Employer adding their own list of symptoms that mean staff have to isolate.

[Rossita]

Has anyone else’s employer added their own list of symptoms to the official NHS ones that mean you have to self isolate?

We’re lucky enough that we have an excellent occupational health department that includes a company doctor that visits once a week. The doctor had been in consultation with public health for our county and has issued a list of symptoms above and beyond the official ones that mean we have to isolate.

Why then are the government still sticking to just the three symptoms when there is clearly evidence that a significant number of people present with symptoms other than cough/temperature/loss of smell?

Individual companies can be over cautious in a way that the wider government cannot. It simply isn't possible (or even desirable) on a societal level to isolate all of those with a sore throat or headache (for example) and considering people have been arguing over the definition of a cough or temperature including something entirely subjective such as fatigue would cause more problems than it would solve.

@StatisticalSense That does make sense. They have consistently put measures in place beyond those used by the government They sent staff to work from home weeks before everywhere locked down

The govmt have to try & narrow down the most common symptoms people present with. They simply cannot expect people to isolate for every headache, runny nose, sore throat or extreme tiredness for example. No-one would would be able to leave the house! If you google any illness, the list of possible symptoms is often quite long but there will be key symptoms most people present with.

Individual employers can be more cautious if they wish. Particularly those where staff are able to WFH.

From an individual employer point of view, it benefits them to do that. Similarly for working from home if it works for your company.

Having large numbers of your staff being ill and having to isolate or even have PH officials close your office if Covid gets in there and starts spreading widely will probably cost more and be more disruptive than taking a more cautious approach and isolating a few more people than ‘official guidance’.

I work in a hospital so this is sort of a given. They don’t want covid spreading around the staff so they try to find as many cases as possible, not just most of them IYSWIM.

Yep, my NHS employer has done this.