Next has become one of the first large UK retailers to cut sick pay for its unvaccinated staff who have to isolate after coming into contact with someone who has Covid.
However, staff who have not been vaccinated will still receive sick pay if they test positive for the virus.
Trade unions expressed concern about the move, while employment lawyers said companies that introduced such policies could face discrimination claims from staff.
People in the UK who are not vaccinated and who are a close contact of someone who has tested positive are required to self-isolate for 10 days. This requirement does not apply for people who are fully vaccinated.
Next told the BBC, which first reported the move, that it was an “emotive topic” but it had to balance the needs of staff and shareholders.
The fashion and homeware retailer, which employs more than 37,000 people in the UK, has been grappling with higher levels of staff absence as a result of the spread of the Omicron variant.
Next’s change to its sick pay policy is understood to have been made recently, and comes days after a similar move by Ikea, which employs 10,000 people in the UK.
Unvaccinated workers at Next and Ikea will only be eligible for statutory sick pay – which is currently set at 96.35 a week – during their 10 days of isolation, unless there are mitigating circumstances. This compares with weekly pay of more than 400 before tax for an average store worker at Ikea.
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