Vaccination planning/progress

[fannybawsthe3rd]

Anyone know what the actual truth is surrounding time off for a bad reaction to the vaccine?  There's an argument in our store that you have to book the time off as either unpaid, holiday or work it back.  I understood that colleagues wouldn't be penalised for time off "sick" following a vaccine bad reaction and that this even applied to those who don't normally get paid for the 1st 3 days.  I and another colleague do get paid when off sick, but others are concerned that they are being told they will not get paid.

[fscer]

Its Covid related so free time off.

[fannybawsthe3rd]

Yep, as I thought but our managers are telling colleagues that they will not be paid and urging them to book it off as holiday, unpaid time off or work it back.  think the store manager is taking the proverbial!

[penguin]

Think you need to contact your people partner as we have a clear breach of company coronavirus policy here.

[Redshoes]

A reaction to the vaccine is sick but from day one and not three. To get the vaccine done it's shift swap, holiday or unpaid. Most just pop out to get vaccine done and then come back to work.

[SimonF12003]

Thats what I'm planning to do if I can't book my second jab on a day off

[oldfashionedplayer]

Yep, as I thought but our managers are telling colleagues that they will not be paid and urging them to book it off as holiday, unpaid time off or work it back.  think the store manager is taking the proverbial!

This is what ours did too, was only after challenging it and taking to far higher past even useless pm that they said its paid, so ours has a back payment for a lot of colleagues who were forced unpaid.

[Baba_G]

Hello. In our store the managers have demanded that we inform them when our jab is planned so they can make adjustments in case we call sick.  When challenged due to privacy policy and disclosing personal data and medical records we where informed that is a new Tesco policy.
Has anyone heard of this new policy as I can't find it on Ourtesco in any of the coronavirus updates or any other part ?

Thank you

[oldfashionedplayer]

It would fall under the data policy as far as I know... But you don't have to actually tell them when your appointment is if its outside working hours, "they encourage you" to "to work with them" so to speak, on telling them so they can put you down as unpaid for hours or make you give time back for it... So if need be put it down to personal information violation and discrimination since they are only targeted people who are actively getting the vaccine 

[NightAndDay]

I would say there's a line beteeen reasonable request and GDPR violations, your manager asking when you're getting your jab is a very reasonable thing to ask. As much as managers break policy and the law, this is an example where you shouldn't try fight it.

[Baba_G]

Managed to talk to my union area rep and he also knows nothing about a new policy regarding informing them so as far as them demanding well they can do that all they want  .  They tend to remember about policies when in suits them but i rememeberd that we are all employees and all have to follow policies. I'm not going to fight them on this it would be a loosing battle . Thank you

[Batmanjo]

How on earth would they know if you hadn't contracted Covid whilst you were having your jab? as you could be sat next to someone with the virus whilst you are waiting and the point here would be do they want to break the Law forcing staff into work or is it they will not be paid, Policy seems to be the buzz word at the moment but they can never show you "Policy" no matter how much you ask.

[Baba_G]

Hello

Has there been any update on the policy for the booster jab ? Is it still paid sick if you are unwell ? Does it still count towards your sickness absence % ? I tried looking but there seems to be no update

[oldfashionedplayer]

should still be same as October 20th feedback thing -

"Feedback: is absence following the booster jab to be coded as sickness or using the COVID Code?
Response: if a colleague is unwell following a covid vaccination (including booster jabs), they should follow the normal absence process and notify the store they are absent. On returning to work they are required to have a RTW meeting, at which point the manager can choose to pay (at their discretion) the absence as COVID related sickness. Managers should fully understand the details of the symptoms, look a the colleagues absence history and make a reasonable judgement given the circumstances.

nothing else so far seems to of been mentioned with it or come down in the policies since on the update... Recommendations apart from that across yammer etc is that you speak to your manager apparently and try to arrange a shift swap or different days to work.. 

[Baba_G]

Thank you . Yeah they where asking for the same with the first booster jab it goes against sickness policy and doing a swap shift during xmas is out of the question .