As Britain braces itself to ease Covid-19 restrictions next week, how occupational health can effectively help and support employers to manage ‘long Covid’ may become increasingly important, highlights Naomi Thompson.
Many businesses have been in prevention mode throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. By encouraging employees to work from home, or in a distanced fashion within offices, plants, and headquarters, businesses have been actively avoiding the spreading of Covid-19 between its employees.
Long Covid
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However, as the pandemic evolves, and with restrictions poised to be lifted totally on 19 July, we face the reality of dealing with coronavirus long term.
In this scenario, even though uncertainties remain, businesses are increasingly moving their thinking from prevention to support. This is certainly the case with instances of ‘long Covid’, which are on the rise and causing some employees to suffer from long-term side effects that impact them at work.
Understanding long Covid
So, what is long Covid, and how can OH practitioners help employers to manage its impact in the workplace?
Long Covid, as probably most OH professionals will now be well aware, refers to the ongoing ill health experienced by some people following the initial or acute period of Covid-19 infection.
While, for many people, Covid-19 is a short illness, for others, symptoms can persist and can be debilitating for weeks, or even months, after the virus is contracted.
The medical profession is still learning about – and adapting to – mutations in coronavirus. However, recorded data now tells us that some patients with long Covid may not have ever actually returned a positive coronavirus test result – whether through a false negative result, or through having contracted Covid-19 before widespread testing was available.
Just as the acute-onset Covid-19 can affect different people in different ways and to different degrees, the reported symptoms of long Covid vary significantly between patients but include the following:
- Fatigue, or extreme tiredness
- Breathlessness and difficulty in breathing
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Racing pulse
- Joint and muscle pain
- Loss of taste or smell
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Prolonged fever
- Diarrhoea
- Dizziness
- Balance problems
- Skin rashes
- “Brain fog” – not being able to concentrate or think clearly
- Anxiety
- Depression
Given the sheer volume of symptoms, patients may not understand what is wrong with them and may not know where to go for help.
Therefore, Covid-19 testing is strongly encouraged as the employee will be able to identify that they have previously had coronavirus and that their symptoms may be a result of long Covid.
As there is no test yet specifically for long Covid, it is important to make sure employers (and OH) approach workplace management by recognising the symptoms and not just the syndrome.
If someone has long Covid, business-wide recognition of the symptoms will mean that employees can start to receive the support they need, medically, personally, and professionally.
Where should employers start?
Employers should be encouraged to do what they can, as early as they can, as that will improve outcomes and help manage long Covid-related absences in future.
Timely intervention will not only help individuals who are experiencing debilitating symptoms of long Covid, it will ensure those who are unwell make a fuller, quicker recovery.
A long Covid healthcare package is key. Not all business healthcare options are equal, so it pays to consider a package that covers physical and mental health and wellbeing needs.
Long Covid can be physically and emotionally draining, which is where the support of workplace-based private healthcare can be incredibly beneficial to ensure people receive the help they need – and feel able to access that help voluntarily.
This could prove especially important in cases of long Covid that have resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Whether we’re talking a business healthcare provider such as Benenden Health or a contracted or in-house OH provider, the key is to be ensuring employers talk through and understand the services and expertise on offer (or which can be accessed via referral). This will allow teams to talk about their symptoms, struggles and fears.
Another key area we would encourage is for employers to be mindful of keeping the door open for longer than usual and prompting wider conversations and education around long Covid, whether with someone affected by it or amongst the team to facilitate greater understanding of its implications.
Managing an employee with long Covid
It’s undeniable that managing an employee with long Covid is difficult: they are not obliged to tell you of their condition, which is where the encouragement to talk and the provision of confidential third-party support can be so valuable. Fear of a job loss or any sort of backlash could otherwise prevent someone from seeking the help they need.
Therefore, if you are aware that an employee is or maybe suffering from Long Covid, it is imperative you work with them to define an appropriate level of work, any down-time needed and any adjustments required to make to their role viable whilst they recover.
With their consent, communicating their challenges to the wider team will ensure that everyone rallies to cover any gaps in work, whilst offering some much-needed camaraderie to their colleagues.
Reasonable adjustments and the role of OH
Given long Covid’s potential to affect many people, a review of your employer’s approach to reasonable adjustments would be a good idea.
Could you work more closely with someone who has been affected by long Covid to check in regularly on their condition? Could you tweak their working arrangements in a continuous fashion to suit? Can people be successfully redeployed to more suitable arrangements whilst they recover?
The reality of long Covid means many employers are having to revise their application of reasonable adjustments.
The reality of long Covid means many employers are having to revise their application of reasonable adjustments.
Not every business, of course, has the means of employing an occupational health department, which is where outsourced services can be particularly valuable to ensure your assessment of someone’s needs is fair to them and the business.
Specialists can also work with employers and OH to decide on the best way to repurpose a job role so that the team member in question avoids burnout and relapse, whilst allowing them to make a valuable contribution to your business.
Summary
The pandemic has taught us all to be agile, as businesses and individuals. This spirit must continue, in order to adequately support teams that are affected by changes to their structure and output as a result of one or more of their members dealing with long Covid.
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In practical terms, this may look like role sharing, continued flexible working, robust wellbeing initiatives and a thriving communications channel between you and your team, whether online or offline.
All of these measures will ensure that work is completed on time for the business and on the terms that allow each of your team members to deliver to their fullest, in the way that is most comfortable to them.
- Benenden Health has a Covid-19 workplace hub that can be accessed at: https://www.benenden.co.uk/be-healthy/work/covid-19-workplace-hub/
