Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

If you can WFH, would you come in with covid?

59 replies

ppeony · 21/02/2022 12:14

Once covid self isolation rules are scrapped.

The idea seems mad to me, as well as selfish, but I can just imagine my employers toeing the government line.

If you can wfh, why on earth wouldn’t you? You’ve no idea of the vulnerabilities of those around you or their close contacts.

OP posts:
marqueses · 21/02/2022 13:06

@Sackofnickles

Yes I might, because I won't know if it's covid or a bit of a cold. I can't stay home from work every time I get a sniffle.
If you can work from home why would it matter if you have a sniffle or covid? Wouldn't you just wfh either way if you are well enough to do so?
Heytheredemons · 21/02/2022 13:06

No, but if WFh was a thing before 2020 I would not go in to office with any illness that could be passed on, not just covid

SickAndTiredAgain · 21/02/2022 13:08

If you can work from home why would it matter if you have a sniffle or covid? Wouldn't you just wfh either way if you are well enough to do so?

You’re assuming a sensible company policy, which not everyone will have. Ours is quite rigid and sets a minimum expectation for days in the office - it may not bend to accommodate “well enough to work but ill enough to want to stay at home”.

Original poster
ppeony · 21/02/2022 13:10

@Heytheredemons

No, but if WFh was a thing before 2020 I would not go in to office with any illness that could be passed on, not just covid
I’m hoping this practice will be adopted more widely. Pre covid you’d get many turning up looking like death and wearing it as a badge of honour
OP posts:
marqueses · 21/02/2022 13:11

Not much clearer @ppeony, ending of isolation doesn't mean no one is allowed to wfh does it?

That's why I'm asking about the government line, I know we won't know for sure until we have an announcement but surely there's absolutely no way that every employee will have the right to wfh taken away.

If a person chooses to go into work how is that anything to do with the government, that's why I don't really understand what you're asking

grandmashotdoodlebugs · 21/02/2022 13:11

I have Covid right now. Feel rubbish so wouldn't go to work ( school admin) but without isolation protection I would go back sooner than I should so germs will def spread

And I have a bitch trog boss who is a control freak - she never lets me work at home even though I can completely. Just wish everyone grown up about keeping germs to themselves

marqueses · 21/02/2022 13:13

@SickAndTiredAgain

If you can work from home why would it matter if you have a sniffle or covid? Wouldn't you just wfh either way if you are well enough to do so?

You’re assuming a sensible company policy, which not everyone will have. Ours is quite rigid and sets a minimum expectation for days in the office - it may not bend to accommodate “well enough to work but ill enough to want to stay at home”.

No I'm not at all, I was asking why @Sackofnickles would go in with covid. Nothing at all to do with the employers policy.

This thread is weird, it literally says in the title if you can wfh It's nothing to do with employers who don't allow it Confused

ifoundthebread · 21/02/2022 13:13

Unfortunately supermarkets don't offer the choice to wfh, so if I'm not dead I'll be going to work. Sorry to anyones aunt Bessie who ends up with it, but I have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

Original poster
ppeony · 21/02/2022 13:14

@marqueses

Not much clearer *@ppeony*, ending of isolation doesn't mean no one is allowed to wfh does it?

That's why I'm asking about the government line, I know we won't know for sure until we have an announcement but surely there's absolutely no way that every employee will have the right to wfh taken away.

If a person chooses to go into work how is that anything to do with the government, that's why I don't really understand what you're asking

Ok I don’t really understand the confusion as everyone else seems to have understood, sorry

Government advice informs policy. For example, the scrapping of the rule to self isolate as a close contact. This turned into advice. But my employers made close contacts come into the office despite the ability to work from home.

OP posts:
Original poster
ppeony · 21/02/2022 13:16

By ‘if you can’, I mean if your job can be done from home. Not ‘if you’re allowed’. I don’t understand your confusion?

OP posts:
Original poster
ppeony · 21/02/2022 13:17

@ifoundthebread

Unfortunately supermarkets don't offer the choice to wfh, so if I'm not dead I'll be going to work. Sorry to anyones aunt Bessie who ends up with it, but I have bills to pay and mouths to feed.
Of course. That’s why this thread was specifically aimed at those who can work from home…
OP posts:
ifoundthebread · 21/02/2022 13:18

Just reminding you not everyone can work from home, so if you don't want people with covid coming into the office, please stay away from the supermarket because we possibly have it too.

Nonnymum · 21/02/2022 13:20

I hope.people don't but I have no doubt that some employers will expect their employees to go into work.
Vulnerable people will be even more trapped as it will be even more likely that they will encounter someone with COVID

Butteryflakycrust83 · 21/02/2022 13:20

My company is still currently asking people take a lateral flow every day they go into the office as we have had several occurrences where quite a few people catch it and are off work poorly at the same time which has effected operations, so its been spread in the office.

Once the free testing ends its going to just keep running through the office and that's quite scary, given we are all triple jabbed, young and healthy and at best people have been poorly for a few days and at worse, we have had hospitalisations.

SickAndTiredAgain · 21/02/2022 13:24

This thread is weird, it literally says in the title if you can wfh. It's nothing to do with employers who don't allow it

We’re interpreting “can” differently then. I was thinking can as in it’s possible - eg I wfh 3 days a week and have to be in the office for 2. Therefore I can wfh (and the whole company did it successfully for 18 months) but my employer may not let me do it for a whole week as they may insist on me still coming in for the 2 days. That’s why I may end up going in to the office with covid. I assume that’s why OP is talking about employer policy.

But if you mean “can” as in “are allowed to have free choice over wfh” then no, I suppose I can’t wfh with covid.

marqueses · 21/02/2022 13:27

@ppeony

By ‘if you can’, I mean if your job can be done from home. Not ‘if you’re allowed’. I don’t understand your confusion?
OK, now I see, the reason that wasn't clear to me was because you asked

If you can wfh, why on earth wouldn’t you

If you aren't allowed to then it's blindingly obvious why you wouldn't and the question doesn't make sense Grin

marqueses · 21/02/2022 13:29

@SickAndTiredAgain

This thread is weird, it literally says in the title if you can wfh. It's nothing to do with employers who don't allow it

We’re interpreting “can” differently then. I was thinking can as in it’s possible - eg I wfh 3 days a week and have to be in the office for 2. Therefore I can wfh (and the whole company did it successfully for 18 months) but my employer may not let me do it for a whole week as they may insist on me still coming in for the 2 days. That’s why I may end up going in to the office with covid. I assume that’s why OP is talking about employer policy.

But if you mean “can” as in “are allowed to have free choice over wfh” then no, I suppose I can’t wfh with covid.

Yes, it's clear now that there has been a different interpretation of can Smile
Frazzled2207 · 21/02/2022 13:29

Nope. We are mostly wfh these days but under strict instructions to stay at home if we or anyone in our household has covid.

Original poster
ppeony · 21/02/2022 13:30

Aagh. I meant why would company policy not see it that way. I think you may be reading things a little too literally — but I’ll try to be clearer in future Smile

OP posts:
JuergenSchwarzwald · 21/02/2022 13:31

I can WFH.

If I was too ill to work, I'd stay in bed and sulk about being ill.

If I was too ill to go in but felt ok to monitor emails while clutching my lemsip, I'd stay at home and do a bit of work.

If I felt fine I wouldn't know I had covid or another lurgy anyway, so I'd either work from home as normal or go in as normal depending on my plans for the day.

Scottishgirl85 · 21/02/2022 13:32

You stay at home if you're ill, same rule that surely has always applied? If you're not ill, you won't know you have covid as we won't be testing anymore.

nether · 21/02/2022 13:34

@ifoundthebread

Just reminding you not everyone can work from home, so if you don't want people with covid coming into the office, please stay away from the supermarket because we possibly have it too.
Yup. That's what life will be for people with someone critically vulnerable in the household.

Pleasedo spare a thought for those for whom another freedom day is precisely the opposite

SickAndTiredAgain · 21/02/2022 13:41

@Scottishgirl85

You stay at home if you're ill, same rule that surely has always applied? If you're not ill, you won't know you have covid as we won't be testing anymore.
I think that’s the key point - companies won’t need a policy on whether staff can come in with covid because no one will know if the staff have it. In the same way that someone with mild flu (or asymptomatic flu) would be none the wiser.

I know covid isn’t flu, I’m just using it as an example from an employer’s pov, they won’t know what illnesses various employees have (unless it’s something obvious like chickenpox), they’ll only know if they’re too ill to work or not.

Glittertwins · 21/02/2022 13:41

We are both set up to WFH and have never gone into the office if we have colds. Both our employers have a "fit to work" thing so if we able to work at home then it's not a problem. If we are so ill as to not being able to think straight then it's a straight sick leave. I know we are very lucky to have this as DH's previous manger was a bitch (honestly) and would have demanded him in the office regardless.

Pootle40 · 21/02/2022 13:54

No. If I was ill at all now, I would wfh. But that was same pre Covid.