Managing employees’ health, safety and anxiety in a pandemic

Abstract

PurposeThis paper identifies and discusses the strategies adopted by a manufacturing company to manage its national and international employees' anxiety, health and safety with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to fill a current research gap.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the qualitative method to identify the strategies employed by a manufacturing company to manage its employees' anxiety, health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis of data from fourteen semi-structured interviews is presented.FindingsResults from the data analysed show that five strategies that help manage employees' health, safety and anxiety are - enhanced communication, formulation and enforcement of policies, rules and regulation, education and training, and management commitment. The findings indicate that the implementation of these strategies does not lead to a negative effect and therefore can conclude that there was no cobra effect.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough exploratory and based on one organisation; the findings lay the foundation for future theoretically grounded research on management of employees' health, safety and anxiety.Practical implicationsFindings could be the basis for training for managers and also be used to modify the strategies applied in managing employees' anxiety, health and safety.Originality/valueThis paper investigates and offers insight into the best strategies to adopt to manage employees' anxiety, safety and health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the manufacturing sector.

Formative research for a social marketing safety campaign at a biomedical research facility

“…These approaches also parallel best practices (e.g. communication, formulation of policies, education/training and management commitment) that have been identified in managing employee health and safety in more general contexts (Obuobisa-Darko, 2022).…”

Protecting workers' well-being in times of crisis: the first wave of COVID-19 in an Australian healthcare setting in 2020

“…, 2022); healthcare systems acted to protect patients and staff whilst maintaining patient care. The early phase of the pandemic demanded numerous and time-sensitive decisions, which limited opportunities for identifying sources of workers' concerns necessary to efficiently minimise risks to the workforce and maintain optimal performance (Obuobisa-Darko, 2022). Hearing employees' voices and heeding their concerns and suggestions for improvement are important for an organisation navigating its response to a crisis (Cumberland et al.…”

“…Internationally, COVID-19 required workplaces to modify practices and procedures to safeguard employees and customers (Mayer et al, 2022); healthcare systems acted to protect patients and staff whilst maintaining patient care. The early phase of the pandemic demanded numerous and time-sensitive decisions, which limited opportunities for identifying sources of workers' concerns necessary to efficiently minimise risks to the workforce and maintain optimal performance (Obuobisa-Darko, 2022). Hearing employees' voices and heeding their concerns and suggestions for improvement are important for an organisation navigating its response to a crisis (Cumberland et al, 2022) while recognising the inherent interconnectedness of employees' well-being and promoting organisational performance (Karanika-Murray and Ipsen, 2022;Ipsen et al, 2020).…”

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic and turnover intention: The moderating effect of employee work engagement

“…In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of businesses, leading to unprecedented disruption in production, and commercial activities. As a result, organizations were confronted with issues relating to employee health, safety, and anxiety management ( Jungmann & Witthöft, 2020 ; Obuobisa-Darko, 2022 ), supply chain ( Aday & Aday, 2020 ), and workforce management ( Wynne et al, 2021 ). Recent studies have indicated that individuals around the globe have experienced changes in their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Morin et al, 2021 ; Williams et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Work engagement refers to the harnessing of organization members’ selves to their roles, where individuals employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during the performance of their job roles ( Kahn, 1990 ). Engaged employees, in particular, put in a lot of effort to complete their assigned tasks because they identify with the task ( Obuobisa-Darko, 2022 ; Nkansah et al, 2022 ; Coffie et al, 2023 ). Employees who are engaged with the work have a sense of enthusiastic and effective connection with their work, as they consider the work to be challenging and fulfilling rather than stressful and demanding ( Bakker et al, 2014 ).…”