Office won’t let isolating staff work from home

[Whathefisgoingon]

It’s a phone based role, obviously we are all able to work from home however we were all hauled in months ago because “morale”’is better when we are all in & “productivity” dropped at home apparently. Nonetheless, the job can be done remotely.

More and more of us are now being pinged or contacted by test & trace to isolate, and we are not allowed to work from home, so we get statutory sick pay only.

Is anyone else’s employer being this outrageous?

It's quite short-sighted as productivity will drop off a cliff if there's a covid outbreak and half the staff is off sick with covid at the same time

This.

I would hope if an employee was legally obliged to isolate following instruction from tracers (can't remember what it's called) then they would be fully paid if able to fully work from home.

In terms of choosing to work at home following notification from the app? I'm not sure, as I've heard how unreliable the app can be.

"But you can claim the covid isolation payment which is more than SSP" - very very few can get it. I looked at it for my student son who did 5 days at home after a ping ( he didn't have to and should not have done it in my view but he did) - not entitled to a single penny. It seems to be hardly anyone - just benefits people who get the £500 - people on universal credit, tax credits etc. So for most people ignore the ping and go to work as that is entirely lawful is probably the best advice, particularly as covid is running riot at the moment anyway and many people have been double vaxxed.

@Pissedoff1234 if I was your DD I'd be pissed off 1234. Imagine how that looks, a grown adult not turning up for work because mummy says no ??

You "should have" been contacted by T&T but you weren't. Your DD had no reason to isolate. Her work probably thinks she's taking the piss and it's unsurprising she has no shifts now.

Most people I know have worked out of the home throughout and they'd be laughed off the phone if they suggested self isolating with symptoms and a negative test, never mind demanding to self isolate when there is NO legal requirement to do so.

But since none of them would be paid for any time off that would never actually happen.

Some people seriously live in a bubble.

@Rockpipit

It's quite short-sighted as productivity will drop off a cliff if there's a covid outbreak and half the staff is off sick with covid at the same time

This.

They aren't saying don't isolate though, they are saying if you do need to isolate you have to take SSP and not WFH so it's not going to lead to any covid outbreak at all

Yes I do get that many people have been working throughout the pandemic.
But currently if someone is phoned or directly contacted by T&T they are legally obligated to self isolate with the risk of fines if they don't.

Are those in essential services saying that they would continue to work even if directly notified by T&T and told the had to isolate ( ignore the app as everyone know that is different) ?

Does your company have people who can't work at home because of the nature of their role. If so it may be doing this so everyone is treated the same.

@imeanreaally Not sure I said she was an adult. She isn't.

She does need to isolate as we all do as we were visiting a household inside and were there the whole day. 2 out of the 4 of them came down with symptoms the following day, did a pcr test and were positive. Now I've read all the rules and this means we have to isolate for 10 days and a negative test does not stop that. Just because T&T are crap and aren't doing their jobs properly doesn't mean that I shouldn't do the right thing and spread anything to vulnerable people.

The real issue here is that SSP is rubbish. If the government want people to isolate they need to ensure they can afford to do so, and not expect companies (who have already taken a battering) to bear the burden.

Lots of people simply can't afford to lose the pay
That seems to be difficult for some people to understand
The government should have addressed this

@Wellbythebloodyhell No. they are slyly suggesting staff come in to get their “full pay” without actually saying that.

H. Tho.

I suspect it has been abused in the past, people claiming to si but actually taking time out of the office on full pay.

A bit short sighted, even if productivity dropped (although this hasn’t been the case for many companies) surely a slightly less productive workforce is better than a none productive workforce, they are expecting millions at a time to be in isolation going forward!

As for morale - I couldn’t think of anything more morale destroying than been forced to work on an office in the middle of a pandemic when I could easily work from home

If the expectation is that people have to self isolate after being contacted by track and trace, they should be paid to be off sick. I think it is terrible that you should be expected to have 2 weeks off on SSP, considering you may not even have it.
Yes - your employer is being unreasonable.

[quote Whathefisgoingon]@Wellbythebloodyhell No. they are slyly suggesting staff come in to get their “full pay” without actually saying that.[/quote]
I think your under the illusion that this isn't the case for anyone else told to isolate. Yes it's shit only receiving ssp if needing to isolate as PP said above the gov need to make everyone can afford to isolate but its not a situation unique to your company it's shit for us all

Yes but OP says they could wfh albeit with a bit of reduced productivity. Short sighted of the company not to let them do this if officially notified through T&T , encouraging them to come in when they are legally required to isolate should be illegal.

WFH has put a lot of employers in a tricky situation. Most people prefer it but people aren't as productive and things aren't as straight forward. Nipping over to someones desk to run something past them has suddenly become a teams meeting, with notes and emails and screen sharing. Everything does take longer. I can completely understand why some companies are discouraging it.

Problem is everyone has got so comfortable sitting at home in their comfy clothes and not having to commute that its very hard to get them back to work. If you can go to the pub or go to the shops why cant you go back to the office?

It has to end somewhere. People will cry unfair no matter what you do

@KungFuPrincess yes a line should be drawn if needed under wfh < should be working right now > but for that line to be to insist people either come into the office or go down to SSP when they're legally required to isolate and can wfh is crazy.

I'd much prefer to be in the office but with Covid rates as high as they are I'm not prepared for 10 days house arrest for the privilege.

Some companies are now looking at the option of making their staff re-apply for their jobs, which comes with a new contract and the same employment rights as those external new starters.

Your place could go the same way and use the new contracts as a way to allow wfh and easily fire those that are unproductive.

The alternative is to apply for a job that is fully wfh. Ebay for example are usually always advertising.

[quote rookiemere]@KungFuPrincess yes a line should be drawn if needed under wfh < should be working right now > but for that line to be to insist people either come into the office or go down to SSP when they're legally required to isolate and can wfh is crazy.

I'd much prefer to be in the office but with Covid rates as high as they are I'm not prepared for 10 days house arrest for the privilege. [/quote]
At what point in the OP does it state they are insisting the employers go in? They haven't, they've said it will be treated in the same terms as any other instance where you are unable to go the office and be paid ssp just like the rest of the country probably.

@Wellbythebloodyhell we can wfh therefore if we had to self isolate then that's what we'd do.

It seems short sighted of a company to force people to fulfil l their legal obligation to self isolate by making them go on SSP when they could wfh in those circumstances.

Fail to have sympathy.

I worked throughout the pandemic, in a public facing arena. (Not essential, just key).
Got pinged back in Nov and it was 14 days SI for me and only SSP.

Why should you be any different? Logic dictates that if yoube been exposed, you could end up ill.

How does the company then know if you're using "wfh" to cover up illness and move you to the correct auditable pay route?

@Flowerlane - they are being unreasonable as staff are losing money. People will go the extra mile for an employer who supports them

I fail to see what the business is hoping to achieve here - they're cutting their nose off to spite their face. If you can't attend the office, then productivity is going to dive due to lack of staffing - surely if you can work from home, then that will assist them with staffing levels.

This smacks of punitive silliness; if you can prove that you're a contact (via a text or email from Test & Trace for instance) then there's no justification for the whole, oh you're lying / covering up genuine illness etc argument.