Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as MERS-CoV and SARS (Cov). The official name for the disease is COVID-19. 

COVID-19 spreads where there is close contact between people. If someone with the virus coughs or exhales and is close to someone else, the other person could catch it by breathing in droplets of infected fluid. Most people infected with the virus have mild symptoms and recover, but some experience more serious illness and may need hospital care. People over 40 seem to be more vulnerable, as are those with weakened immune systems or an underlying health condition such as diabetes, cancer and lung disease. The virus also appears to have a disproportionate impact on people from ethnic minorities.

The incubation period of COVID-19 is between two and 14 days. Common signs of infection include a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a change or loss of sense of smell, though there are other symptoms, and some people who have the virus are asymptomatic. Since to onset of the pandemic in March 2020, several new variants have been identified. 

Several effective vaccines have been approved for use in the UK, and the NHS continues to roll out an effective nationwide vaccination programme. The scientific and medical research communities have developed some treatments for the disease but it continues to circulate in communities and in the workplace.

People’s health, safety and wellbeing remain a concern as businesses return to normal operations. Many employees’ working patterns have changed during the course of the past three years with many more people now working from home and/or in a hybrid fashion. Employers' duty of care includes anyone who is working remotely.

If you’ve shifted your workforce to home working, make sure you keep in touch with people and look out for their wellbeing as it can be an isolating experience. Encourage managers to have supportive one-to-ones with people and set up virtual team meetings.

• COVID-19 is still with us and many people will continue to have concerns. Reassure people and keep them well informed about your organisation’s health and wellbeing policies more broadly.

• Make sure everyone, including managers, understands which sick pay and leave policies apply. Actively communicate this advice to employees. 

• Ensure that managers know where to signpost people to for further advice or support, including employee assistance programmes and/or counselling.

• Promote the resources you have available to support people’s health and wellbeing generally, including those through an employee assistance programme. If large numbers of people are still working from home where this is possible, provide ongoing support and communications. Some could start to feel socially isolated after such a long period based at home. Supporting employees’ mental wellbeing is crucial whether or not people are attending a place of work or continuing to work from home indefinitely. We’ve worked with the Society of Occupational Medicine and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to produce a Sustaining work-related mental health post-COVID-19 toolkit.

• The risk of infection from the virus is still present. Keep in mind anyone who may be more at risk due to being clinically vulnerable, and/or due to a pre-existing health condition, or disability, ethnicity, age, or pregnancy, or because they were unable or unwilling to be vaccinated, and be aware of the additional duties you have as an employer to specific groups of employees.

Support for employees with long COVID

People professionals and employers need to be aware that some people who contract COVID-19 may experience ongoing long-term symptoms, broadly known as ‘long COVID’, even if they initially had a mild illness. In 2023, official figures have shown around two million people are experiencing long COVID. This figure has been constant for many months which means many people in employment are experiencing long-term health impacts from the disease and this is likely to be an ongoing trend. 

Long COVID is a relatively new and complex disease, and organisations need to provide support for any employees experiencing long-term health impacts, including educating line managers about the condition, adjustments to working hours, phased return to work, and access to occupational health and/or counselling services if needed. Explore our long COVID resources.

Contacts

UK Government – Coronavirus latest information and advice

Scottish Government – Coronavirus in Scotland

Welsh Government - Coronavirus

Northern Ireland - Coronavirus

National Health Service - Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Acas – Coronavirus advice for employers and employees

World Health Organization - Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

Books and reports

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY. (2020) Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19). London: BEIS.

SOCIETY OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE (2021) COVID-19 return to work guide: for recovering workers. London: SOM.

Journal articles

CHURCHILL, F. (2020) Staff anxiety the biggest coronavirus challenge for businesses, survey finds. People Management (online). 20 March.

CHURCHILL, F. (2021) Can employers force their staff to have the Covid vaccine? People Management (online). 25 February.

COX, J. (2021) How to handle staff nervous about returning to work. People Management (online). 4 August.

HOWLETT, E. (2021) Navigating a safe and healthy return to the office. People Management (online). 27 May.

MILLS, E. and WEST, A. (2021) Can employers insist on staff returning to the office? People Management (online). 6 August.

OWEN, J. (2020) Majority of employees want to work from home for most of the week, research finds. People Management (online). 11 September.

STREET, B. (2021) Mitigating Covid’s unequal impact on the workforce’s mental health. People Management (online). 15 March.

SUFF, R. (2021) Vaccinations: just one piece of the return-to-workplace jigsaw. CIPD Voice. Issue 28. 12 April.

SUFF, R. (2022) Stepping up to support people with long COVID. Blog (online).