RMCtv : Increase in Covid-19 rates and hospital admissions across the UK - message from Zareena Brown : Managers should not encourage colleagues to attend for work when they are choosing to stay home

[POSTMAN]

Zareena Says

Increase in Covid-19 rates and hospital admissions across the UK

Since February, when the UK Government and devolved nations announced plans on ‘Living with Covid’, we are all learning to live with the virus being part of our everyday life. We continue to follow government and devolved nations guidance and at work, coronavirus is now treated in the same way as other types of sickness or respiratory disease.

The latest figures announced today show that there has been a big increase in coronavirus infection levels and hospital admissions across the UK, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a 30% increase in positive cases in the last week. It is therefore really important that we all do everything we can to prevent infection and risk spreading it to others.

Confirmed cases - if you test positive for Covid we advise you to stay at home and avoid contact with others
Symptoms - if you have symptoms of Covid-19, you have a personal responsibility to protect yourself and others by getting tested as quickly as possible, if testing is available, and staying at home where appropriate.

Managers should not encourage colleagues to attend for work when they are choosing to stay at home in line with this guidance.

If you are worried about your symptoms or they get worse you should contact your GP, 111, or in an emergency go to A&E or call 999.
Preventative measures - “Covid has not gone away”

We appreciate everyone’s efforts in maintaining the preventative steps to minimise the infection risk from coronavirus and other respiratory viruses.

We understand that over time maintaining the required disciplines like wiping down shared equipment or regular hand hygiene can be harder.

In order to look after ourselves and others, including those with health vulnerabilities we must remain vigilant and avoid transmission of Coronavirus and other respiratory viruses, it is important to maintain the controls we still have.

It is important that we continue to support vulnerable colleagues through the following preventative measures:
1. Washing hands – regularly, for 40-60 seconds each time
2. Face coverings – recommended
3. Clean vehicles and shared equipment – use sanitising wipes to wipe down shared equipment
4. Ventilation - increased ventilation reduces the concentration of the virus in the air and reduces the risk from airborne transmission. Open windows wherever possible.

The NHS also offers advice including supporting those who may be more vulnerable to respiratory diseases.

[POSTMAN]

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

[pinstripe]

“Does not have to”, “at the discretion of the manager”.

I wonder how that will be interpreted and actioned?

Who would be surprised when a stage warning is issued, on orders from above.

[olilew]

Anyone see a trip to the high court coming saying we can't strike because we're key workers during a pandemic?

[aiden01]

Anyone see a trip to the high court coming saying we can't strike because we're key workers during a pandemic?

Yep the pandemic that has'nt gone away in rm terms.

[k979aaa]

Anyone see a trip to the high court coming saying we can't strike because we're key workers during a pandemic?

Not key enough for being slaves though fuckem!

[iHateD2Ds]

RM are Sort of putting all the onus on the individual and not taking responsibility for their staff.
"Stay at home to avoid virus transmission but you don’t have to if you don’t want to"!
"And by the way it may count towards your attendance record"

Sounds like Boris as written the rule book but then again wasn’t Simon in charge of the dismal NHS App failure?

[guardianangel]

Makes me laugh so much ,this manager's discretion thing is a load of old b------s,a guy in my work just triggered a stage one by being sick with covid other guys who is bosses boys should have triggered stage 1's on numerous occasions ,Royal mail managers are worse than the Tories.I'll be going to work with covid until they stop this managers discretion malarkey.

[clashcityrocker]

I'll be going to work with covid until they stop this managers discretion malarkey.

That's very generous of you.
Let's hope it kills you before you kill someone else's grandparent.

The only thing worse than the bellends we work for are the bellends we work with.

[guardianangel]

Yes exactly had a meeting today and was told, "covid is on the rise carry on isolating but come in if your feeling ok" you couldn't make it up, i'm on a stage 2 and risk dismissal if i go sick as now it can count on your sick record,until the union rein in these joke managers we got i will be going in ,sorry if i kill anyone but its everyman for himself now,lets hope the jabs work.

[SpacePhoenix]

Yes exactly had a meeting today and was told, "covid is on the rise carry on isolating but come in if your feeling ok" you couldn't make it up, i'm on a stage 2 and risk dismissal if i go sick as now it can count on your sick record,until the union rein in these joke managers we got i will be going in ,sorry if i kill anyone but its everyman for himself now,lets hope the jabs work.

The newest two variants bypass all immunity from either having caught it in the past or from the jabs

[norris9]

Yes exactly had a meeting today and was told, "covid is on the rise carry on isolating but come in if your feeling ok" you couldn't make it up, i'm on a stage 2 and risk dismissal if i go sick as now it can count on your sick record,until the union rein in these joke managers we got i will be going in ,sorry if i kill anyone but its everyman for himself now,lets hope the jabs work.

Is this whole attendance review procedure just a scaremongering tactic by Royal Mail? - it feels like it is to me. It seems like a way of putting fear into the workforce so the employee is more likely to come in and work during an illness or injury rather than stay home and rest. Also, of course to put fear into those who skive...

What is the actual likelihood of them dismissing you if you've been off multiple times of multiple different genuine reasons.... for example: an absence for Covid, an absence for a pulled muscle, an absence for migraine etc etc....

Isn't dismissal only likely if you have proven to be skiving or you have an ongoing issue such as a dodgy knee which gives you repeated grief and it's got to the stage where your not suitable for the job as it's taking too long to fix the issue or there is no way to fix the issue. ?

[aiden01]

Yes exactly had a meeting today and was told, "covid is on the rise carry on isolating but come in if your feeling ok" you couldn't make it up, i'm on a stage 2 and risk dismissal if i go sick as now it can count on your sick record,until the union rein in these joke managers we got i will be going in ,sorry if i kill anyone but its everyman for himself now,lets hope the jabs work.

Is this whole attendance review procedure just a scaremongering tactic by Royal Mail? - it feels like it is to me. It seems like a way of putting fear into the workforce so the employee is more likely to come in and work during an illness or injury rather than stay home and rest. Also, of course to put fear into those who skive...

What is the actual likelihood of them dismissing you if you've been off multiple times of multiple different genuine reasons.... for example: an absence for Covid, an absence for a pulled muscle, an absence for migraine etc etc....

Isn't dismissal only likely if you have proven to be skiving or you have an ongoing issue such as a dodgy knee which gives you repeated grief and it's got to the stage where your not suitable for the job as it's taking too long to fix the issue or there is no way to fix the issue. ?

Its quite simple really if you break the rules on sick then you will be put on the different stages. unless of course your covererd under dda.

[clashcityrocker]

Isn't dismissal only likely if you have proven to be skiving or you have an ongoing issue

No.
And if they need to reduce numbers then the attendance procedure will be used as an extension of the conduct code.

[guardianangel]

Yes exactly had a meeting today and was told, "covid is on the rise carry on isolating but come in if your feeling ok" you couldn't make it up, i'm on a stage 2 and risk dismissal if i go sick as now it can count on your sick record,until the union rein in these joke managers we got i will be going in ,sorry if i kill anyone but its everyman for himself now,lets hope the jabs work.

Is this whole attendance review procedure just a scaremongering tactic by Royal Mail? - it feels like it is to me. It seems like a way of putting fear into the workforce so the employee is more likely to come in and work during an illness or injury rather than stay home and rest. Also, of course to put fear into those who skive...

What is the actual likelihood of them dismissing you if you've been off multiple times of multiple different genuine reasons.... for example: an absence for Covid, an absence for a pulled muscle, an absence for migraine etc etc....

Isn't dismissal only likely if you have proven to be skiving or you have an ongoing issue such as a dodgy knee which gives you repeated grief and it's got to the stage where your not suitable for the job as it's taking too long to fix the issue or there is no way to fix the issue. ?

Nope they do it all the time in my office ,if your face doesn't fit and you trigger the stages your gone.