Covid test results and holiday

[Deleted User]

Hi all 
Wife works for a private nursing home in Scotland .she gets tested for covid twice a week. When she gets her results all staff are ordered to relay the results to the home manager. They are threatened by notices saying disciplinary action if they fail to do so . Even if they don't reside in the town where the home is the manager tries to get them to come in for the test on their days off. My wife would have to get public transport and use up 3 hours of her day off if she did this. Finally we are going to Rhodes this week and the manager wants her to stay off work until she gets the results of a covid test at work.
My wife and staff are not used to querying anything the company puts out but I do seem all the above as bullying or unfair., Especially the test results , I would imagine if anyone tested positive the employer would be told automatically which I do think us fair but anything negative is private
Any advice most aporeciated 
D

ToxicWomble

You think it’s unfair for a nursing home to be informed when a staff member tests negative is that your question ?

gettingtheresometime

How is staying off work, especially when she works in a nursing home, bullying?

How is informing them of a negative result bullying?

Dr_Crypto

Forcing people to take Coronavirus tests on their own time probably is. If the employer wants tests they should be on company time. 

onwards&upwards

Your wife has a duty of care to some incredibly vulnerable people.  

I think it’s entirely reasonable to say that she shouldn’t be caring for them until she has a confirmed negative test after a foreign holiday by plane. 

I can’t understand why anybody would have a problem with that? 

Dr_Crypto

In the OP it said the wife would have to travel 3hrs unpaid on a day off to take the test. 

That seems unreasonable. 

Getting staff tested is perfectly reasonable but it should be on the employer’s clock. 

EndlessStruggle

It sounds like the employers are just acting in the best interests of the residents and other staff but using a firmer hand to do it than you would expect. You know your wife and probably think this is OTT for her and unnecessary but there may be staff that need a firmer hand and they are applying the same firm hand to everyone in terms of fairness.

I do however think it is unfair to ask her to use her own time and travel that time and distance on days off.

(I'm not familiar with the tests process. How are the tests administered? Do they have the tests and do them or does someone come in and do them? Does she have to wait for a negative before she can work after each one?)

I would ask that tests are done at the end of a shift or before the start of one or they pay her travel and for her time. 
I doubt the home would have access to the results as I believe it would be treated as medical data.

If your wife directly gets the results then it is likely she is only one that does unless she has given written permission to share it. 

Although Greece has less cases at present and is on the safe corridor you will be probably be spending more time in more crowded places than you have been and there will be a higher risk so I can understand that they may want to make sure. Greece is also increasing in cases so there is a chance by the time of your holiday that you may need to self isolate.

Ideally a test should be arranged not long after you land for minimum disruption,will they only accept test they do themselves or could you get to a testing station?

I understand your frustration but they are being as cautious as possible to protect residents and staff and being as firm as the most casual employee would need out of fairness.  

mattyprice4004

My advice would be to put the needs of the greater good ahead of your own agenda.

While mildly inconvenient, making sure all staff are negative strikes me as very responsible. 

Terrible that your wife has to park her backside on a bus to save lives... the horror! 

SpreadableToast

mattyprice4004 said:

My advice would be to put the needs of the greater good ahead of your own agenda.

While mildly inconvenient, making sure all staff are negative strikes me as very responsible. 

Terrible that your wife has to park her backside on a bus to save lives... the horror! 

But completely unreasonable that she has to potentially spend 3 hours, unpaid, in order to do so.

Either they do the test when she is at work or pay for the hours she is, for all intents and purposes, working.

mattyprice4004

SpreadableToast said:

mattyprice4004 said:

My advice would be to put the needs of the greater good ahead of your own agenda.

While mildly inconvenient, making sure all staff are negative strikes me as very responsible. 

Terrible that your wife has to park her backside on a bus to save lives... the horror! 

But completely unreasonable that she has to potentially spend 3 hours, unpaid, in order to do so.

Either they do the test when she is at work or pay for the hours she is, for all intents and purposes, working.

I should have been more clear, sorry - the employer should of course pay for the costs in doing the test, but the test request itself is reasonable 

SpreadableToast

mattyprice4004 said:

SpreadableToast said:

mattyprice4004 said:

My advice would be to put the needs of the greater good ahead of your own agenda.

While mildly inconvenient, making sure all staff are negative strikes me as very responsible. 

Terrible that your wife has to park her backside on a bus to save lives... the horror! 

But completely unreasonable that she has to potentially spend 3 hours, unpaid, in order to do so.

Either they do the test when she is at work or pay for the hours she is, for all intents and purposes, working.

I should have been more clear, sorry - the employer should of course pay for the costs in doing the test, but the test request itself is reasonable 

Completely agree