Safe at Work: Letter to share with your employers if you're worried about going into work

When shielding ended, we came together as part of a coalition of charities, to publish a letter for everyone who is at highest risk from COVID-19. The letter can be used in discussions with your employers about how to keep safe at work. We were delighted that many people with cystic fibrosis (CF) used the letter and many charities shared it.

We now (31 January) publish this updated letter, following the lifting of Plan B restrictions in England last week.

Although the work from home guidance introduced in response to the Omicron variant has come to an end in England for the majority of employees, it still remains in place for people who are immunosuppressed because of their continuing increased risk from COVID-19.

We are urging employers to do all they can to enable employees at higher risk from COVID-19 to work from home to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. In the letter, we have highlighted the following key points:

• Enable working from home wherever possible
• Risk assessments
• Safety best practice
• Reasonable adjustments
• Mental wellbeing support

People with CF will have different views on what feels right for them, and some of you may have very legitimate concerns about your own ongoing risks from COVID-19. We hope this will be discussed during the risk assessment process and have a significant bearing on decision making.

Download the Safe at Work letter and share with your employer as you have discussions about your safety at work.

Download letter

The full list of charities involved is as follows:

• Anthony Nolan
• Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
• Blood Cancer UK
• Bowel Cancer UK
• Centre for Ageing Better
• Cystic Fibrosis Trust
• Diabetes UK
• Immunodeficiency UK
• Kidney Care UK
• Kidney Research UK
• MS Society
• Muscular Dystrophy UK
• National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
• National Kidney Federation
• National Voices
• The PKD Charity
• SarcoidosisUK
• Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK
• The Neurological Alliance
• The Aplastic Anaemia Trust
• Versus Arthritis