January 12, 2023

New Study of Employees With Long COVID Demonstrates Need for More Workplace Accommodations

Since the beginning of the pandemic “long COVID” remains a new and poorly understood condition both for medical experts and people suffering from the condition. For workers, this has had a significant impact on their ability to remain productive at work. One in five people reporting a positive COVID diagnosis report experiencing symptoms of long COVID, according to the CDC. And, in a new study focused on long-COVID sufferers, 99% of participants reported that the condition had adversely affected their work. Participants reported having to take time off work, depression, anxiety, and even switching jobs.

The study also revealed that these problems are not merely personal, as employers have not done enough to create clear ways to communicate the availability for accommodations, which are required under the ADA, broadened in summer of 2021 to recognize “long COVID” as a disability. Respondents reported lack of workplace flexibility, poor communication, and a more general fear of broaching the subject with employers., all of which were more acutely felt among  respondents of color.

However, there is much that employers can do to help employees who are dealing with long COVID. The first is simply to talk more openly about the condition. Many people are not even aware they are suffering from long COVID because of the lack of diagnostic tools to point to the condition coupled with its similarities with other common mental health conditions. However, many of those conditions already allow for accommodations, so employers should not be fearful of widening the discussion to include long COVID. Additionally, many of those accommodations cost little, are easy to implement and have been used for other conditions for years, making it an easy target for employers.

California’s New Gun Bill Is Bad Law and Dumb Politics

July 27, 2022
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Senior Associate Alex Berke, writing for the Daily Beast, breaks down the ways in which playing the right’s game will fail to push progressive policies.

Senior Associates Cover "Workplace Protections For Employees Seeking Abortion Care" for Law360

July 22, 2022
Paid Family Leave
In the days and weeks following the Dobbs decision, several national employers ranging from Disney to Tesla have stepped up to offer travel benefits for their employees who must seek abortion care in another state. Learn more about what employees should consider before disclosing their need for abortion to their employer.

Black Residents Face Higher Attrition Rates than White Counterparts

July 12, 2022
Race Discrimination
Black medical trainees leave or are dismissed from residency or training programs at higher rates than their white peers.

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