Almost all full-time employees with long Covid (Coronavirus) have been offered support from their employer as they return to work, according to new data from Canada Life.
A total of 37% of survey respondents said they had the ability to access virtual health and wellbeing services, with 32% able to both work more flexibly and reduce their working hours.
Around one in 20 people answered that they had received a positive test for Coronavirus, and 65% went on to experience symptoms associated with long Covid, although little is currently known about how long the symptoms last.
Dan Crook, protection sales director at Canada Life, commented that the effects of the pandemic have widely impacted the nation’s workforce – financially, mentally or physically – leaving people with a number of potentially very debilitating symptoms.
He said: “In these cases it is essential that employers display understanding towards any employees reporting symptoms and it is reassuring to see so many offering support services and flexibility to their affected colleagues. These relatively simple measures can go a long way towards someone’s rehabilitation and help take the pressure off their road to recovery.”
John Kendall, Canada Life rehabilitation consultant, added that the research backs up what its nursing team are seeing at ground level, and that adjustments may need to be made to employees’ working hours or workload. He suggested employers could perhaps allow staff to continue working from home, endorse lighter duties or communicate more to ensure any worries or concerns are dealt with promptly.
The research was carried out by Opinium and included surveying 2,000 UK adults aged over 18, between 19-21 January 2021 to explore how much support was offered by employers to those suffering from long Covid.