How About the Psychological Pandemic? Perceptions of COVID-19 and Work–Life of Private Sector Employees—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

COVID-19 had a devastating and profound impact worldwide. The business world has been turbulent, and countries' economic landscape has shown dismal performance. There have been massive downsizing of employees and deductions of pay in most organisations as the pandemic outbreak negatively impacted the business environment. The study aimed to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the psychology of employees working in private organisations. A qualitative analysis was conducted with 22 middle-level Indian employees employed in private sector organisations. Content analysis was performed from the transcripts and themes; coding categories were developed. Participation in the study was voluntary and was carried out through informed consent. The results demonstrated that the participants experienced psychological stress, social disconnectedness, and a sense of loneliness over the lockdown period. Furthermore, the semi-structured interviews also revealed the perceptions of the job, career prospects, and the fear of the imminent looming future ahead. The pandemic has raised serious questions on the employee’s mental health and engagement issues. Managerial implications have been discussed with suggestions to alleviate the current professional and psychological challenges.

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

“…Nevertheless, the studies carrying out in developing countries (i.e., Indian) show more negative psychological reactions than positive outcomes. The sudden changes in the routine of working and living lead to employees' psychological stress, social disconnectedness, a sense of loneliness in Indian ( 17 ), and depression in Pakistan ( 18 ).…”

“…The underlying reasons for employees' mental health issues are primarily due to the lockdown-induced fear of job insecurity ( 16 ), financial losses ( 17 ), and excessive exposure to misinformation while using social media to keep social connections ( 18 ). Therefore, scholars suggest several practical interventions, such as social support, timely and sufficient mental health assistance, to mitigate the emerged psychological symptoms during the lockdown period ( 16 , 17 ).…”

Development Of Employee Engagement Model for Balancing Work Stress Among IT Professionals Working in MNCS

“…The author's conclusions indicate that a functioning setup frequently called 'flexible' working from home can lessen freedom in a required setup, followed by removing critical and psychological support components like child care and corporal social events. Increased workloads, increased employer monitoring, social disconnection, and distorted restrictions in work and personal life jointly lower employees' identified flexibility potential [11]. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) professionals record high levels of burnout, which is revealed as fatigue and disengagement.…”

Technology as a Double-Edged Sword: Understanding Life Experiences and Coping With COVID-19 in India

“…It was inspiring to see that many aspects of life were being restructured by people to allow not just for survival but to achieve a degree of functionality. What is interesting to see is that this enhanced the feelings of self-efficacy and gave many people a new-found confidence to adapt to a "new normal, " to continue work, and to live life well (Varshney, 2021). A stronger society emerged after the various onslaughts of the pandemic.…”