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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is your employer telling you not to come in of your have covid?

103 replies

eerk · 08/04/2022 11:23

With the law changing around covid I realise we are all being asked to do our bit and stay home if we can.

Are your employers issuing guidance to say that you shouldn't come to work if you have covid?

If so do you get paid?

OP posts:
ErinAoife · 08/04/2022 13:26

Yes my employer told us not to cone in if we have covid and to work from home instead if feeling OK to do so

Merryoldgoat · 08/04/2022 13:27

Yes, I stay home, work if I am well enough and get paid in full.

BoodleBug51 · 08/04/2022 13:32

We run a small business, and have asked staff to test if they feel unwell.

Our workforce is all aged 50+ though, and they'd all down tools if someone did test positive and came in......... we'd have to pay them to stay home.

StrawberrySquash · 08/04/2022 13:33

Office job, can WFH. We do so if we have Covid, but then it's easy for us as we don't need to be there in person. Generally work have been pretty sensible around 'please don't come in'.

gamerchick · 08/04/2022 13:33

@BoodleBug51

We run a small business, and have asked staff to test if they feel unwell.

Our workforce is all aged 50+ though, and they'd all down tools if someone did test positive and came in......... we'd have to pay them to stay home.

What happens when they run out of tests though. Is the company supplying them?

Wish I could get a straight answer to this from my company. Just curious.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 08/04/2022 13:47

Where I work, despite the new government rules, if you test positive you still have to stay off for 5 days and then have 2 consecutive negative lateral flow results to return so a min of 6-7 days off in total. We receive full pay up to a maximum of 14 days.

I also do a student placement elsewhere and they have the same rules with regards being off but I’m not sure if the staff there get paid for it or just ssp.

TheNameOfTheRoses · 08/04/2022 13:48

@BoodleBug51

We run a small business, and have asked staff to test if they feel unwell.

Our workforce is all aged 50+ though, and they'd all down tools if someone did test positive and came in......... we'd have to pay them to stay home.

Are you expecting people in your company to pay for the tests themselves? Can they afford it?
TheNameOfTheRoses · 08/04/2022 13:50

@Egghead68

Mustn’t come in. Paid if working from home. Not paid if not working
Can i ask, is that the same rule if you had let’s the flu, chicken pox, whatever that you are nit paid (or is it SSP?) than with covid if you can’t work?
Lovemyheathershimmer · 08/04/2022 14:01

I work in a retail warehouse. In Scotland so I think slightly different rules. We had nearly half our workforce absent last week due to covid. Some had covid, but the majority were close contact and not been vaccinated. I don’t think the unvaccinated get paid.

RampantIvy · 08/04/2022 14:10

@URMyStarship

Also don’t get covid sickness ‘written off’ anymore. It goes on your sickness record now.
That's harsh. Covid isn't included in sickness records where I work.
jay55 · 08/04/2022 14:14

We don't have to go back yet anyway. But can choose to and yes have been asked to stay home for a week if positive. And to test before going in to the office.
Work are providing tests we can pick up.

trevthecat · 08/04/2022 14:48

Our guidance has changed. If we'll enough, we go in. I'm positive now but we'll so still at work. Have worn a mask though and staff are aware I'm positive

Drywhitefruitycidergin · 08/04/2022 14:51

We've been told not to come in and if you haven't got a test they will send one out. (LFT obvs)
Full pay, wfh if well enough.
It's no different to any other sickness absence though.

AbleCable · 08/04/2022 14:57

Yes, if anyone is feeling in any way unwell they should stay at home.
If they have been in contact with someone who has covid, they are requested to test at home before going to the office - they provide boxes of free tests.
They don't want lots of people too sick to work at the same time. But everyone is able to work from home, and has been doing so for two years. And there is sick pay for anyone too unwell to work from home.

bumblingbovine49 · 08/04/2022 15:00

We are all working from home part of the week so it is easier for us but we have been told to stay away from the office even if we just have cold symptoms. We can work from home or take sick leave depending on how ill we feel but we are to stay away from the office until symptoms have resolved .

Egghead68 · 08/04/2022 18:10

@TheNameOfTheRoses - we’d be expected to come in with other illnesses (except norovirus) if we’ll enough to work. We wouldn’t currently be paid if we were too sick to work.

Egghead68 · 08/04/2022 18:10

Well not we’ll

MajorCarolDanvers · 08/04/2022 18:13

My employees are told not to come to work if they are feeling unwell.

If they test positive but otherwise feel well - I would expect them to work from home.

TulipsGarden · 08/04/2022 18:28

Yes, we're not even supposed to go in with cold symptoms and a negative LFT. At home until negative / 10 days after a positive test. We're hybrid working, most people are still wfh most of the time. We get paid full pay for sickness. I'm aware I'm very fortunate.

Spiderysummer · 08/04/2022 18:58

My daughter works in a care home and paid sick leave is being removed for those who have covid from next week. Doesn't seem fair to make people stay at home without pay. Before Covid, staff were expected to come in ill. I don't think staff in care homes should be in work with covid but surely they should be paid especially as legal obligations are no longer forcing them to stay at home.

TwoCatsTwoHats · 08/04/2022 19:14

Friend has Covid at the moment. She's a primary school teacher. It's the hols at the moment so not relevant but from next term staff have been told they must attend work if testing positive unless they have a temperature.

LittleRedRidingHood187 · 08/04/2022 19:15

My employer (who has over 100 branches in England) is absolutely fine with employees coming into work with covid now

I saw a young lad walking round with a mask on yesterday. I asked my colleague why and was told that he had covid but as he would only be paid SSP if he self isolated etc he had decided to come to work

I understand where the lad is coming from because he would get about £50 for the week and lose his bonus etc

TwoCatsTwoHats · 08/04/2022 19:18

Oh and next term if positive and at work, teachers advised not to wear a mask or tell anyone.

Crazy to read the variations in guidance across the workforce on this thread.

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/04/2022 21:08

Spiderysummer

My daughter works in a care home and paid sick leave is being removed for those who have covid from next week.“

That stinks. I really, really don’t understand the attitude towards care workers in this country (UK). They are skilled, essential workers who should be paid a great deal more than they are.
Most of them are kind, gentle, caring people who do the job because they love it, which is probably why they’re taken for granted and treated like crap.

Mickarooni · 08/04/2022 21:19

” We've just had a memo that we no longer get paid by the company for covid isolation, but we have to be off (also care home) though if they didn't think they'd get lynched by relatives if it got out, I reckon there'd be pressure to work with it. As far as I know it's a case of a covid isolation note and then SSP, which even on my shit wages is 1/4 of my weekly earnings.”

@Maverickess
‘Clap for carers’ and ‘NHS and social care heroes’ long forgotten, eh? :(