Covid sick pay

[MrsMuscle1]

My contract states full sick pay for about 5 weeks a year if i remember correctly.

I'm panicking about whether this also includes covid. I've asked management and no response Friday. It feels like they are being shady.

I mainly WFH and I did all of Tuesday and Wednesday with my DD 4yo after she tested positive Monday evening. I also started with some symptoms Monday evening but didn't get my positive til Friday morning after over 24 hours of high temp and cough.

On the Wednesday I asked to take Thursday and Friday as AL as I don't get paid for time off with child. Impossible to keep working with DD as she was getting more lively.

On Friday I let them know I'd tested positive so they said they'd update the system. I'm hoping this means Friday is now classed as sick and not AL. We are both still testing positive with last day being Thursday if we aren't negative before.

I could probably keep working if it wasn't for DD being here but I do keep having coughing fits. I will need to be off at least the next few days if not the next 4 for worst case.

If it's in my contract for sick pay is this likely to include covid? I need to know whether to apply for the SSP although it'll kill me if that's the case and I'll need to work out how to survive on a week less money next pay day 😩

You really need to show willing to try to work if you are feeling well. Use screen time and work after she's in bed? It's all about compromise.

And what was your usual (pre-covid) plan when your child was sick?

Depends whether you are sick surely.if you are ill, regardleas of what it is then it should be covered. If you just have covide but could continue working if it wasn't for you DD being home, then no i don'tthink it should be sick,

You should be on sick leave for the time when you were feeling ill, regardless of whether you'd tested positive or not. It's only if you're well but dd is at home that you either need to manage her alongside working or take annual leave.

Agreed people can’t pay you sick but not for XYZ if it’s without limits of paid sick leave. You can go on Gov UK and sort a self sick note for 7 days I would do and send to work. It’s up to work to sort out SSP if you are not going be paid.

The only reason covid hasn’t been paid is when firms have paid multiply isolation times, especially if you are unvaxed and have to draw the line somewhere. But there are schemes where Gov will pay you extra if you do right paperwork and proof.

I have shown willing already and worked but the nature of the job means people are not available for me to call them in the evenings. There is other admin I can do which I did Tuesday and Wednesday and I could properly get another days worth of work in terms of hours for any other admin left to complete.

My parents help out if she's unwell and it's not covid. This is the first time we have caught it. I've never had time off sick before.

I always have gone over and above on my duties. Even last month I had the nasty cough bug and nearly lost my voice I carried on til I physically couldn't talk anymore for coughing or losing my voice, thankfully it was nearly the weekend and by the Monday I was a bit better.

I guess I'll have to put in for the SSP and expect the worst.

Thank you.

If you have been working I wouldn’t settle for SSP. If that’s the case I’d stop doing that in future and focus on getting well. It goes both ways

Nobody can answer this - you need to speak to HR as it will depend what is in your contract

It's kind of weird to read post like this. A lot of people saying we have to live with covid, that we have to move on etc. But people want to treat covid separate from other illnesses when it comes to days off/sick pay.

@rainrainraincamedowndowndown

It's kind of weird to read post like this. A lot of people saying we have to live with covid, that we have to move on etc. But people want to treat covid separate from other illnesses when it comes to days off/sick pay.

It is a bit different at the moment at least because of the legal isolation rules. The OP has said that if her DC was ill with anything else her parents would help out. They can't legally do that with covid as her DD is required to isolate at home. It's also often much easier to wfh with a poorly child who's sleeping or flopping on the sofa than it is with a child who's better and bouncing around, but you're not allowed to send back to school yet.

If you receive full sick pay for 5 weeks then you'll be covered.

@Firefliess yes exactly! It's not like I'm trying to milk the system! My parent and step parent havent had it all and only my other parent has had it over Christmas but my step parent didn't otherwise they would have offered to have her since they've only just had it. We also have elderlies to consider that step parent is carers for.

She was negative yesterday and I'd made all the arrangements for people to help getting her to school and back and she tested positive again today.

Mine is very up and down, one minute I feel perfectly fine and the next I can't stop coughing etc. most of my work involves being on online meetings which makes it difficult when a coughing fit starts as I found out last time I was ill. Also almost all of my meetings are recorded for evidence purposes so it needs to be professional ideally.

If you're sick you're sick so normal policy applies. However I am seeing people at work who seem to think they get 'sick leave' just because they tested positive (these are jobs done at home by the way)

The OP has said that if her DC was ill with anything else her parents would help out. They can't legally do that with covid as her DD is required to isolate at home.

What about the people who have no help from family? Do they deserve separate sick pay as well?

I recently had sick leave for covid it was recorded under the standard sick - so covered. They have asked if we looking after sick relatives due to covid we now use the existing care policy - including parental/carers leave i think this is a mix of paid/unpaid.

We did have a separate one for covid isolation but that has been withdrawn - I don’t know how this was paid as we never used it.

I’m guessing it’s now being seeing as we living with covid they just pull it under the same existing framework policies.

@rainrainraincamedowndowndown

The OP has said that if her DC was ill with anything else her parents would help out. They can't legally do that with covid as her DD is required to isolate at home.

What about the people who have no help from family? Do they deserve separate sick pay as well?

I'm not sure I see you point here? My comment was in response to someone asking why people expected covid to be treated differently from other illnesses. If you have no family or a partner to help with childcare when your child is ill and can't wfh, then obviously you'll have to take leave to care for them won't you? But many people do rely on family or friends to help care for sick kids, and for them covid is much more of a problem than other illnesses because of the legal requirement to isolate.