Abstract

The influence of Covid-19 on mental health of employees and its impact on the work culture in the textile sector has been investigated. The objective has been to study the influences of Covid-19 on mental Health of workers and to assess the impact of mental health on organizational Work Culture. Available literature has been reviewed. It was concluded that there is a significant impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of employees. Employees faced mild to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress due to prolonged working hours, change in work dynamics, isolation etc. The impact of mental health of employees also affected the work culture in organizations to some extent. A shift in work culture dynamics has been observed due to work from home and virtual mode of communication during Covid-19 pandemic. The investigation sheds light on how Covid-19 has affected employees working in different industries and locations and how the impact of their mental health has changed the work culture of organization.

Keywords:Employees; Mental health; Textile sector; Work culture

Introduction

There is little awareness with regard to the widespread epidemics, particularly during the initial onset and how it affects public mental health. Owing to this lack of knowledge, it has been difficult to help people as they deal with the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak. The World Health Organization puts estimate that 300 million individuals are afflicted by mental depression globally (WHO, 2018). The mental health of people affects their general wellbeing as well as their communities. Mental health is quite distinctive. The mental health of a person is affected by a number of factors. That which is unpleasant and distressing for some, may not be so for others. What affects one person may not cause concern for another. Mental health has connection to a number of factors such as life experiences, interpersonal relationships, values, cultures, and so on. The mental condition of a person spans from childhood until maturity by way of day-to-day interactions in households, schools, companies, and so on. Mental illness can be identified as a state of emotional agony that leads to mild to serious conditions of depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms, and has been often used as an indication of mental health Drapeau et al. [1]. The COVID-19 has been a widespread pandemic across the globe and resulted in a serious impact on not only people’s physical wellbeing but also their economic condition and mental health. Countries all over the world have urged businesses to confine to remote work so as to arrest the corona virus from growing while maintaining output. Concepts like telework which comprises of Work from home (WFH), video conferencing, flex workspaces, and remote work, offer options as work structure wherein persons carry out their activities from home while interacting with colleagues and using technology for communication and information (ICTs) Tavares et al. [2]. The sudden transitions to WFH and other factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic provide a distinctive environment to study the effect of WFH on both mental and physical well-being. Social and behavioural factors have the most overt effects on health. The most prominent observation is that the prolonged home confinement during the pandemic could have caused emotions of overall anxiety and depression that often lead to alterations to lifestyle and dietary behavior Di Renzo L, Gualtieri P, Cinelli G et al. [3].

The post covid scenario

Covid-19 has triggered a number of factors like linked illnesses, physical solitude, stigma, and prejudice, as well as employment losses in numerous of the places badly affected by the epidemic, and has caused mental health issues among youth, women, children, and elders. Other health issues include post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, sorrow, and insomnia that people experienced in COVID-19. At this period, electronic therapy for mental illnesses has been made available, and social media has been used to spread services for mental health and to share knowledge. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a number of organisations, authorities, etc. to focus on the mental health of their employees. Some years ago, a few organizations lay emphasis on mental health by including it as a crucial component of their entire well-being initiatives. Covid-19 transformed the landscape. Following COVID-19, services have been directed towards improvement of the mental health of both the wider populace and personnel in organisations. The working culture of many employees has changed due to the lockdown and home-based employment policies. This new culture has created stress at work from lengthy duration of work during the work from home period emerged along with the new dynamics. Thus, the trend of stress at the office has shifted to home Sutarto et al. [4]. Arising from the pandemic, many employees have been laid off as cost cutting measures. In this period, personnel have been deprived of their salary raises and incentives.

The new shift of work dynamics has influenced the mental health of employees, job insecurity, and financial instability, which led to poor or decreased work efficiency and effectiveness. Their mental health in this period has been aggravated by people who have already been suffering from mental illness. The WHO have been compelled to frame guidelines for managing mental health. During the entire period of COVID-19, there have been symptoms of persons afflicted by sadness, anxiety, insomnia, tension, etc. Certain problems may also worsen or even worsen throughout these times, as per Mayo Clinic. During the post COVID-19 period, a number of organization have evolved strategies for mental wellbeing of their employees so as to mitigate stress levels and boost productivity. Those who could not develop any distinct mental health programme instructed HR personnel on how to interact with staff members afflicted with mental health problems. Counselling seemed the most effective option for dealing with issues related to mental well-being, wherein HR personnel interacted with affected employees. Earlier studies carried out related to the topic reveal the perceptible effect of Covid-19 on mental health of employees, which also hampered their efficiency at work. Owing to the changing dynamics in work environment causing change in work culture, serious mentl health issues have been caused in the employees. People who were affected with Covid-19 virus had to face both mental and physical health concerns which directly affected their performance. Investigations reveal that Africans have become more susceptible to work stress after Covid than people of Gulf countries Ayesha S Al Dhaheri et al. [5].

How mental health of employee affects work culture

The work culture of an organization reflects its accomplishments. It is particularly valid in the area of employee mental health and well-being, in which even the best staff practises can be pulled down by a weak culture. Based upon investigations, organizations do not create an environment conducive to mental health. Whereas, they affect the morale of their employees by offering low wages, overburdening them with work, having weak leaders, acting unethically toward the staff, etc. It is surprising to note that many organizations tend to overlook these aspects. Payment of low salaries/wages and overburdening with workload nearly 50% of the workforce leads to increase in stress, poor health, and shoddy job involvement, whether done deliberately or coincidentally. The work culture has a profound influence on the physical and mental well being of an employee. Leaders must educate followers on how to spot risky behaviour since employees demand a pleasant workplace. It needs creation of a setup wherein employees feel free talking about their problems. Educating on the common symptoms of depression and providing good mental health support and help will help create such an environment. When rightly considered an organizational culture should focus on fairness, impartiality, and faith in a workplace. In general, an organization’s culture is made up of the core values upheld by that group. Such values could be effectively utilized by employees as guidelines for reasonable conduct and problemsolving techniques.

These together could become a combination of moral ideas, concepts, convictions, and goals. Providing a conducive environment can enable employees to effectively manage their mental health issues, cope with pressure, and increase their tolerance levels. Despite a number of factors that can influence the mental health of employees, organizations can only permit restricted level of influence. But, organisations can certainly exercise a certain level of control over workplace culture. A number of benefits exist to employee mental health that is more equal. By providing employees with the practical means they require to effectively manage stress enables organisations enhance mental health and a better workspace while also making a good investment. Organizations have evolved effective and affordable techniques of encouraging better mental health at work by establishing a culture that lays emphasis on mental health problems and provides support without bias. The development of mutually beneficial relationships among teammates and the fostering of a supportive environment among managers are two relatively low-cost, simple steps that can significantly impact employee mental health.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to extremely elevated levels of mental distress, which frequently exceed the bar for medical significance. The psychological responses of the populace during an infectious illness outbreak have a significant impact on the disease’s propagation as well as the incidence of emotional distress and social disorder during as well as following the outbreak Cullen et al. [6]. An worldwide health goal is reducing the risk that COVID-19 will have on mental health. In the words of Rajgopal T [7] “Job related occupational anxiety is a primary reason for workplace ill health, poor productivity and cognitive mistake”. The findings are disturbing since they point to considerably greater incidence of sadness and anxiety, even among people who do not currently have a diagnosis. The most significant effects on public mental wellness and health are probably going to come from the measures designed to mitigate the social, financial, and role disturbances brought on by COVID-19, especially among those who already have medical issues. Also, the employees’ stress levels declined as their education and age rose Shanjani et al. [8]. As the work hours have been longer and employees were put under risk of getting infected, they were under constant stress at work place. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown appear to be more distressing for persons under the age of 35, women, those without jobs, and those with poor incomes Pieh et al. [9].

It affected their mental health creating depression signs and anxiety and burnout in few cases. The employees of the corporate sector like Reliance, Raymonds, etc., were not spared. Particularly in younger individuals and those with higher educational backgrounds, psychological conditions are exacerbated by job insecurity, extended periods of isolation, and future uncertainty Giorgi et al. [10]. Due to the shift in work dynamics and increasing work from home made them feel more isolated and hence a victim of depression. In the case of garment sectors the employees working in the corporate sector faced work overload and reduced inter-personal relationships due to work from home which put them under work stress and consequently affected their mental health. Research done with respect to Gulf and African countries suggests that people living in African countries were more impacted with Covid-19 compared to Gulf Countries. Although the COVID-19 pandemic had some minor emotional impact, it also had some beneficial effects on adult understanding of mental health issues and family support in these countries. Research done on general population showed high rates of symptoms of depression, anxiety, emotional distress and stress. The pandemic has posed threats to employees in high, middle and low income nations.

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