Manager keeps booking Covid tests for me

[Jimbellselmbath]

We have on site covid testing at my work. No need for symptoms, anybody can have one. A few people go just for 20 minutes away, most don't want one as they do not want to isolate and lose 2 weeks wage (plus partners wage I suppose) if they were to test positive with no symptoms.

Anyway, I don't think they are getting the uptake they anticipated and suspect there are targets managers are being given for testing.
I keep getting texts saying 'your covid test has been booked for xyz' I have not attended any of them.
I had a message on my screen yesterday from my manager saying 'can you do me a favor, I have booked you a covid test for xyz' I still didn't go, manager is off site and there is no way of replying to her.
Today I got a text saying my test has been booked and I must attend even if i do not plan on taking the test (automated type texts- cannot reply)
I don't know whether to go or not. I won't be having the test but I don't think the testers would have any way of stopping these messages as surely they don't have access to that system?
Manager isn't in today, we only cross paths about once a month, i wouldn't know how to contact her outside of this. There are other managers who are more accessible, should I ask those? Is it an HR matter? Do I just keep ignoring the messages as they have not been promoted by me? I feel like complaining about the sneakyness of it all but I don't know who to.
What would you do?

@PhatPhanny

It is selfish if it turns out your asystematic, spreading the virus among the community.

But don't worry, it's not down to you to shoulder the wellbeing of others... Good grief, and people wonder why were in the mess we are now!

@PhatPhanny how well placed are you to lose 2 weeks of income?

Would you in fact never be in that position, as you are fortunate enough to work from home? Or would you be paid in full if you were asked to isolate?

Would your savings cushion the blow of half a month's income lost? Does your partner's situation leave you in a better place to deal with the loss?

Do you have no children to support? No loans to service? No mortgage repayments? No rent due?

How much food is in your freezer and cupboards? Could you easily stretch through a couple of weeks with no-minimal spending?

Most of that applies to me, and I can still understand that there are plenty of people out there who aren't in a position to risk serious disadvantage to themselves for the benefit of the rest of society. Especially given that OP has no close contacts outside her immediate family.

I'm confused about picture that OP is in a low paid factory job, yet is getting regular tests offered. Maybe it's more like a science laboratory.

Factory profit margins don't allow lots of testing (if only they could).

I think people telling the op to “just go and get the test done” “don’t be so selfish” etc don’t understand how hard some people might have it. If you live month by month and have to take 2 weeks off unpaid plus potentially the person you live with also having to isolate for 2 weeks unpaid, where exactly does that money to cover the mortgage, rent etc come from? Not everyone has savings. I can totally understand why someone who isn’t displaying symptoms who knows they won’t be paid to take 2 weeks off and may end up with a mark against them for being absent during a probationary period may want to avoid a test

Exactly @DinosaurGrrrrr, but unfortunately many posters don't seem to be able to grasp that there are plenty of people who are living hand to mouth and simply can't afford not to get paid. Ideally everyone would be financially secure, but in the real world it's not like that.That's the main issue here and is affecting compliance.

I wonder if the OP works for a large company with a rainforest related name. It wouldn't surprise me.

@PhatPhanny i can't see a way out of this mess unless everyone starts taking responsibility not just the op x

Do not take a rest organised by someone else on your behalf without your permission. That crosses a big line with regards to autonomy and what a company can dictate.
For those asking why anyone would refuse a test as if they don’t have it it will be negative, what about the significant possibility of a false positive? It was my understanding that False positives are higher than 10% of findings (and the accuracy is significantly worse with a-symptomatic people) and it is completely understandable for someone not to want to risk losing 2 weeks wages on a false positive when they don’t have symptoms. Also it’s not a very pleasant test to have. There were many on mumsnet who wouldn’t dream of putting their children through it so why should OP have to defend herself for not wanting to have one? In your situation I would not do it with this type of underhanded pressure.

We've got one of the rapid test pilots at the uni I'm at - we are now being heavily encouraged to go get tested "at least" twice a week. Very much smacks a bit of "ok we need to justify having this thing set up here" than anything else.

I'm not going - especially twice a week! I've been onto campus once this term and that was to collect a car parking pass - I don't go out anymore.

@FunnyInjury

Will they keep you on full pay for a positive result? If not I woudnt bother either tbh.

Is it a 'high risk' workplace?

So you’d rather be walking around with the virus and passing it on to others? It’s people like you that are to blame for high rate of transmission and resulting hospitalisations and deaths.

Guidance is clear. Get a test when you have symptoms. This is because too early (or too late) and you will get a false negative.
If you don't have symptoms then there is no need to be tested, if fact you are wasting everyone's time.

I'm a bit confused that you seem to be saying that the only contact you have with your manager is your monthly meeting & otherwise you have no means of contacting them. That can't be right and should be challenged if it is the case.

If you have the opportunity to be tested, fgs just do it! The more testing that is done the quicker we can all get back to some kind of normal. Why would you not be tested? If you test negative, you go about your business as usual, happy in the knowledge that you are virus free and not passing it onto anyone else. If you test positive, you do the right thing and isolate for the required time, happy in the knowledge that you are not walking around with the virus, not passing it on to anyone and saving lives.
It really is a no brainer, it’s our civil duty to do the right thing during this pandemic, no excuses.

@StripeyDeckchair

Guidance is clear. Get a test when you have symptoms. This is because too early (or too late) and you will get a false negative. If you don't have symptoms then there is no need to be tested, if fact you are wasting everyone's time.

I'm a bit confused that you seem to be saying that the only contact you have with your manager is your monthly meeting & otherwise you have no means of contacting them. That can't be right and should be challenged if it is the case.

Not having symptoms is no guarantee that you don’t have the virus. Have you not heard of the many, many people that are asymptomatic and passing it on to others?

It really is a no brainer, it’s our civil duty to do the right thing during this pandemic, no excuses.

"Civil duty" should also include employers paying 100% of lost income and NO disciplinary action. Yes?

And to ensure this is communicated to employees quite clearly. Yes?

It’s people like you that are to blame for high rate of transmission and resulting hospitalisations and deaths.

No. The people to blame are those who refuse to follow the government guidance because they fancy a house party. Those who think it is their fundamental human right to go to Tesco without a mask when they are perfectly capable of wearing them. Those who send their teenagers to school while waiting for a test result.

And (especially imo) the government failure to mandate proper pay for those isolating. If we expect people to take extra tests or isolate for the good of the country, then the country should make damned sure those people can still pay their rent / utilities / food bills.

Perhaps the posters calling the OP selfish will agree to donate two weeks of their wage to the OP to enable her to live if she gets an positive test. If they are unwilling to then they are selfish. After all, the OP could be walking around spreading just because they are prepared to financially lose out.

Many, many people with covid will have picked up the infection from asymptomatic carriers. Many of these infections would have been avoided if those carriers had been tested, despite being asymptomatic, and then isolated once they knew they were carriers.

It stands to reason that if you isolate the carriers, you stop the spread. But in order to do this, you have to identify who the carriers are, including (especially) the asymptomatic ones.

Sadly this is what people on lower wages with only statutory sick pay are faced with. If they get a positive test it leads to financial hardship. I suspect many commenting are office workers who have voluntary sick pay arrangements in their contracts ensuring they continue to receive full pay.

People shouldn't have to face that choice to ensure their participation in public health programmes to combat this virus. If employers feel that it is important to test staff this frequently, they should be prepared to pay for the full cost of this including isolation periods.

t really is a no brainer, it’s our civil duty to do the right thing during this pandemic, no excuses

I think it's a duty to make sure people have enough money to feed themselves. Many people cannot go two weeks without money.

I presume you are one of those lucky people that can afford to lose two weeks income. Great for you. Don't dictate to others. Unless you want to pay the ops wages for fortnight that is. Thought not...

@RoseTintedAtuin

Do not take a rest organised by someone else on your behalf without your permission. That crosses a big line with regards to autonomy and what a company can dictate. For those asking why anyone would refuse a test as if they don’t have it it will be negative, what about the significant possibility of a false positive? It was my understanding that False positives are higher than 10% of findings (and the accuracy is significantly worse with a-symptomatic people) and it is completely understandable for someone not to want to risk losing 2 weeks wages on a false positive when they don’t have symptoms. Also it’s not a very pleasant test to have. There were many on mumsnet who wouldn’t dream of putting their children through it so why should OP have to defend herself for not wanting to have one? In your situation I would not do it with this type of underhanded pressure.

Regarding your line, it's not uncommon for people in certain roles to be subject to regular/random drug testing, especially where they operate machinery/drive vehicles and could therefore seriously hurt themselves/others if impaired.

It's not that unpleasant - descriptions of how bad it is have been vastly exaggerated.

If you don't personally have symptoms, that doesn't mean you can't pass it onto someone who will then have symptoms and/or pass it to a vulnerable person who will die from it. Not having symptoms doesn't mean everything is OK.

If you don't get paid sick leave in full, there are no waiting days for SSP for Covid. Appreciate it's only £96 a week vs whatever your normal weekly wage is, but it's better than nothing.

As for the OP, ignoring a line manager in probation is more likely to get you the sack than taking sick leave to self-isolate. If you have concerns, you need to address these with someone, not just try to opt-out of the tests. If you can't get hold of your manager, you need to speak to your manager's manager, or HR.

If you don't get paid sick leave in full, there are no waiting days for SSP for Covid. Appreciate it's only £96 a week vs whatever your normal weekly wage is, but it's better than nothing.

It should be 100% of current pay.

@Hopoindown31

Sadly this is what people on lower wages with only statutory sick pay are faced with. If they get a positive test it leads to financial hardship. I suspect many commenting are office workers who have voluntary sick pay arrangements in their contracts ensuring they continue to receive full pay.

People shouldn't have to face that choice to ensure their participation in public health programmes to combat this virus. If employers feel that it is important to test staff this frequently, they should be prepared to pay for the full cost of this including isolation periods.

I don't think the OP has actually mentioned losing money - only being worried that sick leave will count against them in probation.

Actually. Make that current pay PLUS any benefits entitled to = income.

I'm honestly shocked by the amount of people saying "just take the test" after the OP has stated repeatedly they won't be paid while they isolated. Must be lovely to have enough money that you can lose two weeks pay and not be adversely affected by it. I live paycheque to paycheque and would fall far behind on my bills and struggle to catch up if I lost two weeks wages. And I know I'm far from alone in being in this situation.

@PurpleHoodie

It's really that simple.

No it is not.

Unless you want anarchy in the UK. There have been callers to radio programmes (LBC etc). Landlords who have not received rents as a DIRECT result of people losing money due Covid 19. One landlord is £26 000 down.

Should everyone stop paying rents and mortgages?

Should everyone stop paying electricity and water bills?

Insurance and gas?

It really IS that simple! We are in the middle of a PANDEMIC fgs. You can’t pick and choose who will self isolate and who won’t...it’s down to each and every one of us to take responsibility and isolate to stop the spread of the virus, no matter what our financial situation is. No one has said this will be easy....many, many people will lose out financially in some form or other. This is about saving lives and getting through this pandemic as quickly as possible. Sacrifices will have to made, no question about it.

@dazzlinghaze

I'm honestly shocked by the amount of people saying "just take the test" after the OP has stated repeatedly they won't be paid while they isolated. Must be lovely to have enough money that you can lose two weeks pay and not be adversely affected by it. I live paycheque to paycheque and would fall far behind on my bills and struggle to catch up if I lost two weeks wages. And I know I'm far from alone in being in this situation.

Apologies, I did look at all posted highlighted, but managed to miss that bit!

"I do not consent to taking a test. I am adhering to government guidelines by xyz. Please stop passing my details onto the testing centre without asking my consent first."