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?

Maybe the original strain. Omicron is more like 2-4 days.

I’m not surprised you’re upset but you can’t definitely prove you wouldn’t have caught it anyway. Your work needs to be stricter at enforcing its rules.

I think you should make a generalised complaint and request for them to disseminate and reiterate he guidelines. Multiple negative tests on different days.

Where i work they say if you're sick, with anything, don't come to work (we also have hybrid working). And if you are sick at work you will be dressed down by your line manager and sent home. (I've not heard of that happing, we are grown-ups though so I'm not aware of anyone having had that happen to them). If you're positive but not sick and can work, WFH, if you're sick, call in sick and don't work until you feel better. But nobody is allowed to come to work after a positive test until they test negative 2 days in a row.

Yes complain.
Your colleague should have tested negative on multiple days, not just once. It’s more likely you caught it from her as you’d been in close contact with her.
My husband is diabetic and ended up in intensive care with Covid. This was pre-vaccinations.
Sadly people have become complacent and that’s so unfair for those still at risk.

To me it's all a bit "meh" and am very happy to work in a country with good rules about sick pay. Having said that: it is always a dick move to go to work when you are ill whether it's a very heavy cold, chicken pox or covid or whatever. (totally get that in some countries/places it is much harder than others)

So sorry you’re feeling so bad OP. Really upsetting if you are pregnant and higher risk.

First, would say that it’s entirely possible it was someone else gave it to you (based on the fact they’d tested negative, there were others in office/cafe, and so many people have it at the moment)

but second, as you say, the guidance wasn’t followed! It’s in place for a reason and either managers need reminding or it needs to be updated. So absolutely you should feel comfortable raising it.

Personally, I’d wait until you are not feeling so dreadful and cross as the complaint will come across better if written calmly.

2 things you may be able to achieve:

1. (Agree with you) that guidance may be better communicated/followed going forwards making people feel more comfortable in office


2. (if this is something you want?) an update to office days for those in high risk categories i.e. agreement for you to work from home more regularly when infection rate is high / there have been cases confirmed recently in office

you may not feel so annoyed when you’re not ill any more but - if no one raises issues at work, how do they ever get fixed? Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your replies & ideas, even the harsher ones because it gives me a sense of what I might be up against if I were to escalate the matter & how. It's always helpful to be challenged & have holes in arguments picked at to help you see things from different perspectives. Thank you also to the supportive posters, especially the fellow T1Ds.

A few clarifications as requested:

I can't say where I work frustratingly. Closest descriptor I can give us that we're part of a public body where a strict 2-3 days of negative testing is (at least on paper) required before returning to work after covid - as there are bigger implications if we get sick than what happens to us as individuals. Hence my frustration that the workplace guidance appears to have been ignored, and someone still symptomatic with covid chose/was allowed to come in. Work has always seemed safe until now (we don't sit next to each other, 2m distancing is still habit, sanitiser/wipes everywhere).

I fully accept that it would be impossible to prove where I got covid, but 2 days incubation is technically as likely as 2 weeks, so it can't be proved either way. And covid or no, I don't think it's responsible of anyone to go to work when still acutely sick unless they really truly are needed. That said I'm not about to lay into her when I see her next, I don't there would be any point. The fault as I see it was her supervisor letting her come back too soon, and the general covid guidance being out of date given the latest news about the 2 new variants, and the lack of mention of thinking of more vulnerable colleagues.

I don't wear a mask because I'm not clinically vulnerable, I'm the next rung down, so on my hospital teams advice I just keep my distance and practice common sense. And like I said, I don't expect to be shielded, anywhere, and I accept the same level of risk at work as other places (eg cafes), but I also don't expect someone who knowingly has covid and is still acutely symptomatic to come in to work with it and then approach others at their desks. I don't think I'm being unreasonable in this.

Yes I should be more assertive and less polite. Can disagree there.

My aim/intent - as many people fairly asked about, and which I mentioned only briefly in the first post - is not to complain about any individuals or make it personal (despite my venting here) but actually to improve workplace covid safety/policy/guidance, especially for pregnant women & those with disabilities (staff or public). So maybe a formal complaint is not the way (although I really was disappointed with the lack of response when I first contacted our covid team to suggest they send out covid reminders before everyone came in to avoid the heatwave), but I could at least raise this issue with those who are responsible for the guidance. I have pathways for this, including informal ones to senior leaders, so am considering options.

As for myself, I'm lucky in that my line manager has already suggested I WFH for the rest of my pregnancy, hybrid rules be damned. He's a star. I also do indeed plan to update my pregnancy risk assessment in light of all this, to that purpose. I've also separately already been working with our HR dept to improve awareness of pregnancy reasonable adjustments (for others, these are not for myself), and disability provisions, so can add this to the ongoing list.

Anyway, thank you everyone, genuinely. This is my 1st post on AIBU and 2nd ever on Mumsnet so it's good to learn how it works & to get such a comprehensive head check. Thank you.

I'd not heard if this - will ask the diabetic midwives about it - thank you!

Long story short, you don’t know where you caught it. You now get to work from home here on in. Just concentrate on getting better. In future, if you are worried about catching it bung on a mask yourself be that getting groceries, at the cafe or the workplace.

I'm no HR buff but I am a nurse in medical receiving and I would really prefer to have you in and checked over with your current situation. Do you have a sats probe at home? If your glucose is shooting up that you are needing 200% more insulin I would absolutely definitely want some bloods done.

I would get checked out and get yourself better then approach your work and deal with that. Your manager seems pretty decent which is great. Hope you feel much better soon.

Don't complain, it'll just cause aggro and u can't 'uncovid' urself so what can it possibly achieve?? 🤷‍♀️

Sorry, I think YABU. Given the current stats of around 1 in 15 having covid, you’re going to invariably encounter it somewhere and you have no proof it was in the workplace or even this particular woman, and I assume you weren’t mitigating your own risk by wearing a mask? We really need to live with covid now, it’s unpleasant for you and sorry you’re feeling crap, but I don’t think you have a leg to stand on with a complaint.

Work has always seemed safe until now (we don't sit next to each other, 2m distancing is still habit, sanitiser/wipes everywhere).

I think that was a bit naive to be honest, given the current covid rates and the transmissibility of Omicron. You were lulled into a false sense of security. Glad wfh has been agreed as that seems the obvious option for you in the circumstances, hope you feel better soon.

Thank you for checking in :) I'm actually on 220% now! I have a Dexcom & have achieved almost 70% target range for pregnancy bg targets for most of the past week, down to 65% today. Am currently waiting for a checkin call from the diabetic midwives, but the insulin pump team who guide me for dosage are happy thus far. Part of the reason it's high is bc I haven't updated my pumps basal rates for a month, so I'm actually more accurately giving myself an extra 70% insulin (or 170% according to my pump) compared to what I had pre-covid, if that context helps.

It takes longer than 2 days for it to incubate. Last time I checked it was 4-7 days. So it is highly likely you already had Covid before you went in to work.

There is an organization called Pregnant then Screwed who might be able to offer legal advice on this. Your pregnancy makes you vulnerable after 28 weeks (third trimester) but as part of your risk assessment you should have been allowed to work exclusively from home. You aren't being a trouble maker and if you don't have a pregnancy risk assessment (this must be updated once you are third trimester) then HR have seriously cocked up and you need to make a complaint. They are in place to protect from stuff like this, Covid mandate or no Covid mandate.

Good Luck x

There are loads of coughs & colds going round, which are not covid

The difference this year, is that most people are vaccinated

I've been back in the office for over a year. It's business as usual

If you want flexible working, suggest that you put in a formal request to your employer

OP sorry to hear this. It sounds like your company have breached their own policy and if you complain it 'could' make a positive difference to other staff and their families. Firm need to either update their policy or follow it. Hope they let you wfh. Wish you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy.

That’s shit op, your colleague is selfish.

Does it have to be a complaint? Can't you just let hr know?

So they know someone was on the premises sick and now you are at risk and what's happening to COVID polices going forward??

I'm so sorry you feel so wretched OP, and I hope you (and your DH) feel better soon 💐

You could complain, but honestly, you can't know for sure where and when you caught it. Can you honestly say that you've had no contact with anyone outside the house, directly or indirectly, and neither has your DH for the past week or so, other than work? Not answered the door to deliveries, not popped to the shop? Truth is, you don't know.

I've had covid six times (CEV, autoimmune condition, immunosuppressant medication). Only once can I say I know where I caught it (DD is a teacher and her class was full of covid, she tested positive and the next day me and DH did too). Every other time, absolutely no clue. Thing is, I've been symptomatic for a good while after I've tested negative - I've also been asymptomatic on one occasion. There really is no way if knowing.

Added to that, even teachers now have to be in three days after a positive test - very few places are bothering with either the government advice or indeed their own guidelines which they laid down back last year or whenever.

I honestly sympathise because I know how difficult and worrying it is being vulnerable and having covid, it's so worrying. But you genuinely can't know where you caught it, so I'm not sure complaining to your employer will do much good.

Incidentally I do fully accept the need for things to get back to normal and for life to go on. But it does put CEV people in an awkward position. Up to a point that's on us - we do have to take responsibility for our own health, just as we always have re infections. But the pointless presenteeism that we all hoped was gone for good when the pandemic struck needs to fuck back off.

I do recommend anyone in a union who's CEV and made to go into work to do a job that can just as easily be done from home to talk to their rep. DH is the rep at his work and he's managed to sort this for many of his vulnerable colleagues, and he's negotiated to continue wfh to protect me as much as possible, too. If you're not in a union, join one!

But the pointless presenteeism that we all hoped was gone for good when the pandemic struck needs to fuck back off.

Absofuckinglutely.

She has every right to complain. She's high risk as it is being diabetic. The risks are even higher being pregnant to herself and her unborn baby.

If she does nothing then it will happen again and again putting herself at risk as well as other work colleagues and they're families who might just die from it.

I've heard of them but am not familiar, will check them out - thank you!