Covid-19, Physical Distancing in the Workplace and Employees’ Mental Health: Implications and Insights for Organizational Interventions - Narrative Review

COVID-19 and Stressful Adjustment to Work: A Long-Term Prospective Study About Homeworking for Bank Employees in Italy

“…Thus, individuals in both periods had to undergo new demanding work and family adjustments. Actually, in Reopening, HW, although possibly alternating with work at the office, was still a novelty or even a hazard for most employees and most organizations, thus, representing a relevant source of stress ( Hecker, 2020 ; Fukumura et al, 2021 ; Hamouche, 2021 ). Homeworkers not only have experienced an abrupt overlap between work and family lives ( Moretti et al, 2020 ) but also had to challenge a new working strategy, for which workers and organizations were largely unprepared ( Söderbacka et al, 2020 ; Shao et al, 2021 ; Xiao et al, 2021 ), so that most individuals were caught off guard and had to adjust by their means ( Guler et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Despite the apparent positive news and the hope represented by medical and scientific progression in the battle against COVID-19, after a long period of adjustment and a gained balance in work activity and family needs, getting back to work may have been experienced as upsetting again. Thus, although a necessity, returning to work can be a source of discomfort and anxiety for employees ( Hamouche, 2021 ). During the Vaccination Round, the Concern about BW was lower than in the two previous pandemic stages.…”

“…At the same time, a relatively stable and foreseeable organizational framework is related to the lower levels of work-family conflict even when sanitary conditions are worsening. Not to say, self-safety perception, the need for social distancing, wearing masks, and additional preventive measures in the workplace can discourage office workers from regularly going to the workplace ( Hamouche, 2021 ). When a voluntary option, HW is perceived as the new normal and as advantageous, especially by women and younger subjects ( Shepherd-Banigan et al, 2016 ), with data consistent with previous cross-sectional studies ( Guler et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Thus, returning to work may not be an easy decision for employees, primarily when it occurs in an uncertain environment ( Balkhi et al, 2020 ; Shaw et al, 2020 ). Furthermore, BW is still far from previous “normality,” as some precautional measures, such as physical distancing or wearing face masks in the workplace, have still to be granted that may harm the workers’ mental wellbeing ( Hamouche, 2021 ). Finally, the prolonged condition of HW, along with the experience of possible economic and organizational advantages, may have brought new adjustments in family organizations, which can be hard to give up for workers.…”

Work-Related Mental Health Under COVID-19 Restrictions: A Mini Literature Review

“…Working under these restrictions produces unprecedented challenges to employees, among which is to adapt to the abrupt shifts in working conditions quickly. Even though they are, to a large extent, physically protected, concerns about their mental health have sharply arisen in the extant literature ( 2 ).…”