Good afternoon all,

I'm looking for some advice surrounding employees who share a household with someone who is clinically vulnerable.

To provide a brief background...

We have an employee who has previously been required to work alongside other employees as part of their normal duties. However, for a prolonged period of time, we have accommodated temporary working arrangements, facilitating them to work alone.

The business now requires them to resume their contractual role, which includes working alongside other employees once more. 

However, they have raised a concern, saying that they feel that they are still unable to work alongside other employees due to the possibility of contracting Covid and then passing this to their partner.  Their partner is clinically vulnerable, leaving them feeling a liability when at work.

Although the employee themself is not clinically vulnerable (and legally, even employees considered clinically vulnerable are not required to shield), as a Company we are still obliged to provide a safe working environment for its employees.

Could someone please provide some support on how we may approach this and what considerations we should make?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best, Chris.

This person could catch covid anywhere and take it home as could anyone else living in or visiting the household so it is not necessarily a wholly work controllable issue.

Double or triple jabbed does not seem to make a difference with respect to catching and transmitting the disease - I have colleagues one with two jabs the other with three who have succumbed - their saving was no need for hospital admission. Forcing vaccination will not itself alleviate the potential for transmission.

This is one of those situations yet to be tested at tribunal where the employee being unable to satisfy their contract will make themself unemployable.

Very few employers have the deep pockets necessary to retain staff at full pay who are not executing their contractual obligations.

Some employers make look at ill health or early retirement as options to actual termination.

The warning signs are already looming from the English care sector - the contract requires vaccination (unless exempt), those unwilling lose their job.

Some of what the person has said is true...that said..thier partner may have had a letter informaing them that the shielding priogram has now ended...if they haven't they should contact thier local practice...it may be that they are still in that category...I don't think it would be unreasomnable to ask for documentary eveidence that they are still required to shield...but you need both the partners and the employees permission to do so...the normal rules apply that the risk of your employee bringing SAR-n-COV2 back or anythig else for that matter should be minimised in thier own practice both at work and seeing their patrner...to minimise the risk.

This is a difficult one as the vulnerable person is not actually your employee...the other line to take is if this person is designated a primary carer for the partner if not they should make reasonable effort to return to work/ hybrid working..