Managing Mental Health at Work during Periods of Uncertainty
Dr. Parin Somani
Independent Academic Scholar
https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v5-i4-13ABSTRACT:
The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has resulted in a period of uncertainty where social, political, and economic factors have been affected. Employment is one the most essential components of an individual’s life which determines the quality of life, generating income and constituting towards national and personal sustainability. As employees transformed their homes into their places of employment during the covid-19 pandemic, they were faced with numerous challenges particularly pertaining to their mental health and wellbeing. This study aims to identify the mental health challenges employees have encountered during the covid-19 pandemic with the endeavor to recommend strategies to manage negative mental at work during future periods of uncertainty. A systematic review of published and grey literature was conducted utilizing manual and grey literature sources. Results indicate that a work-life balance including organization; healthy eating; behavior, communication and skill development all contribute towards mental health challenges within the workplace. This study has deduced that the covid-19 pandemic has increased mental health awareness in the workplace, and every individual within employment is entitled to working conditions that are conducive, respectable, secure and have implemented legislations that promote human decency through good ethical behavior. Individuals experiencing negative mental health challenges must be provided with the adequate support to enhance their quality of life and facilitate organizational productivity. The mental state of employees has an impact upon the overall organizational costs including productivity and medical costs which contribute towards human resource challenges and must be addressed with urgency within the new normal world.
KEYWORDS:
Covid-19, Employees, Mental Health, Organization, Workplace
REFERENCES:
1) P. Somani, “Can We Really Attain Gender Equality in Education?,” Journal of Humanities And Social Science, pp. 15-22, 2022.
2) P. Somani, “Lockdown Impacts,” in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact On Education, Tamilnadu, ESN Publications, 2021, pp. 1-10.
3) P. Somani, “IMPROVING BUSINESS ETHICS IN THE NEW NORMAL,” International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review, pp. 182-194, 2022.
4) B. o. L. S. US Department of Labor, “Average hours per day spent in selected activities on days worked by employment status and sex,” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, 2018.
5) Gettysburg, “One third of your life is spent at work,” Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, 2021.
6) C. Nilsen, R. Andel, J. Fritzell and I. Kåreholt, “Work-related stress in midlife and all-cause mortality: can sense of coherence modify this association?,” Eur J Public Health, p. 1055–1061, 2016.
7) K. Kasemsap, “The Significance of Job Satisfaction in Modern Organizations,” in Handbook of Research on Human Factors in Contemporary Workforce Development, IGI Global, 2017, pp. 181-200.
8) A. Fennel, “Job satisfaction statistics,” 01 2022. [Online]. Available: https://jobdescription-library.com/job-satisfaction-statistics.
9) P. Somani, “UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION AND LIFE SKILLS THROUGH LITERATURE,” in The Reflections of Pandemics on Literature, Culture and Society, Mauritius, LAP, 2021, pp. 10-20.
10) N. Cotton, A. Therkelsen, P. Labagnara, C. Crook, J. Jayesuria and J. Connally, “COVID-19 brand navigator: Real-time insights into the rapidly evolving landscape,” The Lab and Nature Market Research Agencies, Australia, 2020.
11) WHO, “Mental Health,” 02 12 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/mental_health/who_urges_investment/en/.
12) H. Wilson and D. Flinch, “Unemployment and mental health,” 16 04 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/unemployment-and-mental-health.
13) WHO, “Mental health and work: Impact, issues and good practices,” World Health Organization, Geneva, 2000.
14) K. Greenwood and J. Anas, “It’s a New Era for Mental Health at Work,” 04 10 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work.
15) P. Somani, “Progressing Organisational Behaviour towards a New Normal,” Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, pp. 1628-1633, 2021.
16) L. Lupa and M. Ruiz-Castro, “Work-Life Balance Is a Cycle, Not an Achievement,” 29 01 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hbr.org/2021/01/work-life-balance-is-a-cycle-not-an-achievement.
17) J. Firth, J. E. Gangwisch, A. Borsini, R. E. Wootton and E. A. Mayer, “Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?,” British Medical Journal, p. 369, 2020.
18) E. Hartney, S. Gans and A. Rice, “What to Know About Caffeine Use,” 08 07 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-caffeine-on-the-brain-21842.
19) MHF, “Diet and mental health,” 25 01 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/diet-and-mental-health.
20) APA, “Compounding Pressure on the American Workforce,” American Psychological Association, 2021.
21) H. Wilson and D. Finch, “Unemployment and mental health,” 16 04 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/unemployment-and-mental-health.
22) P. Somani, “EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON COMMUNICATION.,” LangLit, pp. 1-14, 2020.
