General > General Technical Chat
Working From Home - Impacts of Coronavirus
microherb:
--- Quote from: SiliconWizard on April 08, 2020, 02:29:29 pm ---
--- Quote from: nctnico on April 08, 2020, 10:47:13 am ---In the current situation you co-worker's behaviour is unacceptable. I'd take this up with your boss. Maybe you can move your desk further away. But your boss also needs to try and talk some sense into your co-worker. As an employer your boss is responsible for a safe & healthy work environment. Which also means your boss can require people to refrain from activities which puts employees in danger.
--- End quote ---
Yup. And in times of confinement, offices that require people to actually be physically present must already justify this with a reasonable rationale. If the rationale is already questionable, and the employer doesn't even enforce strict rules inside the office, they are completely at fault.
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Yes, actually the boss asked me a few weeks back (when we all thought the there would be a government enforced closure) if I could work from home. My answer was yes, I have a better lab at home than at work. But a lot of other employees in the factory can't work from home so he asked me to keep it quiet and until it is mandated I have to keep going in, even though I don't need to be there. At least they are doing their best to keep everyone employed so far in these difficult times.
microherb:
--- Quote from: Stray Electron on April 08, 2020, 08:02:40 pm ---
You should leave work immediately and not return until after you talk to your boss. If your boss fails to take swift and thorough action then I would consider that as an unsafe working environment and I would walk out immediately and file a complaint with the proper work safety organization and I would not return there until the situation is corrected (if ever). Several national governments have already made it clear that workers can not be penalized for refusing to work if their employers can't ensure SAFE working conditions during this pandemic.
If I was the guy's boss I would terminate him immediately. He's putting everyone that he works with in jeoparty and his actions could potentially lead the collapse of that business.
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Yes, I will be talking to the boss first thing this morning. I hope the guy gets moved out of my office. If just one of us at work were to come down with the virus the whole place would probably be shut down. As you say that could potentially lead to the collapse of that business.
microherb:
--- Quote from: SiliconWizard on April 08, 2020, 02:29:29 pm ---
Yup. And in times of confinement, offices that require people to actually be physically present must already justify this with a reasonable rationale. If the rationale is already questionable, and the employer doesn't even enforce strict rules inside the office, they are completely at fault.
--- End quote ---
They've been pretty slack so far, they bought a couple of cans of Glen20 disinfectant spray and a packet of disinfectant wipes for a 200m2 factory. Put a few hand washing posters up on the wall and sent an email saying if we need to self quarantine it would come out of annual leave (if you have any). Basically just trying to cover their asses.
james_s:
--- Quote from: EEVblog on April 08, 2020, 09:16:04 am ---Our building still has plenty of dunny rolls every day. Although someone has been nicking them and breaking the locks on the holders because they have signs up on the door about it now. But I've never seen the ones on my floor empty.
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I've been known to pick the locks now and then just for something to do while I'm on the can. The ones I've encountered are not very high tech, I don't think I've ever failed to pick one with a paperclip.
james_s:
--- Quote from: Stray Electron on April 08, 2020, 08:02:40 pm --- If I was the guy's boss I would terminate him immediately. He's putting everyone that he works with in jeoparty and his actions could potentially lead the collapse of that business.
--- End quote ---
Depending on the local laws that might be a very bad idea. Having a party during a pandemic is stupid but what he does on his own time is none of his employer's business from a legal standpoint. You can't fire someone for getting sick, and it's a slippery slope if we allow people to fire someone for engaging in risky behavior outside of the office. I mean where do you draw the line? I've picked up cold and flu viruses many times in my life without having been to a party.
I think it's perfectly reasonable during this time to require someone to stay home if you suspect they may have been exposed but really there's no way to tell. It's entirely possible and even statistically likely that the guy who had the party is not infected. Likewise my partner's brother recently became ill with symptoms suggesting Covid and he has been following all the rules, working from home full time and only leaving the house to buy food. It's a numbers game, you can reduce your chances of getting sick but it's virtually impossible to prevent it entirely.
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