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?

Mmm true. I think companies shouldn't have policies they can't or won't enforce, but given that covid is everywhere and following those policies wouldn't make the workplace safe, it is also possible that any review of the situation would bring them more into line with existing guidance.

It's also a bit much to accuse a heavily pregnant unwell woman with a significant health problem of letting her colleagues down if she chooses to focus on something that will actually make her safer. After all, the company sticking to their own policies won't make the workplace covid safe, because nothing will. For those who are particularly vulnerable to covid the best solution in the current surge is likely to be wfh.

In the circumstances you describe I would raise a formal health and safety complaint, yes. They insisted a clinically vulnerable and pregnant woman attend the office in person, while also giving her close colleague permission to come into the office while they were clearly contagious with covid, and then basically forced you together and now you’re ill.

This isn’t just about covid, when I was pregnant a colleague came into work with Shingles and my boss was livid and ordered her straight home, in order to protect my baby. Your work place sound ignorant and uncaring towards pregnant employees and if no one ever complains they’ll stay that way.

I hope you feel better soon.

OP has already said her manager is letting her work from home now, so there really isn’t much a complaint will achieve

They can clarify things for the future so other people don't have to catch Covid from people coming into the office when they shouldn't be. It's not just about OP herself.

I’d have raise this with HR or my manager as soon as a colleague had mentioned they had Covid and were at work (as it’s against your company guidance). Your coming have taken that decision for your health and well-being and employees have broken this putting safety at risk. I am a manger of a large team- and I’d have brought this up under health and safety concerns. We still have a Covid incidence team set up so would ah e been raised there and all managers reminded of the protocol. YANBU

How do you know the colleague came into work when they shouldn’t have? There may be a policy that a negative test means you need to be in the office if the colleague felt well enough to not call in sick. Remember, current government guidance is to “live with covid” so self-isolation isn’t necessary

YANBU OP, I would be fuming too. Your company have a duty of care to you under health and safety at work legislation. And this is also an equality issue given your pregnancy and diabetes. I would absolutely be raising this with my employer and also with my union rep (join a union if you're not already in one - even if your employer doesn't recognise them they can still give you individual support and representation). That people are so blase about spreading covid when for some it can have very serious implications makes my blood boil. What ever has happened to our communal sense of responsibility and support for each other? There is also an issue here of people not taking the time to recover and feeling pressured to get back to work which has always been unhelpful but especially so during a pandemic. Hope you have a speedy recovery and everything is ok with your health and the baby (congrats on your pregnancy).

You are very right to put a complaint in about how the company & said supervisor are managing their covid rules. I would also inform the person who gave it to you that they need to be more careful in future.
Even the .gov guidance says you need to isolate for 5days, minimum, have 2 negative test results & be free of certain symptoms before you can leave isolation. The only thing that has changed is the LEGAL requirement to isolate.

Hugs & hope this doesn’t have any long term effects on you.
I have CFS & covid, had it super mild back in October ‘20, made that much worse, despite the shitty level I was already functioning at already being appalling, & nothing I do is helping to fix myself.

Actually this is incorrect, Gov.uk simply suggests staying at home ‘if you can’ for 5 days if you have symptoms of covid, and it says nothing about two negative tests.
If you’re not clinically vulnerable you can no longer order free tests, so the government doesn’t require testing of any form any more-they simply suggest you stay home whilst unwell, like they do if you have any other form of virus.
There is no law against leaving the house if you have covid.

Many people also seem to be missing the important part of OPs post. This woman returned a negative test. A negative test either means you are not producing enough infectious particles to actually be infectious, or it means you are actually negative. Covid symptoms can last long after the actual virus has left your body.

Imagine if everyone put in a complaint every time they picked up a bug from the office-what a bizarre world that would be! If you’re clinically vulnerable (as I also am) then it’s yours and your responsibility alone to stay safe. Wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and work from home where you can.

It could also mean it was a false negative if she didn't do the test properly and should perhaps have retested just to be sure. I certainly wouldn't have returned to work in these circumstances on the strength of just one negative test. I would have done another shortly afterwards to make sure.

Perhaps not, and nor would I if I still worked in the office-however, the point is that there is no legal requirement or even guidance to state you must return a negative test. Just like there’s no requirement to return a negative flu or norovirus test.

There is also no way to stay 100% clear of covid. I work for a high street bank and worked throughout the worst of the pandemic, even though I’m clinically vulnerable-never caught covid once though. An opportunity came up to change jobs within the same business and WFH, which I took up a little over a year ago, in this time my husband and daughter caught covid twice-second time I caught it off my husband because he was essentially asymptomatic. I was much worse than him and because I’m clinically vulnerable I had the antiviral treatment to help prevent it from getting serious.

Unless you live alone, never leave the house and disinfect every package you have delivered, there is no way to be 100% safe and most of the time no way of knowing who passed it on. It’s something we have to live with now and hope that it keeps mutating until it’s no more serious than a common cold

This.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. How selfish of the woman to keep coming into close contact with you when she knew she had only one clear covid lft and that you are pregnant. If I was her I would have followed guidelines and not have come in until 2 clear lfts but as she chose to come in she could have at least worn a mask and tried to keep her distance.