Mental Health and Employee Performance: A COVID-19-Based View

Introduction

Human history has faced several ups and downs in the shape of different pandemics, epidemics, and world wars. For instance, Prehistoric epidemic: Circa (3000 B.C)., Flu pandemic (1889-1890), Spanish Flu (1918-1920), Asian Flu (1957-1958), AIDS pandemic and epidemic (1981-present day) Swine Flu pandemic (2009-2010), West African Ebola epidemic (2014-2016)(Jarus, 2020), world war I (1914-1918), world war II (1939-1945), and COVID-19 (2019-present). Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) began spreading at the end of 2019 and was seen toward the beginning of January 2020. It began spreading in China (Wuhan) in mid-to-late January. Upwards of 184 out of 195 nations have been affected by COVID-19. Comprehending the helpful test is the key need through legitimate preventive measures to stop its spread, just as a corrective measure to build up an antibody. The effect of this general wellbeing crisis has influenced nations and networks as far as financial, socio-mental issues, and universal relations. United States of America, Brazil, Italy, and India are the most affected nations by COVID-19 respectively. Millions of people are affected by COVID-19 across the world.

The COVID-19 is not the only global challenge that the world is facing these days. Infodemic based on pandemic (COVID-19) is another serious challenge for the world. Each flare-up is joined with a sort of big wave of data and information, however, this data can be based on deception, gossipy tidbits, rumors, and so on. Misinformation not only impacts negatively on the human body but also the mental health of the people. The management at WHO’s Health Emergencies Program is also worried and understands the impact of infodemic on human health and their professional performance.

Business organizations are facing the challenges of pandemic (COVID-19) and may also start to face the glitches of infodemic in 2020. Due to COVID-19 based infodemic, business organizations are facing serious consequences from the perspective of financial matters, employees' psychological and physical health, employee performance, and organization s’ performance. Social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. played a very aggressive role in the growth of this infodemic. Social media has no check and balances on the reliability of the content and data. The misinformation/wrong information regarding health issues of the employees, organizations’ market share and financial matters, future firing and hiring policies of the organizations, international operations of the companies are the main causes to disturb the organizations during this pandemic. The COVID-19 based infodemic has also disturbed the psychological contract between the employer and the employees. The impact of pandemic (COVID-19) may be decreased in 2021, however, the impact of relevant infodemic will continue on organizations several years in the future.

From the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, misinformation, rumors, and conspiracies have surfaced which has undermined the trust in health care organizations or even the government. Work-life has been profoundly impacted by the pandemic in terms of economic/social life disruption, loss of livelihoods, and impaired wellbeing. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the guidelines of workplace measures of employees during COVID 19, the wellbeing and mental health of the employees will greatly determine the safety measures implementation and sustainability.

As COVID 19 has been declared to be long lasting by the World Health Organization, the adaptation to the changes in lifestyle will have to be understood from a long-term perspective. From an organizational point of view, this is a period of an opportunity to redesign workplace environments in a manner that they are equally adaptable to the current demands and enhance the wellbeing of its employees. Employees being the greatest assets in current challenging times, their needs must be taken care of to build an effective and sustainable work environment.