How much do you have to reveal about your personal health in the workplace, and can your employer make you sign a statement assuring that you are not sick? These questions were addressed by Kwame Anthony Appiah in his column, The Ethicist, for The New York Times Magazine.
Appiah said there are certain circumstances where information should remain private, such as what happens in your bedroom or voting booth, but where the health and security of the workplace is at risk due to a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease, “your bosses have not just the right but the duty to demand” the information.
He further stated that companies should require employees to stay home if they are sick and reward them with extra paid time off. This would encourage workers to comply with the updated guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on remaining in isolation until they’ve had no fever for 24 hours, and 10 days have elapsed since the symptoms appeared, said Appiah.
Some companies have mandated COVID-19 testing for their employees.
Amazon built a testing lab for its employees and Jeff Bezos, its CEO, laid out the rules for “regular testing of all Amazonians, including those showing no symptoms.” According to TechCrunch, the World Health Organization and the CDC have made it clear that people with no symptoms can spread the virus.
On the other hand, attorney Tricia Bozyk Sherno, who specializes in employment and commercial litigation, offers a different perspective.
“For current employees, a medical inquiry or exam is permitted only if the employer has a reasonable belief that a particular employee will provide a ‘direct threat’ due to a medical condition,” she told TechCrunch.
Experts said that guidelines around testing and medical intervention in the workplace are constantly evolving during the pandemic as we learn more about its transmission and how to stem the tide. However, Appiah said that the right to transparency is not just about the law, but about human ethics.
“You are not entitled to go to work when doing so puts others at risk,” Appiah wrote.
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.
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