A reader writes:
Now that the pandemic is “over” ( /s) and all the foundations and restrictions have just about been lifted, I’ve a query: as a supervisor, what can I do to make folks keep residence once they’re sick?
I’m the director of a mid-sized public library, and we have now a librarian, “Brian,” who has myriad well being issues accompanied by an apparently very low immune system. He is also hyper-driven to return to work, dragging himself in regardless of the protests of his colleagues. The one particular person he’ll take heed to is me after I inform him he has to go residence, however I’m not at all times within the constructing to implement this. I’ve needed to drive him residence as a consequence of sickness a number of occasions (as has one other workers member, too many occasions to depend), and I even took him to the emergency room one time at his request. He has gotten the remainder of us sick again and again by coming in to work and refusing to go residence — he’s a strolling super-spreader.
Everyone knows {that a} main cause for that is that his spouse is extremely controlling, and we predict he involves work as a result of she forces him (we not-so-jokingly say she’s driving him into an early grave for the insurance coverage cash). He’s additionally intensely protecting of his depart stability, regardless of maxing it out and promoting time again to the town if/when trip buyback is obtainable (if it’s not providing, he simply loses it).
We’ve one workers member with lengthy Covid, one who’s simply completed remedy for most cancers, I’ve Lyme illness and a low immune system, and so forth. and so forth. — and that’s to not point out the entire immunocompromised patrons who are available in our doorways day by day.
I’ve tried to get him to earn a living from home when he’s unwell and he refuses, saying if he goes residence he’ll simply go to mattress; I really feel like if he’s so unwell that he must go to mattress, he ought to go residence and maintain his germs to himself.
Most just lately, Brian examined optimistic for Covid two weeks in the past after a world journey, took a number of days off, got here again to work and wore a masks for a day or so, after which tonight texted that he has a fever and examined optimistic for Covid once more (rebound?) — and I’m at the moment residence sick with Covid-like signs. I believe he gave it to me, argh! I’m so bored with feeling like I’m his mom, managing his sicknesses and emotions about taking day without work and coping with the fallout when he will get the remainder of us sick. Is there something I can do to make him cease spreading his nasty germs?
You’re his supervisor. You may have a ton of energy to unravel this.
Typically when folks have this criticism a few germ-spreading coworker, there’s little or no they’ll do about it. They’ll beg and cajole and ask somebody above them to take motion — however in the end they’re at another person’s mercy.
That’s not the case for you. You’ll be able to and will use your authority as a supervisor to insist that Brian cease coming to work sick and cease placing patrons and colleagues in danger.
The dialog you have to have is: “You may have repeatedly come to work whereas sick and contaminated different folks, together with me. We’ve immunocompromised workers right here, in addition to immunocompromised patrons. You can’t knowingly come to work when you’re sick. This isn’t non-obligatory. If at any level you’re involved about your sick depart stability, please come to me so we will determine it out. However you may’t proceed exhibiting up sick and probably contagious. I’ll ship you residence each time that occurs, and if I be taught you stayed right here sick whereas I wasn’t current, I’ll think about {that a} critical challenge that we have to act on. Are you able to comply with this?”
Now, since you work for the federal government, you would possibly must run this by somebody above you to ensure they’ll again your authority to require this and that they’re not going to require you to navigate it in another way. In case your employer is especially crappy in its forms and you recognize this gained’t be a simple promote, use your data of your group’s politics to navigate it. Which may imply adjusting the language above, or it’d imply going to HR and saying “that is the end result I need; how do I get there?” or it’d imply simply quietly appearing by yourself. It’ll rely in your explicit taste of presidency forms.
However you do must act, as a result of Brian’s habits may have penalties extra critical than simply giving somebody a chilly.
