Illness in the Office in a Post-COVID World
When I say “Post-COVID World” I say it well-knowing we aren’t all past COVID. But a majority of people in the US are moving on with their lives. In a June Gallup poll, 64% of Americans said the pandemic was over.
For both teammates and managers it is important to consider the nuance of our current situation. One way to look at this is that there are several variables to consider to describe each person’s individual experience of COVID-19:
Belief (Pandemic was Real vs. Not)
Vaccination Status (Vaccinated, Vaccinated and Boosted, Continuing to get Vaccinated, Unvaccinated Agnostics, or Unvaccinated due to Beliefs)
COVID-19 Status (Uninfected, Currently ill, Recovered, or Still Recovering, also known as having “Long COVID”)
General Health Status (Healthy or At Risk for Complications)
Current COVID-19 Avoidance Mindset (Takes Extreme Precautions, Takes Some Precautions, or Takes No Precautions)
This isn’t a complete list of factors, but I think it illustrates my point: the complexity is real.
How can we inclusively move forward?
You may or may not know the COVID experience of everyone on your team.
And even if you think you know, you’re probably missing some information as a lot of this is very personal information a lot of folks probably don’t jump at the chance to share.
Keeping that in mind, we can approach COVID inclusively by:
Being respectful of people’s choice to vaccinate/boost/get the new vaccine or not:
Even if the workplace requires it, respecting someone’s decision not to vaccinate and just clearly relaying the consequences of not vaccinating at work.
If the workplace doesn’t require it, again respect people’s autonomy, and don’t “share around” someone’s vaccination status if it differs from your own and surprises you.
Avoid bringing up the topic unless you are required to (if the workplace requires it).
If you notice someone on your team is still continuing to mask, they may have reasons they would like to keep private for doing so. Maybe they don’t want to share that they are immunocompromised or that they have another health condition that puts them especially at risk. Maybe they got used to masking and they prefer it.
It doesn’t matter the reason - it is everyone’s choice and we can show respect for masking behavior by doing these five things:
Not pressuring people to remove their mask or making a point of commenting about it when speaking with them if they are masking; not saying things to them like “I’m not infected, you can relax” or “I haven’t been traveling, I’m safe.”
When meeting one-to-one with someone who is masking, it is respectful to ask if they would prefer you also be masking while in a small indoor space together (where social distancing is not possible). Prepare for the possibility ahead of time by carrying a disposable surgical mask with you so they don’t feel they are “putting you out” or disrupting the meeting by asking for what they need to feel comfortable and safe.
Check in ahead of scheduling team events that include activities like eating or drinking in crowded spaces indoors. Ask them about their preferences in private and without asking about their health status.
You can say something like, “I’m planning a team event, and I was thinking about dinner, but I want everyone to be able to participate. Since I noticed you mask frequently, I wanted to check if eating at X is ok with you, of if you’d feel more comfortable eating at an outdoor restaurant or doing a different activity with the team.”
Respect their response and be prepared to work around it.
Provide free surgical and KN95 mask choices to employees and visitors along with hand sanitizer at high-use areas
Include in company safety training a short how-to on using these properly
If possible, provide reduced-cost or free COVID rapid tests to staff and again include training on how and when to use these
Handling Non-COVID Illnesses: Our Decision to Change or Not
Something weird I noticed the last few months I was working in a corporate office was the tendency to not worry about non-COVID illness and for people to still come to work clearly sick if they didn’t test positive.
In the post-COVID era, it is very strange to sit next to someone in an office environment that is openly ill (sniffling, coughing, etc.) and not masking. We all learned how to use new tools to prevent disease transmission in 2020. We also experienced a rapid explosion of remote work.
As a manager my preference was that if someone was openly sick with a non-COVID illness at work but wanted to keep working, and if their work permitted it, I’d ask them to work from home until they were through their symptoms.
The team caught on to this pretty fast and they had my phone number so it happened more often over time that if anyone was sick they would text me to check in - letting me know they were sick and having symptoms, but wanting to work and asking if they could work remotely. While that wasn’t always possible and a few times I had to ask employees to take time off, most of the time it worked out and benefitted everyone.
Common colds, flu, and other contagious illnesses can be just as draining (or worse) than the current circulating COVID variants. Preventing their spread means less people calling out sick, more productivity, and higher employee confidence that you actually care because you are actively keeping them safe.
Supporting “Invisible” Illness
While writing this blog post I became interested in learning more about Long COVID. I personally know two people who experience ongoing complications from their initial COVID infection. Curious how widespread this is outside my personal circle, I found this page on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website that said that up to 1 in 5 Americans who had COVID-19 have long COVID, defined as symptoms lasting more than 3 months after first contracting the virus.
I found an extremely informative video (embedded below) by The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) which is worth the ~13 minutes. It changed how I perceived long COVID and helped me understand more about what it means to have continuing complications at work.
In the video you’ll hear directly from a lawyer - someone whose job depends heavily on their ability to reason and communicate clearly - who is extremely impacted by Long COVID. Her personal experience is gut-wrenching and is followed by Q&A with an employment lawyer who gives helpful tips for managers when approaching someone who might have long COVID.
Key Takeaways - We Can Support Those with Long COVID by:
Not directly asking if they have long COVID or another disability - that is for them to share if they feel comfortable.
“Giving them grace” when mistakes happen, as Erica Taylor points out in the video.
Providing requested accommodations and helping figure out what accommodations would be helpful if asked.
I’d like to add three more recommendations:
Understanding they aren’t doing this on purpose and didn’t ask for it to happen to them.
Not questioning the legitimacy or asking for the details of their illness once they do share - while much is unknown, it is for the doctors to figure out with them.
Ensuring workplace language stays supportive of those who are struggling, whether they are there to hear it or not.
That wraps up my post - thank you for joining me! And no matter what your COVID experience, I hope this was helpful.
Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments,
