Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Multi-Disciplinary Simulation and Skills Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 15;21(7):924. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070924.
As a natural experiment or "stress test" on the rapidly shifting work environment from office to home during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, staff wellbeing has been considered as the most critical issue in organizational change management. Following an overview of the relevant literature and recent official statistics, this essay aims to (i) address the major considerations and challenges in light of the transformation and re-design of the mode of work in the new normal and (ii) inform practical decisions for overall staff wellbeing under post-pandemic work-from-home (WFH) conditions with recommendations. For the sake of both staff healthiness and safety, as well as organizational competitiveness, senior management should take reasonable steps to enhance occupational safety in their WFH policy in line with practical recommendations on five areas, namely, (i) ergonomics, (ii) stress and anxiety management, (iii) workplace boundaries, (iv) work-family conflicts, and (v) other factors regarding a negative work atmosphere (e.g., loneliness attack, burnout, and workplace violence) particularly on virtual platforms. With the suggested evidence-based practices on WFH initiatives, senior management could make a difference in optimizing the overall workplace wellbeing of staff after the pandemic.
作为新冠疫情期间及之后,办公室向家庭办公快速转变这一工作环境变化的自然实验或“压力测试”,员工健康已被视为组织变革管理中最关键的问题。本文在综述相关文献和近期官方统计数据的基础上,旨在(i)针对新常态下工作模式的转变和重新设计,提出主要的考虑因素和挑战;(ii)在疫情后居家办公条件下,为整体员工健康提出建议,为员工福祉和安全以及组织竞争力提供实用决策信息。为了员工的健康和安全,以及组织的竞争力,高层管理者应采取合理措施,根据五个方面的实际建议,增强其居家办公政策中的职业安全,这五个方面分别是:(i)人体工程学;(ii)压力和焦虑管理;(iii)工作场所边界;(iv)工作-家庭冲突;以及(v)其他与负面工作氛围相关的因素(例如,孤独感侵袭、倦怠和工作场所暴力),特别是在虚拟平台上。通过对居家办公计划的循证实践建议,高层管理者可以在疫情后优化员工的整体工作场所健康。