Employer is pressuring my friend to return back to work after my self isolation of 2 weeks

[Purpleflowers 2]

I'm writing this on behalf of my freind she's currently self isolating for 2 weeks and is due back middle of next week, she has children and is married, her employer has been in contact with her asking her to send in a self isolating note from the NHS website, they have even contacted her yesterday (Saturday) and she is not very happy with work sending her text messages about obtaining the isolating note.

 

She also has mental health issues and has asthma she feels she is not ready to go back to work yet,  her husband goes to work and her child carer is not working due to the covid19 situation in the country. She is under lots of stress and anxiety and depression.

 

What can she do now to get more time off work in order to recover, because she feels work are putting pressure on her to return back to work

[honeybee13]

Hi.

 

I'm not sure if you're asking about a friend or yourself as you say it's 'my self isolation'.

 

But if it isn't a Covid reason, I'd say you need to speak to your GP about possibly getting a 'sick note' to stay off longer.

 

HB

[Purpleflowers 2]

10 minutes ago, honeybee13 said:

Hi.

 

I'm not sure if you're asking about a friend or yourself as you say it's 'my self isolation'.

 

But if it isn't a Covid reason, I'd say you need to speak to your GP about possibly getting a 'sick note' to stay off longer.

 

HB

For my friend, is she able to get more time off work due to Covid? or her mental health issues? She works in an enironment where she is afraid she could pick covid at work and bring it home to her children, she's very stressed about this.

Work is causing pressuring her to come back to work next week

Edited April 5, 2020 by Purpleflowers 2

[honeybee13]

As I said, if it isn't about Covid and self isolating, I think she needs to ring her GP.

 

HB

[Purpleflowers 2]

2 minutes ago, honeybee13 said:

As I said, if it isn't about Covid and self isolating, I think she needs to ring her GP.

 

HB

she has asthma but they won't provide her the note because gp says she is fit enough for work but she is afraid if she got something at work and got ill

[honeybee13]

What sector does she work in please?

 

HB

[unclebulgaria67]

Read the Public Health England information.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

 

In the Public sector, employers do appear to be following the linked advice as stated above.  If someone suffers from Asthma, they are mostly self isolating at home, but can work from home, if their employers can find suitable work to complete on a works laptop.

[Emmzzi]

If she has had a note from the NHS saying she is vulnerable and should shield, then she should stay at home, and there are special regulations for this

 

If not, she has choices

a) go to work; asking for a copy of the risk assessment, and how she will be able to be at less risk than usual

b) see a GP about her stress and get signed off

c) resign

 

Lots of people are anxious about the current situation. Lots of people also work alone in offices or far away from people or at home.  

 

What people don't get to do, is expect their employer to keep paying them in full, for no work, because they are anxious. So, she needs to choose. I think b) seems right for her, but tat's just based on what you have said, and no idea what her job is.

[ericsbrother]

GP's mostly doing telephone appointments at the moment but that would be appropriate for this situation.

Self isolation is very specific so a week self isolation would apply only if someone else in her household had the illness and she had no symptoms herself. her employer doesnt have to pay her for that, she would get the £94/wk instead.

[BazzaS]

1 hour ago, ericsbrother said:

Self isolation is very specific so a week self isolation would apply only if someone else in her household had the illness and she had no symptoms herself. her employer doesnt have to pay her for that, she would get the £94/wk instead.

 

No, you have the 7 days vs 14 days the wrong way around.

 

If you have symptoms, you self-isolate for a week. Your household contacts also isolate, but for 14 days (unless they develop symptoms themselves where their isolation extends for a week from their symptoms). This is to ensure that, if they are going to get it, they have " time to catch it, develop symptoms themselves, and have a week of symptoms". No symptoms by 14 days? it is assumed you haven't caught it and won't (from the symtomatic household contact), or have had a sub-clinical infection.

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/874011/Stay_at_home_guidance_diagram.pdf

 

The resource page for the details is: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

 

This is why testing for NHS workers is key.

Staff (who are otherwise well) who are off for 14 days as contacts: test the symptomatic contact, and if it isn't covid-19 the NHS worker can go back to work. Those should be prioritised for testing over and above the unwell staff:

i) as the unwell staff are off for 7 rather than 14 days, and

ii) if the unwell staff are unwell with something other than covid-19, they still need to be off because they are unwell!.

So the greatest benefit to the NHS is getting those staff who are off for the 14 days who don't need to be off at all, back to work.

 

 

[ericsbrother]

sorry, I meant to say UNLESS  so yes my answer reads the wrong way round