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Clothing chain Next has reduced sick pay for unvaccinated staff who have to self-isolate because of Covid exposure. The retailer follows a similar move by furniture giant Ikea, and said its new policy stemmed from having to balance staff and shareholder needs. It was, however, an “emotive topic”, it conceded. Unvaccinated staff will still get full sick pay if they test positive for the virus. Employers across the UK are facing mass absences because of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the government has extended the period for which employees do not need a note from their doctor to remain off work. The BBC said it was unclear when Next made the change but it is believed to have been recent. Unvaccinated workers at Next who are required to isolate having been identified as a close contact of someone with Covid could now receive as little as £96.35 a week - the statutory sick pay minimum - unless there are mitigating circumstances. People who have been vaccinated no longer need to isolate if they have been exposed to a positive case under official self-isolation guidance issued last month. If a fully vaccinated person tests positive themselves, however, they need to self isolate for five days (reduced from seven). But guidance for unvaccinated close contacts, who must still self-isolate for 10 full days after their date of exposure, has not been changed. This week it was reported that Ikea, which