Any employee working from home during a period of quarantine remains entitled to their normal pay.
If an employee was required to quarantine as a result of work-related travel, it is highly likely that they would remain entitled to full pay.
Any employee who has taken annual leave to cover the extended quarantine period would be entitled to paid holiday in the usual way.
If an employee is flexibly furloughed and is within a furlough period, it is likely that they will remain entitled to the pay agreed for any furlough period. This is particularly the case if the employee could otherwise work from home. If the employee would be required to attend work premises but for the furlough, there could be an argument that they are not ready, willing and able to work; however, it is likely that the employer would need to formally lift the furlough to be able to rely on this and we’d suggest that specific legal advice is sought in such cases.
Employers will also need to be mindful of whether the employee is self-isolating under any other category – for example, because someone in their household has fallen ill, or because they have been advised to self-isolate by public health authorities due to contact with a positive case. In such cases, the individual would be entitled to SSP (our SSP FAQs can be found here) and potentially company sick pay.
Any employee who has agreed a period of unpaid leave will not need to be paid.
If an agreement as to the treatment of any quarantine period for an employee who would otherwise be expected to attend work has not been reached in advance, employers may wish to seek legal advice on the particular circumstances before deducting or withholding pay.