World Health Network Boardroom Briefing on Employee Culture
Call to Action
Boards must take immediate steps to improve workplace health and safety by implementing indoor clean air policies, remote and flexible working, supporting employees with chronic conditions, and advocating for broader legislative changes to ensure a healthier work environment for all.
Overview
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the deep connections between global health, chronic illness, disability, and business. To protect people and the planet, B Corps must integrate health into all aspects of their operations, focusing on stakeholder mapping, work culture, justice, DEI, human rights, environmental, and governance work. By doing so, businesses can mobilize resources that individuals and governments cannot, aiming to build a health system that promotes equity and a wellbeing economy for all.
Current Human, Health and Economic Impact
“The cumulative global incidence of long COVID is around 400 million individuals, which is estimated to have an annual economic impact of approximately $1 trillion—equivalent to about 1% of the global economy”
“Long COVID can have devastating impacts on individual lives and, due to its complexity and prevalence, it also has major ramifications for health systems and economies, even threatening progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”
Professor Ziyad Al-Aly et al, Long Covid Science, Research and Policy, NATURE paper August 2024
- Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions (IACC) are significantly affecting business productivity due to increased sickness and absence.
- Lack of clean indoor air as a preventive strategy is exacerbating economic instability and disabling over 400 million lives, especially children, working-age adults and marginalised communities.
- These issues, though not new, have been largely ignored and underfunded; however, all of it should fall under EU HR law (2022): “The Right to a clean, healthy sustainable environment”
Pandemic Impact on Employee Experience and Culture
“On average, Of 366 respondents, at the time of a study of people who attended Long Covid clinics:
- half (52%) worked reduced hours; many needed support from friends and family (informal care)
- on average, work lost to long COVID had cost each participant £10,929 (equivalent to £5.7 billion if scaled up across the UK)
- on average, participants had received informal care from friends or family estimated to be worth £9,000 (£4.8 billion if scaled up across the UK).“
- Reduced Psychological Safety: Employees, especially the clinically vulnerable and disabled, feel pressured to return to work while still sick, risking further health issues and spreading infections.
- Increased Chronic Disease: There is a bias towards psychological or rehab programs, which can harm employees with untreated complex conditions. Radical rest is needed post-infection to improve recovery chances.
- Fear of Losing Right to Remote Work: Work-from-home policies are vital for disabled and chronically ill employees. Removing these protections forces difficult choices between economic security and health.
Immediate Actions for an Inclusive Environment
- Embed Clean Indoor Air Policies: Measure indoor air quality, install HEPA filters and UV lighting in all workspaces to reduce sickness and improve cognitive health. Require high-quality masks in health and community settings during high infection peaks.
- Promote Employee Support:
- Read the HBR Guide for Managers: To better support employees with Long COVID.
- Champion Clean Air Acts: Advocate for the UK Greens Clean Air Act to ensure the right to breathe clean air – indoors and outdoors and support a citizen-led UK petition and US Biodefense Clean Air Act
- Stay Informed on Definitions: Review the updated 2024 US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) definition of Long COVID.
Key Takeaways
- The ongoing pandemic continues to impact employee health and wellbeing, particularly among the vulnerable and chronically ill
- Infection-associated chronic conditions can lead to long-term disability and reduced life expectancy.
- Inclusive leadership involves creating safer, cleaner indoor air spaces for all employees
Join our Business for Clean Indoor Air Working Group
The World Health Network invites business leaders that can offer their time and resources to join us in building a global coalition and charter to investigate, improve and inspire their networks and governments, to urgently get clean indoor air into the workplace.
