Colleague coughing

[Lottie4]

One of DD's colleagues was regularly coughing yesterday. Colleague exempt from mask wearing. DD's manager was in and she said she wasn't comfortable working so closely with colleague (within 2m). Manager said he didn't think colleague was coughing that badly so wouldn't send her home. Colleague did a LFT Saturday in case, negative, not one yesterday.

The same team are on later. DD has said to manager she doesn't feel comfortable going in and having close contact if colleague if coughing. He said they'd have to cope but it would be marked as 'unauthorised absence'.

DD is probably a bit more anxious as she's a student, and there could be potential to work much higher up in place of work when she has her degree. Also, GP has agreed to let her have her second vaccine early (not a health issue, but he totally understood why she needed it and said in the ideal world he'd rather 18+ could have second vaccines earlier). It's booked this week.

Does she have any rights?

This is so wrong. The manager is an ass. They have a duty of care for every employee and they have not kept to it.

I'm sure you could report companies for not following guidelines like this. I'm not sure if their still used but might be worth a Google. If the test is positive if definitely be taking it further. They've put your dd at risk.

I agree that the colleague should have been expected to get a PCR test from the start, assuming this is a new cough, or a worsening of an existing cough. If I was a manager I would rather one person did that immediately rather than coming in and potentially infecting other staff or causing them to need to isolate as close contacts if it is Covid.

I'm asthmatic so well aware that people can have a cough when not unwell as I have one myself - but if my cough changed or worsened I would book a PCR test.

You'll probably find that the reason for the mask exemption is the same as for the cough (some kind of respiratory problem/cough variant asthma/etc).
I cough a lot. I know why. I have not had Covid for the last 20+ years

My DH has a cough like a dog barking at the moment, he's been tested, it's not covid.

In fact since he had covid last year he keeps getting little niggles and coughs, probably as a result of lung damage. I do think we need to trust in people a little, every cough/sneeze can't and won't be covid.

I get why your DD is concerned! It's the fact that the colleague was at work, with a Covid symptom, and wasn't doing a PCR and isolating. Of course a cough could be something other than Covid - but until you know that is the case, isolate and test! Not ho into work!!

GO into work that should say!

The woman is getting a PCR now so she doesn't seem to have an existing reason for the cough.

Health & Safety Executive

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4297091-People-with-coughs-shouldn-t-be-allowed-in-restaurants

A similar issue in this thread, although the OP, Andrewsgirl, used less sensitive language. From this thread I learnt that you should assume the cougher is benign and really need to avoid discriminating against them.

That said, when I started coughing while in the office, I went and sat outside away from all my other colleagues as it was clearly making them uncomfortable.

i think shes being a drama queen personally. For such a young age she sounds very dramatic.

I'm asthmatic so well aware that people can have a cough when not unwell as I have one myself - but if my cough changed or worsened I would book a PCR test.

But if you had your regular asthma cough, how would someone else know that this was your regular cough and not a new one?

@EastWestWhosBest I have asthma, people I work with would know it was my regular asthma cough and not a new one because I would be coughing the same amount I normally cough, they are used to it.

I had a new cough, it wasn't covid but thats beside the point because as soon as I started coughing more I got a pcr. Which is what the dds collegue should have done.

@Bobholll

God help everyone on mumsnet in winter when it’s cough & cold season. The amount of threads like this will be hilarious!

Yup. It's the zeitgeist I didn't see coming.

Masked healthy teenagers terrified of a coughing colleague.

@EastWestWhosBest

I'm asthmatic so well aware that people can have a cough when not unwell as I have one myself - but if my cough changed or worsened I would book a PCR test.

But if you had your regular asthma cough, how would someone else know that this was your regular cough and not a new one?

Everyone at work knows I'm asthmatic and where my inhalers and asthma action plan are kept in case of emergency.

However, if I had a worsening of my usual asthma cough I wouldn't go back to the office until I had had a negative PCR anyway at which point I would just tell them I had a negative test.