Following the government announcement yesterday on ‘Living with Covid’, we have considered the impact of this announcement on Royal Mail and how we manage Covid absences.
Throughout the pandemic, we have consistently followed government guidance and provided a comprehensive range of support for our people. Yesterday, the government announcement clearly set out the expectation that Covid will become part of everyday life and needs to be treated in the same way as other types of sickness. In line with this updated guidance, we are therefore changing our approach.
From 24 February 2022, colleagues will no longer be legally required to self-isolate. If you test positive for Covid, you are still advised to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least five full days. It will not be necessary for you to provide evidence of a positive test, although you can if you wish to do so. You will however need to complete an absence self-declaration form for any absence of seven days or less. For absences of more than seven days, you should obtain a fit note from your GP. This is in line with our normal approach to sickness absence.
In addition, any Covid-related absences which start on or after 1 March 2022, may count towards Royal Mail’s attendance procedure. This is in line with the normal approach taken for all other sickness absences.
In relation to the different types of Covid-related absence, the following changes will also take place:
Self-isolation – there is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate and therefore managers should no longer use this absence code. Absences should be recorded against ‘Confirmed Case’ or ‘Symptoms’ under Covid on PSP. If colleagues are required to self-isolate prior to a medical procedure on the advice of the NHS, then managers should record this absence against ‘Pre-treatment S/Iso’ under Covid on PSP. These absences should be considered alongside the primary reason for the absence under the Attendance Procedure (i.e. not treated as two separate absences).
Symptoms – if you have symptoms of Covid-19, you have a personal responsibility to protect yourself and others by staying at home. Absences should be recorded against ‘Symptoms’ on PSP and employees are required to self-certify up to seven days and provide a fit note from their GP thereafter. These absences may be considered as part of the Attendance Procedure, in the normal way.
Vaccine reaction – these should be treated in the same way as ‘Symptoms’ but recorded as ‘Vaccination reaction’ under Covid on PSP.
Between now and 1 April, colleagues should continue to order tests and test themselves where appropriate. From 1 April, mass testing in England will cease.
It is important that we continue to support vulnerable colleagues through the following preventative measures:
Get vaccinated – if you haven’t already, get vaccinated including your booster dose.
Wash your hands – doing this regularly is critical, for 20 seconds each time.
Use face coverings – consider using a face covering to protect yourself and others, particularly where people have health vulnerabilities.
Clean your vehicle – at the start and end of duties.
Increase ventilation - ventilation reduces the concentration of the virus in the air and reduces the risk from airborne transmission. It is still important to get as much fresh air into buildings as possible. For further guidance on ventilation, visit the P&FS Guidance on the SharePoint pages.
Changes have been announced today for Scotland. A further communication for colleagues in Scotland will follow before these changes come into effect on 21 March. We await an announcement from Northern Ireland and Wales. In the meantime, the current arrangements do not change in the devolved nations. Where colleagues live/work in different nations, line managers should seek advice from the People Case Advice Team.
Thank you.
Dr Shaun Davis
Director of Safety
Liam,
Thank you for your email.
Royal Mail has confirmed that, for England, Covid related absence which occurs after 24th Feb (i.e. the date that Covid restrictions were down-dialled) may be counted towards the attendance procedure.
We’ve also confirmed that there is an expectation that employees will continue to follow the government guidelines, which state that individuals who test positive for Covid should self-isolate for at least 5 days. For clarity though, an individual is not prevented from attending for work. A responsible employee should follow the government guidelines and self-isolate, but they don’t have to do so.
A manager does not have to count such absences towards an attendance review, so my advice would be that employees who remain absent in order to protect the health of their colleagues continue to raise this as mitigation as part of the attendance procedure. Whether or not to award the attendance review is at the discretion of the manager, and it will depend on a number of factors – including (but not limited to) the amount of Covid related absence that the employee has already taken over the last two years and whether or not this is below or above the norm.
Kind Regards.
James. Coronavirus Support Team
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