How to support a co-worker going through Covid

At this point, 2 years into the pandemic, I feel like most of us have been there; seeing your partner at work go through covid.

I am an educator and a trainer and my previous job required me to work remotely in a different team every 3 months to manage a cohort of 20 -25 year olds. I have seen two of my team members go through Covid when I was paired with them separately at different times. My partner then was married, a mother to two beautiful daughters and a borderline workaholic. So when she tested positive for Covid, some of her responsibilities at work had to be taken up by me.

Now, if you are someone who has been fortunate enough to not go through this, then this blog is for you. I will briefly share things that worked for me and made my partner feel supported.

Offer Support

When you’re a workaholic you want to do everything yourself and that’s exactly what my partner tried to do, I actually had to reassure her that everything will be taken care of and she can rest easy.

That is the first and foremost thing you can do: let the other person know that you are there for them. However, while supporting your colleague and taking up some of their work, it is also very important to have a pragmatic approach; make sure you are taking up work that you can actually do without overburdening yourself. Reach out to your line manager and ask for support to ensure you don’t mess things up if you feel like it is too much.

Make them feel involved

Covid is a downer; the fatigue and weakness can be bone crushing and leaves one feeling very low. Your partner might actually feel better if you keep him/her in the loop, regularly share the progress and even ask for advise regarding an issue concerning the both of you.

Acknowledge and Appreciate

This is the step, the action that I would say is the extra mile of support. No one sits idle for 2 weeks or however long it takes to test negative again, they would be working at some capacity.

For someone who was looking after her covid infected in-laws, her husband, and surviving through Covid herself, I think my partner did an awesome job at work. She was there for the training sessions, always ready to help the students and ready to work at all times. I had to appreciate her for her mind-blowing efforts in such difficult times. In return, she expressed gratitude for me as well for being so supportive through it all.

This was a rare case of a workaholic. You might not have a workaholic partner and he/she might pull just a little bit of their weight. Nevertheless, acknowledging and appreciating the work they’re doing while going through this horrid sickness, can make all the difference for them.