Staff not ‘boosted’ affecting whole team.

[Chanandlerbong1]

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?

YABU

[quote silkience]@Eleganz my point is the ratio, not the size of the team. This is one person! If it were one person in a team of only ten then the OP may have a point that it is disproportionately impacting them. [/quote]
No, it is about the workload compared to the team. If you have a team of 10 doing the work of 15 you will notice significantly if they are dropped to 9.

It is very possible for overstretched large teams to feel the loss of a single team member significantly.

Again this is all a management issue. OP's problem is with management here.

But if you have symptoms, you are meant to be isolating and taking pcr anyway, regardless of vaccine status? So it's different from she has been isolating because of close contact, which sounds like happened only once?

Anyways, I think it's annoying, but there's nothing you can do. That's up to the management to deal with.

YABU. She isn't some rabid anti vaxxer if she's had 2 already. She must have her own reasons which she is in no way obliged to share.

@Chanandlerbong1

My manager is well aware of the problem. She can’t do anything about it if she refuses to be boosted. People are free to make their own choices. But she’s already had two vaccines so she is not ‘anti-vax’.

Even if the manager knows the reason, she can't reveal it.

If the woman is often off sick, that suggests her immune system is compromised in some way . (Perhaps she is has had three shots already ( 3 because she's at high risk) and now has to wait three months after number 3 for a booster. Perhaps she is undergoing some medical treatment that contradicts a booster.

With zero knowledge of her medical condition or history, it's mean to suggest her frequent absences are fraudulent. You know it's not covid, but so what? The symptoms of covid match symptoms of many other disorders.

Wow just wow!😯 she didn't make the rules and she definitely doesn't need to appease you by getting a booster she obviously doesn't want. You'd want to get used to it, more and more people are declining the 3rd jab.

YANBU. This would really annoy me - if no medical reason, just choice etc, why should someone get to be off work - potentially several times a year! - on full pay?!! Very unfair if others who are boosted get the same pay for doing a lot more work!

I’d think the same as you

YABU

Sorry but yea she might be trying to play the system
But then you also know she isn’t anti vax. So she might well have very good reasons for not getting the booster. Or she has changed her mind about booster/vaxx. Or any myriad of reasons that you are not privy about

So I’m afraid you’ll have to let it go unless you are also ready to look like a twat for having a go at someone for making a different choice than you.

Also the issue of regular absence is an issue with your manager. That ourson is off due to self isolation. It could have been that they had long covid and were struggling. Or any other chronic illness. Would you each like this too if this was the case?
If you have an issue with your workload, then you have an issue with your manager/company. Have a go at them not the person who is following the guidelines

Mind your own business OP

[quote Chanandlerbong1]@NeverDropYourMooncup
Th fact you are on a three dose primary schedule would flag to me that you are vulnerable - so of course I wouldn’t think you were taking advantage.[/quote]
But should I have to share that information with you? Should every vulnerable member of staff lose their right to medical privacy?

I don't believe everybody at work has the right to know this about me.

I have several family members who have had both doses and won't be getting a booster.

Their choice. It isn't their choice what government guidance is. How your business manages its work load shouldn't have an impact on a medical decision she is entitled to make.

they should payng everytime shes a close contact then dont know how that would go down i bet she miraculously starts not having any close contacts anymore

my dh firm does this but with only 2 doses up to them i suppose but theyre not leaving anyone short

@Somersetlady
Thanks for that - really I am just letting off steam. We don’t talk about it within the team. Although I am pretty sure we all think the same thing.
Management cannot do anything - understaffing is a major problem (this is nhs after all!)

If she has symptoms she gets a test and comes to work if negative, off sick if positive. If she’s a contact then any associated time off should be accruing sick days now the rules have changed, and stop paying for self isolation unless medically exempt from vaccination. Some people are taking the piss now.

Your workplace is very lax on keeping confidential information confidential if you all know what she’s off with every time she’s off - I appreciate the contact scenario is different, but nevertheless you seem to know every time she’s off with Covid symptoms and the results of her tests.

Who is blabbing? Her line manager? HR? Not very professional, whoever it is. Individual medical information should be kept highly confidential, unless the individual themselves chooses to disclose it beyond whoever they are required to report absence to.

When she calls in sick - she usually speaks to a colleague before being passed over to our line manger. She tells whoever she speaks to voluntarily!

She doesn't have to tell her colleagues her reasons for not having the booster, whatever they might be. It's honestly none of your business, however much it annoys you. She may well be playing the system, but you can't prove it.

You can mistrust and dislike her, but YABU to think that anyone who has had two jabs somehow owes it to her colleagues to have a third. If your working conditions aren't what they should be, complain or look for employment elsewhere. People have been playing the system to get out of work for as long as there have been people. This is nothing new.

It's also possible that's she's telling colleague some bollocks and giving the manager the real reason.
Before how we reported absences changed I used to do the same. Telling the random person it's personal didn't always work. My manager was ace and not only would we laugh about the bs I had mentioned, he would also give me some gory reasons to say when I made the next call.

He couldn't do anything about my absences (protected characteristics) but he could do what needed to be done to ensure we had a decent amount of staff so that the team didn't feel overworked with planned and unplanned absences.

@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.

Self isolating can't be counted as sick leave

@Chanandlerbong1

It’s really affecting our morale.

Probably because you’re spending too much time minding other people’s business for them, and expecting them to share personal information that you have no right to know.

I’m no anti-vaxxer (which appears to be the new way of describing anyone who is anything other than enthusiastic about unlimited vaccinations ) and I dutifully had my first two jabs as soon as I could. But I don’t want the booster. I was very ill after the second jab, only for a short period of time but I felt so utterly shit. I cancelled my booster appointment because I wasn’t feeling great on the day but I haven’t rebooked yet. I probably will but I haven’t made that decision 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). Would terms of employment be likely to include having full pay when isolating due to covid contacts?

@SilverontheTree

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

But she's double vaxxed .

@Chanandlerbong1

My manager is well aware of the problem. She can’t do anything about it if she refuses to be boosted. People are free to make their own choices. But she’s already had two vaccines so she is not ‘anti-vax’.

Not everyone who is unvaccinated is anti-vax. One of my offspring would love to be vaccinated but is severely needle phobic and the waiting list for therapy is 2 years. Weird that this colleague wont get the booster though, if they have already had the first two

Interesting & varied comments on this thread. It's not really about someone not coming into work. This is about pulling together in this holy mess called covid-not relying on others to cover for you. It's about your civic duty to others & unless you have a valid reason not to be fully vaccinated then you SHOULD be. When are people going to realise it is not just about you -there are far too many damn selfish people in this country. They won't get vaccinated but the minute they are unwell they expect the NHS to bail them out.All very well questioning the science but I don't hear them questioning the science when the NHS is fighting for their lives! I am all for free choice but also think if you've made your bed you lye on it & get on with it. It's time the government got much heavier with these individuals -I would certainly support measures to perhaps charge these individuals higher levels of taxation to help cover the extra strain they are putting on the country-.those who have valid reasons would obviously be exempt-& this group obviously need everyone else to be vaccinated to keep them as safe as possible. Its time to live with the consequences of your choice & not expect the rest of us to support your selfish choices in any form-either at work or at leisure. If your choice is to be part of the problem & not part of the solution then expect that society will decide & will judge-whine all you like it's called consequences. Live with it-Oh & OP YANBU