To think that my manager shouldn't be telling my colleagues this?

[gthyjuyhtrew]

I tested positive for COVID so couldn't go into the office for a meeting. I messaged my manager to let her know. I didn't tell anyone else the specific reason, I just said I was unwell.

A colleague then brought up that I had had COVID. The only way they would have known is if my manager had told him.

I don't really care and it was never a secret. I'm quite new to the company too for context. I guess it's just made me second guess what I can tell my manager.

(Also I hadn't been to the office for 2+ weeks when I tested positive so it's not like my colleagues needed to know they had been in contact with me)

If the manager said "she's off sick, and won't be back at the earliest 5 days later" then I think people will assume covid.
My observation is currently people assume covid anyway tbf currently it usually is

I would be pissed too.
The reason you are off work should be private.
I had a ton of time off for mental health reasons, and it was made common knowledge amongst my colleagues.
'You are not coming in' should be all they know IMHO.

[quote elephantmarchingin]@EarringsandLipstick please see recent change below to guidance. I can't find the original as I'm on my phone and need to go back through the archives but it clearly states that we were responsible for contact tracing etc

'Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen said: “I recognise the significant burden and challenges that principals have faced since the start of the new term in trying to support contact tracing in schools.
“I want to particularly acknowledge the incredible efforts of school leaders, staff and board of governors in ensuring that effective contact tracing has been in place.
“Over the last few days I have held meetings with the Minister of Health and his officials to urgently resolve this issue.
“It has been agreed that from tomorrow, the PHA’s Contact Tracing Service will take forward the work of contact tracing in schools without the significant level of involvement of school staff that has been the case to date. Only those with the closest contact will be required to isolate and take a PCR test. This move is another step towards normality.”'[/quote]
Well I'm not in the UK, so ok... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Are you really telling me that schools were contacting individuals directly (not just supplying the details to the NHS contact tracing service, which is how we did it in Ireland) to tell them they needed to self isolate / test?

If so that's utterly bizarre. How would they have been able to give health advice & guidance?

If you are saying they identified there'd been a case, and notified in general all potential close contacts eg within a pod or class and advised them to follow public health advice, well that's entirely different & to be expected and is in no way identifying any personal information, about anyone.

Covid is raging currently.

I understand your unreasonableness however no harm has been done.

I'm beginning to mull over what we can or can't say that is/isn't medical information.

"Jill had the baby!" oops, can't announce that "medical information"

"Last week we had to call an ambulance, that was more excitement at work than I'm used to!"
<ul><li>Wow, what happened?!
</li></ul>
"Oh wait, sorry, can't tell you - Someone else's 'medical information' "

~~~~
"Mary's off work because her dad's been ill & needs looking after -- oops!  Sorry, shouldn't have said that ... 'medical information' "
~~~~~~

"Oh my goodness, look outside, that poor man just got run over!  Oh no!!  Even worse, I just shared unauthorised 'medical information'  "

etc.

@lljkk I get you're being facetious but it's easy enough. Anything that is personal to a known individual, such as medical information, should not be freely shared by their manager to staff, without consent.

Telling a story to a friend about an event relating to an unidentifiable person is fine.

I think that saying "Jane has got covid so she won't be in for the next week" is the same as saying "Jane is sick so she she won't be in for the next week" - it gives people the relevent information regarding workload without going into the specifics of symptoms etc.

"Sick" covers everything from gastroenteritis and flu to STIs or cancer - it could be anything so doesn't give out personal medical information but allows staff enough information to adjust their work accordingly to pick up any slack from someone being off for more than a day.

It could have been that the manager said "OP is off sick, might be back by Xday but definitely by Yday" and everyone has correctly inferred that it's covid due to the current isolation/testing period.

Anything that is personal to a known individual

More banned conversations...

"Where is everyone?"
"They went to Mother's restaurant for lunch - sorry, shouldn't have said that.  Their location is "personal" 

Joey: "Mum, why does Tara have brown eyes?"
Mum: I don't know darling, why don't you ask Tara?
Joey: "Tara, why do you have brown eyes?"
Tara: "I don't know. Mum why do I have brown eyes?"
Mum: "Gosh dear, are you giving me permission to comment on your personal information?"

Customer: "I am browsing for a new car for my partner."
Salesman: "What features would you like?"
Customer: "Gosh, I'd better make a phone call.  I'm not sure I'm allowed to disclose all that personal information.   Oh shit, I already ruined it by telling you the personal information that I'm her partner!"
~~~~~~~~~~
(at work)
Colleague 1 : "Would you like to explain more about the colours you used?"
Me: "I think Tom chose them."
Customer: "Who is Tom?"
Me: "Oh " (thinking) <span class="italic">Colleague 1 has worked for Customer for over 7 years, does Customer not know that Colleague 1 is very long married to Tom and Colleague 1 often employs Tom to work on Customer's account, why the fuck is Colleague 1 not answering this question?</span> "Tom works with Colleague 1"
Customer: "Oh right."

*Last one is recent real life experience !!

@EarringsandLipstick yes we had to contact parents of/close contact dependent on age to say they were a close contact and to do whatever it was they needed to do at that time e.g isolate for 7 days and take a PCR test. Or isolate for however many days they needed (following the close contact of up to 2 days previous). Quite easy therefore to work out who it was for example if I was asked to isolate for 10 days and Jane was absent quite clear who it was don't you think!

All data was kept and then passed to PHE/Test and Trace dependent on numbers and if it was defined as an outbreak.

Although to be fair I haven't come across a colleague who has been 'cagey' about covid. It's so rife!

@lljkk

A bit too much 🍷 t

I meant to put a ? at the end!

So ... once more, personal private information shared with a manager, which should never be shared with other employees unless permission is given.

Quite easy therefore to work out who it was for example if I was asked to isolate for 10 days and Jane was absent quite clear who it was don't you think!

Yes, that's not the point though!

Sure people might work it out. It's not Covid that's the issue, it's the principle of sharing specific medical information, regardless of what it is.

In your scenario nobody was directly identified.

That was my point all along. Your further clarification confirms arrangements were broadly similar in schools in both our jurisdictions. In neither were individuals with Covid directly identified.

Your boss would have been negligent if they hadn't told the team.

@Nelliephant1

Your boss would have been negligent if they hadn't told the team.

No, they wouldn't.

How are so many people so unaware of what's ok to share about employees?

If you are a small team and someone goes down with Covid, the manager should be able to tell the others that they have been in close contact with a member of the team who has Covid.

It's right that team members know that they are close contacts - for lots of reasons. It's a contagious medical condition - unlike some other reasons for being off sick.

They don't have to name the individual - but if they say they have been a close contact and only one person is off, it's not rocket science to figure out who it is.

I don't think the reason for your time off should have been shared and if, as some people think, the information was shared with others as they 'had a right to know' then the manager should have informed you that they would be telling everyone!

Our managers don't tell us why our colleagues are off unless they are given permission.

@cakeorwine

If you are a small team and someone goes down with Covid, the manager should be able to tell the others that they have been in close contact with a member of the team who has Covid.

It's right that team members know that they are close contacts - for lots of reasons. It's a contagious medical condition - unlike some other reasons for being off sick.

They don't have to name the individual - but if they say they have been a close contact and only one person is off, it's not rocket science to figure out who it is.

What we do in my workplace where I manage 30 odd staff, is if someone calls in with Covid we ask if they mind that we share that information with the team. Simples.

To me it’s no different to saying ‘she’s off with the flu’

@RoseGoldEagle

To me it’s no different to saying ‘she’s off with the flu’

But you shouldn't say that either!

Since covid iss infectious then there would have been a good reason to mention it to people who may need to know so they could act accordingly - either testing themselves, or informing their contacts they have been in contact with a positive case.

The reverse view of all this is that if a manager knew a staff member had tested positive, decided not to inform relevant people and someone subsequently contracted - and died from - Covid, it would expose them to action under the requirement of an employer to provide a safe working environment for everyone.

Rights are all balanced with responsibilities. An individuals rights are always being weighed against the greater good. Certain when it comes to the courts, since GDPR and hence legal action are being mentioned.

What we do in my workplace where I manage 30 odd staff, is if someone calls in with Covid we ask if they mind that we share that information with the team. Simples

Same at my office. It was stated as universal policy that if someone (whether in the employee or employer group) is off due to Covid and notifies that is the reason or notifies they have tested positive other employees and employers will be told.

There is no obligation on the majority of the workforce to come into the office so anyone testing positive can choose to work from home if they are well enough to do so. They won't be questioned why. They don't have to notify a positive test if they don't want to.

Anyone too ill to work can report they are too ill giving generic details. I prefer full time office working. I had a couple of days off because of a really bad cold- no Covid like symptoms and tested negative. Nobody's business but mine. If I report I have Covid I know it will be notified to my fellow employers and my employees.

@SolasAnla thanks for the info. I’m leaving really as it degraded into isolation and bullying. She is well liked by our department manager and has casted me in a certain way to her now so there’s nothing I can do except freedom to speak up and exit interview when I leave.

[quote Bodgerbarbara]@SolasAnla thanks for the info. I’m leaving really as it degraded into isolation and bullying. She is well liked by our department manager and has casted me in a certain way to her now so there’s nothing I can do except freedom to speak up and exit interview when I leave.[/quote]
🌻
@Bodgerbarbara best of luck in the new job

@SolasAnla thank you.