Research finds that mental health and mortality are linked together by work conditions such as workload, job demands, the employee's cognitive ability, and the amount of autonomy given to the employee.
In today's time, where many are asked to continue working from home to fulfill their role as essential employees, many experts raised inquiries about these work conditions and its impact on mental health, not just in relation to COVID-19.
Researchers from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business found that when work demands are higher than the control managed by the job or an employee's ability to deal with those demands, a deterioration of their mental health and increased likelihood of death occurs.
According to Erik Gonzalez-Mulé, the paper's lead author, the team found that work stressors are more likely to bring about depression and death as a consequence of jobs where workers have little authority over their tasks or for people with lower cognitive abilities. Gonzalez-Mulé is also an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at the Kelley School.
Furthermore, the researchers also uncovered that job demands paired with more control of work responsibilities ensued in better physical health and a lower likelihood of death.
The researchers gathered information from 3,148 Wisconsin residents who participated in the nationally representative, longitudinal Midlife in the United States survey. During the 20-year study, 211 participants of those in their sample have died.
The study was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and is a follow-up to previous research Gonzalez-Mulé and his co-author Bethany Cockburn, an assistant professor of management at Northern Illinois University, published in 2017.
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How to Cope With Stress at Work
According to Harvard, chronic work stress that's been built over time can lead to a psychological syndrome called burnout. Overwhelming exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of inefficacy are warning signs of burnout.
Having too much work or too little independence, inadequate pay, lack of community between coworkers, unfairness or disrespect, and a mismatch between workplace and personal values could also contribute to a person having a burnout, Harvard says.
According to Gonzalez-Mulé, managers should provide employees more control at work or a reduction in demands, especially those working in demanding jobs. He adds that allowing employees to set their own goals or decide their own style or method of performing their work could improve the employee's health.
Furthermore, he says that organizations should assign demanding jobs to people possessing high cognitive abilities. By doing this, there will be a win-win situation wherein job performance will be more productive, and the workers will remain healthier.
Mental Health During the Coronavirus Crisis
Gonzalez-Mulé said that the coronavirus crisis might be causing more mental health issues, which is why work mustn't make those problems worse. He added that managers and higher officials could manage and perhaps reduce employee demands, make themselves aware of employees' cognitive capability to handle orders, and provide their employees with more freedom.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines that employees can use to cope up with stress during the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the CDC's tips include communicating with coworkers and supervisors while maintaining social distancing and increasing one's sense of control by following a consistent daily routine.
To avoid additional stress, reminding oneself that everyone is experiencing a transition and is under unusual circumstances with limited resources can help people feel like they are alone in their struggles, CDC says.
Furthermore, taking a break from watching or viewing repeated stressful news about the pandemic can also help as these can be mentally exhausting, the organization says.
