We have adopted the Metamorph Group’s Legal Terms and Conditions. Please click below to view.
Read TermsWe have adopted the Metamorph Group’s feedback process. Please click below to view
FeedbackWe have adopted the Metamorph Group’s complaint process. Please click below to view
ComplaintsWe are part of the Metamorph Group. Please view our group Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement on their website by clicking below
View StatementWe have adopted the Metamorph Group’s Data Management policy. Please click below to view
Data ManagmentThe long-term effects of covid-19 will be felt for years to come. The pandemic has changed so much about our everyday lives, from how we work to how we interact with one another. For those who have suffered from covid-19 infections, many are still feeling the effects daily due to what is known as ‘long covid’.
A recent survey by the Office of National Statistics estimates that one-fifth of people diagnosed with covid-19 are still suffering ‘long’ symptoms five weeks later, while one in ten had symptoms that lasted for three months or even longer.
What is ‘long covid’?
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) categorises long covid as lasting for longer than 12 weeks. There are two main symptom groups – respiratory issues including breathlessness and extreme fatigue, and a secondary generalised group that can range from something as simple as pins and needles in the limbs, brain fog and listlessness, to issues with the major organs including the heart.
The effects can also include mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Symptoms have been likened to other long-term debilitating conditions such as ME and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). The groups most likely to feel the effects of long covid are older patients, women, those with underlying health conditions (in particular diabetes) and those in their mid to late-40s and early 50s.
The long road back to work
The affected groups cover much of the UK’s workforce, so how should employers be tackling the issues surrounding long covid? Many of those suffering from the effects of long covid may find it difficult to return to work, and even weeks later could be struggling to cope with the everyday demands of a busy job. Businesses across the UK are struggling to get going again after months of depressed sales, limited growth and a workforce that’s become used to working from home. So accommodating those who are still suffering the physical after-effects of covid 19 could pose some serious challenges.
Bear in mind that long covid is not contagious, so there is no reason that someone suffering from the condition should be barred from returning to the workplace, as long as their self-isolation period is over. They won’t infect other workers, and the process of returning to a stable workplace may actually help some of the mental issues caused by long covid, including depression and loneliness.
Workers don’t have to tell their employer that they are suffering from long covid, but in reality, it would be beneficial for the employer to know so that they can accommodate the needs of the worker.
The Equality Act 2010
Employers also need to be cautious, as there is the possibility that long covid that persists for months could be regarded as a disability. If this is the case then the employee could be protected by the Equality Act 2010.
The Act does make provisions for long-term conditions such as MS, cancer and HIV. Long covid could ‘tick the boxes’ when it comes to the definition of a ‘long-term’ illness, having a substantial effect on the sufferer’s ability to undertake day to day activities. If a person’s long covid did satisfy the test of disability, then an employer would be under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to take account of that person’s illness. Such adjustments could include flexible working arrangements (including working from home or changing an employee’s hours of work), reducing their hours, allocating some of the employee’s duties to others or agreeing a phased return to work.
Employers should consider taking the initiative and talking to their employees about what they need to be able to do their job comfortably and without undue pressure. One key element of this should be to carry out a risk assessment alongside a back-to-work meeting and, if possible, an occupational health assessment. These are carried out by qualified medical experts, and can give an impartial and balanced assessment of the needs of the worker.
If you’re an employer and want to find out more about accommodating workers suffering from long covid, talk to an employment law expert today.
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__hssrc | session | This cookie is set by Hubspot whenever it changes the session cookie. The __hssrc cookie set to 1 indicates that the user has restarted the browser, and if the cookie does not exist, it is assumed to be a new session. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__cf_bm | 30 minutes | This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management. |
__hssc | 30 minutes | HubSpot sets this cookie to keep track of sessions and to determine if HubSpot should increment the session number and timestamps in the __hstc cookie. |
ss | session | This cookie is set by the provider Eventbrite. This cookie is used for the functionality of website chat-box function. |
TawkConnectionTime | session | Tawk.to, a live chat functionality, sets this cookie. For improved service, this cookie helps remember users so that previous chats can be linked together. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__hstc | 1 year 24 days | This is the main cookie set by Hubspot, for tracking visitors. It contains the domain, initial timestamp (first visit), last timestamp (last visit), current timestamp (this visit), and session number (increments for each subsequent session). |
_ga | 2 years | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. |
_gat_gtag_UA_162540320_1 | 1 minute | Set by Google to distinguish users. |
_gcl_au | 3 months | Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. |
_gid | 1 day | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
hubspotutk | 1 year 24 days | This cookie is used by HubSpot to keep track of the visitors to the website. This cookie is passed to Hubspot on form submission and used when deduplicating contacts. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_fbp | 3 months | This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website. |
fr | 3 months | Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. |
test_cookie | 15 minutes | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
SESSION | session | No description |
SSESS222b3b7a108c04c59d8dc51702d5aaa2 | session | No description |