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.

Alex Berke for the Daily Beast: You Know What's Missing from the 'Dobbs' Opinion? Women.

June 27, 2022
Pregnancy Discrimination
Gender Discrimination
The US Supreme Court’s catastrophic and heartbreaking decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion for almost 50 years, has ignited a blaze of emotions across the country.

NY State Division on Human Rights Alleges Pregnancy-related Discrimination at Amazon

June 6, 2022
Pregnancy Discrimination
Disability Discrimination
The report suggests that Amazon consultants have identified reasonable accommodations that would allow workers with disabilities to continue performing their functions without undue burden. However, despite this knowledge, company officials continue to pursue a policy of forced unpaid leave rather than internally-identified accommodations.

New Report Adds Further Evidence We Need Universal Child Care

May 24, 2022
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The results of the survey, which polled 1,000 workers, showed that an overwhelming majority (69%) of women looking for work could be swayed to work for a company that offered childcare benefits.

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