Covid Work Violations

[#UnleashSean]

While we've been getting deeper and deeper into covid I've been noticing a trend of company's violating their own covid policies.


My story:

After being cursed by Hards_Alumni we've been hit hard by covid. A couple of houses I oversee got it, but luckily few employees. Until Christmas.

A mother brings her daughter back to the group home unannounced a day before Christmas. She had left 9 days before this for the holidays. The reasoning being misbehavior.

On the 26th said daughter complains loudly about symptoms related to covid. Oh crap, let's get her tested. Boom positive. Come to find out, she's been having these symptoms for 5 days. The mother refused to take her to a doctor or for a test. Guess why she dropped her off?

So now, all the residents test positive, a couple of employees test positive, and I myself test positive. I'm pretty symptomatic, 102 fever, cough, chills, overall very tired.

This is Tuesday. Tell our assistant director of wisconsin we have a huge staffing issue at two houses. She tells me I am only allowed to staff with the official house employees. Each location only has 2 "offical" employees each. 24 hour staffed. 7 days a week. That task is impossible.

Now Wednesday rolls around. And I call my regional manager and let him know that I'm in bed figuratively dying. Its a work from home type of day. Assistant director does nothing about the staffing.

Thursday comes. 3:55am I get results back testing positive. 8am, 2nd and 3rd at both houses are unfilled. Make a call to Assistant director. Shes on vacation. Awesome. Make call to regional supervisor, myself, him and the oncall manager look for coverage from the entire company, no one is willing to do it.

I am told to go into work at one of the houses as direct staff. My company is well aware of me being positive. I'm not dead. But I'm far from useful at this point in the physical sense. Oh well the house im going to is full of independent young adults who all have covid. Not going to do much harm in being a warm body.

At 4 pm I get a call from one of my employees at another house with unfilled 2nd shift. She is leaving right now, has waited 2 hours past shift and she is leaving. House with special needs 70 year olds is unstaffed.

I call regional and ask wtf were going to do about this. He asks me to hold. Director calls me 5 minutes later. Saying that I will need to direct staff both houses until 10pm. With covid, with 102 fever, with a cough already worked Tuesday from 3am to 10pm.

I asked if she was nuts? She said they were out of options.

So there I am all day running between 2 houses. I'm covid positive. With the Kicker that the 70 year old house? No covid at all. Its quite possible they will have it next week now.

Come Monday, I'm raising hell.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Jesus...

[tower912]

You have my complete and utmost sympathy.   

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Unnnhhh!  I'm feeling for you.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

That just sucks.  I can't even imagine the stress on top of what you are already dealing with.

[tower912]

Come Monday, I'm raising hell.

My sincere prayer is that you are well enough to do so.   

[Warriors4ever]

OMG.
Press? State complaint?
Seriously this is unconscionable. And the mom should be horsewhipped.

[GooooMarquette]

So incredibly sorry to hear about this, Diener.

First off, I hope you recover quickly and completely. Second off, raise hell with your superiors, state regulators, the press if necessary. The mom's actions are unconscionable, the assistant director should be required to cut her vacation short to pitch in, and the higher leadership should also be required to get the hell into the houses.

[jesmu84]

We need to get that corporate liability passed ASAP

[Jockey]

Best hopes for your health.

Even sadder is that I bet this is going on all over the country.

[MU82]

We need to get that corporate liability passed ASAP

This was my second thought, too.

First, obviously, is how much this all sucks for U.D., and hoping he and his family are OK.

[Hards Alumni]

Duuuuuuuuude, I'm so sorry.  I didn't know it had gotten this bad.  Honestly, call the your county's human services department.  They need to know about this, and that it is basically abuse.  They will find someone to help these folks, and you shouldn't have to put up with this.  If you need someone to call of your behalf, please let me know and I will do it.

[Warriors4ever]

I hope that things are better today. This absolutely needs to be reported and escalated. I also worry that a company this unconscionable will try to blame you if things explode further.

[mu_hilltopper]

In all seriousness .. why would calling governmental bodies help? 

It's not like state/county/cities have health workers to spare, now or ever. 

I'd think the only thing they could do would be to close the facility, which would likely make things 10000x worse.

[Hards Alumni]

In all seriousness .. why would calling governmental bodies help? 

It's not like state/county/cities have health workers to spare, now or ever. 

I'd think the only thing they could do would be to close the facility, which would likely make things 10000x worse.

They can get assistance from the state.  I've been very impressed with what happens when we call Dane county.  Especially, when someone's welfare is in jeopardy.  There are facilities, hospitals, institutions that people in danger can be moved to temporarily.  Doing nothing is extremely dangerous.

[GooooMarquette]

In all seriousness .. why would calling governmental bodies help? 

It's not like state/county/cities have health workers to spare, now or ever. 

I'd think the only thing they could do would be to close the facility, which would likely make things 10000x worse.

The job of regulators is to protect the residents. They would at least try to find resources so that a guy with COVID wasn't in charge of two facilities.

[Warriors4ever]

There were areas that sent in the National Guard to assist. It should not go unnoticed.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Unleash, document, document, document.   Times, dates, who said what, who told yiu to go in, etc.

Hope you getter better soon, amd get out of that toxic situation.

[mu_hilltopper]

The job of regulators is to protect the residents. They would at least try to find resources so that a guy with COVID wasn't in charge of two facilities.

I get it .. but you can't magic up health care workers.  National Guard .. maybe, but frankly few of them would be qualified.

[GooooMarquette]

I get it .. but you can't magic up health care workers.  National Guard .. maybe, but frankly few of them would be qualified.

If I understand correctly, they are group homes so it's possible that it doesn't necessarily need to be a licensed healthcare worker.

Very different than if you needed an RN right now.

[mu_hilltopper]

If I understand correctly, they are group homes so it's possible that it doesn't necessarily need to be a licensed healthcare worker.

Very different than if you needed an RN right now.

I was likely overstating the health worker aspect.  Knowing that though .. still hard getting anyone to work in a covid likely workplace, even if the job skills needed are low.

[GooooMarquette]

I was likely overstating the health worker aspect.  Knowing that though .. still hard getting anyone to work in a covid likely workplace, even if the job skills needed are low.

True, but the Department of Health might have more luck finding someone than the group home itself.

[Warriors4ever]

The company directed someone who was Covid-positive to direct staff a home  with vulnerable 70 year olds where Covid was not present. That alone should bring some repercussions against the company.

[mu_hilltopper]

The company directed someone who was Covid-positive to direct staff a home  with vulnerable 70 year olds where Covid was not present. That alone should bring some repercussions against the company.

I see it as a lose/lose situation.   One would surmise the company had zero options.  You can't magic up healthy staff.  It's a pandemic and lots of things are broken. 

Would it help anything to punish the company?

[Warriors4ever]

Meanwhile the assistant director is off on vacation. The other managers up the line should either show up themselves, be contacting the state for help, or doing something besides telling someone who is Covid positive and already staffing one home to staff a second home.
If companies don't get called on the carpet for something like this, then what on earth would you actually call them on the carpet for? Or do they just get a free pass because they're, you know, a company.