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How Can Employers Support Employees Suffering From Long Covid?

Those with long Covid can experience symptoms for weeks or years, with some symptoms crippling enough to have a significant impact on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Employers should familiarise themselves with the symptoms of long Covid and ensure they support employees who may be suffering, as they may need to take sick leave or require adaptations to their work schedule, such as flexible or hybrid working.

How can you support an employee with long Covid?

  • Take time to communicate with any employee that may be suffering from symptoms of long Covid. Ask questions to try and establish what symptoms they are suffering from, how the symptoms impact them day to day and their ability to carry out their job role, are the symptoms persistent or do they come and go, and if so when and how often? This will provide you with more information to decide how best to support your employee. Perhaps reduce their working hours or offer them more flexibility to allow them to work during a time of day when their symptoms are less disabling. Extending work breaks can also allow employees the time they need to relax and re-energise.
  • Consider consulting an occupational health specialist. They will carry out a workplace assessment and suggest reasonable adjustments to ensure they can carry on working comfortably.
  • Be considerate of how your employee might be feeling and ensure conversations are handled sensitively. Long Covid is a new condition that might be difficult to understand for those who are not suffering. Make sure managers are up to date with training to manage employees with long Covid and review your company absence and reasonable adjustment policies.
  • Signpost employees to resources if you recognise that they could be struggling with poor mental health due to the impact long Covid is having on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Is long Covid a disability?

In a recent decision made by the Employment Tribunal, an employee with long Covid was considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010. Whether or not an employee is disabled depends on their symptoms, how it impacts their daily life and whether their impairment is substantial and likely to have a long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This will differ case by case and person to person.

Employers should focus on making reasonable adjustments, work with employees to understand their needs and consider putting a plan in place going forward. This will ensure employers are supporting employees with long Covid the best that they can, and the employee is still able to carry out their job role in a comfortable and supported environment.  

For further HR support on the topic discussed or any other HR related issues contact us on 01656 336097 or email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help!

How Can Employers Support Employees Suffering From Long Covid?
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