No rest for the wicked. Annual leave? What annual leave?

 

Annual leave? What annual leave?

 

I should be used to it by now. Although I’m entitled to 6 weeks annual leave a year, it is unlikely I actually can take this time. I guess I really shouldn’t complain.

 

This week I was supposed to have the entire week off but it didn’t quite work out that way.

 

Saturday and Sunday were fine, but I don’t work the weekend, anyway. Except when we have flu clinics., anyway. Except when we have flu clinics.

 

Monday was okay too and I looked forward to a week of reading and writing. Just a few queries from my assistant manager but nothing much.

 

And then Tuesday came along. I had already decided to come in for a return to work interview if the team member returned to work that week. The person’s health is such you have to take one day at a time and it would be possible they would be off sick again by the time I would return to work the week after.

 

The team member did come in, fortunately feeling a lot better.

 

A receptionist didn’t turn up at 8 am as she should have done. She forgot she was covering for a colleague who was on annual leave. When she did come in (after a reminder from a colleague), she had a cough. A cough she developed on the Saturday.

 

It does make you wonder. Why do people not use the mind they’ve been given? She was obviously sent home immediately (and ordered to have a Covid test) but it still took 25 minutes before she left. 25 minutes which were put to ‘good’ use. She spent these 25 minutes with a colleague and also with a nurse and healthcare assistant.

 

Another colleague phoned the assistant manager the same day. He also started with a cough on Saturday (the two had had no contact with each other) and was having a test on Tuesday too.

 

On Wednesday, the receptionist’s result came back: positive.

Now, we had to trace who she had contact with from 48 hours before the cough until the last time she was at work. The result was we had to send 2 receptionists home to self-isolate. A third one was on annual leave and was informed to self-isolate too. The nurse and healthcare assistant were told to go home and self-isolate too.

Brilliant! NOT!

 

The branch site was to be closed down as we didn’t have the staff to cover this as well as the main site.

 

On Thursday, the other colleague’s result came back: also positive.

Another search for contacts started. All those on the branch site who had contact with this colleague already were sent to self-isolate. However, he also worked at the main site and another four receptionists were sent home to self-isolate. One receptionist was already off sick with a broken leg. This left four receptionists standing to cover both sites. As there was only one receptionist able to work Thursday afternoon and finishing before the close of day, I had to come in to play receptionist. Not really my forte, I work in management instead. I brought one of my sons to help out too with opening doors and anything else he would be able to do.

At least the receptionist off sick was due to come back on Monday.

 

On Friday there would again be a need to come in to cover reception in the afternoon. It was also clear paperwork would be mounting up due to the absence of staff. So, instead of waiting until the shift I would cover in the afternoon, I came in in the morning to clear some paperwork first.

Friday afternoon, a covering receptionist turned up. When asked if she was okay, she informed us she had just had a Covid test but didn’t want to let us down. She had come in anyway.

 

Again, why don’t people use the brain they’ve been given?

 

I ordered her out immediately but had to tell her three times before she finally accepted I was serious. Really?

 

Okay. So now it looked like I would need to cover reception on my own (with the son I brought) that afternoon.

 

Fortunately, we were able to ask a healthcare assistant who had reception experience to come in on her day off to help out too.

 

And then, we got a phone call from the receptionist who was due back on Monday. Unfortunately, she had been told she was not allowed to return to work yet. At least she can do some work from home.

 

So, no rest for the wicked, I guess. My annual leave was partially cancelled and my hopes of getting some writing done were completely dashed.

 

It turned out doing the return to work interview during my annual leave was a blessing in disguise.

 

Two of the receptionists asked to stay home to self-isolate are my son and daughter. They have been exiled to their bedrooms, unable to come out other than to use their bathroom. If they do, they have to clean everything they have touched.

Via text messages, they inform us if they want food or something to drink. We prepare it, put it in front of their door, knock and leave. Of course, washing our hands again straight after.

 

A complicating factor is between them they acted as the taxi service to and from school for our youngest son. This now won’t be possible. So, now I will need to work from home next week to be able to do the schoolrun too. And, of course, play delivery service. And we only have 3 receptionists standing now. The first person in self-isolation should be able to return to week on Tuesday. Whether she will or not (10 days after start of her symptoms) is unknown. She will need to be temperature free for at least 48 hours. And chances are she is not willing to cover as Tuesday is not a normal working day for her. We are, however, desperate and she was a party to this problem.

Another problem would occur if one of our children would develop symptoms and have a positive test. In that case not only me, but also my husband (and the other 2 children) would need to self-isolate. At least we would be able to work from home if this was the case. Not ideal, but possible.

 

In desperate times, we need to take desperate measures. And, we are a team. A team that works together well and tends to come together for the greater good. We are all committed to making this work and to ensure our customers don’t suffer because of it. However, we are human and we can only do so much.

 

Pity about the annual leave, I missed the writing and I’ll have to see if I can actually take part in NaNoWriMo as I planned to. Even more difficult this year than I thought already.

 

Just like the rest of the world, we can’t wait for things to go back to some semblance of normal.