Mandatory isolation requirements for people who get COVID-19 have come to an end nationally — but that doesn't mean you can rock up to work symptomatic with the virus.
The federal government says the end of mandatory isolation is appropriate because there are low rates of COVID-19 transmission and high vaccination rates.
The ABC contacted more than 40 major companies and employers across various industries for their policies on COVID-19 in the workplace.
The vast majority said they don't want sick people at work, whether that applies to COVID-19 or other illnesses, like the flu.
That's in line with the advice from state and federal governments about how it still would like people who are sick with COVID-19 to stay away from the public (despite mandatory iso being over).
But the variance of policy by employers after this point was staggering and, at times, confusing.
Here's what we did and didn't learn from various sectors.
Employers with office workers
Office workers who do their work on computers could switch to working from home during the pandemic.
We know that WFH is still commonplace more than 2 years into the pandemic, despite some employers wanting staff to come back to their cubicles. Many are doing so-called "hybrid" arrangements.
Staying clear of the office if you've got asymptomatic COVID-19, and would like to err on the side of caution, isn't as difficult if you can still make all those pressing deadlines from home.
It is also easier to shut up the laptop entirely if you'll get sick pay. We know many workers in corporate positions are permanent employees with leave entitlements.
Major bank Westpac had one of the most hardline takes on COVID-19 in the workplace.
It wants workers away from work for a minimum of five days after they test positive, and to only return when they have been symptom-free for a day.
Meanwhile, both the academic institutions the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney told ABC News that they wanted their COVID-positive staff to stay away.
To facilitate this, they will continue paying their casuals a special COVID-19 sick pay supplement for now. They wouldn't confirm when this policy could end.
Other major companies that want staff to stay away until symptom-free include NAB, Westpac, Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, the University of NSW and ANZ.
The Commonwealth Bank said it had some casual workers and that they could get up to two weeks of unpaid pandemic leave if needed. It's unclear how this works, given casuals don't get sick pay normally.
Telstra, meanwhile, said it had a COVID-19 sick pay arrangement for casuals. Rival Optus declined to comment.
ABC News also contacted three major media organisations, including the ABC, News Corp and Nine. Many have office-based workers as well as people who go out in the field to report the news.
The ABC doesn't want anybody at an ABC location for five days after testing positive, assuming they're symptom-free.
The independent federal body is reviewing its policy on casual workers struck down by COVID-19, which are currently paid for cancelled rostered shifts for two weeks.
Nine wants staff to stay home while symptomatic, while News Corp just said it would follow the advice of government.
This all shows how you can't always bank on a blanket policy at the office.
Maurice Blackburn employment lawyer Giri Sivaraman is unsurprised about the ad hoc situation emerging with employers' rules around COVID-19.
"Companies have, for a while, made their own decision [about] the safety risks that vary from workplace to workplace," he said.
Mr Sivaraman said the situation was fraught for employers, too, because there were untested liabilities if staff caught COVID-19 in a workplace.
"They might make a workers' compensation claim or potentially even a claim [of] negligence against the employer," he said.
"Employers are making decisions based on the legal argument, rather than the actual risk of the employee coming to work."
Frontline retail like fast food, fashion and supermarkets
This industry is where it starts to get tricky for workers.
We know that many of Australia's 2.2 million casual workers are employed in these sectors in jobs like shop assistants. They don't get sick pay.
Subsidies for casual workers to stay home with COVID-19 have now ended along with mandatory isolation requirements.
We contacted some of the biggest employers in frontline retail including Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings, Kmart, Target, Aldi, liquor chain owner Endeavour and David Jones.
There was an overall less hardline stance for this sector than the position taken by corporates, with fewer setting time periods on avoiding work.
"David Jones encourages team members who have any symptoms of COVID-19 to stay at home while they remain unwell," a spokesperson for the department store said.
"All team members are advised to carefully monitor for symptoms and never attend work if they have any COVID or flu-like symptoms," a spokesperson for Coles said.
Most retailers appear to be most concerned about staff coming to work while symptomatic, which could create WH&S issues too.
This appears to be in line with the overall retail industry's position.
"If somebody is symptomatic with all the symptoms of COVID, then we want them to stay home. We don't want the virus to spread," the Australian Retailers Association's chief executive Paul Zahra said.
"We want each adult to take responsibility for their own health and only come to work if they're able to do so."
The way the gym industry is responding is unknown. Major name F45 declined to comment, while Plus Fitness and Snap Fitness never replied.
None of the retailers named mentioned any policies to pay their casual staff a special amount of sick leave if they get COVID-19. The one exception appeared to be hardware store Bunnings.
Casuals get extra pay to deal with a lack of entitlements, however, some have raised concerns to ABC News about the casualised workforce's inherent financial vulnerability.
Major fashion chain Cotton On and department store chain Myer declined to comment.
Hospitality like cafes, hotels and restaurants
Just like retail, the prevalence of casual work in hospitality makes this a tough one for some workers.
Australian Venue Company is one of Australia's biggest owners of pubs nationally.
"If the team member is symptomatic, then don't work for five days on a positive test or until they feel well enough to return to work," AV Co's chief executive Paul Waterson told ABC News.
"If the team member is asymptomatic, we ask them to work with a mask on or, alternatively, take sick leave."
He noted that AV Co is dropping its policy of paying casuals who get sick.
Another major hospitality venue owner, Merivale Group, and the two big hotel owners Langham and Marriott didn't respond to questions by ABC News.
The major names in fast food — KFC and McDonalds — also didn't respond. ABC News spoke to one KFC worker on Thursday who wasn't aware of their workplace's policy.
One casual hospitality worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told ABC News that it was well known that people in their industry were working and hiding symptoms due to financial vulnerability.
"I don't have a choice," they said.
"We're not wanting to go to work sick, or make others sick, but this is the reality of our workforce at the moment. Many of us work at places impacted by lockdowns."
The person noted that, with many retail and hospitality operators experiencing well-known staff shortages, workers may also be pressured or feel obliged to go in to work sick because nobody else could do their job.
This is an issue impacting the casualised workforce that goes back far beyond the pandemic.
With the silly season upon us, the way that hospitality handles the coming months will be interesting. Major events will also be impacted by policies.
One of the major organisers of Spring Racing — which is around the corner in Victoria — didn't have a policy for ABC News.
Victoria Racing Club just said it would follow government rules.
Logistics and factory work
Factory work like meat processing and logistics is another industry that's received focus during the pandemic due to workers having outbreaks.
The industry also has a mixture of permanent and casual staff.
Neither of the major meat processing giants Teys or JBS replied to queries by ABC News.
The Australian Meat Industry Council also didn't have a blanket position for processing companies under its jurisdiction.
"The meat industry has not developed an industry-wide position as members have wished to manage this as individual businesses," AMIC's chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said.
Logistics and food trucking company Cold Xpress told ABC News it didn't want people at work symptomatic.
"We will treat COVID like any other virus," chief executive John Di Losa said.
"If you start to get symptoms, stay home and when you are symptom-free, come back to work. That may be one day or one week. Every person will be treated as a case by case basis.
"We deliver to aged care homes as well as most food businesses in Victoria. We will err on the side of cautiousness."
Mining companies, airlines and construction
Mining companies are some of the most stringent when it comes to WH&S due to the nature of their industry.
Fortescue said it'll expect COVID-19-positive workers to stay off mining sites until they've recovered or have clearance from a medical professional.
"Team members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 while on site are requested to stay in their rooms while symptomatic," a spokesperson said.
BHP doesn't want people back on site until they've been free of a fever and cough for 24 hours.
"Those who have recovered from COVID are required to wear a surgical mask in the workplace for 10 days after testing positive to minimise the risk of transmission," they said.
Rio Tinto declined to comment.
Meanwhile, construction giant Metricon said it required people who test positive to "remain away from other workers and the workplace until their infection period has passed".
Construction is another industry impacted by worker shortages.
One casually-employed tradesperson also told ABC News they felt many in the industry would feel obliged, financially or by their employer, to work while sick.
The major airline Virgin told ABC News that it's no longer putting a date stamp on how long workers should stay away from work.
"Team members who have tested positive to COVID-19 can return to work once they are well, without waiting for a set period of time," a spokesperson said.
"Team members who are experiencing symptoms are encouraged to stay home and follow medical advice."
Qantas didn't respond in writing.
Healthcare settings
As you can imagine, healthcare is still taking COVID-19 extremely seriously despite the end of mandatory isolation.
That is also being reflected by the federal government's decision to continue subsidies for casual workers specifically working in high-risk healthcare sectors, such as aged care, Indigenous health, disability and hospitals.
It'll still pay healthcare casuals up to $750 a week to stay away from work if they get COVID-19. This reflects the vulnerable population that workers in this sector help.
In a statement, the federal Department of Health said all workers in high-risk environments must not go to work for at least 7 days after getting COVID-19.
This is "in order to protect the most vulnerable members of our community", the department said.
States, which have a lot to do with healthcare, are implementing similar policies for staff.
Then there are sub-healthcare industries such as pharmacies, which could fall between health and retail.
