QUESTION
Dear HR Community Subscribers,
We have a staff who is Covid-19 positive.
The employee contracted the virus from the child and has been looking after the child after informing us.
Luckily for us, we are all working from home and it is unlikely that our office environment has been affected.
My question is twofold:
1. What is our responsibility as an employer? Do we need to inform the authorities?
2. What is the obligation of the employee? Do they have to submit the stay home notice or other documents to prove their absence?
Thank you for your advice and help in advance.
Audrey
HR Poll: Do we need to inform the authorities about Covid-19 cases?
Yes: 58.82%
No: 20.59%
Maybe: 5.88%
Not sure: 14.71%
REPLIES & COMMENTS: What are the employee's obligations should they be Covid-19 positive?
Stay at home notice and inform the authority - Sarah
Inform the employer and be quarantined - Florence
Inform the employer and update them on the test result - Jessica
To notify the employer for the safety of others and to inform the covid task force of the company - Maggie
Ensure not to have close contact with others and remain at home and wait for SHN - JP
The employee has to inform the employer - Jaslyn
Follow the stay home or quarantine orders - Siti
Inform employer immediately and focus on recovery. During recovery, keep supervisor up to date on the recovery progress if possible - Krystal
When the employee is tested positive, the authorities should be notified. If the employee has not been coming to the office for a long enough period, I do not see a reason to inform the authorities, however, if the employee did come into the office, you need to inform. Employees will inform the employer they are tested positive, base on the arrangement of the government, they are either quarantined or in treatment, there is definitely some form of instruction from MOH/HPB, ask for it. else how would you know your staff is tested positive. - Hans
The healthcare officers will be contacting the employee and he/she will be conveyed to a quarantine facility. In the meantime, the employee should continue to monitor her condition and update the employer accordingly. He/She should not leave her home and limit her contact with the rest of the family members who are infected. Family members staying with him/her should also do a PCR test and until the test results are out, they should also not come in contact with others - LSH
Inform employer, stay at home - CMY
Ensure the staff is not at work and inform staff how his/her absence is treated leave-wise - Lena
Inform the company and follow the instructions by MOH, should check with the company if they should remain working from home even recovered from Covid and after tested negative. As most of the employees may be vulnerable or haven't got vaccinated - Carol
The employee has to inform the management - Amanda
They should inform HR immediately - Adrain
Follow authority’s instructions and alert employer - KS
Provide the necessary documentation to the employer and stay at home - Shirly
Yes, definitely should inform the authorities, otherwise you might be viewed as withholding essential information. In the spirit of containing the disease, we should all do our part to keep the authorities informed. Yes, employees should submit a stay-home notice or other documents for formal record purposes. It's like submitting a medical certificate. - Ros
