Serious question - covid19 positive and remote work

wally1990

I'm just a bit confused as to what is the correct protocol on behalf of the employer / employee where it involves remote work

I've been confirmed as a close contact of someone i was with 16 hours straight just before they tested positive

I've now developed systems but I'm not ''sick'' (yet) but I've a tightness in my chest, a cough , tickle in my throat but no fever or headaches etc

My test is organised for 5 30 today.

If I am found to be positive, do I need to call in sick even though that work is done remotely from my home

Are employers expecting staff to continue to work if positive and it's done remotely or is the correct method to call in sick , ride it out and wait until I've a negative test confirmed

Money and salary and sick pay etc I'm not concerned about . Just to want to is their official guidance or should I be working if I feel able to

sentient_6

I don't see why remote work should be treated any different from physically being in the office in terms of being sick.

wally1990

sentient_6 wrote: »

I don't see why remote work should be treated any different from physically being in the office in terms of being sick.

That's what I was thinking

I wonder is there any workplace relations advice ? I can't find anything

If I was on site which I normally am, if I had a flu or illness I'd be out sick but now that I can remote work I worry the expectation is I should be if im not terribly Ill

It's a grey area is it without advice or is there legal guidance ?

I also wonder , if I am out sick then should it be the solid 14 days

I'm so confused

wally1990

I found this and my interpretation is if I am confirmed positive and I do have symptoms then I shouldn't be working and can apply for illness Benefit

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/coronavirus-employers-hr-ireland

Mrs OBumble

Your GP is responsible for signing you off work, or not.

silent_spark

I don’t know what your work guidance will be, but if I tested positive but was able for work with just a tickle in my throat or a mild cough I would just continue working remotely as normal. People are testing positive and aren’t developing any symptoms, it would be complete madness if they stopped working even though they could work remotely.

OMM 0000

If you are working for a company who expect you to continue working while you have covid, then you are working for a psychopath and should start looking for a new job.

Augme

If staff are physical able to work then I would 100% expect them to keep working remotely if they had only mild symptoms. Your symptoms sound like a head cold, I wouldn't be too impressed with anyone taking time off work for a head cold.

However if you do feel you physically can't work then I wouldn't have any issue taking the time off either. I wouldn't expect anyone with the flu to work remotely either.

In saying that you came can easily get signed off from the doctor if you just want to take the time off and not bother doing work.

OMM 0000

Augme wrote: »

If staff are physical able to work then I would 100% expect them to keep working remotely if they had only mild symptoms. Your symptoms sound like a head cold, I wouldn't be too impressed with anyone taking time off work for a head cold.

Why?

Sincere question.

How is a job so important that people should continue doing it while sick?

Employers should respect their employees and let them take time off when they're not feeling well.

It's not even a good strategy to force your staff to work when they're sick.

I let my staff take time off even if they're just feeling tired or unhappy. It causes them to like their job and not want to let me down.

If one of the staff thought they might have covid, I'd tell them to rest. What would even be the point of forcing them to work? They're going to be feeling stressed and distracted so their output is going to be poor.

Dial Hard

If you feel well enough to work, continue to work. If you don't, don't.

Would have thought it was pretty much as simple as that, no?

Bubbaclaus

If you had minimal/no symptoms then I can't see how you could argue that you can't work from home? I've had a couple of colleagues working from home recently with confirmed COVID, it wasn't affecting their work given they were working from home anyway.

Seems like people looking for an excuse to stop working.

Augme

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Why?

Sincere question.

How is a job so important that people should continue doing it while sick?

Employers should respect their employees and let them take time off when they're not feeling well.

It's not even a good strategy to force your staff to work when they're sick.

I let my staff take time off even if they're just feeling tired or unhappy. It causes them to like their job and not want to let me down.

If one of the staff thought they might have covid, I'd tell them to rest. What would even be the point of forcing them to work? They're going to be feeling stressed and distracted so their output is going to be poor.

Ultimately if every staff work took sick days because they felt a slight bit unwell it would have a significant impact on output. During winter you'd be looking at a huge drop off.

I guess it lately depends on where you work and the nature of work but where I work the work has to get done. So if someone is at home on sick leave but is perfectly capable of working they need to realise someone else in work is now doing two jobs.

I'd be much happier to let someone take a day off if they are feeling tired or unhappy because that negatively impacts their work. From the symptoms and attitude of the OP it doesnt sound like it is going to negatively impact the quality of his work significantly, if at all.

I know plenty of people who have caught covid and didn't give a ****. Not everyone is the same.

If you feel unwell then take some time off.

If you've no symptoms then work, I don't see why you'd take time off purely based on the diagnosis.

Thought this would be pretty simple?

OMM 0000

Myla Faint Spit wrote: »

I don't see why you'd take time off purely based on the diagnosis.

Stress?

Worried your condition could deteriorate if you don't rest?

No one should put their job ahead of their health.

BabysCoffee

Why would you not work if you are symptom free and can work remotely?

On the other hand, why would you even consider working if you have symptoms and are too unwell to work?

Mrs OBumble

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Stress?

Worried your condition could deteriorate if you don't rest?

No one should put their job ahead of their health.

I've not seen rest recommended for mild or asymptomatic Covid.


End of the day, its a doctor's call, not an employees. Some doctor's ask what you would prefer, some are more clinical about it - diagnosis A, symptoms B and C, job demands D therefore yes or no.

OMM 0000

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I've not seen rest recommended for mild or asymptomatic Covid.


End of the day, its a doctor's call, not an employees. Some doctor's ask what you would prefer, some are more clinical about it - diagnosis A, symptoms B and C, job demands D therefore yes or no.

If one of my staff got a positive covid diagnosis I'd tell them to stop working and to rest.

Two reasons:

(1) I think it's the right thing to do.

(2) It will cause them to become better employees because they know their employer cares about them.

Bubbaclaus

OMM 0000 wrote: »

If one of my staff got a positive covid diagnosis I'd tell them to stop working and to rest.

Two reasons:

(1) I think it's the right thing to do.

(2) It will cause them to become better employees because they know their employer cares about them.

That's great that you have a business that can justify unnecessary time off, but in most places that would mean someone else has to pick up the slack and ultimately builds resentment, because the person they are picking up the slack for isn't even unfit for work.

OMM 0000

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

That's great that you have a business that can justify unnecessary time off, but in most places that would mean someone else has to pick up the slack and ultimately builds resentment, because the person they are picking up the slack for isn't even unfit for work.

If staff are becoming resentful because a person is told to rest because they have covid, then the company has problems it needs to fix.

In my workplace it would have the opposite reaction.

When you create a kind work environment you lose all the toxic crap which makes work unpleasant.

OMM 0000

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Stress?

Worried your condition could deteriorate if you don't rest?

No one should put their job ahead of their health.

.

If you feel unwell then take some time off.