Dive Brief:
- Workers with long COVID say a number of symptoms affect their ability to work, such as brain fog, fatigue, weakness and headaches and migraines, according to research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in October and recently publicized by The Ohio State University. Those symptoms made it challenging for employees to complete work tasks and to do so in an acceptable timeframe or volume, OSU researchers found.
- Of the 21 patients at a post-COVID recovery clinic who were interviewed, some said long COVID symptoms led to changes in their employment status. While some voluntarily left their jobs or found alternative jobs that would better accommodate their symptoms, others were fired after they couldn’t perform their work tasks, the researchers found.
- Workers said they had little energy left for other activities in their lives after work and reported struggling to both work and attend healthcare appointments due to time and energy constraints. Some of those surveyed changed jobs, while others discontinued healthcare services recommended as part of their treatment.
Dive Insight:
Workers said they experienced a loss of income from being unable to return to work, needing to switch to lower-pay jobs or having to limit work hours, per the research.
“We’re getting by, but we’re … Jesus, I don’t know. We’re probably going to have to tap into our retirement funds. It’s really impacted our life financially, medically, just everything,” one participant said.
Among those who could return to work, several said they could no longer perform overtime or find additional part-time work, as they had prior to contracting COVID-19.
“For many individuals we talked to, their lives have been completely changed because of this chronic condition. And that’s really changed how they see themselves, how they experience life, how they interact with their families, how they provide for their families,” Sarah MacEwan, lead author and assistant professor of general internal medicine in Ohio State’s College of Medicine, said. “In some cases, incredible financial instability has upended their lives. They’re facing extremely difficult choices and also trying to take care of themselves.”
Some participants said they felt safe sharing their long COVID-related limitations with their employers, but others feared retaliation in the workplace, the researchers found. Some workers said they faced challenges in receiving work accommodations, and others were terminated. Workers also reported facing resistance or waning support for their accommodation requests.
“I’ve been in hiding for over a year at my job and I can’t hide any longer. I have to either be productive or figure out how to move on,” one participant said.
Workers identified strategies to manage their long COVID symptoms at work, such as taking frequent rest breaks to reduce fatigue and note-taking and list-making to handle brain fog. And some reported interest in workplace accommodations, like working shifted hours or working remotely, and in the use of employer disability benefits, like short-term or long-term disability.
Long COVID can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Instead of worrying about determining a disability, employers should instead focus on whether a reasonable accommodation can be made for the worker, Tracie DeFreitas, director of training, services and outreach for the Job Accommodation Network, said during a webinar in March 2023.
“Employers should always err on the side of finding coverage,” DeFreitas said.
To create a more inclusive environment for workers with long COVID, the U.S. needs to address its “ableism culture,” Disability Management Employer Coalition CEO Bryon Bass previously told HR Dive. That could involve educating the workforce on inclusivity and providing more accessible work environments for employees, Bass said.