The U.S. Department of Labor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General invited the public to participate in a national online dialogue about COVID-19 in the workplace.
What the public shared will be collected for ideas on how to support employees dealing with symptoms, their coworkers, and their employers, according to a July 12 Department of Labor news release.
“By some estimates, one in five people infected with COVID in the U.S. may experience a wide range of symptoms lasting three or more months that includes shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, headaches, anxiety, depression and other symptoms,” the U.S. Department of Labor said in the release.
A virtual crowdsourcing event titled “Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID” was hosted by the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Employment and Training Administration and Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, the release said.
"Dialogue participants are invited to submit ideas, share comments and show their support for others’ ideas that they believe can help federal agencies identify and respond to long COVID’s workplace challenges and help reduce the employment and financial impacts of the condition," the Department of Labor said in the release.
Feedback is sought on challenges workers face as they cope with symptoms, support for workers facing longtime COVID-19 symptoms, ways to inform about long COVID, organizations to develop solutions for those affected by long COVID and obstacles to obtaining disability benefits, the release reported.
