立即打开
长期新冠已经迫使数百万人离开工作岗位,每年造成1700亿美元工资损失

长期新冠已经迫使数百万人离开工作岗位,每年造成1700亿美元工资损失

PAIGE MCGLAUFLIN 2022-12-22
这一数字只是目前报告有“长期新冠”的6.8%的美国成年人的一小部分。

“长期新冠”已经迫使数百万人离开工作岗位,每年造成高达数千亿美元的工资损失。图片来源:MOYO STUDIO—GETTY IMAGES

冬天即将来临,标志着疫情的又一个转折点。但就疫苗接种进展而言,也有一线希望。超过80%的美国人口至少接种过一剂疫苗,10%的人接种了二价加强针。但“长期新冠”——一种影响多达80%新冠幸存者的神秘慢性病——仍然是企业的重大关注点,影响着更广泛的劳动力。

8月底,布鲁金斯研究所(Brookings Institute)发布了一份令人瞠目结舌的报告,发现有200万至400万处于工作年龄的美国人受“长期新冠”影响而被迫离开工作岗位,每年至少造成1700亿美元的工资损失。(更为保守的估计是,有100万美国人受“长期新冠”影响而被迫离开工作岗位。)更令人担忧的是,这一数字只是目前报告有“长期新冠”的6.8%的美国成年人的一小部分。

该报告的作者凯蒂·巴赫(Katie Bach)表示,至关重要的是,雇主要解决员工的“长期新冠”问题,但她补充说,“目前还不清楚如何帮助罹患‘长期新冠’的员工。”

美国公平就业机会委员会(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)于2021年7月将“长期新冠”列为受《美国残疾人法案》保护的一种残疾,要求雇主为罹患“长期新冠”的员工提供合理的工作调适。然而,并非所有的“长期新冠”患者的症状看起来都一样。根据美国疾病控制和预防中心的说法,症状可能包括慢性疲劳和体力或脑力劳动后症状恶化,呼吸系统问题,如呼吸短促,以及神经系统问题,如脑雾或头晕。

今年冬天可能会发生另一波新冠疫情,再加上流感和呼吸道合胞病毒,可能会造成“三重流行病”,迫使更多美国人离开工作岗位。

Holland & Knight律师事务所合伙人、劳动法律师卡拉•阿里尔(Kara Ariail)表示:“(人力资源主管)不能忽视这一点。雇主有责任为符合条件的残疾人士提供合理的工作调适,这意味着只要提供合理的工作调适,员工仍然可以完成工作。”

管理人员也应该了解“长期新冠”,并接受充分的培训,以适应员工的预后情况。

企业社会责任协会(Business for Social Responsibility)人力与文化部门总经理塞西尔•奥格(Cecile Oger)表示,领导者必须表现出同理心和宽容。但她看到一大转变,领导者不再将新冠肺炎视为一种为期一周的小疾病,而是一种造成患者衰弱,并带来持久影响的疾病。

罹患“长期新冠”的患者可以从灵活办公中受益,讽刺的是,疫情加速了灵活办公进程。阿里尔说:“灵活性对工作调适大有裨益,无论是日程安排、截止日期上的灵活性,还是提供事先通知。”例如,经理可以原谅出现睡眠不佳和失眠等症状的罹患“长期新冠”的员工在特定时间之前不接电话。同样地,雇主也可以为那些难以在规定时间内完成工作的出现“脑雾”症状的员工提供灵活的截止日期。

一些公司设立了全公司基金来支付员工的住宿费用。Disability:IN的总裁兼首席执行官吉尔·霍顿(Jill Houghton)说,平均住宿费不超过500美元,“在很多情况下,员工不需要花费任何费用。”Disability:IN的2022年残疾平等指数发现,55%的受访雇主设立了集中住宿基金或类似基金,高于2019年的34%。

据Disability:IN称,与没有改进措施的公司相比,参与残疾平等指数的公司如果在过去四年里改善了他们的残疾包容度,那么他们的收入就会增加28%,净收入翻一番,经济利润率提高30%。霍顿说:“公司对残疾人一视同仁大有裨益。因此,我们不应该争论员工需要什么样的条件来履行工作的基本职能。”

雇主还必须根据《家庭和医疗休假法》为与“长期新冠”有关的休假申请做好准备。研究表明,越早处理“长期新冠”相关问题,结果就越好。

阿里尔说:“《家庭和医疗休假法》适用于众多雇主,因此,雇主需要确保他们在指定假期和通知员工他们的权利方面遵守要求。”

受“长期新冠”影响的不仅仅是白领。长期以来,基本医疗卫生保健工作者很容易受到严重新冠肺炎疫情的影响,这为他们带来严峻挑战。

在美国,雇主可以在与残疾无关的情况下解雇残疾工人,如雇员不能满足工作要求,无论是否有合理的工作调适,或员工因残疾而对工作场所的健康和安全构成直接威胁。

一个有记忆问题的工厂工人负责安全监督或操作机器,可能会给雇主带来职业风险。但鉴于疫情造成的劳动力短缺,雇主必须关注绩效问题,并重新考虑他们如何提供工作调适。

阿里尔说:“确保你经常就绩效问题与员工保持联系。我们不想等到某人错过了10个截止日期,而这已经成为临界点,客户或团队成员希望他们被解雇。”

另外,反复感染会增加出现健康并发症的可能性,并可能导致更多的员工离开劳动力市场。

“如果你是雇主,而你的某位员工长期因病缺勤,那样成本是非常高的。”罹患“长期新冠”的英国退休职业医师顾问克莱尔·雷纳(Clare Rayner)告诉《财富》杂志。“但新冠肺炎疫情的不同之处在于,很多人同时长期因病缺勤。我以前从未经历过这样的情况。”

但也有解决办法。假设一个罹患“长期新冠”的员工很难长时间站立,却可以坐着工作几个小时。雇主可以改变员工站立和坐着的时间,给予员工足够的休息时间,并允许他们改变姿势。“如果你想让这位员工回来工作,你必须让他们逐渐适应,并做出相应调整。”雷纳说。休病假的员工在缺勤的第12周时返回工作岗位的可能性会下降50%。“你不能等到这一可能性变成100%,因为那时他们永远不会回来了。”

尽管“长期新冠”和疫情对劳动力造成了严重破坏,但还是有一些好消息。在过去的两年时间里,由于远程和混合工作模式,残疾劳动力参与率有所提高。这样灵活的工作安排有助于留住罹患“长期新冠”的员工。

霍顿说:“几十年来,残疾人一直在要求灵活的工作场所。虽然这并不适用于每个职位和行业,但我们看到,公司能够做出改变,开始提供灵活的工作场所。当你谈论“长期新冠”或残疾时,这其实是一回事。”(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

冬天即将来临,标志着疫情的又一个转折点。但就疫苗接种进展而言,也有一线希望。超过80%的美国人口至少接种过一剂疫苗,10%的人接种了二价加强针。但“长期新冠”——一种影响多达80%新冠幸存者的神秘慢性病——仍然是企业的重大关注点,影响着更广泛的劳动力。

8月底,布鲁金斯研究所(Brookings Institute)发布了一份令人瞠目结舌的报告,发现有200万至400万处于工作年龄的美国人受“长期新冠”影响而被迫离开工作岗位,每年至少造成1700亿美元的工资损失。(更为保守的估计是,有100万美国人受“长期新冠”影响而被迫离开工作岗位。)更令人担忧的是,这一数字只是目前报告有“长期新冠”的6.8%的美国成年人的一小部分。

该报告的作者凯蒂·巴赫(Katie Bach)表示,至关重要的是,雇主要解决员工的“长期新冠”问题,但她补充说,“目前还不清楚如何帮助罹患‘长期新冠’的员工。”

美国公平就业机会委员会(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)于2021年7月将“长期新冠”列为受《美国残疾人法案》保护的一种残疾,要求雇主为罹患“长期新冠”的员工提供合理的工作调适。然而,并非所有的“长期新冠”患者的症状看起来都一样。根据美国疾病控制和预防中心的说法,症状可能包括慢性疲劳和体力或脑力劳动后症状恶化,呼吸系统问题,如呼吸短促,以及神经系统问题,如脑雾或头晕。

今年冬天可能会发生另一波新冠疫情,再加上流感和呼吸道合胞病毒,可能会造成“三重流行病”,迫使更多美国人离开工作岗位。

Holland & Knight律师事务所合伙人、劳动法律师卡拉•阿里尔(Kara Ariail)表示:“(人力资源主管)不能忽视这一点。雇主有责任为符合条件的残疾人士提供合理的工作调适,这意味着只要提供合理的工作调适,员工仍然可以完成工作。”

管理人员也应该了解“长期新冠”,并接受充分的培训,以适应员工的预后情况。

企业社会责任协会(Business for Social Responsibility)人力与文化部门总经理塞西尔•奥格(Cecile Oger)表示,领导者必须表现出同理心和宽容。但她看到一大转变,领导者不再将新冠肺炎视为一种为期一周的小疾病,而是一种造成患者衰弱,并带来持久影响的疾病。

罹患“长期新冠”的患者可以从灵活办公中受益,讽刺的是,疫情加速了灵活办公进程。阿里尔说:“灵活性对工作调适大有裨益,无论是日程安排、截止日期上的灵活性,还是提供事先通知。”例如,经理可以原谅出现睡眠不佳和失眠等症状的罹患“长期新冠”的员工在特定时间之前不接电话。同样地,雇主也可以为那些难以在规定时间内完成工作的出现“脑雾”症状的员工提供灵活的截止日期。

一些公司设立了全公司基金来支付员工的住宿费用。Disability:IN的总裁兼首席执行官吉尔·霍顿(Jill Houghton)说,平均住宿费不超过500美元,“在很多情况下,员工不需要花费任何费用。”Disability:IN的2022年残疾平等指数发现,55%的受访雇主设立了集中住宿基金或类似基金,高于2019年的34%。

据Disability:IN称,与没有改进措施的公司相比,参与残疾平等指数的公司如果在过去四年里改善了他们的残疾包容度,那么他们的收入就会增加28%,净收入翻一番,经济利润率提高30%。霍顿说:“公司对残疾人一视同仁大有裨益。因此,我们不应该争论员工需要什么样的条件来履行工作的基本职能。”

雇主还必须根据《家庭和医疗休假法》为与“长期新冠”有关的休假申请做好准备。研究表明,越早处理“长期新冠”相关问题,结果就越好。

阿里尔说:“《家庭和医疗休假法》适用于众多雇主,因此,雇主需要确保他们在指定假期和通知员工他们的权利方面遵守要求。”

受“长期新冠”影响的不仅仅是白领。长期以来,基本医疗卫生保健工作者很容易受到严重新冠肺炎疫情的影响,这为他们带来严峻挑战。

在美国,雇主可以在与残疾无关的情况下解雇残疾工人,如雇员不能满足工作要求,无论是否有合理的工作调适,或员工因残疾而对工作场所的健康和安全构成直接威胁。

一个有记忆问题的工厂工人负责安全监督或操作机器,可能会给雇主带来职业风险。但鉴于疫情造成的劳动力短缺,雇主必须关注绩效问题,并重新考虑他们如何提供工作调适。

阿里尔说:“确保你经常就绩效问题与员工保持联系。我们不想等到某人错过了10个截止日期,而这已经成为临界点,客户或团队成员希望他们被解雇。”

另外,反复感染会增加出现健康并发症的可能性,并可能导致更多的员工离开劳动力市场。

“如果你是雇主,而你的某位员工长期因病缺勤,那样成本是非常高的。”罹患“长期新冠”的英国退休职业医师顾问克莱尔·雷纳(Clare Rayner)告诉《财富》杂志。“但新冠肺炎疫情的不同之处在于,很多人同时长期因病缺勤。我以前从未经历过这样的情况。”

但也有解决办法。假设一个罹患“长期新冠”的员工很难长时间站立,却可以坐着工作几个小时。雇主可以改变员工站立和坐着的时间,给予员工足够的休息时间,并允许他们改变姿势。“如果你想让这位员工回来工作,你必须让他们逐渐适应,并做出相应调整。”雷纳说。休病假的员工在缺勤的第12周时返回工作岗位的可能性会下降50%。“你不能等到这一可能性变成100%,因为那时他们永远不会回来了。”

尽管“长期新冠”和疫情对劳动力造成了严重破坏,但还是有一些好消息。在过去的两年时间里,由于远程和混合工作模式,残疾劳动力参与率有所提高。这样灵活的工作安排有助于留住罹患“长期新冠”的员工。

霍顿说:“几十年来,残疾人一直在要求灵活的工作场所。虽然这并不适用于每个职位和行业,但我们看到,公司能够做出改变,开始提供灵活的工作场所。当你谈论“长期新冠”或残疾时,这其实是一回事。”(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

Winter is quickly approaching, marking yet another turn around the sun for the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is a silver lining when it comes to inoculation progress. More than 80% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, and 10% have received a bivalent booster. But long COVID—a mysterious chronic condition affecting as many as 80% of COVID survivors—remains a significant business concern with broader workforce implications.

In late August, the Brookings Institute released a jaw-dropping report finding that long COVID has forced between 2 million to 4 million working-age Americans out of the workforce, accounting for at least $170 billion in lost wages annually. (More conservative estimates place the number of Americans out of work due to long COVID at 1 million.) Even more worrying, this number is only a fraction of the 6.8% of U.S. adults who currently report having long COVID symptoms.

Katie Bach, the report’s author, says it’s critical that employers address long COVID in their workforce, but adds, “It’s not immediately obvious how to accommodate someone with this.”

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission classified long COVID as a disability protected under the American With Disabilities Act in July 2021, requiring that employers provide long-haulers with reasonable accommodations. However, not all long COVID cases look the same. According to the CDC, symptoms can include chronic fatigue and worsening symptoms after physical or mental effort, respiratory issues like shortness of breath, and neurological issues like brain fog or dizziness.

Another COVID wave will likely happen this winter, which combined with the flu and RSV could create a “tripledemic” and push even more Americans out of the workforce.

“It’s not something [HR leaders] can just ignore,” says Kara Ariail, a partner and employment law attorney at Holland & Knight. “Employers have a responsibility to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, which means that an employee can still perform the job as long as some accommodations are in place.”

It will also require that managers are aware of long COVID symptoms and have adequate training to accommodate employees’prognoses.

Cecile Oger, managing director of people and culture at Business for Social Responsibility, says leaders must show empathy and leniency. But she’s seeing a shift from leaders treating COVID as a one-week ailment to a disease with a lasting, debilitating impact.

Long COVID patients could stand to benefit from flexible work, which the pandemic ironically accelerated. “Flexibility is a key accommodation that helps, whether it’s flexibility in schedule, deadlines, or providing a lot of advance notice,” says Ariail. For instance, a manager can excuse an employee whose long COVID symptoms include poor sleep and insomnia from taking calls before a certain time. Similarly, employers can provide deadline flexibility to workers with brain fog who find it difficult to work within time limits.

Some companies have set up enterprise-wide funds to pay for employee accommodations. The average accommodation costs no more than $500, says Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN, noting, “In many instances, it doesn’t cost anything.” Disability:IN’s 2022 Disability Equality Index found that 55% of surveyed employers have a centralized accommodation fund or similar fund, up from 34% in 2019.

Companies participating in the Disability Equality Index that improved their disability inclusion over four years saw 28% higher revenue, doubled net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins compared to companies that hadn’t improved their practices, according to Disability:IN. “It pays for companies to be disability-inclusive,” Houghton says. “So we shouldn’t be debating what an employee needs to perform the job’s essential functions.”

Employers must also prepare for long-COVID-related leave requests under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Research shows that the sooner long COVID is addressed, the better the outcome.

“Employers who are covered under the FMLA need to make sure that they are following the requirements in terms of designating leave and informing employees of their rights,” Ariail says.

Long COVID’s impact goes beyond white-collar workers. Essential and health care workers have long been vulnerable to worse COVID-19 outcomes, painting a grimmer picture for such individuals.

In the U.S., employers can terminate workers with disabilities if the termination is unrelated to the disability, employees do not meet the job requirements with or without reasonable accommodation, or workers pose a direct threat to health and safety in the workplace because of their disability.

A factory worker with memory issues responsible for safety oversight or running a machine could create an occupational risk for employers. But given the labor shortage caused by the pandemic, employers must stay on top of performance issues and rethink how they’re granting accommodations.

“Make sure you are in constant, regular contact with employees on performance issues,” says Ariail. “We don’t want to wait until someone has missed 10 deadlines, and it’s become a critical point, and a client or a team member wants them removed.”

Separately, repeated reinfections increase the likelihood of developing health complications and could lead more employees to exit the workforce.

“If you’re an employer, and you have somebody on long-term sickness absence, that’s very costly,” Clare Rayner, a retired consultant occupational physician in England who developed long COVID, tells Fortune. “But what’s different with COVID is that we’ve got multiple people off sick for a long time, all at once. That’s never happened in my experience.”

But there are solutions. Suppose a long-hauler struggles to stand upright for long periods but works on their feet for hours. Employers can vary the worker’s time standing and sitting and allow adequate breaks and changes in position. ”If you want to get this person back in, you’ve got to ease them in gradually and make adjustments,” Rayner says. The likelihood of a worker on medical leave returning to work drops by 50% by their 12th week of absence. “You can’t leave it until someone’s 100% because they’ll never get back in.”

Despite the havoc long COVID and the pandemic wreaked on the workforce, there’s some good news: Workforce disability participation increased in the last two years thanks to remote and hybrid work offerings. Those same flexible arrangements can help retain long haulers.

“People with disabilities [have] been asking for flexible workplaces for decades,” says Houghton. “While it didn’t work for every single position and industry, we saw that companies were able to flip that switch and begin to offer these flexible workplace accommodations, which, when you’re talking about long COVID or disability, is one and the same.”

热读文章
热门视频
扫描二维码下载财富APP