Last reviewed: 24 February 2022

Living with COVID-19 – What will this mean for disabled workers and customers?

Picture the scene. You are on a crowded train or bus and someone sneezes. Everyone shifts ever so slightly away from the sneezing person only for someone else to cough loudly. Again there is a largely futile attempt to move or turn away from that person.

This happened pre-pandemic. No one wanted someone else’s cold on public transport or in the office and the same is even more true of catching COVID-19. Mask wearing will no longer be a requirement in most of the UK soon. The Government in England has gone further. It will no longer be a legal requirement to self-isolate for five days following a positive COVID-19 test and tests will no longer be free.

Sick pay

Many employers are still asking workers to remain at home if they do test positive or have symptoms of COVID-19 if they haven’t been tested. This does, however, require employers to provide paid contractual sick leave. Workers will not be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay unless they

• are classed as an employee or Agency worker
• earn an average of at least £120 per week
• have been ill or self-isolating for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days).

For many low-paid workers who do not qualify for contractual sick pay there will be little option but to go into work even if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they might not be able to afford to test.

How could this affect disabled people?

Already, many disabled people – who either could not be vaccinated for health reasons or who have been vaccinated but are still more susceptible to severe COVID-19 – are fearing what this means for them. The same is true for people who live with or have family members who are susceptible to severe illness.

There is another concern for businesses too. For some their customers or clients are likely to be more susceptible to serious illness if they catch COVID-19. This is not just in health or care settings. Hairdressers and beauty therapists might have older and disabled customers as will travel companies. Utility workers and tradespeople like plumbers and electricians will need to go into multiple homes including those of elderly and disabled people some of whom will be more at risk of severe illness.

What can businesses do to protect employees and customers?

Time will tell how this pans out and there is still the risk of further variants which might mean that governments reintroduce testing and self-isolating requirements. In the meantime it would be sensible for employers to carry out a risk assessment for their own organisations. Some mitigating steps might be:

• To offer contractual sick pay from the first day of illness with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test.
• Allow employees to work from home if they have mild symptoms and can do some or all of their job from home.
• Allow employees to work from home if they have recently been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Provide free tests for their own employees before they come into contact with members of the public or colleagues.
• Ask customers or clients to take a test or to confirm that they have been tested/are free of symptoms of COVID-19 before entering premises and interacting with others.
• Provide information on your website about how you will ensure you are COVID-safe for customers or clients and a helpline (by phone, email, and webchat) for customers who have concerns.

A final risk for businesses to consider – especially those with disabled customers who are more susceptible to severe illness – is that some of your customers will cease to interact with you. Not only might this mean a loss of business, but it could also mean that those customers face a health and safety risk because they cease to receive a service from you – for example: heating, a broadband or telephone service or basics such as food. This is another risk that businesses need to assess and take steps to mitigate against in the new world that we are entering.

© This resource and the information therein are subject to copyright and remain the property of the Business Disability Forum. It is for reference only and must not be copied or distributed without prior permission.

If you require this resource in a different format, contact enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.