If a staff member reports symptoms of COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, the priorities are their own health and wellbeing as well as the health and safety of those around them. The CSO has implemented Office Notice 8/2020 (below), which provides detailed advice on what a manager should know and how they should respond in these situations.
In addition to the processes outlined in Office Notice 8/2020, managers should follow the steps below:
Review - Raise - Report
- Review your team member’s situation to establish how they are doing and the details of the case. For example, have the tested positive, do they have symptoms, have they spoken to their GP, have they been in the office recently? The Line Manager's Questionnaire (below) provides guidance in relation to the information that is required from any of their staff who reports that they have COVID-19. The questions relate to the staff member's health and wellbeing, as well as collecting information aimed at reducing potential transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace.
- Report the case to HR using alerthr@cso.ie. This is vital in terms of getting the correct HR advice as well as informing follow-up actions such as workplace contact tracing
- Raise a case on PeoplePoint – if your team member is a confirmed case, they will qualify for COVID-19 special paid leave.
- Follow the same procedure as you would for ordinary sick leave – there are dedicated drop-down options for COVID-19.
- You should make yourself aware of the implications for staff in relation to sick leave arrangements who contract COVID-19. This information and associated documentation can be found in the DPER FAQs.
- advise a staff member that they will be required to provide documentation relating to a positive diagnosis on their return to work - if this is unavailable, the staff member should complete the self-declaration form. This should then be signed by their manager and returned to AlertHR@cso.ie
