Are Royal Mail employees able to be tested for Covid-19?
The UK Government has extended testing for anyone with coronavirus symptoms. Please visit the appropriate guidance for your part of the UK:
- National lockdown in England
Restrictions in Northern Ireland
Restrictions in Scotland
Restrictions in Wales
The situation is constantly changing, and you should check this guidance for the latest advice on this area. The current position is that employees could be isolating for 10 days and this could be extended if they develop symptoms during self-isolation.
If employees are not able to work from home during self-isolation, absences should be treated as sickness
absence, “Sick Coronavirus” absence type on PSP. Managers should then choose the relevant absent code:
- S A U 0 7 1 : Coronavirus Confirmed Case
S B U 0 7 0 : Coronavirus Symptoms
S C U 0 7 0 :Coronavirus Self Isolation
I have been self-isolating for 10 days due to a continuous cough, but I still have a cough what should I do?
After self-isolating for 10 days, if you do not have a high temperature you do not need to continue to self- isolate. If you still have a high temperature, you need to keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal. You do not need to continue to self-isolate if you just have a cough after 10 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. More details are available here.
Mass Coronavirus testing programmes - do I need to self-isolate following a test?
The UK Government are increasingly using mass Covid testing programmes in communities and in parts of the country where there are higher infection rates.
Employees may be tested as part of these programmes or as part of ongoing studies being completed by universities and health organisations. Participation is voluntary and employees do not have to self-isolate following a test if they do not have symptoms of Coronavirus.
If you receive a positive test result then you must self-isolate for 10 days.
If you have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed case and do not have symptoms you will need to self-isolate for 10 days and access a test if you develop symptoms.
If I have had a positive coronavirus test before do I need to self-isolate if I get symptoms again or someone I live with gets symptoms?
If you get symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) again, you must self-isolate immediately and get a test.You can get a test to check if you have coronavirus on GOV.UK.
You should also self-isolate again if:
- • someone you live with gets symptoms
• someone in your support bubble gets symptoms and you were in close contact with them since their symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started
You must self-isolate again even if you've had a positive test result for coronavirus before. You probably have some immunity to coronavirus but it's not clear how long it lasts.
What should I do if an employee receives a positive coronavirus test result?
Cases should now be managed locally via PSP with support from SHE and HR Business Partners. If an individual has just started an absence you should enter it on PSP in ‘create absence’ select ‘Sick Coronavirus’ from the absence type drop-down box, then, for the reason code select SAU071 - Coronavirus Confirmed Case.
If you have previously recorded absence as sick absence or special leave, you will need to amend this retrospectively and update on PSP. Where the individual has been off work for more than 5 days, there is no requirement to arrange for an additional office clean.
If they have been off for less than 5 days, then an additional clean should be arranged via the P&FS Helpdesk by calling 0844 800 9191.
The two options are:
- 1. If the individual has been off work between 4 and 5 days, then a Precautionary Clean should be requested.
2. If the individual has been off work for less than 3 days, an Intense Disinfectant Clean should be requested.
If there are any operational implications, please contact CPC as usual. A managers’ guidance pack has been produced for units in this position. Your SHE Business Partner will discuss the content of this with you. This is available on the SHE Coronavirus Document Library.
I have completed the self-isolation period, but I still have a cough what should I do?
After completing the required self-isolating period, if you do not have a high temperature you do not need to continue to self-isolate. If you still have a high temperature, you need to keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal. You do not need to continue to self-isolate if you just have a cough as a cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. More details are available here.
2nd post PDF in the Global Announcement...I have an employee who has had a lot of absence in the last year and if they are absent again will be on half- pay. Will there be any different arrangements for them if they have to self-isolate?
As the number of people currently self-isolating due to COVID-19 has increased this month, we want to support colleagues who need to self-isolate, either because they have symptoms/tested positive or someone within their household has symptoms/tested positive.
We have already put in place financial support through offering Royal Mail Sick Pay for those colleagues with clinically extremely vulnerable status who are due to move on to half pay/nil pay or Statutory Sick Pay (SSP); including those who have less than a year’s service.
For colleagues who are self-isolating due to COVID-19 from 11 January 2021, the following will apply:
A reminder of how to record absences on PSP:
- • Our normal approach to sick pay will continue to apply to all Royal Mail Group Ltd employees with over a year’s service
• As we did for the first lockdown, exceptionally to support employees who should not be attending work, Royal Mail has temporarily changed the sick pay for employees with less than a year’s service. Where the absence is related to coronavirus, these employees will receive the same sick pay as employees with over a year’s service
• This will be in place until the end of January 2021, when it will be reviewed and may be extended. We will continue to monitor the situation and may change this
For employees who have been advised to shield again to due to local/regional/national restrictions or lockdowns, will Royal Mail sick pay be provided?
- SAU071 Coronavirus Confirmed Case
SBU070 Coronavirus Symptoms
SCU070 Coronavirus Self Isolation
SDU070 Shielding Self
For employees who have been advised by the NHS to shield themselves during periods of local/regional/national restrictions or lockdowns and provide the updated NHS/Government letter as appropriate medical evidence to support this, we will continue to pay entitlement to RMG sick pay.
The current Government advice during the national lockdowns in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for people who have clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) status is they should shield and not come to work if they cannot work from home. They will receive a new shielding notification from the Government/NHS advising them to do so.
For CEV employees who receive updated shielding notification:
Employees will receive their usual pay when taking holiday.
- • CEV people who have received the updated UK Government/NHS notification to shield and cannot work from home, should not attend work
• Once again, we have decided to extend Royal Mail sick pay to colleagues with CEV status in this situation. We will also offer full sick pay to support CEV colleagues who are due to move on to half pay/nil pay or Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). This means CEV colleagues with less than a year’s service are also covered. Employees who are on half / nil / SSP and in this category will receive a letter confirming the arrangement. The extension of our policy is at our discretion and we will review the situation again in early January or once we know whether shielding is being extended
As a condition of extending sick pay colleagues must:
• Provide their manager with the letter they received from the Government/NHS advising them to shield and not come to work, if they cannot work from home, during the shielding period
• Agree to book and take all their full annual leave entitlement this holiday year (ending 31 March 2021) even if it overlaps with shielding
• Agree to take any pre-booked annual leave, even if that overlaps with shielding
Managers should record any shielding self-absence on PSP using, ‘Sick Coronavirus’ from the absence type drop-down box then ‘SDU070 – Shielding Self’. This absence code should only be used for CEV “shielding-self” employees who have received a Government/NHS letter, and not for any other COVID-19 related absence.
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