How would quarantine work for employers

Rattle

Hopefully it doesn't come to this, but how would a quarantine being declared somewhere in Ireland likely work for employers? Can we tell anything from how it is being handled in Italy, or how the storm warnings were handled here? I presume employees would expect to get sick pay for a time, but many businesses would lose revenue, and if a quarantine lasts up to 2 weeks may not be able to afford it. Would people have an automatic entitlement to illness benefit once in an affected area?

Mrs OBumble

You can only have sick leave if you are actually sick. And most places, it's not paid leave.

If you cannot work from home (again, lots of jobs can't) and are quarantined, then expect to be unpaid. At best, you may be allowed to use annual leave.

Baby01032012

Well if it’s coming from the employer of course you will be paid. A number of companies here have required employees to self quarantine.

A girl returned from a skiing holiday in Italy in my own company and the boss asked her to self quarantine.

ongarite

I'm back from 3 week business trip in Singapore.
2 week work from home, self-isolation, on full pay.

Manach

Fortunately working from home is option - the company will be doing drills to test if the log-in options work for everyone and stress test the system.

Mrs OBumble

Baby01032012 wrote: »

Well if it’s coming from the employer of course you will be paid.

Not necessarily.

Yes if they treat it like gardening leave.

But for most employers it will be a short term layoff.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/lay_off_short_time_working_and_redundancy.html

The kicker is that if it's you who is being quarantined, you likely aren't eligible for jobseekers (you're not available for work) or illness benefit (you're not actually sick). Best case they'll take a relaxed view of the latter.

Donald Trump

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not necessarily.

Yes if they treat it like gardening leave.

But for most employers it will be a short term layoff.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/lay_off_short_time_working_and_redundancy.html

The kicker is that if it's you who is being quarantined, you likely aren't eligible for jobseekers (you're not available for work) or illness benefit (you're not actually sick). Best case they'll take a relaxed view of the latter.

Surely if the employer says "you can't come in to the office tomorrow" then they have to pay you.

If remote work isn't an option and they insist on no pay without coming in, just come in and let them take the risk of their entire staff maybe catching something from you! Have a meeting with the boss and make sure you cough constantly across the desk at them

28064212

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But for most employers it will be a short term layoff.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/lay_off_short_time_working_and_redundancy.html

Lay-off/redundancy applies exclusively in the case where the position is made redundant. It does not apply where there is work, but the employer does not want you to come in

Tabnabs

All the HR advice that we have seen and received is saying pay your staff, even if the contract says otherwise. There's a difference between doing the right thing and mindlessly obeying the fine print.

NIMAN

ongarite wrote: »

I'm back from 3 week business trip in Singapore.
2 week work from home, self-isolation, on full pay.

Who decided that you needed isolation?

Your employer or you?

Have you shown any symptoms?

seamus

It really all depends on the nature of the quarantine.

If the employee themselves has been placed under quarantine and cannot show up for work, then that's not really the employer's problem. The employee would be entitled to use their annual leave (unless they're actually sick), and if they run out of annual leave, then the employer is not obliged to pay for the other days.

If an individual is being sent home by their employer in self-isolation, then they're entitled to be paid.

In the scenario where an employer voluntarily shuts down a workplace due to medical advice, then the employees are entitled to be paid. However, I expect there's an insurance clause here that will allow the employer to recoup the costs.

In the scenario where the employer is legally forced to shut down, the employees are not entitled to be paid. Again though the employer's insurance will probably cover staff costs (as well as loss of earnings) so it would be in the employer's interests to pay his staff.

u140acro3xs7dm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not necessarily.

Yes if they treat it like gardening leave.

But for most employers it will be a short term layoff.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/redundancy/lay_off_short_time_working_and_redundancy.html

The kicker is that if it's you who is being quarantined, you likely aren't eligible for jobseekers (you're not available for work) or illness benefit (you're not actually sick). Best case they'll take a relaxed view of the latter.

It would be a dangerous game for an employer to play.

I can work from home, so it isn't an issue for me, but if an employer told me to stay at home without pay, I would walk. I'm not some disposable asset of theirs.

We are in close to full employment, so any worker worth their salt, would have a new job within a week.

OMM 0000

I'm in Japan and we've been working from home for the past two weeks.

The people who can't really work from home (require being on site) are being paid as normal.

I think a point will come where we're going to have to get people to go on unpaid leave, but we're not at that point yet.

Stheno

NIMAN wrote: »

Who decided that you needed isolation?

Your employer or you?

Have you shown any symptoms?

Rule in my company is that if you or someone you have been in close c ok ntact with e.g family have returned from an area with confirmed cases then you must self quarantine for 14 days

We can all work from home though

Up to the employees to use their annual leave imo. Not fair that the cost of public health precautions should be borne by businesses.

At the very least, there should be a social welfare payment.


What if there is a child that has to self-quarantine that requires a parent staying home? Should employer pay in that case as well? I don't think so.

SteM

salonfire wrote: »

Up to the employees to use their annual leave imo. Not fair that the cost of public health precautions should be borne by businesses.

At the very least, there should be a social welfare payment.


What if there is a child that has to self-quarantine that requires a parent staying home? Should employer pay in that case as well? I don't think so.

Would have thought that if a child had to self quarantine then the parent would have to as well. They'd be living in the same house.

SteM

SteM wrote: »

Would have thought that if a child had to self quarantine then the parent would have to as well. They'd be living in the same house.

doesn't seem to be the case... one of the people I work with has children in that school that closed in Dublin and they are at work today.

SteM

SteM wrote: »

Would have thought that if a child had to self quarantine then the parent would have to as well. They'd be living in the same house.

There is a school closed for the next two weeks. But no mention of the parents what they are to do, so I assume they are going to work as normal. Who is to tell them otherwise.