Employee "breaking the rules"

[LoosingTheChristmasBattle]

How would you feel / deal with the issue of an employee visiting a tier 4 area (from another part of UK) to have a large Christmas with multiple households for 4 days over Christmas?

I was too gobsmacked to say much when he told me.

We have worked in a small office (with a couple of vulnerable colleagues) right through since March and are back together in the office on the 28th.

He can't work from home. Is there anything I can do? I am the line manager in the office and feel responsible for everyone.

It's a health and safety issue. The company has a duty of car towards its staff and it's a criminal offence (by the company) to knowingly expose employees to dangerous working conditions (like where you might catch a lethal illness from one of your colleagues).

I'd get her to deal.with it if you have HR. If not then he should take leave until he's self isolated for 10days post return- if he wants to take it as holiday fine.

@turnthebiglightoff

You don't deal with it. You presumably are his boss, not his mum.

No she’s not his mum, but is his line manager so has a duty of care towards the rest of team.

Tell him that you can't stop him but if he chooses to do this he has to take two weeks holiday or two weeks unpaid leave when he returns.You have a responsibilty to your other staff members.

If you can prove that he has done this, ie broken guidelines I would be advise him he needs to isolate for 10 days, and he gets paid whatever sickness pay you pay

He is endangering everyone in your office

There is a highly transmissible strain now, it’s the height of irresponsibility

I think the issue is that he told you and to allow him to return to the office where there are vulnerable members of staff would be failing them.

As a PP has suggested I would tell him he can take paid leave or he will be put on unpaid leave for 10 days.

He is responsible for his own actions on his own time and you can't stop him doing whatever he likes in the hours he's not paid for but you do have a responsibility to protect other staff.

Surely the duty of care is providing a safe environment to work in. So providing testing, PPE, distancing, ventilation, updating processes and providing equipment so that as much homeworking as possible is allowed.

Rules don't mean that you can't show some compassion. It's Christmas.

Not everyone is a walking petri dish of Covid.

I run my own business, and have only had 1 staff member isolate since March.

Is he single? Is he going to stay with his support bubble? In which case perhaps he isn't doing anything wrong but the other households will be for joining. I wouldn't do anything unless I had the full facts.

@ChristmasBubble

Is he single? Is he going to stay with his support bubble? In which case perhaps he isn't doing anything wrong but the other households will be for joining. I wouldn't do anything unless I had the full facts.

If he is crossing into Scotland or Wales from England, or vice versa, then he is actually doing something wrong and illegal. It's also wrong (but I'm not sure if illegal) to leave a tier 4 area. Regardless of the legality, anyway, it's fucking stupid. I'm just not sure if his employer can actually do anything about it.

You might have to let it go.

What about the rest of the team? They might be doing something equally as ‘bad’ but not be advertising it to all and sundry. If you pick this worker up on it then surely you have to ask all other team members to declare where they are going over Christmas?
Plus If insisting they are working in an office rather than at home the company has responsibilities to make the office as covid safe as possible. He could quite easily pick covid up from his local supermarket or travelling to work. How do you ensure the team members safety then?