Employers Covid Policies
As employers should of course be aware, the remaining Covid related restrictions in England have now come to an end. As we mentioned previously, employers should have considered this carefully and have clear policies on how they propose to deal with matters as they arise, particularly now that there is no free testing available.
The new government guidance relates to those with all manner of respiratory illnesses and symptoms, not just those with a positive Covid-19 test.
In particular, employers should ensure they have considered:
The Covid-19 symptom guidance has been updated and therefore any policies with mention of ‘symptoms’ (meaning the previous 3 main symptoms) may need updating or revisiting to ensure that it still has the same effect as originally intended.
On a similar note, now that symptoms have broadened and widened, clarification may be needed to ensure employers and employees have the same understanding of when a worker should remain at home (and in what circumstances).
Who pays for testing now free testing has ended, if employees are still requested to test, and the GDPR implications of the employer holding such data.
Whether employers will bear the cost of paying SSP from day 1 where employees cannot work from home as SSP can only be claimed from day 4.
What to do if employees refuse to take a test or refuse to declare that they have a positive result, or refuse to stay away from the workplace.
When employees should return to the workplace after a positive test (on a negative test, on day five / seven) etc.
Posted on 04/07/2022 by Ortolan
