Winter is quickly approaching, marking yet another turn around the sun for the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is a silver lining when it comes to inoculation progress. More than 80% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, and 10% have received a bivalent booster. But long COVID—a mysterious chronic condition affecting as many as 80% of COVID survivors—remains a significant business concern with broader workforce implications.

In late August, the Brookings Institute released a jaw-dropping report finding that long COVID has forced between 2 million to 4 million working-age Americans out of the workforce, accounting for at least $170 billion in lost wages annually. (More conservative estimates place the number of Americans out of work due to long COVID at 1 million.) Even more worrying, this number is only a fraction of the 6.8% of U.S. adults who currently report having long COVID symptoms.

Katie Bach, the report’s author, says it’s critical that employers address long COVID in their workforce, but adds, “It’s not immediately obvious how to accommodate someone with this.”

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission classified long COVID as a disability protected under the American With Disabilities Act in July 2021, requiring that employers provide long-haulers with reasonable accommodations. However, not all long COVID cases look the same. According to the CDC, symptoms can include chronic fatigue and worsening symptoms after physical or mental...

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