‘My parents are vulnerable. Do I put their lives in danger or risk losing my job?’ - Daily Telegraph

Many employees who live with family members at high risk from coronavirus face an excruciating dilemma: do they continue going into work and put their loved ones in danger or refuse to go in and potentially lose their job?

Hundreds of readers have contacted Telegraph Money to say that they are being forced to put children and parents in harm’s way because their employer is refusing to let them work from home – even when they are able to do so. 

This is because of confusion over Government guidance on the rights of people with vulnerable family members if they do not come into work, lawyers have said.

Associate Jeremy Coy appears in the Daily Telegraph to shed some light on the issue. ‘My parents are vulnerable. Do I put their lives in danger or risk losing my job?’ is available to read on the Daily Telegraph website via subscription.

Jeremy advises on a breadth of employment law issues such as disciplinary matters, grievances, redundancy, unfair dismissal and whistleblowing. Alongside his vast institutional employer and small businesses client roster, Jeremy also advises employees and senior executives, often at short notice on sensitive work-place issues such as restrictive covenants, discrimination and pay related disputes on bonuses, commission and incentive plans. He has particular experience in advising on settlement agreements and negotiating favourable severance payments for employees.