Covid restrictions imposed on time off

batman1

Our company has issued a memo in relation to Covid-19 and what is expected of each employee etc. The previous guidance was that during weekends and time off, each employee must adhere to government guidelines . Fair enough.
The latest memo says we must now all adhere to level 3 restrictions even though we're not in a level 3 area.
Obviously this is not practical given that everyone else in the county is on level 2, including everyone's family and household.

We have also been asked to keep a record of all our contacts, in and out of work, for 28 days using a logbook provided. I'm no expert but surely there are data protection issues with that one.

Dempo1

Quite a Bizzare instruction, I'm not entirely sure any company can instruct an employee on how to manage their personal time/space.

I could understand high risk companies having strict protocols in place at work but beyond that, not entirely sure their instruction and indeed supply of a log book is legal notwithstanding and GDPR concerns.

Heres Johnny

Apart from data protection nonsense, is your employer taking it upon themselves to dictate that you can't go out for a beer or something to eat in your free time?
Of course they can't do that.

batman1

Heres Johnny wrote: »

Apart from data protection nonsense, is your employer taking it upon themselves to dictate that you can't go out for a beer or something to eat in your free time?
Of course they can't do that.

Yes. Basically whatever is on level 3. No mass for those who like to go...
And just to say it is not a health related workplace.

Batgurl

Your company are basically trying to scare people into being more cautious. If anyone was actually found to be in breach of their memo and was subsequently given an official warning, or fired, then there isn’t a court in the land that would uphold that judgement.

In fact, if a company was found to be punishing Joe Bloggs for going to mass/mosque/synagogue, when there is no Govt restrictions in place preventing that, I’m pretty sure an equality tribunal would have a lot to say about that.

Go about your business according to govt guidelines and maybe start looking for work elsewhere because your company/management team sound like controlling idiots!

_Brian

This is ridiculous.
They have no power over you and you owe them no explanation about what you do on your own time.

I wouldn’t even enter the conversation

Supercell

Don't argue with stupid. Nod your head and log that you live like a hermit and get on with your life. Fin.

SVI40

Politely decline their guidance, or impolitely. Either or.

antix80

Your options are:
1. Consider this as a change to the terms of your employment and angle for a redundancy payment, possibly unfair dismissal.
or
2. Just ignore it. If they want a list of who you interact with just tell them the only person you see is the tesco delivery man.
fun vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC_lZLzCrOI

Thoie

batman1 wrote: »

Our company has issued a memo in relation to Covid-19 and what is expected of each employee etc. The previous guidance was that during weekends and time off, each employee must adhere to government guidelines . Fair enough.
The latest memo says we must now all adhere to level 3 restrictions even though we're not in a level 3 area.
Obviously this is not practical given that everyone else in the county is on level 2, including everyone's family and household.

We have also been asked to keep a record of all our contacts, in and out of work, for 28 days using a logbook provided. I'm no expert but surely there are data protection issues with that one.

Their big mistake was saying you "must" adhere to level 3 restrictions, instead of suggesting that it's not a bad idea. As others have said, it's unlikely to be enforceable.

If you are able to go by level 3 guidelines, it will help reduce spread. For example, in level 2 you can have 6 people in your garden from two other households. You don't have to have 4 people over - you could just invite one couple from one other household instead. Or no-one.

If your company is proposing that people adhere to level 3 restrictions, does that include everyone working from home?

Mrs OBumble

We have all been asked to keep a list of contacts. You should be doing it anyway. It's nice of the company to gave provided a book to help.

GDPR has taken a temporary holiday in favour of public health.




Agree that the rest is ridiculous, though.

Vetch

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

We have all been asked to keep a list of contacts. You should be doing it anyway. It's nice of the company to gave provided a book to help.

GDPR has taken a temporary holiday in favour of public health.


Agree that the rest is ridiculous, though.

The employee contact log is for work contacts, not employees' personal lives. GDPR specifically allows data use for public health and legal obligations like health & safety.

SVI40

GDPR has taken a temporary holiday in favour of public health.

Care to point to the legislation for that? I seem to have missed it.

Mrs OBumble

Vetch wrote: »

The employee contact log is for work contacts, not employees' personal lives. GDPR specifically allows data use for public health and legal obligations like health & safety.

That not what the OP says:

"We have also been asked to keep a record of all our contacts, in and out of work, for 28 days using a logbook provided. "



There is no legislation suspending GDPR. Common sense is simply being applied.

Del2005

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

That not what the OP says:

"We have also been asked to keep a record of all our contacts, in and out of work, for 28 days using a logbook provided. "



There is no legislation suspending GDPR. Common sense is simply being applied.

There's no common sense in law, something is either legal or not. I doubt it's legal for a private company to keep a record of people who aren't their employees or been on their property.

Thoie

Del2005 wrote: »

There's no common sense in law, something is either legal or not. I doubt it's legal for a private company to keep a record of people who aren't their employees or been on their property.

They didn't say the company are examining it - just that they've been asked, and provided a special book for it. The company may be suggesting that if there's a case, it would be a handy record to provide to the HSE tracing teams, not that the company is going to look at it.

batman1

Just to follow up on this post, we work 4 days on and 4 days off.
Everything was fine and then a new policy emerged from the company which says that when you are on your 4 days off you must adhere to government guidelines AND are REQUIRED to also adhere to company policy such as...no pubs, no public transport, no weddings or funerals, no crowded areas etc.

It's not a high risk workplace or anything like that.
There are concerns that this could be used against an employee if, for example, they brought covid into work and were found to be at a funeral during their time off.

I have considered bringing this to the attention of the Union for a legal opinion . After all, we pay big union fees...

Also, it has been suggested that if the company want to impose restrictions of our free time then the must compensate employees accordingly. Free time is not company time...

Mrs OBumble

batman1 wrote: »

a new policy emerged from the company which says that when you are on your 4 days off you must adhere to government guidelines AND are REQUIRED to also adhere to company policy such as...no pubs, no public transport, no weddings or funerals, no crowded areas etc.

....

Free time is not company time...

Abstaining from behaviour that would bring the company into disrepute is one thing.

Bit things like you have outlined, which are VASTLY tougher than the government have ever imposed (you could always catch public transport for food shopping, for example) is quite another.

Definitely time to involve the union.