Can my employer force me to self isolate when returning to work

Mattkeightley

I am currently due to go on holiday to Cyprus is August which has been giving the OK to travel to by the UK government but my employer has not stated that I have to self isolate for 2 weeks on return and they won't pay me and I loose all my bonus due to this will be treated as self inflicted time off as I won't cancel my holiday is this right am I missing something need help 

sharpe106

Unless the government advice changes then no. If at the time the government are saying you need to isolated for two week then they can. There is nothing in UK employment law that says you need to self-isolate unpaid for 2 weeks after a holiday. So if they want you to they should pay you.

epm-84

At present Cyprus aren't allowing people from the UK in, so your holiday to Cyprus is still dependent on that restriction being lifted.  Cyprus is on the list of destinations exempt from the 14 day quarantine on return to the UK - that list is basically a list of countries where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is the same as it is in the UK or lower, it doesn't mean you can currently go to those countries.

As things stand your employer can't ask to you to self-isolate for 14 days, they could ask to you take additional days of annual leave after you return but given the rate of infection is lower than it is in the UK you could question why that would be necessary and you could also ask would it apply to someone who goes to another part of the UK for a week and if not why not.

bradders1983

The simple solution here is just to tell your employer you are taking time off and not going anywhere. None of their business.

silvercar

If, at the time of your return, the government says you need to self isolate then you will need to talk to your employer about whether you can work from home. If you can't then there is no obligation on your employer to pay you.
If, at the time of your return the government isn't imposing any restrictions then you can go to work. If your employer wants you to isolate then they should pay you IMO. 

GDB2222

Are there particular reasons for the employer saying this, eg vulnerable coworkers?

If you dig your heels in, your employer may just give you notice. Would it be easy to get a new job?

epm-84

GDB2222 said:
Are there particular reasons for the employer saying this, eg vulnerable coworkers?

If you dig your heels in, your employer may just give you notice. Would it be easy to get a new job?

Even if there's vulnerable co-workers I don't think it's a fair request.  There's no reason why someone who's going to Cyprus would be more likely to catch COVID-19 than someone who goes to stay with UK based family at the weekend or who goes to a UK coastal town for a week.  Are they going to be made to quarantine too? 

Also are they insisting he stays at home for 14 days opposed to just not working for 2 weeks?  If they are that could be classed as 336 hours of work, as his employer are telling him what he has to do for 24 hours per day for 14 days.

If they gave notice for someone refusing to take two weeks unpaid leave it then it would almost certainly count as an unfair dismissal, which could be taken to an employment tribunal.