DH boss wont let him self isolate. What would you do?

[Skatastic]

DH works in a retail shop that has stayed open to click and collect customers and phone orders. Worked with a female colleague all day on Monday both answering the same phone and working on the same computer. No hand sanitisers and no cleaner. Female colleague tested positive for COVID yesterday.

DH was told this morning then told he could "nip out" for a test then back to work. Boss says he doesn't need to isolate as he doesn't have symptoms. Boss says if he doesn't go to work he will get the sack.

What in the world of fuck can we do?

@PhoebeSnow

Why didn’t your husband get his own sanitizer for only himself to use?

He did!

Don't know how protective it is against a respiratory virus though!

Honeybobbin

Thank God someone else understands the school bubbles rule. I am not wrong, close contacts are no longer being told to SI at educational institutions. If a teacher says they have been in close contact then this would be an admission that they have not maintained social distancing at their "Covid secure" workplace and been deemed a potential disciplinary matter.

Secondary aged students are no longer to have " burst bubbles" as LFTs will be used daily to identify when they are positive so they can be sent home. After they have passed it on

What I find unbelievable is that so few outside of education understand this.

[quote Skatastic]@17bluebirds DH does take his own hand sanitiser i just added that bit to show how absolutely careless his boss is. He wont even get a cleaner he is that much of a twunt.[/quote]
Why hasn’t he been using it and using cloths to clean the computer?

The issue is that legally he doesn't need to isolate until told to do so by T&T. Once he is contacted then he can get an NHS isolation note

Why are they not social distancing at work??

Can he email the boss outlining the situation and request an email response...create a paper trail?

Yes, the employer could sack him (though not justifiably) but also your DH could publicise how bad things are...not even soap or sanitiser fgs....and potentially bring the business down.

dementedpixie and Ffsffsffsffsffs

I wish I were wrong but I am not.

@Foreverlexicon

Test and trace isn’t always accurate anyway.

A colleague of mine has tested positive. I was in a car with him for a couple of hours alongside another colleague a couple of days before. My other colleague got a notification and I didn’t despite me actually being nearer. However thankfully my line is work is very sensitive to this and therefore I’m isolating with no issues.

That’s the app not test & trace. Test & trace relies on people who have tested positive to inform them of who their close contact have been.

Your husband Boss is breaking a lot of health and safety Gov Regulations
Its illegal.!!!

All working envoriments by Health and safety Regulations should have whot/warm access for hygiene reasons.
Its obviously essential hand santiser needs to be provided..

And the Boss has to accept your husband has to go into isolation,

I think it might be easier for your husband to lie and say he has got symptoms of Covid 19 instead..

Your husband boss is an Arsehole endangering his collegues/employees lives like this..

In his shoes I would call in tomorrow saying I had symptoms and had called and ordered a test as too unwell to drive.

T&T are taking up to 2 weeks to contact people so you can't rely on that. DD and a close friend both been contacted recently - one had been in contact 15 days previously so no point in self isolating now, the other only has 3 days of isolation to serve now as it took them so long.

I think your dh needs to send a text claiming to be confused. Something like
I think I may have misunderstood what you told me today. I just wanted to confirm that X colleague who I worked closely with on Monday has tested positive for Covid 19. It states on .... that I must isolate for ten days from when I last worked with X to protect other colleagues and members of the public.
Wait for a response. He would have to be a complete idiot to respond saying you must work.

To answer some Qs - social distancing can't happen because the sales counter is so small and the volume of calls is so big and Twat Boss wont furlough anyone because he is busy being a money grabber. They do use some wipes (that we bought) but it is so busy that sometimes they don't have the chance.

Thanks everyone for the help and support. He definitely isn't going in tomorrow. I'll tell you all what twunty text he gets back saying he isnt off in!

I am sorry for your DH and you having to deal with such a terrible boss, it’s such an ongoing source of stress working for someone like that. I hope that he can find something better soon, I know it is a bad time but worth keeping trying hopefully.

@Skatastic
Hey het touch with your local council and report them for breaching employees and customers because they are not practicing covid safety for employees or the customers for people to work they have to be covid safety first !!
And then ring them and say hubbi has symptoms and having a test and then say u have had to give the shops details so they can contact customers that might frighten them enough to leave your hubbi in peace x

I think this speaks of a wider problem. Numbers won’t come down (regardless of how long schools are closed) whilst these sorts of businesses are allowed to operate. And the only way that local authorities can check on premises is if employees risk their jobs (and hence livelihoods!) on reporting their employers. It would be a lot better if spot checks could be made. (Obviously they don’t have the man power for that though!)

OP you have my sympathy- as I said up thread, could you / kiddies / DH “get symptoms” until you are T&T? Or can you contact T&T yourself (not sure if that is possible?)

Thank you @Crazycatlady83 but when one of our kids had symptoms me and the other kids all isolated until the test came back but DH boss made him go in! Luckily the test was negative that time.

We are considering him coming down with symptoms. Or just pointing boss to the rules that say DH should be isolating.

I know of a very large store (has shops all over the country) that got a confirmed coronavirus case. Several actually, one after the other. Have they closed the store? Only to the public (still have staff in dealing with online orders).
Have they cleaned after the cases? No. Have they allowed anyone to go home and isolate after any of the cases? Nope. So I’ll be boycotting them from now on.

Wish people would realise how serious it is and how much harm can be done by not having those who have been in contact with a covid positive case isolate.

Whatever he does next everything needs to be in writing now (and in a diary) just in case

@ellendegeneeres gives us a clue, I'd rather know and avoid them

@Skatastic

They don't have sanitiser for the same reason they don't provide face masks.... because they don't. God isnt it awful I wonder how many people are in this situation.

Can you report to the council?

They check for Covid-compliance

If his employer does not provide hand sanitizer and a face mask surely he can buy his own. My son is a lorry driver and buys his own antiviral wipes to wipe down lorry, hand sanitizer and mask for himself. He needs to double mask and sanitise his hands a lot and use the antiviral wipes around where he stands too.

It’s also your dh and his colleagues responsibility (whether male or female ) t practice god hygiene, hand sanitizer, sanitizing phones PCs etc

I think people have unrealistic expectations of T&T sadly.
DH had a zoom meeting earlier with a colleague who is recovering from Covid. His 19 year old son, who lives in their household, was diagnosed just after Christmas. He's still awaiting contact from T&T. Fortunately they all isolated immediately, but he was saying how he couldn't believe T&T had not been in touch with any of them.

They are breaking the law by knowingly allowing him in work when he should be isolating.

I bet there are loads of bosses like this

Yep , my workplace had an outbreak (8 cases) , some staff that went for a test were ‘allowed’ back in before they had the results.