In it together?: Exploring solidarity with frontline workers in the United Kingdom and Ireland during COVID-19

<p> The phrase ‘in it together’ has been used liberally since the outbreak of COVID-19, but the extent that frontline work-ers  felt  ‘in  it  together’  is  not  well  understood.  Here,  we  consider  the  factors  that  built  (or  eroded)  solidarity  while  working  through  the  pandemic,  and  how  frontline  work-ers  navigated  their  lives  through  periods  of  disconnec-tion. Semi-structured interviews with 21 frontline workers, across  all  sectors,  were  conducted  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland.  The  qualitative  data  were  analysed  systemati-cally  using  reflexive  thematic  analysis.  The  three  themes  identified in the data were: (1) Solidarity as central to front-line experiences; (2) Leadership as absent, shallow and divi-sive: highlighting ‘us-them’ distinctions and (3) The rise of ‘us’ and ‘we’ among colleagues. Our research offers insights into how frontline workers make sense of their experiences of  solidarity  and  discordance  during  the  first  year  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  with  relevance  for  government  and  organizational policy-makers shaping future conditions for frontline workers. </p>