What Do I Do If An Employee Won’t Let Me Take Their Temperature?
Under the circumstances existing currently, the ADA has specifically allowed employers to bar an employee from physical presence in the workplace if he refuses to have his temperature taken, refuses to answer questions about whether he has COVID-19, has symptoms associated with COVID-19, or has been tested for COVID-19 and is positive.
If the employee claims under the ADA that they have a medical reason for refusing a temperature check, the employer can still bar them from entering the workplace. However, their reason should be documented and accommodation should be provided to the employee (i.e. work from home). If accommodations of any sort are not possible, then the employee will be on unpaid leave. They can also be fired if the role cannot stay unfilled.
About the author, Rhamy
Rhamy grew up watching and working with his mother and grandmother in the senior insurance market. This familiarity with the struggles faced by people trying to navigate the incredibly complicated and heavily regulated healthcare market led him to start Poplar Financial while working on his degree at the University of Memphis. After completing his MBA and Bachelors in Finance and Economics, Rhamy guided Poplar Financial through the disruptive opportunity that is the Affordable Care Act. Since then Poplar Financial has received numerous awards from major insurance carriers and has completed its fourth year in a row of doubling in size. Now his team focuses on the processes around human resources and specializes in providing companies with between 20 and 1000 employees with the payroll, benefits, and HR needs.