Your Career or Your Safety: A Pandemic Choice No One Should Have to Make

Must COVID-sensible people sacrifice their careers? Or will companies prioritize the health and safety of employees and recognize the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion needs of employees with different health risks? I fear we already know the answer.

I recognize that most of you believe the #COVID19 pandemic is over (or, at least, that risks have diminished to a point where normality can return). My LinkedIn feed is full of photos of crowded events, maskless travel, and packed conferences.?But are people and companies making the right choices, and if not, what price will be paid?

This isn't just a question of science or public health but of #DEI : Are we recognizing the diversity of risks employees and customers face, ensuring equity for all regardless of those risks, and including people in every vital career and customer experience? The answer, as we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, is a resounding “no.”

Before exploring the difficult choices that employers are forcing on employees, let's briefly review what is known about the current public health situation. The links shared below focus on US data, but the situation is largely the same across most of the Northern Hemisphere:

• COVID infections are rising yet again, and contrary to the belief COVID is getting milder, hospitalizations for COVID are roughly the same as last year at this same time . Testing rates are so low that cases are an unreliable gauge of risks. But, COVID in wastewater is rising at its fastest rate in seven months , and according to the Walgreens COVID-19 dashboard, the rate of positive testing is nearly as high as it's been in over 18 months .
• We know that immunity protection offered by vaccines fade, and the new bivalent booster provides a good but temporary level of protection . However, uptake of the new booster is startling low (despite the fact those with the booster have a 15x lower risk of dying from COVID than the unvaccinated ).
• We also know that the risks of infection are rising because immune-evasive variants have become predominant in the past few weeks . This means people with immunity (from vaccines or prior infection) are at risk of getting second (or third or fourth) bouts of COVID, and repeated infections increase a wide variety of adverse health outcomes .
• We know that COVID is not the only health risk right now, as hospitals are struggling to provide care for people in a “tridemic” of COVID, flu, and RSV . The situation is particularly difficult for ill children, with fever-reducing medicines in short supply and children's hospitals reaching a “crisis mode.”
• And finally, we should all know that the primary risks from COVID are no longer severe acute illness but chronic Long COVID . This COVID complication affects tens of millions, diminishing their quality of life and threatening to create a $3.7-trillion drag on our economy .

We know even more but aren't yet sure what it means. Studies have found COVID infections can cause lasting cardiovascular , brain , immune system , lung , male fertility , and other damage. We can't yet be sure if this will lead to lifelong reductions in health or a declining lifespan, but many experts are worried (and do we really want to roll the dice and find out?)

All of that has caused some to become COVID-cautious, either because we or our families have risk factors or simply because we wish to be careful. But many employers are not offering alternatives for these people. Offices are open and employers are increasingly demanding people return to in-person work full time, even though Gartner research demonstrates hybrid work models work . Given all the data above, why would you want to demand employees increase their health risks for little benefit? Forcing people into offices raises hazards of employee sickness , absences due to family care , disability and service interruptions.

Employee events and conferences are another problem for those who need or wish to take more care during an ongoing pandemic. If hybrid options are not made available to include people who opt to stay safe (or, worse yet, if you force employees to attend in person), that leaves employees with a Faustian bargain: Sacrifice their health or risk their reputation, relationships and career opportunities. It seems obvious (at least to me) that all employees and customers should be able to participate in events with equal access, impact, and opportunity. While true equity may be difficult to attain among those in conference seats and those in attendance online, accommodations can and should be made to allow for virtual participation in conferences sessions and professional networking.

A company's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shouldn't end where employee health and safety begin. Your organization either is or is not committed to DEI as a value and not just a slogan or program.

People who are older, sick, immunocompromised, have risk factors such as cancer or diabetes, or care for family members with health issues are having to decide whether to trade health and safety for their job, income, and career. If you force this decision on your employees, you are failing the fundamental tenet of DEI: All employees are included regardless of their diverse needs and situations with equal professional and personal wellbeing.

The pandemic is not over. The months ahead will be difficult ones for many. And there is no reason to think that COVID-19 won't keep evolving and immunity won't continue to fade in 2023. Scientists have only been studying the impact of repeat infections for a year or so, and we don't know the lasting impact they may have on long-term health. Given the knowns and unknowns, caring employers must view their office, event, and employee practices with an eye toward diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone.

No one should have to decide between their job, relationships, reputation, and career or their health. Not ever, but certainly not as we enter the fourth year of a global pandemic as hospitals struggle to maintain care. The tradeoffs and decisions aren't easy for leaders, but caring employers must offer equal access to those in offices and at home and protect the health of employees and customers while in stores, events, conferences, and the workplace.

The importance of health status within your diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts will only grow in the years ahead. Be progressive and caring by addressing these issues now, or risk the safety of your employees, the cost of providing benefits, your ability to maintain staffing levels, and your employer brand in the future.