Coronavirus (Covid-19) has created a great deal of uncertainty for individuals and business alike. Will we get sick? When will food reappear on supermarket shelves? How will our business survive such this period of reduced income? For employers and employees alike there is also uncertainty over entitlements to leave for scenarios such as school closures and isolation periods.
Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors have provided a guide for employers around leave obligations and various isolation scenarios. You can read the full updates here (12 March 2020) and here (17 March 2020), however some key points are:
- If an employee is required to take time off to look after their children due to a school closure, this does amount to an unexpected emergency and they will be entitled to carer’s leave for this time.
- An employee is entitled to carer’s leave if they are caring for a child or family member who is ill.
- Employees who are self-isolating but are not yet sick themselves are not covered by personal leave (sick leave). They may take accrued annual leave or long service leave.
- Aside from any leave entitlements, an organization may decide to continue paying their employees normally as an exercise of discretion.
It is important to remember that everyone is in new territory right now and as much as possible employers and employees need to work together, support each other and be flexible with each other to come out the other side of the Covid-19 wave as smoothly as possible.
It is important to remember that everyone is in new territory right now and as much as possible employers and employees need to work together, support each other and be flexible with each other to come out the other side of the Covid-19 wave as smoothly as possible.
Special Contributor Jolisa Rabo,
Human Resources Officer, Avondale University College