Arif Jetha

Coronavirus: U of T expert on the risks to essential workers with hidden health conditions

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 13:17:18 +0000

Coronavirus: U of T expert on the risks to essential workers with hidden health conditions

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 04/16/2020 - 09:17

Cutline

Plexiglass installed as a barrier to protect a cashier is seen at a grocery store in Airdrie, Alta. (photo by Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Arif Jetha

Topic

Our Community

Coronavirus

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

The Conversation

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many in Canada’s workforce worried about their health and finances. Those worries are even greater for workers living with an underlying and invisible chronic health condition.

In the planning of health and safety responses to COVID-19 and the ultimate reopening of workplaces, employers should be aware of the unique needs of this potentially vulnerable group of workers.

Data show that some of the most commonly reported chronic health conditions experienced by Canada’s working population have no visible signs or symptoms and may go unnoticed by employers.

According to the 2019 Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey on workplace benefit plans, 54 per cent of workers reported having such a condition, with high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes among the top five. In the same survey, employers estimated that only 29 per cent of their staff had a chronic condition, pointing to a gap in awareness within workplaces.

Arthritis is one of the most chronic – and hidden – health conditions among many Canadian workers (photo via Pixabay)

Our growing understanding of COVID-19 illustrates that the virus poses a particular threat to workers with underlying health conditions.

A review of 46,000 people with COVID-19 in China found that the odds of having severe symptoms were two or more times higher for people with an underlying health condition. Although the data are limited, a recent analysis conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also shows that 38 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the United States had an underlying health condition including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease and immmunocompromised conditions.

Essential workers are on the job

Going to work, therefore, could mean being exposed to a virus that disproportionately targets those with underlying health conditions. Of course, staying at home would be the best solution for workers with chronic health conditions. But even after the provinces ordered the closure of businesses, people in a large cross-section of essential services found themselves having to continue to show up for work.

These include people who work in health care, grocery stores, drug stores, warehouses, gas stations, fast-food chains and other restaurants, hotels, long-term care homes, among many others.

A grocery store clerk brings groceries to a waiting vehicle in Calgary, Alta., on April 9, 2020. Workers with chronic, hidden health conditions are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 (photo by Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Despite the provinces encouraging workers who feel unwell to stay home and the availability of emergency relief for compensation, workers with chronic health conditions may not want to sacrifice a paycheque during a period of economic uncertainty. They may decide to accept the risk of going to work.

This is a predicament that many community groups are highlighting. As Siân Bevan, chief science officer at the Arthritis Society, puts it: “Some people in these essential roles may be fearful for their employment if their condition makes them unable to work – and fearful to let their employer know about their health concerns for fear of losing their jobs. Many immunosuppressed people with rheumatic conditions are afraid to go to work, but afraid to tell their employer why.”

Commendably, some employers are offering “hero pay” to compensate for the added risk that workers face. Yet the extra wages could also have the unintended effect of encouraging people with chronic health conditions who face income insecurity to go to work.

Some conditions fluctuate

Growing research conducted by the Toronto-based Institute for Work & Health highlights the challenges that workers with chronic health conditions face when asking for accommodations that will allow them to continue working productively while maintaining their health. This is especially the case for those living with invisible health conditions that may fluctuate in severity, young workers, those new to their jobs and other vulnerable groups.

In the current health and economic crisis brought about by COVID-19, the inability of these individuals to ask for protective accommodation poses a potentially serious risk to the health and safety, and the long-term employment, of people with chronic health conditions in the workforce.

These are trying times, and from many accounts, employers are doing their best to keep essential services running while safeguarding the health and safety of workers. As they continue to navigate the way forward and develop back-to-work plans, employers should acknowledge that they may have workers with a chronic health condition who could be reluctant to ask for support.

Employers must keep the lines of communication open (photo by Siavash Ghanbari via Unsplash)

Employers should also be encouraged to open up the lines of communication with all workers so that those with underlying conditions feel supported in bringing forward their concerns. While workers are not obligated to talk about their health, more than ever, supportive workplace environments are needed to encourage people to communicate what assistance they need to stay healthy while working productively.

Laurie Proulx, vice-president of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, sums it up well. She sees the COVID-19 pandemic as: “… an opportunity for employers to build credibility with their employees by listening and finding ways for workers with underlying health conditions to still make important contributions and not put themselves and their families at risk.”

Arif Jetha is a scientist at the Institute of Work and Health and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’ s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The future of work will hit vulnerable people the hardest: U of T expert

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:11:10 +0000

The future of work will hit vulnerable people the hardest: U of T expert

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 03/09/2020 - 11:11

Cutline

People with disabilities, youth, LGBTQ2 people, Indigenous Peoples, certain racialized minorities, immigrants and those with low socioeconomic status are among those who will face barriers to entering the workforce in the future (photo via Shutterstock)

Arif Jetha

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence

Automation

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

A great deal of attention is being paid to the future of work and its impact on Canadians. Often missing from the discussion is the extent to which different workers will be included or excluded from the changing labour market.

The future of work is characterized by a number of rapid and large-scale changes that will affect all industries. Labour market experts point to the growing integration of digital technologies in the workplace, including the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning, automation of job tasks and the robotization of employment.

These technological drivers of change may be coupled with ecological and demographic stresses – like the climate crisis and the aging workforce – that are expected to substantially change the type and availability of jobs, working conditions and the ways work is performed.

But as we look into the Canadian labour market landscape, certain groups of workers face more challenges than the rest of the population. People living with disabilities, youth, LGBTQ2 people, Indigenous Peoples, certain racialized minorities, immigrants and those with low socioeconomic status often face complex barriers to entering the workforce.

Fewer opportunities

When employed, these groups are more likely than population averages to earn lower incomes, experience hazardous working conditions, work precariously, have limited access to employment legislation or statutory benefits and have fewer opportunities for career advancement.

Not all workers experience the benefits of technological growth.

For example, the integration of personal computers in the 1980s contributed to economic expansion and increased demand for workers with technological job skills. But it also spurred a displacement of workers in low-skilled manual and clerical jobs.

As the pace of change in the labour market quickens in the years ahead, the sustainable employment of vulnerable groups could be in greater jeopardy and inequity could widen.

Research seeking to understand the future of work is in its early stages and mainly focuses on technological trends like automation. A 2016 analysis of occupational data estimates that 42 per cent of Canadians work in jobs with a high risk of being affected by automation. The same analysis found that entry-level and low-skilled jobs – those ⁠more commonly held by vulnerable workers – are three times more likely to be affected by automation than professional and management jobs.

Racial disparity

A more recent study conducted by the U.S.-based consulting firm McKinsey & Company highlighted a potential racialized disparity that could worsen with increasing automation. The study found that African-Americans and Hispanic and Latino workers are over-represented in occupations that are expected to be displaced by automation.

One study showed young African-American men with less education are at the highest risk of displacement by automation (photo via Shutterstock)

The study also showed the intersection between race, age and education: Young African-American men with less education are at the highest risk of displacement by automation.

This is just one of a potentially growing number of examples of the impact the future of work may have on vulnerable workers.

To prepare for this expected impact, work has begun on understanding the jobs skills required in the future labour market.

Critical thinking skills

A report by the World Economic Forum indicates that by 2022 the job skills most required by employers will include not only proficiency with new technologies, but also creativity, emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills. The report also found that over half of all existing workers will require significant re-skilling and upskilling to meet the demands of the changing labour market.

However, obtaining these needed job skills may also pose a challenge for certain workers. Data indicates that some groups of workers who are considered vulnerable are more likely to enter the workforce with lower levels of education – another position of disadvantage.

They may also be working in jobs where training and job skills development are scarce. It’s unclear how differences in access to educational opportunities could perpetuate the challenges faced by vulnerable workers in the future of work.

To further our understanding of the future of work, scientists at the Institute for Work & Health, a Toronto-based not-for-profit, are leading research to examine how the changing nature of work may be experienced differently across the labour market. In particular, research is being conducted to anticipate how the different trends will affect vulnerable workers, including young adults and people living with disabilities.

Minimizing shocks and stresses

The ultimate goal of the research is to build on our current understanding of the future of work and uncover potential challenges that could emerge for different groups. Importantly, the research will inform tailored policies and programs to minimize the shocks and stresses.

Increasing numbers of policy- and industry-level initiatives are being undertaken to understand the implications of the future of work and design innovative responses to navigate the changing nature of work. An example is the pan-Canadian Future Skills Centre.

As these initiatives evolve and programs are designed, it will be important to determine how Canadians who have been considered vulnerable members of the workforce are meaningfully included.

Arif Jetha is an assistant professor (status only) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.