penalising those who work in the health service. I too work innthe health service and received an email similiar to that a few weeks ago i was off yesterday and today so haven’t heard anything since the new guidelines were released

I got a similar email so either unpaid or annual leave for 14 day quarantine upon return from a foreign country. Im also a healthcare worker and I think it’s reasonable. Not worth the risk of bringing it back to your workplace or elsewhere just for a holiday.

Employees cannot be penalised for following government advice - if they are travelling to a county which is exempt from FCO advice not to travel because a travel corridor has been formed and no quarantine restrictions apply on return, the employer cannot enforce them and not pay the employee.

However, if travelling against FCO advice then absolutely is fair to enforce unpaid/annual leave for quarantine