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.

Bill to Ban Forced Arbitration in Sexual Misconduct Cases Passes the Senate

February 14, 2022
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Arbitration clauses are often buried deep in employment contracts, and many employees don’t know what they’re agreeing too or don’t fully understand what arbitration means. These clauses force employees with claims against their employer to bring them to arbitration—a private process which is often fully funded by the employer itself.

Workers Still Lack Security Despite Tight Labor Markets

February 9, 2022
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The labor market is exceptionally tight, a scenario which has converged over the last six months with what economists are calling the Great Resignation, with a record number of workers quitting in November. In the popular media, the narrative emerging from this phenomenon is one in which workers are in possession of more power than they have been for quite a while, which has resulted in an increase in wages, especially for the working class. The power, however, ultimately remains in the hands of bosses, and many workers’ experiences do not neatly coincide with the narrative.

Workplace Conflict Over Mask Wearing at the Supreme Court

February 2, 2022
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Covid workplace safety at the Supreme Court became a story at the end of January, as Justice Sotomayor participated in arguments from her office, while Justice Gorsuch remained unmasked.

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