Coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause symptoms for some people that can last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is now widely known as long COVID and it’s having an impact on businesses as affected workers try to get back to work.

The Office for National Statistics has estimated that over one million people have reported experiencing long COVID.

ACAS Chief Executive, Susan Clews, said:

“Long COVID is a relatively new illness and for some people it can be debilitating. For others, its effects are variable and a worker could be fine one day but need to be off work the next if their symptoms worsen.

“We have been contacted by workers suffering from its symptoms who are unsure of their rights and from employers who want advice on how to best support their staff. Our new advice offers practical tips for employers to manage the various effects of the condition in a sensitive way as well as a range of options that can help staff get back to work safely.”

NHS advice is that long COVID symptoms can include:

• Extreme tiredness (fatigue).
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain or tightness.
• Problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog").
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
• Heart palpitations.
• Dizziness.
• Pins and needles.
• Joint pain.
• Depression and anxiety.
• Tinnitus, earache.
• Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite.
• A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste.
• Rashes.

Once someone has been diagnosed as having long COVID, ACAS advice is that employers and workers should discuss the impacts as early as possible and work together to find ways to help support employees who are suffering from it.

The effects of the condition are multiple and vary from person to person but the usual rules for sickness absence and sick pay apply when someone is off work because of long COVID.

Employers and employees can help staff return to work through a number of measures:

• Arrange and offer occupational health assessments.
• Look into reasonable adjustments, which can vary from changed hours, to adapted physical workspaces.
• Discuss flexible working as an option as well as phased returns, which may mean coming back part-time initially to build back up to working usual hours.
• Ask the person who is off work what they would like their colleagues to be told. Remind colleagues that the image the person presents to the world – perhaps through social media – might not reflect their reality.
• Invite them out when staff are spending leisure time together – they may decline, but still appreciate being asked.
• Give them a call a few days before they return to work and ask them if there’s anything you can do (maybe give their desk a tidy, agree to meet for coffee and walk in together, or go for lunch on the first day).
• Greet them when they are back – they are unlikely to want a fuss made, but you shouldn’t shy away from talking about their absence. Ask them how they are, and if there’s anything you can do to support them from here onwards.
• Help them get back into work routines – ask if they would like your support or attendance at meetings.

Read ACAS’ guidance on long COVID.