A recent survey published by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 45 percent of Americans feel that stress related to coronavirus has had a negative impact on their mental health. That’s something businesses need to consider as the country starts to slowly reopen its doors.
Psychologist Jessica Kendorski, a member of Buchanan’s panel of coronavirus experts, says that as businesses begin planning how to reopen, it will not be a simple flip of the switch where things automatically return to normal.
“Research tells us that disruptions to one’s routine can affect mental health negatively,” she said. “Two months ago, it was transitioning from office work to working from home. Now people are starting to think about how to transition back, and that can also be stressful.”
Businesses should continue to consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on guidance to help employees make this change, she said.
According to the CDC, people can experience a range of emotions when coming out of quarantine, including:
- Relief that things are “getting back to normal”
- Continued fear and worry about one’s health and the health of their loved ones
- Stress, sadness, anger or frustration
- Guilt about not getting sick while others did
- Guilt about not being able to perform normal work or parenting duties during quarantine
Dr. Kendorski adds that grief is also playing a role. “So many people are experiencing grief, whether it’s the loss of normalcy—even seemingly trivial things like not going to concerts or baseball games, loss of income, or of course loss of loved ones.”
Employers must be empathetic to all these concerns as they start to call their staff back to work, or start to transition back to office work, she said.
“Each person is responding to this crisis differently. It depends on several factors in a person’s life, such as their personality, life experiences, even their community.”
As we start to think about “getting back to normal,” it’s important to consider that what we once thought of as normal may no longer be the case. To help ease anxiety and stress, organizations should continue to be as transparent and flexible as possible, just as they were when the outbreak began.
Communicate regularly about timelines, new processes and procedures, and offer a way for employees to share their thoughts, comments and concerns. Emphasize that this is a new reality, and while there may be some bumps in the road trying to navigate this “new normal,” your organization is doing its very best to adapt and keep everyone informed.
As with any crisis, the health, wellbeing and safety of staff should be priority one. As business operations start to ramp up again, that priority shouldn’t be abandoned.