Covid-19 Phase 2 – Where do I start?
As we all know on Tuesday 11.59pm we moved through to Phase Two of the Omicron plan and as expected the numbers this week are going to be over a thousand cases for a while.
The move to Phase Two means the self-isolation period for cases reduces from 14 days to 10 days, and for contacts from 10 days to seven. Finally critical workers will be provided with rapid antigen tests – if your business is classified as critical then do check out this neat guide for testing.
If you are unsure if you are classified as critical, do check out this Close Contact Exception Scheme process which you can register for here, using your RealME login.
By now you will have, or will start to experience close contact or even cases in your work or personal circle. At this stage you need to have a plan and you need to share this – you need to be prepared to adapt this as well.
What does a plan look like? It can be a policy which includes some FAQ’s to help guide your team members and yourself, it also outlines the process of what your team members need to do and how they will be paid, examples could be:
You will need to consult with those team members around how they will be paid whilst isolating and awaiting their test results – you could agree to any of the following:
Agree that they work from home, and continue to be paid as usual whilst they await their results;
Apply for the COVID-19 Leave Support scheme for those workers who cannot come into work as they are required to isolate and can’t work from home due to their type of work. You can apply here.
From mid-February 2021 you can apply for the Short-Term Absence Payment, to cover eligible workers who need to stay at home for 1 to 3 days whilst awaiting test results. You can find out more here.
Alternatively, you and the team member may agree on leave being used, whether that be sick, annual or special leave. If the team member has no available leave entitlements, then you may wish to consider advancing this in the circumstances.
If you have concerns about the genuineness of the need to isolate, you may ask for proof of this, however we urge you to do so in good faith, acting within reason.
What else should you start thinking about and doing to protect you, your team, and visitors to your workplace?
Speak with your team members to identify risks and ways to adapt to these
Ask everyone, workers, contractors and customers with cold or flu-like symptoms to stay away from your premises
Undertake physical distancing where possible
Keep contact-tracing records of anyone who will have close interaction (workers, contractors or customers)
Reduce the number of shared surfaces and regularly disinfect them
Wash your hands and have sanitiser available throughout the workplace
Wear three layers – you may want to print this post and put up in team bathrooms
Encourage your team to be prepared, this is a great resource to have handy for team members
Stay connected with your team, adapt if you need to, just keep communication fluid and constant.
There are plenty of free resources out there to support you with your planning and we also have lots available if you cannot locate or just want some guidance. We are all in unknown territory, however we are here with you and supporting you through this, so do reach out on 0800 HR FOR U with any queries you may have.
Ella Smith
HR Administrator