They are counting your isolated days of quarantine. 10 total, as the days allotted and then including weekends when they know you only work Monday-Friday. Employees are currently working remotely so isolation at home isn’t a problem and you aren’t risking others but you still need more than ten days to recover fully from Covid 19. Symptoms do defer from one person to another but one should be allotted sufficient time to feel better before having their days depleted before even taking said time needed to fully recover.
As the CDC & NY State Department of Health has suggested since the onsetof Covid 19. Individuals who have tested positive can succumb to the following symptoms, which in actuality can be felt during onset of beng comntaminated or can begin days after testing positive. This in itself makes it impossible for one to recover within ten days. Coughing, Congestion, fatigue, body aches and fever can remain with you for weeks. Using the suggested isolation of 10 days as part of the days paid is egregious and even more so when the weekends are counted within said days allotted.
Case in point... Employee tested positive on 4/15/2021, was able to work until 4/21/2021 before the symptoms and fatigue became unbearable and time off was rquested. HR representative in charge of leaves requests written confirmation of positive test result, employee provides it, to then be told. "Your 10 days begin the day after you test positive. If you choose to take remainder of days left you are to take off going forward and must return to work on the 26th." Keep in mind employees symptoms did not begin right away, and they worked during the initial start of quarantine because they are working remotely anyway. The 21st was a Wednesday, so therefore HR is granting you the rest of that day, Thursday and Friday and including the weeend in your ten day total. Employee returns as suggested and has not had ample time to recover more or less focus. The employees stance is that HR should not be counting the days from isolation start but the day request for days were requested. Allow the 10 day count to begin as of onset of request if time requested was within the 10 day isolation period suggested by proviing a positive result, and for HR to follow the guidelines as outlined within the attached links.
It is to my understanding that a work week is based on the days one is actually paid for. Hence if you work Monday-Friday, weekends should not be counted as days paid. or alloted. Employers need to understand and convey empathy to those they employ. Covid 19 is not a simple cold. It takes a lot out of you and employers should be sympathetic and knowledgeable as far as fair treatment and ones health and mental state is concerned.
Employees should be led and guided as needed by their employers, but should also be very familiar with all guidelines in place. See PFL leave and read Overview section carefully, some employers will be able to suggest you have option of working from home so some benefits will not be available to you nor shared. Transparency as far as leaves go is never conveyed in a matter that will not meet employers need to produce, and sometimes they need to be reminded of their errors, so best to come at them with facts and knowledge that will assist you if you ever have to report or file a grienvance.
To the many who have suffered a loss, have gotten sick with Covid 19 and are still stuggling to get back to feeling normal I send you my heartfelt condolences, good vibes and healing prayers. This past year has been a strain but you are certainly not alone. ~ Susan B. Anna
"The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy." ~Meryl Streep
