- Firstly to share that both Fiona Tyson and Jenny Owens are two of the library staff that have tested positive for Omicron. We have both had reasonably mild symptoms and are on our way to recovery. We have both taken a little bit of sick leave this week but mostly felt well enough to work from home. We welcome any questions you may have about what it’s like to have Omicron.
- Tū ki te tahi has a UC staff COVID FAQs page. This page is updated regularly and you can add comments or ask questions. We would like to highlight a couple of items from this page below.Is there paid special leave for staff who are required to self-isolate? Where a staff member is required to self-isolate (or must care for a dependant who is required to self-isolate) they should work from home.
Paid special/discretionary leave may be available for staff who are required to self-isolate in line with Ministry of Health advice, where it is not practicable for the staff member to work from home.
If you become unwell during your self-isolation, then we ask that you apply for sick leave. We do not expect staff to work when they are on sick leave.What if I am sick and I do not have any sick leave available?
If a staff member is sick (or they are caring for a sick dependant) and they do not have any paid sick leave entitlements, they will receive paid discretionary leave. Staff should discuss this with their manager - Taking Breaks – It is very important to take regular breaks when working from home or in the office. It is easy when working alone at home to neglect to take your breaks but it is important for well-being to prioritise breaks. The ergonomics of your home workstation (or secondary office location) may require more breaks than at work, and this is quite OK. Go for a quick walk outside, do a few stretches then settle back in to work. Don’t forget the social side of breaks as well – try have a virtual cuppa and a chat to connect with one or two people you often chat with in the tea room or office using Teams.
Take care of yourselves, go easy on yourselves and enjoy the weekend.
Jenny and Fiona
Kia ora
RE: _Where a staff member is required to self-isolate (or must care for a dependant who is required to self-isolate) they should work from home._
My daughter became a household contact at her father’s residence and is self isolating at my home since yesterday. As she is my dependent, i.e. legally she is not an aduld and only old enough to stay home alone for a sensible duration, I preferred to work from home today and until she can have a test because testing too early is not ideal/effective. I was offerred to work from home yesterday but I was only allowed to do so for one day and asked to take sick leave from today. By government defintion, I am a casual contact so I can be on campus. However I find ethically wrong to potentially expose my coleagues to Covid within our workroom. Therefore I used sick leave today although both of us are sympton free. Thanks for reading 🙂
Kia ora,
I can’t help thinking that even if govt guidelines now class people as casual contacts, who until recently would have been close contacts, must the Library follow that? Could we not continue to exercise a greater degree of caution and see the govt and/or UC positions as a minimum level and go beyond them? It seems like common sense, in the above situation that she should work from home at least long enough to have two negative RATs according to the MOH guidelines for taking them.
Ngā mihi,
Nick
Wishing you a speedy full-recovery!
Zahra