Several news reports are featuring the observations of Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former Chief Executive of John Lewis, regarding the ongoing economic crisis caused by high levels of long term sickness and disability in the population.
I’ve been writing and speaking publicly to raise awareness about this since very early on in the pandemic, and Glass Ceilings has done a lot of work in this area. On International Long Covid Awareness Day earlier this year, I warned again that it had become an economic imperative.
We have been living through a pandemic and it is madness to ignore the lived reality of millions of people. Nearly 3 million people have a diagnosis of Long Covid itself. Long Covid has over 200 different symptoms. Even mild Covid infections can cause life altering, long term illness and disability, including the exacerbation of underlying conditions or the emergence of underlying conditions in affected organs and body systems.
There are also millions of working age people living with increased caring responsibilities as a result.
The impact of increasing levels of grief on mental health and wellbeing should also not be understated or forgotten.
If you really get underneath all the figures, it’s likely between 5-7 million people are affected in some way, which is higher than 10% of the working age population.
This is just Covid – there are of course many other illnesses and long conditions people are living with.
Return to office mandates will only make levels of sickness worse.
All this at a time that specialist services started being closed in September 2024, meaning only those fortunate enough to be able to seek private support are getting any help at all to recover or for care.
All of which widens societal, financial, and health inequities akin to the Victorian era, impacting on employment and career prospects of individuals and therefore the productivity and profits of businesses.
Laura Evans, CEO 5th November, 2025