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Executives play a key role in dealing with Long Covid. You should quickly recognize performance drops in individual team members and provide relief.
Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from the long-term consequences of a corona disease, also known as “long covid”. Those affected report permanent tiredness and exhaustion. This will make Long Covid a challenge for the world of work beyond the pandemic. What can employers do?
According to estimates by the Federal Ministry of Research (BMBF) from the end of May 2021, around 350,000 people in Germany suffer from the consequences of corona disease. Long-term symptoms can include headache or loss of taste and smell. Most often, long-Covid sufferers report pronounced tiredness and exhaustion that lasts for many weeks. Difficulty concentrating are also mentioned.
Tips in dealing with Long Covid: What companies can do
The symptoms after an acute illness can significantly limit the ability of employees to work. Long Covid is thus becoming a problem for the world of work. Companies shouldn’t ignore this, says Reinhild Fürstenberg, managing director and co-founder of the Fürstenberg Institute, which develops strategies for maintaining health in the company and offers employee and managerial advice: “Employers have to respond to those affected who come back to work after a corona infection, Pay particular attention. For companies, the way out of the crisis only leads through healthy and resilient employees. “
The Fürstenberg Institute has formulated five tips for companies in dealing with Long Covid:
- Companies should now make health a task for top management at the latest. Mental wellbeing must also have a place at work. Employees need appropriate contact points for this. These can be specially trained personnel managers, employee representatives or professional external advisory services on mental health (EAP).
- In this context, executives play a key role. In the best case scenario, they are close to their team, can quickly identify performance drops – and create relief in the sense of the duty of care, for example more flexible working hours for those affected, which allow longer rest periods, or offer external help. Companies should sensitize their managers to Long Covid accordingly.
- Long covid and stress-related illnesses can be integrated into BEM processes (operational integration management) as part of the gradual reintegration, as is known from employees with herniated discs or burn-out.
- With the GBU Psyche (risk assessment of psychological stress) anchored in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, work-related stress can be measured using digital questionnaires or workshops and appropriate preventive measures can be developed. It is important that nobody slips through the grid and that stress conditions do not grow any further.
- Those affected should definitely seek help: through company offers, specialized outpatient clinics or general practitioners. Self-help groups for Long Covid can also be of great help. It is important that those affected make themselves visible to their environment with their needs and limits – especially in the workplace. Only then can you expect support from there.
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