The COVID-19 pandemic and related social restrictions, such as lockdowns and movement limitations, have impacted many spaces in society, as well as facets of people’s professional and personal lives. People have been affected in disparate ways, due to their occupation, socio-economic prestige level and other variables. For example, depending on the needs for physical presence at work and genuine interpersonal contact, as opposed to teleworking opportunities, other people have experienced other types of changes in their lives.
Additionally, age groups with young children at home would likely have faced a greater burden in their personal lives during the existing pandemic. A United Nations policy report warned last year that “the long-term effects of the crisis on people’s intellectual fitness and therefore the effects of intellectual fitness on society should not be underestimated. ” neglected. ” Given the considerations raised through this sensitive topic, the World Health Organization warned in October 2020 that intellectual aptitude deserves to be considered as “an integral component of the response to COVID-19. ”
How have other teams in the company been affected?What changes have taken place during the pandemic, inside and outside of work, as well as in terms of fitness and well-being?To answer those questions, a team from the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University, a UNAI member institution in Sweden, conducted a study, where changes in career conditions, lifestyle problems, and self-reported intellectual and general fitness were studied before and after. the start of the first wave of the pandemic and related restrictions in Sweden.
The research team is composed of Cecilia Stenfors (project leader), Linda Magnusson Hanson, Constanze Leineweber and Hugo Westerlund. The study was conducted on working adults and changes were studied within different occupational groups with greater versus lesser chances for physical distancing at work, including occupations with good opportunities for teleworking, major groups of contact professions requiring physical contact with people, versus occupations in goods production, material manufacturing, processes, among others.
Of note, innovations in fitness were observed among occupations with greater prospects for teleworking, which experienced a reduction in symptoms of burnout and cognitive strain (e. g. , concentration disorders), improving recovery and overall fitness. However, a significant exception is the occurrence (higher among other people over 40 years of age) of depressive symptoms, which were the main ones in this group, as well as among compulsory school and childcare occupations. seen physical condition.
On the positive side, other people across professional teams sometimes experienced a greater work-life balance, with fewer work-life conflicts and a positive work-life exchange. However, this was not the case for other people attending compulsory school or daycare activities, nor for organisations under 40, which spent more time on children’s activities during the pandemic. Overall declines were observed in all professions in terms of workload, but also in terms of popularity and praise at work.
None of these adjustments were observed between mandatory school and childcare occupations, one organization that was not yet teleworking had to temporarily implement new methods to restrict virus transmission in schools and daycares. On the negative side, there has been a general increase in lack of confidence in tasks and threats to employment, as well as emotional tension, specifically in relation to clients and/or customers. Added to this is the fact that frontline professionals are experiencing a growing threat of infection at work.
Regarding lifestyle factors, several teams reported adjustments in time spent on other responsibilities and activities during the pandemic. Increasing time for rest and relaxation was a general theme. Occupations with teleworking potential and high socioeconomic status teams spend more time on housework and maintenance, as well as physical activity, and less time commuting. The under-40 organization spends more time worrying about children, while the older teams spend less time on those activities.
Ongoing studies investigate the living environment, access to and use of natural spaces and their importance for the resilience and fitness of other teams during the pandemic (led by Cecilia Stenfors). Early results show that those with more “green” around their homes had greater intellectual fitness and well-being, and the use of giant natural spaces increased, further highlighting the importance of those spaces, especially in a pandemic, when many physical activities help social and physical activities. They have moved abroad.
An inquiry into organisational changes, redundancies, layoffs and social leave, intellectual fitness and lack of fitness as a result of the COVID-19 crisis (led by Linda Magnusson Hanson), how life-life balance, quality of tasks and physical fitness is affected by telepainting (led by Paraskevi Peristera) is also planned, and how being “locked in” in a desired task or profession that is not painting affects sick leave due to poor physical condition over time, how this has evolved in other sectors. The pandemic and the role of social stressors (directed by Johanna Stengård).
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis in our lives. Only now is the extent of the effect on people’s intellectual aptitude becoming clear. This can have serious consequences for many years,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message. As the study presented here demonstrates, the effect on intellectual aptitude is varied and requires further investigation. A deeper look at how this global crisis is affecting people’s lives is necessary and, in this sense, the role of universities is fundamental.