Next, the high street retailer, has confirmed it has cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff forced to self-isolate due to exposure to someone with Covid-19.
The Leicestershire-headquartered company, which employs around 44,000 people, is one of a number of big employers that have decided that unvaccinated staff forced to isolate after being in close contact with someone with Covid will only get statutory sick pay – unless there are mitigating circumstances.
Firms including Morrisons and Ikea have introduced similar policies.
However, Next said employees who actually test positive for Covid-19 – regardless of whether they are vaccinated – will be paid in full.
Right now Next is facing higher absences than might normally be expected at this time of year.
Many companies have witnessed a jump in absences in recent weeks due to the rapid spread of the Omicron strain of the virus.
The BBC said Next pays store sales consultants and stock assistants between £6.55 and £9.21 an hour and warehouse operatives between £9.30 and £11.26 an hour.
The broadcaster said unvaccinated workers who are required to isolate having been identified as a close contact of someone with Covid could now receive as little as £96.35 a week – the Statutory Sick Pay minimum – unless there are mitigating circumstances.
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It comes a week after Next reported strong Christmas trading on the back of good demand for partywear.
However, the company also said that deliveries were hit before Christmas due to staff shortfalls in warehousing and distribution networks.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed the amount of time people with Covid-19 in England have to spend in self-isolation is to be cut to five full days.
Sajid Javid said in the House of Commons that data from the 海角视频 Health Security Agency (海角视频HSA) showed “that around two-thirds of positive cases are no longer infectious by the end of day five”.
That means that from Monday people will be able to take two tests to get out of isolation, “leaving isolation at the start of day six”.
The Government had been under pressure to bring the situation in England into line with the United States, where the isolation period was earlier cut to five days.
Previous 海角视频HSA guidance was for cases to isolate for at least six full days from the point at which they had symptoms or got a positive test, whichever is first, with release from self-isolation after two negative lateral flow test results on days six and seven.
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People could then leave self-isolation on day seven.
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