“It’s a rollercoaster”: the recovery and return to work experiences of workers with long COVID

Abstract

Research on long COVID is still in its infancy with the primary focus being on symptoms, treatment, and prevalence. Due to the severity and longevity of long COVID that has also affected the working population, an important question is how organisations can support workers with long COVID to stay and thrive in the workplace. In the present study, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experiences of workers with long COVID and the barriers and facilitators to them working while managing their symptoms. Using purposeful sampling, we recruited participants through social media and conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 workers with long COVID in Spring/Summer 2021. Three higher-order themes revolved around suffering, identity work and belongingness, and 12 subthemes, which were seen as barriers and facilitators to sustainable return to work at the individual, group, leader, organisational and overarching contextual levels. Our findings highlight the urgent need for research that considers work outcomes of those with long COVID and have important implications for how organisations can support workers suffering from long COVID and prevent sickness absence and reduce worklessness.