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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Staff not ‘boosted’ affecting whole team.

204 replies

Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 16:46

We are quite a large team and everyone except one has had their covid booster. She has had the first two vaccinations. Guidance has just been changed - so anyone who is a household contact can return to work if they meet certain conditions. Being boosted is one of them. She refuses to get the booster - unsure of her reasons - I haven’t asked as it’s none of my business. She has been off multiple times with symptoms and has taken multiple PCR tests - all of which have been negative. We all just roll our eyes now when we are told she is off again. Now they have been identified as a close contact - but will need to isolate as not boosted. We are stretched as it is and can’t help thinking less of this person! AIBU?

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 06/01/2022 17:22

It's all very well for posters to say the OP is being unreasonable, but if she and her team are picking up the slack every time the unboosted colleague is have to self isolate I can see that this will affect team morale.

Some of the YABU replies are rather too defensive.

UnconditionalSurrender · 06/01/2022 17:23

Its mad fully vaccinated is 2 doses. 2 doses are just not working against omicron.After 6 months there's virtually no protection from any of the vaccines. So a booster is needed.
In Scotland the new rules means its 2 doses plus a third or booster. I think YANBU OP unless there's a medical reason not to get the booster.

DaveGrohl · 06/01/2022 17:24

YANBU.

Mydogmylife · 06/01/2022 17:25

@Adododoadahdahdah

I thought people with two doses of vaccine were deemed to be fully vaccinated now. www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person You are fully vaccinated 14 days after having received two doses of an approved vaccine (such as Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Moderna/Spikevax) or one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine.
Depends where you are I think - in Scotland fully vaccinated includes the booster
Original poster
Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 17:26

It’s really affecting our morale.

OP posts:
dworky · 06/01/2022 17:29

YANBU. Ignore the anti-vaxers.

Ikeepbuyinganimals · 06/01/2022 17:29

If she is just doing it for laziness YANBU but with your workplace guidelines, not sure you can do much.

Where YABU is that she may have a legit reason. I had two jabs and my periods have been all over the place since the first including a 3 month gap without one. I did what I thought was right despite but being in my 4th year of TTC now, I'm not willing to put my body through a booster which may extend this messing with my potential to conceive.

Original poster
Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 17:31

That’s the thing, we are faced with this continuing problem, yet can’t do anything about it
Obviously for medical reasons, she would be perfectly within her rights.
I would just have been one about it if that was the case. Yes, it’s not our business but I would rather just be upfront so that my colleagues didn’t think I was just being lazy and leaving the team to pick up the slack constantly.

OP posts:
lljkk · 06/01/2022 17:33

I am bracing for getting yelled at because I can't keep track of the rules.

"She has been off multiple times with symptoms and has taken multiple PCR tests - all of which have been negative"

Aren't we all supposed to isolate if we get symptoms until we get a clear PCR? Isn't that the same rule for everyone. Doesn't matter what jabs you had or didn't.

"Now they have been identified as a close contact - but will need to isolate as not boosted. "

Would this (sounds like first instance?) matter if she hadn't done the right thing before by isolating when she had symptoms.

My head hurts following this story.
Anyway, God forgive those of us who don't make work the most important thing in our lives.
Maybe she'll get fired & OP can get a new colleague with other problems.

Bagamoyo1 · 06/01/2022 17:34

@Jaxhog

YANBU. Multiple sick leaves suggest she is not taking proper care of her health. Whatever the reason. Your company should also have a contingency plan, so the rest of you aren't continually being overloaded.
She’s often having leave as a contact with Covid, not because she’s ill.
Nowhereelsetogo90 · 06/01/2022 17:36

YABVU. For all you know she might have perfectly good reason for not being boosted.

Bagamoyo1 · 06/01/2022 17:36

Sadly Covid rules are a slackers charter

Original poster
Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 17:37

The point in me mentioning how often she has been off is to show that it’s multiple times (at least 5) all being negative. She could be making it up for all we know. Not to mention the waste of resources getting so many PCRs that are not warranted.
Obviously, I can’t prove anything but it looks very suspicious!

OP posts:
SickAndTiredAgain · 06/01/2022 17:38

But the multiple instances of being off with symptoms wouldn’t be changed by her having had the booster?

How many times has her being a contact actually made her isolate? Your OP makes it sound like this is the first time - which I’m assuming it is since the guidance has just changed.

Sounds more like she’s taking the piss with isolating due to symptoms than anything to do with having a booster.

colourfulpuddles · 06/01/2022 17:38

YABVU. It’s none of your business. If you are having staffing issues that’s your managements fault and they need to find cover for sick staff members.

Sleepdeprived42long · 06/01/2022 17:38

YANBU it’s unfair that she’s made a choice that means she gets to not work on full pay while you and the rest of your team pick up the slack. Unfortunately I think a lot of the anti-vax propaganda seems to led many of those previously double jabbed not to get the booster. If she can’t have the booster due to previous reactions, fair enough. But if she didn’t mention it, or was off sick due to that, at the time, unlikely this is the reason tbh. I respect that people can and should be able to choose not to be boosted, but that doesn’t mean that should bear no consequences for their choice.

lljkk · 06/01/2022 17:39

Maybe OP has changed a few strategic details. Colleague is really a he called "Keir Starmer"

Sleepdeprived42long · 06/01/2022 17:39

@colourfulpuddles but this staff member isn’t off sick???

JuergenSchwarzwald · 06/01/2022 17:40

@RampantIvy

It's all very well for posters to say the OP is being unreasonable, but if she and her team are picking up the slack every time the unboosted colleague is have to self isolate I can see that this will affect team morale.

Some of the YABU replies are rather too defensive.

I have had my booster. So has all my family, so I am not being defensive at all.

There are many reasons why people may have decided not to have a booster until the government changes the definition of "fully" vaccinated. It is threatening to do so sometime next month, but hasn't yet.

And I repeat, outside the healthcare/social care areas you cannot unilaterally change someone's terms of employment in the UK (although you can fire and rehire - I guess some of the more disreputable companies may do that - we already know that British Gas has done it for other reasons).

FriendshipsAreHardForMe · 06/01/2022 17:40

YANBU. Of course you aren't; previous posters are being obtuse.

Unless she has good reasons to not get the booster.

I wonder why she's so symptomatic yet negative PCRs. Do you think she's faking it to get days off, or having other viruses?

I don't blame you for feeling annoyed that she's not protecting herself further despite her seemingly having symptoms so regularly. Surely she realises she's a weak link. I'd be embarrassed if I was her

JuergenSchwarzwald · 06/01/2022 17:41

I am wondering why the colleague has to self-isolate quite so often though, given I've not had to do it once since the pandemic started.

Original poster
Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 17:41

Sorry yes this is the first, maybe second as a close contact. The rest have been for ‘symptoms’. Having the booster wouldn’t change that. It is affecting the household contact scenario. And this is where the problem lies at the moment.

OP posts:
Freecuthbert · 06/01/2022 17:42

@Chanandlerbong1

She may well be playing the system, but who knows really. But as I'm a perfect example of someone very pro vaccinations, had the first two as soon as I could and now find myself in a position unable to have the booster, I don't think it's fair to assume she is playing the system, unless she has explicitly told you she is unreasonably refusing to get the booster. Of course it's annoying that you are picking up the slack, and I sympathise with you on that, and if it turns out she is playing the system, well yes of course she is a dick! But you need to really push management to put contingencies in place to cover staff absences. It always shocks me when a team can't cope with one absence and the team seems to be falling apart because of that one person going off, so the individual who is off for whatever reason (none of the team's business) gets all the blame.

Original poster
Chanandlerbong1 · 06/01/2022 17:43

You don’t have to prove that you have symptoms. Harsh of me, but yes I think these episodes have been faked.
It’s really hard to work with someone who is so blatantly selfish. I would be mortified if I was her.

OP posts:
SilverontheTree · 06/01/2022 17:44

Of course YANBU. I certainly think less of unvaccinated people.