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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what your company stance is on covid for office based workers?

83 replies

covidisback · 26/10/2023 11:13

Just that really - as it's on the rise I'm interested to know companies are doing?

NC don't want it linked to other posts - I'm not a journalist!!

OP posts:
WeWereInParis · 26/10/2023 12:27

We are hybrid and as far as I'm aware there is no official stance. There's flexibility to wfh if you're feeling a little under the weather generally - that's not official policy, but there is flexibility on the days you come in so most people would just go in on a different day if they felt a bit poorly.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 26/10/2023 12:30

I'm a bit horrified to see that some offices are more cautious than care homes!

In care homes we are told not to test, if we feel well enough to work we should come into work, if coughing/sneezing we should wear a mask.

Coffeerum · 26/10/2023 12:32

The same as any other illness, come in if you feel fine, stay home if you are unwell.
Normal sensible advice really.

BitofaStramash · 26/10/2023 12:35

No stance other than if you are not well don't work.

AgnesX · 26/10/2023 12:35

If you've got COVID stay at home and keep it to yourself. If you're fit enough to logon do it, if you're too ill, book the time off as sick leave.

Appreciate not everyone can do that but ideally you'd not be wafting it about the place despite what a lot of people think.

Superscientist · 26/10/2023 12:38

Stay at home. If you can work and can work from home. Work for home. If you are too ill to work go to bed

They have had this policy before COVID after a bad strain of the flu took out half the staff over a 3 week period as it went through the office like some plaguey set of dominoes

The only thing that has changed post COVID is that the infrastructure to allow you to work from home is improved.

alongcameboo · 26/10/2023 12:41

Strict policy set by 4 directors. 11 employees in a large office (over 3 floors). Told to stay at home until negative test. One of our employees picked up covid earlier this month; stayed home until they'd tested negative - took 13 days!

We have 3 employees with serious health conditions though. Business pays for the testing kits.

minisoksmakehardwork · 26/10/2023 12:43

Our is if you're ill, stay at home. If you're otherwise well, come in. This is the expectation for any illness.

This is also different from our original Covid strategy as we're residential and contagious illnesses in general can spread like wildfire.

But there's also no expectation to test anymore either, so only the people testing know they have Covid. Many still come in and just mask up to reduce the spread if they're otherwise well. Those who have the option to work from home tend to do that.

megletthesecond · 26/10/2023 12:43

If you're poorly stay at home.
Common sense at last. I have no desire to be around people who might pass something on to me.

Sickness has dropped drastically since hybrid WFH in our organisation.

DailyMailHater · 26/10/2023 12:46

our stance is

if you feel unwell test. - if positive wfh or sick if not well enough to work

Simple and clear and easy to follow

Nochoiceleft · 26/10/2023 12:47

Absolutely no working from home. If you are well enough to come to work then you turn up. Even if you are coughing and spluttering.

SadlyACupOfTeaDoesNotSolveEverything · 26/10/2023 12:55

DBro has it now, mild cold symptoms but testing as picking DM from chemo. Told work (teaching) and expected to come in, teach as normal, no restrictions, in class with 25-30 students dents etc. Only don’t come into the staff room or the department hub, we don’t want to catch it (we have vulnerable relatives etc). What about the students? Don’t they deserve the same courtesy?

Oblomov23 · 26/10/2023 13:04

Don't know what our work policy is. As there isn't any rules from the Government, do a company actually have to have a policy?

Topofthemountain · 26/10/2023 13:06

Nochoiceleft · 26/10/2023 12:47

Absolutely no working from home. If you are well enough to come to work then you turn up. Even if you are coughing and spluttering.

Yep, same for me.

Wakeywake · 26/10/2023 13:10

No office policy as such, but since we can wfh most of the time, people tend to wfh if they are under the weather anyway. There might be some guidelines on wfh if you test positive, but since most people don't test, it's pointless.

Lakeyloo · 26/10/2023 13:11

Ours is the same as it was before Covid.... stay at home in bed if you feel awful. WFH if you are up to it but don't want to pass anything worse than a cold around the whole office. Carry on as normal if you have a sniffle. I don't actually know anyone who even has tests in the house now, unless they are particularly vulnerable or work in a job where it's needed. One of our senior Directors is vulnerable so we let him know if we are feeling under the weather and he will normally stay away, but he is vulnerable when it comes to any kind of cold, not just Flu or Covid.

millymoo1202 · 26/10/2023 13:12

Just been off for a week with it as I was really unwell, only tested S I was so sick. It was horrible

CampsieGlamper · 26/10/2023 13:15

GP surgery - one GP with COVID, working, wearing a mask. No vulnerable to COVID/chemotherapy patients with them. Otherwise standard sickness applies. If your sick with rhinovirus, winter respiratory viruses, cowpox, chickenpox or The Pox don't come in if you feel sick.

Ponderingwindow · 26/10/2023 13:17

No one is allowed in the office with any signs of contagious illness, regardless of disease. People are expected to wfh and not knowingly spread anything from the common cold to Covid

LittleLegsKeepGoing · 26/10/2023 13:18

We're fully hybrid now. If you're well enough to work but are clearly overflowing with germs then you're asked to stay at home - irrespective of what lurgy you might be host to.

If you're not well enough to work, you call in sick. There are no longer absence management exceptions for covid, it's treated the same as everything else.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 26/10/2023 13:19

DH’s company has a policy of wfh if you have anything potentially contagious.

They’ve cracked down (in a “you should be at home, presenteeism isn’t needed here way) on people coming in with coughs and colds and recently announced that the number of sick days this year was nearly half last year so it’s definitely working!

Ginmonkeyagain · 26/10/2023 13:22

Yep our policy is stay at home if you are unwell, only WFH if you feel up to it. Do not attend mandatory in person events or meetings if you are feeling unwell.

InWalksBarberalla · 26/10/2023 13:27

We have semi-regular reminders not to come to the office with any potentially contagious illness. People would be pretty peeved if someone came in to the office with cold/flu symptoms instead of WFH.

PrivateSchoolTeacherParent · 26/10/2023 13:35

We are expected to come in when we can (secondary school). This time of year, most teachers and many kids have coughs/colds much of the time. It's not ideal but we can't really WFH, and we're encouraged not to test for Covid. Also, as a teacher, it's normally easier to cough through a lesson than to prepare cover-work and then do the catch-up marking, so there's a lot of "presenteeism."

Biker47 · 26/10/2023 13:53

If you're ill but can work - work
If you're ill but can't work - don't work

I came into work the two times I've had it.

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