Workers are 'scarred not just by the lockdown restrictions but also by job insecurity'
More than half of workers in Australia are experiencing greater levels of stress and anxiety due to the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, a new pulse survey has revealed.
Workers who were either fired or forced to cut back on work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic have reported feeling ‘concerned’ or ‘extremely concerned’ about job security (54%), according to a poll by consulting firm Engaged Strategy.
Recent cost-containment measures – ranging from pay cuts and reduced work hours to massive layoffs – have resulted in emotional strain among workers, the study found.
READ MORE: Are Aussie workers struggling to work from home?
Overall, about a third of the Australian workforce has been affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis in one way or the other, with 12% having lost their jobs.
People have been “scarred not just by the lockdown restrictions, but also by job insecurity,” said Christopher Roberts, managing director at Engaged Strategy.
HR leaders play a significant role in ensuring workers have managers whom they can turn to and who empathise with them. These steps can impact an organisation’s employer brand.
“People always remember a brand for what it does for them during tough times,” Roberts said.
However, less than half of those reeling from the economic impact of COVID-19 felt supported by their organisation (49%), and only two in five felt satisfied with their employers’ crisis management strategy (41%).
READ MORE: Which employees are exempt from returning to the worksite?
“What is even more pronounced is that 25% of employees who were not economically impacted also did not feel supported by their organisation and are now fraught with anxiety,” Roberts said.
Businesses in Australia and across the world have been laying down plans for a safe return to the workplace after the pandemic, but “as restrictions are being lifted now, it is important for organisations to factor in their employees’ emotional readiness to return to work,” Roberts said.
“The reason for the trigger of emotional anxiety may go away with the restrictions being lifted, but the scars of this lockdown will have residual effects, which can affect employee productivity.”
