Almost a quarter of employees with long Covid have experienced declining mental health, according to research from Canada Life.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults found 23% of employees with long Covid have experienced a decline in their mental health.
Nearly a fifth (19%) claimed their employer does not understand the health impact of long Covid, 15% say their colleagues do not understand it, while the same amount (15%) are or were afraid of disclosing long Covid to their employer due being afraid it will adversely affect their position.
Almost a fifth (19%) had to cut working hours, while a similar amount (18%) said long Covid had an impact on their ability to perform their job and 5% had to quit their job.
One in five (20%) were worried about the impact long Covid will have on their long-term life goals, while 18% said long Covid had already had a negative impact on their relationships with family and friends.
According to official data released earlier this month, the number of people in the UK suffering symptoms associated with long Covid for more than a year increased to more than 800,000, while two million people had been suffering long Covid symptoms for more than four weeks.
Ian Ranger, head of claims, group insurance at Canada Life, said: “Employers have a duty of care to their employees and must consider the potential risks of long Covid, such as the impact on mental health and wellbeing, and plan how they will support any employees that are suffering.
“For instance, we are finding that individuals may be suffering from a wide range of symptoms and as the length of absence from the workplace increases so do the challenges of reintegration.
“The nature of an individual’s symptoms often mean that these returns need to be protracted and therefore we are working in lock step with employers to guide them along this journey.
“Simple steps such as considering flexible working arrangements as well as reviewing health and wellbeing benefits, will enable those with long Covid to manage their symptoms and recover quicker, while also lessening the impact on the business.
“In addition, employers should think about training their staff to ensure they understand the impact of long Covid and make them aware of any employee benefits, policies and support in place that could help those suffering from long Covid.”
