Making sick staff work ‘not acceptable’

AUCKLAND: It is not acceptable for businesses to make sick employees come into work, Business New Zealand chief executive Kirk Hope has warned.

Mr Hope said people needed to take responsibility and do the right thing.

His comments follow the latest Covid19 case in Auckland, where a student has claimed she told her boss she was sick and waiting for a Covid test result but came into work anyway, wearing a mask.

The employer has brought in a lawyer and said they never knew the worker was sick.

Mr Hope said making a sick worker come in was not all right.

‘‘No, it is not acceptable and the reason for that is because if you look at this particular case it is not just affecting that business or that business owner or even that employee, it is going to affect a whole range of businesses.

‘‘People need to take responsibility for that and do the right thing. If your employees say they are sick and are experiencing symptoms of Covid — they should be suggesting they go get tested.’’

Mr Hope said the situation reinforced the importance of contact tracing and for people to continue to scan the QR codes.

‘‘That is going to be where the missing dots are filled in today, I think.’’

‘‘If people get in the habit of using [QR codes] . . . it enables the

❛ If your employees say

they are sick and are experiencing symptoms of Covid — they should be suggesting they go get

tested

Business New Zealand chief executive Kirk Hope

authorities to very quickly track and contact trace people in the event that you have a cluster like this occurring, and that means it is less likely businesses have to shut down and that people have to stay at home again.’’

Auckland CBD workers were asked to work from home yesterday, meaning hospitality and retail businesses will miss out on trade again without any compensation.

Many had just been getting back on their feet again after the last Auckland lockdown. — The New Zealand Herald