The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

Face Masks, Testing and Vaccines – Managing Workplace Conflict

18 August 2021
 

Conflict between colleagues is a challenge all employers face, however COVID-19 has presented a new range of emotive topics that can cause conduct issues in the workplace.

Employment law and health and safety service provider Croner has produced a guide on managing a variety of conduct issues in the post-COVID workplace, exploring the most common COVID-related disputes.

 

COVID-19 Testing

 

Despite your own personal feelings on issues relating to COVID, there remains a duty of care towards your staff. This means encouraging them to follow COVID-secure measures, to protect themselves and each other.

Lateral flow tests that provide results within half an hour have been a central part of the UK government’s COVID response. Public Health England recommends testing twice a week (every 3 to 4 days) and many events and venues only permit guests who can prove a recent negative lateral flow test.

Staff have the right to refuse to be tested if they don’t want to be. Some individuals may find the testing process, of taking throat and mouth swabs, to be very uncomfortable. Others may feel it is unnecessary if they are not experiencing any symptoms. 

Croner advises that in this case, you should attempt to reason with the employees. Put the point across to them that the implementation of in-house testing is a crucial one. It will prevent asymptomatic cases from going undetected, reducing the spread of the virus. 

To ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff, an employer can argue it is a reasonable management instruction to be tested. Employees’ refusal to comply could be in breach of these duties as well as a failure to comply with their Health and Safety obligations but this depends on the overall context.

There could be a range of reasons employees may give for refusing testing. Some of these reasons may be legitimate. However, whilst employees may be able to show they are unable to have a vaccine as a result of their disability or pregnancy, it is hard for employees to argue that their protected characteristic prevents them from being tested. However, It is possible an employee with a phobia of medical procedures may be able to establish a disability.

If alternatives such as working from home are available, employees may argue that testing is not necessary because the employer’s health and safety obligations can be met in other ways.

 

Image

Picture: a photograph of a person using a COVID lateral flow test

 

Vaccinations 

 

Employees may refuse to take the vaccine because they’re not contractually obliged to do so. If this happens, you should think about sharing information with staff about the vaccine from official sources. This reduces the likelihood of them refusing to take the vaccine because of fears stemming from the spread of false information. 

The vaccine may be seen as much more medically invasive when compared to testing. For this reason, refusal can be related to reasons which should not be disregarded, e.g. allergies, pregnancy, and medical exemptions. Therefore, Croner doesn't advise taking disciplinary action against employees. Doing this may mean employers risk facing claims of discrimination or unfair dismissal. This could include constructive unfair dismissal. 

To deal with this, take similar steps in dealing with a refusal to engage in testing. This includes sending out information from reliable sources. In addition, you can keep staff working from home for longer or test staff at work. This will reduce the chances of the virus spreading within the workplace. 

 

Image

 

Mask Wearing & Other COVID-Prevention Methods 

 

As of 19 July in England, face masks are no longer legally required indoors, leading to individual organisations taking on the choice of whether to enforce their use or not.

However, the government’s workplace guidance says that employers should encourage the use of face masks, particularly in indoor areas where people may encounter people they do not normally meet. This is especially advised in enclosed and crowded spaces.

The CIPD recommends that employers “should probably require employees to wear masks when moving around buildings”, in busy reception areas, canteens, corridors, lifts or communal areas. 

Prior to the return to work, risk assessments should have been completed, including clear, actionable points and recommendations. These should be made available to staff and communicated clearly.

Any mandatory requirements for face masks within individual businesses should be subject to reasonable adjustments for those with any mental or physical reason or disability preventing them from doing so.

Picture: a photograph of some face masks

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 18 August 2021

Share



Related Articles

Citigroup Adopts ‘No Jab, No Job’ Policy

Citigroup is the first Wall Street bank to mandate COVID-19 vaccines in the workplace. According to a company memo seen by Reuters, employees in the USA will be placed...

 Read Full Article
Spotlight Interview – Sunita Gordon | SaferSpace

Sunita Gordon is the Co-Founder and CEO of SaferSpace, an app that allows employees to report unacceptable behaviour and harassment in the workplace...

 Read Full Article
1 in 5 Neurodivergent Employees Experience Discrimination at Work

CIPD research shows a potential link between neurodiversity and harassment at work. In a survey of over 1,000 workers, 790 people considered themselves to be...

 Read Full Article
CIPD Champions Menopause Friendly Workplaces

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is collaborating with Helen Tomlinson, the UK government’s first Menopause Employment Champion, to champion...

 Read Full Article
Should Businesses Limit Alcohol Served at Work Social Events?

A new poll from the Chartered Management Institute suggests that employees want work parties to be organised around activities that don’t involve...

 Read Full Article
The Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse to Speak at The Cleaning Show

Ayesha Fordham, Membership and Partnerships Manager at the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse and Natalie Curtis, Regional HSE Advisor at Balfour Beatty will...

 Read Full Article
Atlas FM Achieves Fostering Friendly Employer Status

Atlas FM has become a Fostering Friendly Employer, and says they are the first facilities management company to do so​. The Fostering Network’s scheme helps...

 Read Full Article
UK Government Introduces Day-One Right to Request Flexible Working

Millions of employees across the country are set to benefit from new legislation that means flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment. The...

 Read Full Article
Managing Buildings During the National Mourning Period – Guidance for FMs

Official national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has begun. Read this guide to changes in workplaces, building maintenance, and personnel that...

 Read Full Article
Hiring in FM – Looking Beyond University Degrees

Employers that use degrees to screen candidates could be missing out on key talent and exacerbating the skills gap. The CIPD asked over 2,000 senior decision-makers...

 Read Full Article