The Healthy Working Lives Group has made a major contribution to understanding the occupational health implications of COVID-19 and Long COVID, with a particular focus on safe return to work, clinically vulnerable workers, workplace risk assessment, and sustainable employment.
During the pandemic, our work helped translate emerging evidence into practical guidance for workers, employers, managers, occupational health professionals and policy audiences. This included guidance on how to assess workplace risk, how to support clinically vulnerable people, and how to manage the complex and often fluctuating impact of Long COVID on work ability.
Our contribution
Developed and contributed to evidence-based guidance on safe return to work during COVID-19.
Supported approaches to risk assessment that considered community infection levels, individual vulnerability, vaccination status, previous infection, workplace and commute risks, and worker concerns.
Contributed to national discussion on safely returning clinically vulnerable people to work, including the need for a universal occupational health model.
Produced and contributed to practical COVID-19 and Long COVID guidance for workers, managers, employers and health practitioners.
Contributed to Society of Occupational Medicine guidance on Long COVID and return to work, including practical advice on workplace adjustments, phased return, rehabilitation, red flags, specialist referral and infection prevention.
Undertook employer-partner research examining the impact of Long COVID on workers’ health, wellbeing, sickness absence, productivity, work performance and employer support.
Conducted international Long COVID workplace research, including quantitative survey work and qualitative interviews/focus groups across UK, LATAM and India workforces.
Examined how symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness and fluctuating function affect workers’ ability to return to and remain in work.
Highlighted the importance of flexible working, phased return, pacing, regular review, manager support and occupational health input for people affected by Long COVID.
Helped position Long COVID as a workforce retention issue, not simply an individual medical problem — because “just come back and see how you go” is not a strategy; it is occupational health roulette.
Why this matters
COVID-19 and Long COVID created major challenges for workers, employers and occupational health systems. Many people were required to return to work while still managing uncertainty around infection risk, clinical vulnerability, changing guidance and workplace control measures.
Long COVID added a further challenge: symptoms could be prolonged, unpredictable and disabling, often affecting people of working age. For some workers, returning to work required more than a short phased return. It required careful planning, flexible adjustments, supportive management and ongoing occupational health review.
Our work has helped shift the focus from one-off return-to-work decisions toward sustainable work participation. This means supporting people to return safely, remain in work where possible, and avoid unnecessary job loss, sickness absence or economic inactivity.
Key themes from this work
Safe return to work for clinically vulnerable workers.
Individualised COVID-19 workplace risk assessment.
Long COVID and work ability.
Sustainable return to work after COVID-19 infection.
Workplace adjustments and phased return.
Manager guidance and employer responsibilities.
Occupational health support for fluctuating long-term conditions.
Prevention of unnecessary work loss.
Retention of workers with ongoing health difficulties.
Evidence-informed workplace policy during public health emergencies.
Selected publications and outputs
Research impact
Together, this programme of work has supported evidence-informed decision-making for workers, employers, occupational health professionals and policy stakeholders during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has helped clarify how workplaces can respond to infectious disease risk, support clinically vulnerable workers, and manage the longer-term consequences of COVID-19 and Long COVID. It also demonstrates the continuing importance of occupational health in protecting work ability, reducing health inequalities and preventing avoidable labour-market exit.
Healthy Working Lives Group 