One of my employees likely has Covid. UPDATED
Last edited Wed Sep 22, 2021, 02:40 PM - Edit history (1)
He shows up for work yesterday and tells my husband that his wife is positive and has had symptoms for around 5 days. That means that she had symptoms at the end of last week when he was at work with us. He told my husband that he’s had a runny nose and a slight cough through the weekend. I am SO freaking mad.
The wife apparently got one vaccine but regretted it and did not get the second shot. I believe this guy is unvaccinated. By law I’m not allowed to require employees to have vaccines nor am I allowed to even ask if they’re vaccinated thanks to our thug Governor. Everyone else at our business is vaccinated because we’ve all happily shared that fact.
The good news is that we’ve got lots of personal space around each of us and none of us have spent any significant time in Mr. Covid’s work area. My husband and our other employee work in a separate building and I have a private office away from all of them. Our par time employee hasn’t been in the shop for two weeks so he’s safe. The local health department told me that none of us can be a close contact of a close contact. I’m not worried that any of us will become sick.
We sent the employee home for the required 10 days. That’s 10 days of quarantine IF his wife self isolates. If she does not, his quarantine should actually begin when hers ends. We obviously cannot control what they do at home…we can only hope they’re telling us the truth.
Here’s my dilemma: Do I pay this guy to stay home? Last spring, we had another employee whose spouse became very sick with Covid. At that time, we had an active PPP loan and we paid that employee to stay home and quarantine. The PPP program has run out and we no longer have those funds available to us. There’s a part of me that wants to incentivize this employee to do the right thing. But, he hasn’t done the right thing so far. On the other hand, I don’t want to reward his willful ignorance and defiance about the vaccine and the disease by paying him while he is home. He put us in potential danger. The fact is, he’s costing us a ton of money by being out of the shop… We can’t fill orders and are really over a barrel until he gets back. I have a part time employee who is going to come in and help us out here and there which is wonderful. I want to do the right thing and I don’t know what to do.
UPDATE: I just found out I can pay this guy up to 80 hours of lost wages due to Covid-19 through September 30th via the ARPA National Paid Leave program. So, my un-vaccinated employee gets 7 days of paid leave courtesy of the US tax payers. Problem solved. It pisses me off, however that he gets rewarded by a system that he clearly disrespects. At least the funds don't come out of my pocket...well they do but I'll get a refund in a couple months.
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Does your business require HIPPA status? If not, ask away.
He doesn't have to answer, but you don't have to pay him for time off.
He sounds like a key employee - you should have insurance policies that cover this event. If not, check into it.
Sorry to put some of the onus on you, but that is just how business works.
Me, I'd fire his ass and run him out as fast as I could. He put peoples LIVES at risk - no amount of money is worth that. There is always a legitimate reason to justify firing someone. Always.
And as the owner of a small business, the labor laws in Montana are most likely on YOUR side. They are most places that are 'Right to Work' states, i.e. non-union. (Yeah, the name of that law is soooooo misleading.)
I can ask him and he is not legally required to answer me.
I was able to take advantage of CovidPay…a federal program roe loss of work hours due to Covid related illness for the worker and or a family member. It is only in place until September 30th.
weapon, because that is precisely what he has done, just an invisible one.
Personally, I would find a reason to replace him with an employee who has a social conscience.
Why should your business absorb the financial loss?
anything goes. You probably never would, but I'd even set the MF up if I had to. 
Fwiw, I don't believe you have a moral duty to pay him for causing his own need to isolate. He's in an environment where everyone else is openly vaccinated, so he understands even if he doesn't share the common attitude. And your situation has changed, with ending of federal funding directly related to the new availability of vaccines.
To me the issue would be a business one, how much I needed and wanted to keep him as a happy, productive employee, and my judgement of whether paying him would be needed to keep him happy. Sometimes doing what needs to be done is unfair to someone, in this case to you, but an investment in him would be a business decision like any other investment in hopes of future returns. Btw, you don't say if you have a competitor he could offer the skills you invested in to.
Whichever way you went, you might suggest he sign up for sick leave coverage since in this era illness and need for isolation are both all too possible.
thoughts and suggestions on this Hortensis. I did run across a National Paid Leave program that will pay this guy up to 80 hours for this situation and I let him know that his being paid is thanks to Joe Biden and this program.
"This is liberal business policy 101"
Ten bucks says you fail to see the irony in your having expressed that. 
Beau? No, beau...
I believe he is not vaccinated because he shared that with another employee who told me about the conversation. From what I read on the link you posted, I can't require him to wear a mask at work based on his vaccination status unless I require it of everyone on staff. The good news is that we are all separated by a good distance and everyone else on staff is vaccinated. During this guy's quarantine I am looking for another employee or two...I can create a situation where this employee may want to move on. I just have to figure out how to get vaccinated people in here without breaking the law.
Thanks sl8.
You're correct!! I did recommend the vaccine early on. I offered to pay people for their time to get the shots and if they did it on their lunch hour, I'd buy their lunch as well. He asked me if there were funds set aside to pay him for being gone...I told him "The PPP is over and done with and we don't set aside additional funds to cover lost wages due to Covid. And, since you didn't choose sick pay as part of your compensation package, I won't pay you for time you're in quarantine. However, there is a federal program available to pay up to 80 hours of lost time due to covid related sickness or quarantine where I can be reimbursed for monies paid to you while you're out...thank President Biden and your fellow taxpayers for that."
Because without socialism, there would be no government programs to pay people to not work.
I did that in my own words. Lordy I have been in a dither about this today.
