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.

Confirmation Hearings Descend into Farce as Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Remains Steadfast

April 1, 2022
No items found.
With an unimpeachable public record, Kentanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearings, predictably, veered into farce as Senate Republicans grandstanded for cable news, trotting out various electoral bogeymen, especially Critical Race Theory, and tried to smear Jackson by association.

Governor Hochul Signs Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Bills

March 24, 2022
Sexual Harassment
In front of gender equity and women’s rights advocates attending a celebration of Women’s History Month Governor Kathy Hochul signed a raft of legislation aiming to bolster workplace rights and protections in the state.

Remote Work a Boon for Pregnant Workers?

March 14, 2022
Pregnancy Discrimination
Kessler notes that for those fortunate enough to be able to work from home, the small box containing their faces no longer broadcasts impending parenthood. Instead, women are able to focus on work, an act of normalcy expectant parents who aren’t pregnant have always enjoyed.

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