Employee Mental Health During COVID-19 Adaptation: Observations of Occupational Safety and Health/Human Resource Professionals in Ireland

Employee Mental Health During COVID-19 Adaptation: Observations of Occupational Safety and Health/Human Resource Professionals in Ireland

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Objectives: This study aims to understand mental health issues among Irish employees arising from COVID-19 adaptation from the perspective of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and/or Human Resource (HR) professionals.Methods: Fifteen focus groups including 60 OSH/HR professionals from various sectors were conducted covering four predetermined themes.The data were Toys transcribed verbatim, with transcripts entered into Nvivo for thematic analysis incorporating intercoder reliability testing.Results: The mental health impacts among employees are identified from three stages: pre-adaptation, during adaptation, and post-adaptation.

Most issues were reported during the second Hair Styling Tools stage when working conditions dramatically changed to follow emerging COVID-19 policies.The identified mental health support from participating organizations included providing timely and reliable information, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), informal communication channels, hybrid work schedules and reinforcement of control measures.Conclusion: This study explores the challenges facing employees during the different stages of COVID-19 adaptation and the associated mental health impacts.Gender’s influence on mental health consultations should be considered when planning for public health emergencies, and further research conducted in male dominated industries.