Workplace responses to COVID‐19 associated with mental health and work performance of employees in Japan

• Published in: Journal of occupational health Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. e12134 - n/a
• Main Authors: Sasaki, Natsu, Kuroda, Reiko, Tsuno, Kanami, Kawakami, Norito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Anxiety; Anxiety - therapy; Anxiety - virology; Betacoronavirus; Brief Report; Brief Reports; Cohort Studies; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; Correlation analysis; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Employees; Epidemics; Fear; Fear - psychology; Female; Gender; Humans; infection; Information sources; Japan - epidemiology; Job performance; Linear Models; Male; Marital status; Medical research; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases - psychology; Occupational Diseases - therapy; Occupational Diseases - virology; Occupational Health; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - psychology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Psychological stress; Questionnaires; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Work Performance; Workplace - psychology; Japan; COVID-19; anxiety; SARS-CoV-2; infection; occupational health
• ISSN: 1348-9585; 1341-9145; 1348-9585
• DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12134

Objectives The study investigated the links between workplace measures implemented in response to COVID‐19 with mental health and work performance of employees in Japan. Methods This was a cross‐sectional study of a sample from a cohort study of full‐time employees. Participants (n = 1448) completed an online self‐report questionnaire on March 19‐22, 2020. Multiple linear regression was conducted to ascertain their fear of and worry associated with COVID‐19, psychological distress, and work performance. Results The number of workplace measures correlated positively with respondents' fear of and worry associated with COVID‐19 (adjusted standardized β = 0.123, P < .001), negatively with psychological distress and positively with work performance (adjusted standardized β = −0.068, P = .032; adjusted standardized β = 0.101, P = .002; respectively). Conclusions Workplace measures may promote and maintain the mental health and work performance of employees during the COVID‐19 epidemic. The positive association between the number of measures and fear and worry about COVID‐19 may reflect increased awareness about COVID‐19 among employees resulted from taking the measures.