COVID-19 Sick leave during coronavirus?

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Oct 28, 2019
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So I have a bit of a sore throat and my parents are going absolutely insane over it. They literally believe I have the coronavirus or that I’m going to die or something, ridiculous. Their logic is that their workplaces let them work from home so Target should be fine with me taking time off work. Goes to show how little average salary workers know about retail/minimum wage. Anyway they are going to force me to take at least 1-2 weeks off work or they will skin me alive. I literally JUST told my ETL that she could give me more hours and she warned me not to flip flop on these decisions. If i take this time off, could I be fired? I mean technically I am sick...
 
You will not be fired for calling out sick with flu-like symptoms, the absentee policy has been officially waived. Stay home, use whatever sick pay you have if you need to. Don't stress. Better to be safe and stay home with the common flu than head to work, spread it to your coworkers and then have four/five other people wrestling with the same "fuck, should I call out or not" situation. If you test positive for COVID-19, you'll be given paid sick leave, which will likely be your average hours. That's only if you test positive, you will not be paid otherwise unless you have sick/vacation pay accrued and use it. Use caution and get well soon!
 
If it’s just a sore throat, you’re probably developing a cold. If it was coronavirus it would be accompanied by a fever, cough, body aches, low energy.

But yes, call your doctor to be on the safe side. Also even if it is a cold, use sick time if you have it anyway, you don’t want others getting sick.
 
If you test positive for COVID-19, you'll be given paid sick leave, which will likely be your average hours. That's only if you test positive, you will not be paid otherwise unless you have sick/vacation pay accrued and use it.

This is the part that kills me. Who can even get a test? Where I live I was told that unless I have pre-existing conditions that merit concern (such as emphysema, COPD, asthma) or am in immediate respiratory distress that requires hospitalization, there's no test for me. I've been home a week now and my chest is still full, I'm still feeling sick, my son has had an up and down fever and flu symptoms as well - but I *need* to get a paycheck. Tomorrow I am supposed to return to work and I don't want to, because, sick - but I also need to pay rent, and buy food since my sons school is closed for a minimum of 2 weeks.

To say "we'll only pay you if you test positive" is the same as saying "we won't be paying you". I was hired during season, and they kept me on, but I am part time and have no sick time.

I love Target but this has me sincerely worried. Tomorrow I have to decide between going to work sick or staying home and risking my home. 2 weeks no pay is 1 week more than my family can financially bear.
 
This is the part that kills me. Who can even get a test? Where I live I was told that unless I have pre-existing conditions that merit concern (such as emphysema, COPD, asthma) or am in immediate respiratory distress that requires hospitalization, there's no test for me.

What did your doctor say?
 
Directly from Brian Cornell's press release/email:

  • Absenteeism policy – we’ve waived it to support team members who may be unable to work because of school or daycare closures, or who stay home due to flu-like symptoms.
  • Quarantine pay – in the case of team members being placed under mandatory quarantine, we’ll provide 14 days of pay.
  • Confirmed illness pay – if team members contract coronavirus (COVID-19), we’ll provide 100% of their pay for up to 14 days.
Target has not said they will only pay if you test positive. There is quarantine pay for if you are placed under mandatory quarantine and separately, there is confirmed illness pay. If you were quarantined for two weeks and then developed symptoms at the end of those two weeks resulting in a positive case for COVID-19, you would end up with up to four weeks paid.

Now this statement does specify the absentee policy is null for people staying home with FLU-LIKE symptoms or to care for children whose school has closed. It is not to be abused because you have a mild cold or a hangover or just don't want to go in. If you DO have FLU-LIKE symptoms, stay the hell home for a day or two! Your job will still be there w/o any corrective actions.

All that being said, I get that if you are sick but have not been placed under mandatory quarantine, tested positive, or have any vacation/sick time to use right now, this does put you in a giant pickle. I feel for you and wish I had an answer to solve it, but I don't. Only thing I can think of is to call your store and ask about switching your shifts to the end of the the week/weekend to give yourself a couple more days to recover.
 
Doctor did a flu test which came back negative, said there's really no way to know and just go home, this was at urgent care on Wednesday after I'd called out Tues / Wed.

Friday I had a followup with my normal doctor who basically shrugged and said don't go into work tonight, take the weekend off if you are scheduled, try to go back to work Monday. She looked as defeated as I felt.

I called my HR and told her I would be back Monday. But I woke up this morning feeling like a pile of bricks was on my chest and coughing unproductively.

Edit: My main doctor is part of a volunteer medical group. They serve low income people in my county who make too much for medicaid (it's a non expansion state) but also can't afford private insurance. Her recommending I go back to work is mostly based on an understanding of how economically stressful this is for all of her patients. I'm fairly sure if I were well off she would have told me to stay home until I was certain I was better. Hence us both feeling defeated.
 
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Doctor did a flu test which came back negative, said there's really no way to know and just go home, this was at urgent care on Wednesday after I'd called out Tues / Wed.

Friday I had a followup with my normal doctor who basically shrugged and said don't go into work tonight, take the weekend off if you are scheduled, try to go back to work Monday. She looked as defeated as I felt.

I called my HR and told her I would be back Monday. But I woke up this morning feeling like a pile of bricks was on my chest and coughing unproductively.

Edit: My main doctor is part of a volunteer medical group. They serve low income people in my county who make too much for medicaid (it's a non expansion state) but also can't afford private insurance. Her recommending I go back to work is mostly based on an understanding of how economically stressful this is for all of her patients. I'm fairly sure if I were well off she would have told me to stay home until I was certain I was better. Hence us both feeling defeated.
The symptoms you described definitely sounds like COVID-19, considering the flu test came back negative. Dry cough, body aches, lack of energy, fever.

Does your state have a hotline you can call to schedule a test? I know several states have them.
 
The symptoms you described definitely sounds like COVID-19, considering the flu test came back negative. Dry cough, body aches, lack of energy, fever.

Does your state have a hotline you can call to schedule a test? I know several states have them.

Yes, we do, but it's really hard to get through, (on-hold wait times of an hour+ with no option to receive a callback instead,) and so far they are still doing triage sending only the most likely targets for death to be approved for testing at the health department. So, really old, really really young, COPD patients, etc. My son is 11 but otherwise healthy, he doesn't qualify. My aunt in her 70s with COPD would qualify.

Pretty good time for a totally refitted health system / pandemic response team / more CDC funding.

PS I read a response on one of these threads about Thank Goodness Testing Is Free. I agree.. but, What testing? is the real problem.
 
I would call your HR and explain the situation and see what they can do. If it were me, I'd be doing whatever I could to get you paid so you stay at home and don't come in and infect others.

From what I've read, initial studies show the virus is contagious 8-11 days after symptoms show up, depending on severity of infection. Going to work ill like you are could potentially result in many infections. In S. Korea, they had one asshole refuse a test, then go to church and out to a buffet, and they estimated through infection patterns that his actions resulted in 1000 or so infections. This shit cascades really fast and if your store doesn't work with you to ensure they stay home, they are seriously deranged.
 
IWishIKnew I love your profile pic <3

I dreamt last night that I went to work and couldn't find any functioning SFS pick carts. Then when I finally did my MyDevice was corrupted with page after page of mobile games and pop up ads for more games and I spent 4 (dream lol) hours trying to find a functioning device. I finally threw up my hands and begged my ETL to let me push freight because I could not physically pick product if I couldn't even access the ePick app. Basically it was a string of dreams of me feeling like a failure and being unable to actually work and being upset that I wasn't earning my pay.

I think I might be a little stressed right now 😂
 
This is the part that kills me. Who can even get a test? Where I live I was told that unless I have pre-existing conditions that merit concern (such as emphysema, COPD, asthma) or am in immediate respiratory distress that requires hospitalization, there's no test for me. I've been home a week now and my chest is still full, I'm still feeling sick, my son has had an up and down fever and flu symptoms as well - but I *need* to get a paycheck. Tomorrow I am supposed to return to work and I don't want to, because, sick - but I also need to pay rent, and buy food since my sons school is closed for a minimum of 2 weeks.... To say "we'll only pay you if you test positive" is the same as saying "we won't be paying you". I was hired during season, and they kept me on, but I am part time and have no sick time. ,..... I love Target but this has me sincerely worried. Tomorrow I have to decide between going to work sick or staying home and risking my home. 2 weeks no pay is 1 week more than my family can financially bear. ....
Nobody else walks in your shoes and faces your situation. I can only say if your health is as bad right now as you are saying, you need to stay home. Call your state's welfare agency - department of social and health services or whatever it's called in your state - for emergency programs. For your entire household, stop spending money wherever you can. The really pathetic thing here, which maybe I'm seeing now and am cautious about stating, is that this is the downside of working for a union-free employer. Unless you are being considered for a high-skill professional job where Target is fighting for "talent" - giving you negotiating leverage to get better pay and benefits - all you are offered is very basic compensation on a "take it or leave it" basis. The lack of sick leave is disheartening. This has become a huge news story, I'll leave further details to the off-topic political thread.

I will offer one other piece of advice: if for you the right thing to do is heroically show up tomorrow, don't feel bashful about bringing lots of facial tissues and letting your bosses know that you are working b/c Target has given you no other viable choice. Go slow, don't hurt yourself, drink lots of fluids (it makes me feel ill just writing this). If your bosses fire you for cooked-up reasons right now, most state Employment Insurance departments will at least consider your application for UI if you were discharged "through no fault of your own" due to "inability to meet employer's job performance standards" due to personal illness. Keep in mind that Brian himself appeared on the podium Friday with POTUS and other CEOs who pledged to work with the Federal Government on an emergency basis to combat the coronavirus proliferation. If word got through to Mr. Cornell's office that you were maltreated, I don't think things would go well for your SD who would be held to account.
 
Just read an article that says we supposedly have 1000 to 2500 (big swing) test kits coming to the state, and each kit can test 300 people. Sounds like a lot. But that's 300 thousand to 750k of a 21.3 million state. So the governor saying "everyone who wants a test can get a test" is... not accurate 😝 But I will check again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, to see if those kits become available in my county or the two nearby counties. Even if I can't get a test, maybe my son can. He's been more sick than me. Then if he is a positive I get the quarantine and the pay.

EDIT: Can't Freaking Believe I am hoping one of us tests positive. But if we are sick with it, better we know. Or, if we are both negative, that we know THAT and aren't worried about making others sick with this horrible virus.
 
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I'm not good at researching on my phone, but I think the CDC threshold for testing is much lower. I do know that in a close city a hospital refused to test two people because they didn't fit criteria, they left a message with the health department and less than a day later the hospital called back to get them in for testing. So try your local health department, and be exact in describing details. Save any paperwork regarding your doctor visits and the refusal to test (especially that) and don't be afraid to go to the local media. So many things have changed following a reporting of a local resident's problem.
 
Just read an article that sais we supposedly have 1500 or so test kits coming to the state, and each kit can test 300 people. Sounds like a lot. But that's 450 thousand of a 21.3 million state. So the governor saying "everyone who wants a test can get a test" is... not accurate 😝 But I will check again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, to see if those kits become available in my county or the two nearby counties. Even if I can't get a test, maybe my son can. He's been more sick than me. Then if he is a positive I get the quarantine and the pay.
Ck your state or local heath dept website & read the Washington post article about the disease.
 
Thanks for all of the help, advice, and empathy y'all. This is one of the things that I like best about working at Target - the people. Are happy to see each other. Work together. This forum is evidence of that mentality. It's such a lovely change from previous "every person for themselves" "i'm angry all the time" type of jobs / coworkers I've had in the past.
 
I am able to access pay & benefits, and workday, from home but I am not seeing the workbench (the way i see it from the work computer) here. Have you got a link? I've looked at all the info I could find on p&b as well as WD but still not seeing a forum or anything more current than the CEO letter from a few days ago.
 
I am able to access pay & benefits, and workday, from home but I am not seeing the workbench (the way i see it from the work computer) here. Have you got a link? I've looked at all the info I could find on p&b as well as WD but still not seeing a forum or anything more current than the CEO letter from a few days ago.
Workbench access is at the store only.
 
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