Employee Mental Health During COVID-19 Adaptation: Observations of Occupational Safety and Health/Human Resource Professionals in Ireland

• Main Authors: Yanbing Chen (Author), Carolyn Ingram (Author), Vicky Downey (Author), Mark Roe (Author), Anne Drummond (Author), Penpatra Sripaiboonkij (Author), Claire Buckley (Author), Elizabeth Alvarez (Author), Carla Perrotta (Author), Conor Buggy (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-08-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals.Methods: Fifteen focus groups including 60 OSH/HR professionals from various sectors were conducted covering four predetermined themes. The data were transcribed verbatim, with transcripts entered into Nvivo for thematic analysis incorporating intercoder reliability testing.Results: The mental health impacts among employees are identified from three stages: pre-adaptation, during adaptation, and post-adaptation. Most issues were reported during the second stage when working conditions dramatically changed to follow emerging COVID-19 policies. The identified mental health support from participating organizations included providing timely and reliable information, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), informal communication channels, hybrid work schedules and reinforcement of control measures.Conclusion: This study explores the challenges facing employees during the different stages of COVID-19 adaptation and the associated mental health impacts. Gender's influence on mental health consultations should be considered when planning for public health emergencies, and further research conducted in male dominated industries.

Item Description

1661-8564
10.3389/ijph.2022.1604720