Coronavirus Paid leave

[Carla58]

Hi all,

First post and I am sitting in my office coughing quite badly (I do this a lot)

I presume it is common for most contrators to come into work when unwell mainly because no show no pay

I am also assuming that when this new IR35 stuff kicks in and we get treated more as employees but with out the perks, I for one would a) still need to come in for the money and b) feeling aggrieved do it out of spite

With this Coronavirus scare going on I have noticed my regular cough is getting more attention

I was also wondering if I was a contractor that could have afforded a trip skiing in Italy last weekend but nobody knew in the office would I still go in?

Due to current expense/overheads of working away from home (soon to be worse in April for many I guess) and lower rates I can barely afford a day off sick, should you be expected to stay at home for 2 weeks without pay for just incase?

Carla

[WTFH]

You're a contractor, so you don't get paid leave.
If you're ill, you shouldn't go to work.
If you and your client are sensible, they will be open to you discussing working from home.

Alternatively, if you don't have a professional discussion with them about it, then they might choose to tell you not to come in until you are feeling better, or tell you not to come back, particularly if they feel you are deliberately endangering their employees.

[AtW]

2...

[GigiBronz]

Definitely have a chat with them about wfh.
As said, considering how other business are reacting, if they are sensible they’ll be fine with it.
If you get sent home without ability to wfh do make sure to cough on his face before you go.

We are expected to cover the risk for any unavailability, your rate should be reflecting that and financial side should never be a concern here. Unless you have’t negotiated properly or are bad with finances but that is on you.

[WTFH]

I was also wondering if I was a contractor that could have afforded a trip skiing in Italy last weekend but nobody knew in the office would I still go in?

If you went to Italy last weekend and think you caught Covid 19, then you would be asymptomatic right now. It takes about 3-4 weeks for symptoms to appear.

...or you could be a hypochondriac, in which case you're making yourself ill.

[sal]

If you can't easily afford 2 weeks without pay, I would strongly suggest you exit contracting ASAP and go to "secure" permanent employment.

Can't comment on all skill sets, but for me it makes zero sense to accept inside IR35 gig at the "old" market rates, as I can get perm role with the same net income but with employment benefits. I really don't understand why people are accepting such roles.

[d000hg]

If you went to Italy last weekend and think you caught Covid 19, then you would be asymptomatic right now. It takes about 3-4 weeks for symptoms to appear.

...or you could be a hypochondriac, in which case you're making yourself ill.

But if you wait to exhibit symptoms to isolate you've already risked spreading it. Hence the point about coming back and self-quarantining.