Caught between Scylla and Charybdis: How Economic Stressors and Occupational Risk Factors Influence Workers’ Occupational Health Reactions to COVID‐19

Abstract

Workers and their families bear much of the economic burden of COVID‐19. Even though they have declined somewhat, unemployment rates are considerably higher than before the start of the pandemic. Many workers also face uncertainty about their future employment prospects and increasing financial strain. At the same time, the workplace is a common source of transmission of COVID‐19 and many jobs previously seen as relatively safe are now viewed as potentially hazardous. Thus, many workers face dual threats of economic stress and COVID‐19 exposure. This paper develops a model of workers’ responses to these dual threats, including risk perception and resource depletion as mediating factors that influence the relationship of economic stress and occupational risk factors with COVID‐19 compliance‐related attitudes, safe behavior at work, and physical and mental health outcomes. The paper also describes contextual moderators of these relationships at the individual, unit, and regional level. Directions for future research are discussed.

Economic Stressors, COVID-19 Attitudes, Worry, and Behaviors among U.S. Working Adults: A Mixture Analysis

“…On the other hand, workers with secure job and financial stability may be better able to translate their cognitions and emotions into behavior [ 13 ]. In other words, employees in the highest resource latent class (i.e., low job insecurity and low financial inadequacy) will be better able to cope with potential stressors (such as COVID-related fears) and translate their attitudes into desired behaviors, whereas the more economically vulnerable classes may not have that luxury.…”

Work‐Related Psychosocial Risk Factors and Coping Resources during the COVID‐19 Crisis

“…They show higher infection rates, because they have less opportunities to work remotely, and have less employment security (Wachtler, Michalski, Nowossadeck, Diercke, Wahrendorf, Santos‐Hövener, Lampert, & Hoebel, 2020). The conceptual paper by Sinclair et al (2021) highlights that direct and indirect effects of the pandemic hit diverse occupational groups differently. They develop a model of workers’ responses to the dual threats of economic insecurity and exposure to health risks, including risk perception and resource depletion as mediating factors that influence the relationship of these threats to mental health and well‐being.…”

“…Allen, Merlo, Lawrence, Slutsky, and Gray (2021) focus on boundary management, considering that working at home has no longer been a free choice by employees. Furthermore, Sinclair, Probst, Watson, and Bazzoli (2021), in their conceptual paper, provide propositions regarding how structural inequalities (e.g., essential work status, high exposure occupations, public‐facing work, and congregate work) and economic stress in combination predict health and well‐being of the workforce via risk perception and resource depletion. An occupational group in the spotlight during the pandemic are frontline healthcare workers.…”

“…While the workplace is a major point for the transmission of COVID‐19, numerous employees are unable to simply step away from work to avoid being exposed to the virus due to their financial strain and the nature of the work status (e.g., essential work and physical contact‐intensive work). Sinclair et al's (2021) paper looks at the dual threats that workplace virus exposure and economic stress associated with COVID‐19 place on individuals in the pandemic era. Drawing from the occupational health and work psychology literature as well as integrating the COVID‐19‐related facts and examples, the authors have articulated how economic stress factors and COVID‐19 occupational risk factors influence workers’ safety‐related attitudes/behaviors and health/well‐being outcomes.…”

“…Specifically, Sinclair et al (2021) set the scope of threatening occupational risk factors to be the nature of work manifested by essential work status, high exposure occupations, public‐facing work, and congregate work. Their focus of COVID‐19‐related economic stress is on job insecurity, income (in)adequacy, and underemployment, all of which impact workers’ financial status.…”