Employees Are Afraid To Return To Work. Now What?

On May 13, 2020 we hosted a webinar about pandemic-related work refusals as Alberta and other governments enable businesses and other organizations to reopen and call employees back to work. The most frequently asked question was: What do I do with an employee who is afraid to return to work (or doesn't want to) for health or family related reasons? Examples included immune-compromised workers or their family members and employees without available child care.

In Alberta, this question engages both our occupational health and safety (OHS) and human rights laws. From an OHS perspective, employers must assess whether the risk of harm – here, a risk of infection with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 – and determine if there is a dangerous condition in the workplace or if the work is dangerous work. If so, the danger of injury or illness (physical and psychological) must be remedied by eliminating or controlling the hazards involved.