The mental and emotional toll of COVID-19

The last risk factor that COVID-19 brought about for professionals was one that the whole world was experiencing: an increased sense of general anxiety and isolation. Having to stay at home and being unable to see loved ones and friends impacted everyone’s mental health. According to research carried out by Qualtrics on a group of over 2,000 people from Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the US in April 2020, 44.4% of those who moved to working from home say their mental health declined.

Aside from isolation, there was also anxiety about health and the safety of loved ones. With deaths from COVID-19 soaring globally, workers did not have to simply contend with staying at home but also worrying about the health of themselves and their friends and family. Qualtrics’ research also reported that 65.9% of people reported higher stress levels off the back of the pandemic’s outbreak, citing fears of contracting the virus as a key reason for their stress. This provides a unique insight into the sources of stress for workers during the pandemic, specifically that some of it wasn’t even coming from work.

Some companies responded to this by implementing regular meetings or updates where they provided employees with the latest information regarding COVID-19 to help keep everyone informed. A small act such as this can do wonders for relieving some anxiety around the pandemic, and create a sense of community in the company.