TB?

SamanthaQ

I need some guidance as I am at a real loss for what to do here!

We recently had an employee whose mother died of pneumonia. The funeral was at the end of December. We have since found out that she possibly died of Tuberculosis. We are a financial institution and the employee is a teller. What should be our next step? I suspect that not all staff knows that it was Tuberculosis but I am concerned! Should I verify and ask the employee? According to a newspaper article (that would not disclose names) there were 14 people tested that the mother had contact with and the results won't be available until mid February. She also worked at a local restaraunt as a server. Advice on my next steps?

Don D

Call your local health department and ask for guidance.

System

The newspaper article said 14 people had contact with her mother but did not give the names. How did you learn that she possibly died of Tuberculosis? Is your concern that the daughter (your teller) may bring exposure to your other staff? It seems to me that there is more speculation about it than fact and that raises your concerns even though there is no reason to fear a communicable disease from your employee. Let us know what the health department says.

SamanthaQ

The staff at one of our branch locations were concerned that they were exposed to TB and they were concerned for the customers as well. They brought this information to my attention.

Update! Well, I certainly learned my lesson here! I called the health department and gave them the mothers name and they said they had no record of that person having TB and that the newspaper article was not in reference to the mother but someone else. They also said if the mother had TB it would be too soon to get test results back.

We decided to talk to the employee and find out the story. The employee said the mother was tested for TB but the results aren't back yet. The doctors thought that her symptoms were NOT consistent with TB but did the test anyway. We also asked her to go to her doctor and get an excuse stating she wasn't contagious before she came back to work again. We just got a phonecall from the employee and verbally she told us that the hospital confirmed that the mother did NOT have TB and that she (the employee) had a Doctor's appointment tomorrow.

Would getting an excuse from the employee's Dr. stating she is not contagious be enough or can we ask for proof that the mother didn't have it?

Don D

I have no advice to you other than to suggest that you took some drastic steps that I can't support. That cool breeze you feel is the updraft from the water at the tip of the gang plank you stand on.

sonny

I will say this, your employee is being a lot more cooperative than I would be. Having stated you learned your lesson, I am confused and perhaps way out in left field, but what is your rational for getting either a statement from the employees Dr. re her status or her mother's cause of death? I'd let it go and move on . . .quickly. . but that is me and I have been wrong more than once on my advice here.

SamanthaQ

I agree with your advice Sonny - let it go and move on quickly. I'm still learning - sometimes I blow it like what happened in this case.

Our concern was/is that we would have a lot of employees walk off our frontline at two different branches - not to mention the panic that it would cause the rest of the organization. I realize we cannot get the mother's medical info....and it went too far already by asking questions beyond the call to the health department. I will say that the health department wasn't that helpful. In retrospect it would've been better if they had told me that if the TB was confirmed that they have a protocol they will follow to work through the situation - at least I wouldn't have felt hostage or helpless!

I had heard of a similar situation at another financial institution and in order to keep people from walking out etc...they had the employee in question bring in a Doctor's note so I used that situation as my guide. Like I said - maybe not the best move but it's done and I am ready to move on!