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Contents
What should I do if I tested positive for or have had symptoms of COVID in the last few weeks?
What should I do if I am not well enough to work?
What can I do if I am feeling ready to go back to work?
How can I prepare for my return to work?
What can I do if I am not feeling ready to go back to work?
After being unwell with COVID, going back to work can be difficult and it may be a long time before you feel ready. You may still have problems that affect your day-to-day life and your ability to work such as:
- Fatigue
- Feeling breathless
- Feeling sad or worried
- Finding it hard to concentrate
- Difficulty standing and sitting for a long time
- Pain in your joints or other parts of the body
Work is generally good for your health and wellbeing, even if you have a health condition, or still have problems after COVID. You should talk to your employer about how they can support your return to work.
Early treatment of your symptoms and learning to manage your energy levels will make it easier to carry out daily activities at home and at work. This will help your recovery and return to work. You can see your GP for help with your symptoms.
What should I do if I tested positive for or have had symptoms of COVID in the last few weeks?
While you are no longer legally required to self-isolate if you have COVID, you should try to stay at home and away from others to avoid passing on the virus. You can continue to pass on the virus for up to 10 days from when you were first infected.
If you are well enough to do so, you should work from home if you can. Otherwise, you should ask your employer about the other options available to you.
You can find out more about what to do if you test positive for COVID here.
What should I do if I am not well enough to work?
If you are off work for seven days or less, you do not need to give your employer a fit note or other proof of sickness from a medical professional. This is called ‘self-certification’. Your employer will let you know how you can do this. You might need to fill in a form or send details of your sick leave by email.
If you are off work for more than seven days, you may need a fit note. You can get this from your GP or hospital doctor. A physiotherapist, podiatrist or occupational therapist can also provide fit notes, if your employer agrees. This is called an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report.
What can I do if I am feeling ready to go back to work?
Talk to your line manager or the occupational health (OH) team at your workplace
When you are first off sick, your manager might call you to offer support and check if there is anything they can do to help.
If you have been off sick with COVID and you are ready to go back to work, it is recommended that you meet with your manager or the OH team at your workplace to create a personalised Return-To-Work plan.
At this meeting, you will typically discuss:
- When you will return
- If you need a ‘phased’ return
- If you need any reasonable adjustments
You could prepare for a meeting by thinking about:
- What tasks you feel well enough to do?
- What activities make your symptom worse?
- What adjustments to your role or working environment might help you return to work?
You can explain your problems at the meeting and what adjustments you think might help you get back to work. Talking about health problems can be difficult, but this will help your employer create a Return-To-Work plan that is appropriate for you and that supports you.
A ‘phased’ return
If you are still experiencing some problems after COVID, you might want to consider a ‘phased’ return. This means planning your return to work in steps so you can slowly build back up to what you used to do. This might include:
- Working part-time or reduced hours at first
- Doing different duties
- Doing parts of your job that you can do
Possible adjustments to your work
Adjustments are changes to your workplace or job that make it easier and safer for you to return to work and do your job.
Examples of adjustments are:
- A ramp to make entering a building easier
- Equipment such as a special desk or chair
- Extra support to do your job
- Time off to attend health appointments
- Shorter working days
- Different start and finish times or shift patterns
- Working from home
- Altered patterns of working (for example, more frequent breaks)
- Making any physical, mental, or cognitive tasks less demanding
- Changes to workload (for example, fewer or less complex tasks)
When you first return to work, your manager should inform you of any important changes since you have been off. They should also carry out an updated workplace risk assessment with you to check that your health changes do not put you or your colleagues at risk.
You may wish to take a union representative or someone you trust to meetings with your manager or OH.
If your current ability cannot be accommodated by your workplace, you might need to take a little more time off work and return later on.
How can I prepare for my return to work?
If you feel ready to return to work, you should start to think about the tasks you have at work and their demands – this will let you assess what you can and cannot currently manage.
- Do you carry heavy loads?
- Is it repetitive?
- Do you need to work quickly?
- Do you have set times to rest?
- Are you managing multiple tasks at once?
Gradually increase your day-to-day activities and note how long it took for you to complete an activity – this can help you to discuss an appropriate Return-To-Work plan with your manager.
Learn to assess your recovery – you can use a fatigue score to track your progress and to recognise any patterns. A reasonable recovery should:
- Â Last no longer than a few hours
- Â Allow you to continue with day-to-day tasks
- Â Not lead to an increase in symptoms
During your preparation, you might still have some bad days and you might not always know why. During these days, it is okay for you to do less or to pause your preparation. It is important for you to focus on remaining well.
What can I do if I am not feeling ready to go back to work?
Talk to your line manager or the OH team at your workplace
Speak to your manager and explain your symptoms and why you do not feel ready to go back to work.
Some workplaces have an OH department. The OH team looks after health and wellbeing at work. They can advise on how your health may affect your work and any adjustments you might need to allow you to return to work without making your symptoms worse.
Having an appointment with the OH team before you go back to work can be a useful step. They can support you to create a Return-To-Work plan that includes adjustments and your needs and can write to your manager, with your permission.
If your employer does not have an OH department, you could ask them to find you an OH specialist from outside your workplace.
Talk to a healthcare professional
Speak to your GP or another healthcare professional, explain your symptoms and why you do not feel ready to go back to work. You can find a local healthcare professional at https://vrassociationuk.com.
Your employer might have an OH team, and you can talk to them about how you feel and if you are worried.
Get in touch with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)
ACAS is a national organisation that offers free advice about your health at work.
Phone the free advice line 0300 123 1100.
Get in touch with Access to Work
Access to Work is a national programme that offers practical and financial support for you to get or stay in work.
Phone the advice line 0800 121 7479.
Get a fit note
A fit note from your GP or hospital doctor can tell your employer that you need a period of sickness absence due to being unwell and to access Statutory Sick Pay.
The fit note will explain activities you find difficult to do due to COVID and suggest adjustments that may help you return to work.
Your employer is not obliged to act on these suggestions (as they may not be able to), but the fit note can be a useful starting point to discuss your return to work with your manager.
Other useful links:
- Guide for returning to work for employees: COVID-19 return to work guide: For recovering workers | The Society of Occupational Medicine (som.org.uk)
- Guide for returning to work for employers: COVID-19 return to work guide: For managers | The Society of Occupational Medicine (som.org.uk)