AIBU to consider a formal work complaint about catching covid?

[sickandbothered]

So I'm currently sick in bed 1 week after catching covid, and the more I think about it the angrier I get about how easily avoidable this was.

I work in an organisation where we have compulsory hybrid working - we have to come in 2-3 days a week minimum (not because our jobs actually require it but to justify the rent/costs/for the appearance of things). I am also 6 months pregnant & have type-1 diabetes, both known/visible to my colleagues. Both factors put me in the higher risk category for covid (I had my vaccinations/booster in the same cohort as to 70+, for context).

I came in to work last week for meetings. While there I passed a very chatty colleague who I know well enough ( & vice versa), who told me she currently had covid & was very sick with it, had tested positive a few days ago, was still acutely symptomatic (she complained to me of sore throat, fatigue, insomnia, congestion etc), but it was ok for her to come in because she'd since had 1 negative test so her supervisor gave her permission. I politely tried to keep my distance, and figured it was above board and not my business. Later she came up to my desk to talk to me about something she wanted done from a team mate of mine, again, nothing to do with me & I tried to politely end the conversation repeatedly (literally saying she should email them directly, repeatedly), but she has a tendency to keep talking until she's exhausted conversation options. Again, annoying but no big deal I thought.

Otherwise I went to 1 cafe briefly that day, but did not go inside any other buildings other than my home, nor did I go out much that week other than dog walking. No one else I was in contact with has has covid. In short I know it's impossible to prove, but I'm fairly sure I got it from the woman at work.

2 days later I got my first covid symptoms, and have been bed ridden since. Its my first time getting covid. It's very stressful because as I'm pregnant & diabetic the risk of serious infection is higher, and I can't take any OTC remedies, or even honey & lemon tea. My blood sugars are through the roof & I've had to increase my insulin over 200% to try and keep my baby safe, I'm constantly fighting the diabetes. Now my husband is sick & bedridden too. We've both been off work all week. We've had to cancel a small family reunion with overseas family we were going to see this weekend, haven't seen them for 4 years, now it will be even longer. My team at work could also have done without this as we're busy & v understaffed currently.

I checked my work guidance last week before the symptoms really kicked in and it's pretty clear if you have covid symptoms you're not supposed to come in until they're gone, and that you need multiple negative tests on different days before coming back in the office. I raised this (mentioning no names) with our organisations covid team ahead of the heatwave bc I was concerned about people coming in for the air conditioning & getting sick like I had (we have several pregnant women at work), but had no response from them until after the heatwave when they said they would review the covid guidance in a couple of weeks.

So I'm thinking of complaining. It would not be about the individual necessarily (although I am personally v angry with her for choosing to come in when she was sick, she has a clerical job so to my knowledge there was no need for her to come in). Instead my complaint would be about the fact that her supervisor gave the wrong advice, and that the organisation has not taken the current covid risks seriously at all, or adequately responded. That said, given the response thus far, not sure a formal complaint would be well received, or even listened to at all...

Still shattered & sick in bed. Breathing is difficult but not so much that it's worth a hospital trip. It's really painful to cough. Hard to sleep because of the pregnancy. Exhausted. And is being pissed off a covid symptom?

I did expect to catch covid eventually but honestly, I do think this particular case could have been avoided. I am trying to focus on the bright side - at least I didn't get it in the last month of pregnancy when it's the most dangerous to the baby. And hopefully this will help my husband and my immunity ahead of birth/the first year.

So: AIBU to be considering complaining about catching covid at work?

I'm so sorry you're feeling so awful. What would you want to achieve from your complaint? I appreciate its a horrible situation and you want someone to blame but it would be very difficult to actually prove you caught covid from your colleague (although its very likely you did). I really hope you're feeling better very soon 💐

You are right but a complaint won't do anything other than mark you out as a troublemaker.

As you state, they already know that people don't need to come into the office - it's all about appearances. They know that forcing people to come in will mean more people catch Covid, the reality is that they don't care.

What's happened to you is unfortunate for you - and is wrong, morally - but from their point of view you're just a number, not a person - you don't matter as an individual, neither does your unborn child. You're simply a work unit to be exploited to the maximum regardless of the consequences. As long as occupancy targets are met nothing else matters.

Were you wearing a mask ?

If rhey have clear guidance which they didnt follow then yes I would raise a complaint. Are you in a Union, do you have an hr department, had a pregnancy assessment, who is on the covid team at work. Its difficult to prove where you caught it but they should follow the guidance.

You might resent you organisation here but to be honest this will achieve little. As a pp said you can't prove you got it from your coworker and not from a shop supermarket transport etc.

Many organisations had laughable precautions and risk assessments even pre vaccine and have always had the easy get out that they comply with government guidance ( even when it was obvious that guidance would never prevent infection).

As it stands the government policy is to rely on vaccines for at risk groups and regular infection for everyone else. Some people had to get used to that from the start becausr as an individual theres only so much you can do to protect yourself.

I guess my aim would be to improve the guidance to make it explicit & understood that returning to the office after having covid should not be about how the single individual feels, but the risk to others, and that the baseline should be those staff/public users who are vulnerable (disabilities, pregnancy etc).

I suspect you're very much right

I get your point but I don’t know what Companies can do now there’s no legal requirement to isolate when people have covid. Advice for adults is to isolate for 5 days, children 3 days.

Good points

Loads of people have mild covid right now. That woman may have told you she was positive but you probably passed a dozen more who might not even know they are. Or sat in with them for meetings. Then add in public transport , shops, your husband going into work etc etc

you have no idea if it was her really.

even when it was obvious that guidance would never prevent infection

I actually think that with this guidance they're hoping everyone gets covid over the summer when the burden on the NHS is (in theory) less than in the winter months. Like the workplace version of a chickenpox party.

I think a complaint or at least discussion is valid but centred more around your maternity risk assessment.

You are pregnant and T1 diabetic so Covid is a bigger risk for you. If as you say office working is unnecessary and they are not enforcing isolation for positive Covid cases then WFH or at the very least notifying you that there is a known positive case in the office would be valid adjustments.

I'm sorry you're sick but complaining won't do anything.

Were you wearing a mask? If not you have even less of a leg to stand on.

Does your company pay full pay if you're off sick? It's all very well saying people have to be off but if they aren't being paid a lot can't afford to be off. Same with whether they can actually wfh. Just because someone has a clerical job there are a million reasons why working from home just doesn't work for them.

Apart from the fact that there is no real long term immunity from covid and we could all still get it again in winter anyway.

i work in the NHS we are again really busy with covid both actual illness and testing positive with other illness ( more infection control issue as this is so infectious and spreads easily)

. We are also at breaking point with everything else too so it hasn’t helped at all. Summer is like a pre covid winter currently.

Sorry to the OP that you are so sick. You can complain to work although because everyone wants to ‘live with covid’ by pretending it doesn’t exist rather than deal with some simple measures to help us live with it: I doubt you’ll get very far. Hope you feel better soon.

Why should just the op wear a mask? Someone obviously symptomatic should also be wearing a mask too rather than spread it around the office.

I wouldn't complain, it's just one of those things. Your colleague said she had tested negative so it's unlikely you got it from here, there is probably someone in the office who has it but with no symptoms.

Not sure why people are asking if you were wearing a mask. Wearing a mask stops you spreading it, not catching it.

Whilst a 2 day incubation period is possible it's short; my DP recently managed to inadvertently infect his dad and that was a definite 6 day incubation period.

It's impossible to prove and I'm not entirely sure what you'd seek to gain

I think guidance and policies are two different things.

You can advise someone of something in a good practice type way (guidance) but it might not be enforceable like a policy is.

i doubt you and your family are all shielding apart from your trips to the office, so I think you might just have to accept living with the risk of Covid.

Hope you feel better soon

You could have also picked it up from someone else at work or the cafe that was not displaying any symptoms.

It’s not only symptomatic people that you need to worry about though, if you want to protect yourself you need to do just that.

We have been told to come in eve if we have symptoms - you don't need to test so lots don't.

Op I suggest if you are so afraid of catching it try to ask work for adjustments while you are pregnant no wfh or wear a mask or have a separate office

People are just getting on with life now and it's up to you to protect yourself I'm afraid.
Just like if you don't want nits you put your hair up and avoid head contact if you see what I mean. Crap I know but this is the only way to keep yourself safe

Someone already asked if you were wearing a mask.

If not, why not as you are vulnerable ?

It my organisation (which is a global, London based one), the advice is not to come in at all if you have Covid for the 5 days (or recommended time) and same goes with socials which we have a few of too, don't attend if you're unwell etc.

It's taken quite seriously too. When I thought I had Covid recently (wasn't, was just very bad hayfever) I was told I should go home and test if I was unwell. I think with our work as it can involve site visits, this is partly why it's taken so seriously, because if it gets spread to site, this holds up work. But could be, just they don't want Covid spreading around the office and people being sick.

Why are people saying that complaining won't do anything? Why can't the complaint prompt them to improve things in the future and tell supervisors not to tell people to come in when they still have symptoms?
I complained (not a formal complaint, just an email) when I was informed a colleague I had been in close contact with by email rather than text/phone call. It meant I spent my weekend potentially spreading it around because I didn't know. I would hope they would take that into account in future. (This was at the time when you were supposed to say in if you were a contact).

Masks mainly protect others (except the expensive FP2).
In any case, the ill person shouldn't have been at work regardless of the OP wearing a mask or not.