#Workforce-19

Maria Staikopoulou

Published in

Ηγεσία και Συναισθηματική Νοημοσύνη

9 min readJun 15, 2021

The Adaptation to the New Post-Pandemic Workplace

The present situation

Even before the economic activity begins timidly and gradually, immediately after the lifting of traffic bans, the most grim predictions of the wreckage left behind by the pandemic are already in full swing.

Macroeconomic indicators collapsing globally, freezing in production and consumption — as well as the vertical drop in oil prices amid a pandemic — are putting unbearable pressure on the labor market, with results that have not been recorded for nearly a century.

Indicatively, in the US, the strongest western economy hit hard by the virus, unemployment is already hovering above 14%, having already broken the post-war record and moving fast to overcome that of the Great Recession.

In the EU, which has also been hit hard by the corona virus and does not seem to be taking steps to effectively support its states, the situation is uneven. Greece, which has just begun to show signs of recovery from the economic crisis, is at the forefront of reducing GDP in the Commission’s most recent report — the Union’s most vulnerable state. A decline of 9.7% is expected for 2020. The Commission’s unfavorable scenario still speaks of a 30% reduction in investment. These translate, at the labor market level, into a forecast of up to 20% unemployment in the country.

Beyond the language of numbers, and as business suspension gradually unfolds by industry and activity, it is visible to the naked eye from citizens returning that many of the stores and businesses that were suspended at the beginning of the lockdown will not reopen. Unemployment has risen more than 5% since March compared to the corresponding month of 2019, with April being the worst since 2001, with 103,000 fewer jobs than in the same month last year.

The need

It is clear from the above that there is an intense need — beyond the support measures of businesses and employees which have a direct impact on the country’s finances and may drag it into a new vicious cycle of austerity — for psychological and emotional support of employees and entrepreneurs. After all, mental health services and free support actions were used very heavily by the citizens, further demonstrating the need.

The Greek Psychiatric Service, for example, provided free online sessions, and in March-April alone, 12,000 people used them.

The key to reintegrating workers, the self-employed and employers into the workplace, is to qualify and cultivate emotional intelligence that will allow mutual understanding, a common attitude towards the coming crisis and the creation of supporting nuclei, horizontally or vertically in the environment of each organism.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is “the ability of an individual to perceive, his feelings and the emotions of others, to separate them and use them as a source of energy, information and influence both for himself and other people around him.”

They identified three cognitive processes related to this term:

The ability to perceive emotions in yourself and others accurately.
The ability to use emotions to facilitate thinking.
The ability to understand emotions, their language and the signals that are conveyed through emotions.
The ability to manage emotions to achieve specific goals.

Salovey and Mayer were the first to formally introduce the term emotional well-being, believing that it could contribute to the successful settlement of personal and professional issues.

The same researchers defined emotional intelligence as “the ability of an individual to perceive reality in order to recognize and regulate his or her emotional reactions.”

The idea

Responding to the need for emotional and psychological support in the workplace, we decided to start by researching in more depth the parameters of the problem in order to draw up a comprehensive action plan.

In the context of this research:

We studied financial figures and forecasts, focusing on labor market research.
We collected data from questionnaires with both employees and employers in the middle of the lockdown about their emotional state regarding the imminent end of the virus.
We interviewed psychologists and life coaches to record best support practices.

The goal: The psychological well-being of employees during the crisis but also after its re-adjustment.

Interviews: The sample of respondents is divided into two main groups: 1. The employees, with a sample of 14 people and, 2. The executives, with a sample of 5 people. The questions concerned the emotional state of both groups, both through multiple choice and open development, in order to gather as much detailed information as possible.

1.Employess

The questionnaire is available at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3KvCyEMbTPyBeiFg8P6hggo-jTaeti7w0h29fa8UUzyJWmg/viewform.

From the sample of 14 employees, half (7) answered that they work, most of them (5 out of 7) from home, and the other half that they do not work / are suspended.

When asked if they were under psychological pressure and where they came from, a little less than half answered “no” while several said they felt “uncertain about the future” or “worried about tomorrow” and two of them expressed anxiety and pressure towards the reduction or even lack of fees.

When asked how they judge the attitude of their employer during the pandemic crisis, more than half (9) judged it positively, describing it as satisfactory, immediate, correct and even excellent and supportive. On the contrary, there were 4 negative responses that criticized the attitude due to the fact that, as they judged, the employer either ignored or did not inform enough, or cheated or acted selfishly.

As for whether measures that have been taken to support workers in the company in which they work, some answers (4) were negative, one was related to the transition to telecommuting without paying and the other answers referred to either a change in work from home or its protection. workers’ health with various measures.

When asked about the adjustment and whether they face fears or concerns, only 3 answered in the negative and the remaining 11 expressed fears or concerns about either the financial situation of the market or the country, or themselves, or the workload that would follow. whether they continue to work or not.

They were then asked what they would change or suggest as a way to manage the crisis if they were in the position of their employers. Some (4) answered “nothing” while the rest of the answers varied between proper internal information, personal hygiene and disinfection measures, continued remote work, timely payment and support to employees, advertising and re-adaptation to its new data. purchase.

Then, the sample of employees was asked to write down 5 emotions that represent them at this time. Everyone who answered also expressed some pleasant — the most prevalent: joy, optimism / hope — as well as unpleasant feelings (more than the pleasant) with predominance being uncertainty, anxiety, fear, anger, curiosity / wonder.

Finally, they were given 6 emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust) for which they were asked to state whether they were expressing themselves.

2. Employers

The questionnaire addressed to business executives is available at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-HVMfFL8TAowdScdxFUgBJXvkgDdSLxJbPCPrNbZA4nqCZw/viewform.

The results obtained came from a sample of 5 people. Of these, 4 work or manage a company that continues to function while one in a company in suspension. 2 out of 5 work from home, 2 in the workplace and 1 in both.

When asked what measures they took during the virus crisis, most answered homework / work from home, one the suspension of staffing contract and one the controlled access to work as well as measures to protect workers’ health (using a mask, etc.). etc., electronic payments).

Regarding whether they are under psychological pressure and where it comes from, 3 out of 5 answered that they are under pressure and mainly because of the customers, 1 because of the difficulty of the lack of physical presence and 1 answered negatively.

When asked to reassess their assessment, 3 in 5 showed optimism for the future (that we would return to normalcy or that the vaccine would be found), 1 expressed fear of underlying disease and 1 due to financial issues with customers.

For the criticism of the staff’s attitude towards any changes, most described it as positive (3 consider it due to adaptability and 1 with the argument “since they have a job despite the situation”) and 1 described it as “neutral”.

As for their own attitude and if they would change something, everyone answered negative, while 1 answered that he followed the government’s decisions, although he would prefer the services to be executed in person and 1 argued that he would prefer not to work due to poor psychological condition.

In recording 5 emotions experienced during the reassignment period, some negative emotions seem to be dominant, such as stress, anxiety, uncertainty or fear (4 out of 5 report at least one of them). Same emotions were expressed by the employees results. Some have even added sadness, grief, pessimism, hesitation and skepticism, while mixed with the above, 3 of the 5 also experience positive emotions, such as optimism or hope, joy and courage.

I’m the end, they were asked to rate each of the 6 different emotions given to them in intensity from not at all to too much and the answers are as follows:

So, based on the feelings of the above answers, we turned to a life coach and a psychologist, with experience in this field, to give advice and directions that could help employers make the adjustment period as painless as possible.

Interviews by a psychologist and life coach:

Dimitra Galeou- life coach

https://soundcloud.com/dimitris-bounias-735624477/life-coach-eq

-The employee should take the necessary measures and precautions on his own, not be overwhelmed by fear and panic, but be optimistic and face each day as if it were a new beginning.

-The right leader / employer should take care of the hygiene in the workplace for both employees and himself and deal with issues one by one thinking that it is a phase and will pass like all life.

-He should also try to reassure the employees by reminding them how important their work is and how grateful he is for it.

-There must be trust on both sides, possibly some rewards.

Sophia Houndra, BSc (Hons) Psychology, MBPsS

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17LKHik-We2E6vZchkP8O1qITzUXPoPu5?usp=sharing

Main insights from the conversation with her:

•What scares people in general during such a crisis is basically the loss of a sense of control.

•Employers must be available, accessible and honest.