Rapid Study on The Impact Of COVID-19 On the Personal and Official Wellbeing of PAC Staffs

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Rapid Study on The Impact Of COVID-19 On the Personal and Official Wellbeing of PAC Staffs

Vivetha Gunaretnam
(MSW(c), BSW Hons, Dip in Counselling)

National Institute of Social Development, Sri Lanka

Introduction

This paper addresses the impact of COVID- 19 on the personal and official wellbeing of PAC staff. The term COVID-19 can be defined as Coronavirus disease for 2019. According to World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Virus. The term personal wellbeing is a good, satisfactory, and desirable state of personal existence or life. It represents the personal aspect of the quality of the life (Janek Musek, 2014). According to International Labor Organization (ILO, 2015), workplace wellbeing is related to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment to how workers feel about work, their working environment, the climate of the work, and work organization. The term Mental Health can be defined as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his/her ability can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can contribute to his or her community (WHO, 2015). This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on the personal and official wellbeing of the Psychological Advisory Center (PAC) Staff. PAC is a well-known established organization that aims to promote the psychological wellbeing of the people globally and locally. Staff’ are working in the organization and the researcher aimed to find out the COVID-19 impact on their personal and official wellbeing. In exploring the dependent variable of the impact of the COVID-19, the present paper discusses the independent variable such as personal and official wellbeing by accessing the knowledge; heard/seen stories, awareness of the symptoms, preventative measures, the government interventions. The criteria of Personal life impact, explore the impact as a person, impact as a family member, affecting needs and services, security, friendship, intimacy, and sense of connection. In exploring the official life with PAC, working conditions, decision-making skills, interaction with other colleagues, and working hours have been examined during the COVID-19 period.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on March 11, 2020. (PHEIC). The virus quickly spread throughout the world in the weeks that followed, causing governments in afflicted nations to enact lockdown measures to reduce transmission rates and avoid overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms. From 3 January 2020 to 4:50 pm CET on November 19, 2021, there were 554,459 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, with 14,072 deaths, according to WHO. This massive disaster hits the Sri Lankan economy badly and (Sri Lanka and the COVID – 19 crisis. Impact on the incomes of Sri Lankan households, 2020) stated, Because of the COVID issue, male-headed households are more likely to see a fall in household income than female-headed households. The (Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Employment in the Private sector, Sri Lanka, October 2020) indicate that COVID-19 had a negative financial impact on workers from all sectors, with over two-thirds of respondents having at least one impact on their capacity to meet personal and family financial commitments in Sri Lanka. As a result, a large portion of the working people saw severe changes in their daily lives. People who commuted to work and had active social lives outside of their homes were forced to work from home (WFH), many employees were furloughed or laid off as various businesses and industries shut down, and emergency room staff, supermarket employees, and other essential employees were faced with a dramatic increase in workload and job strain. The objective of this study is to understand the impact of the pandemic on COVID-19 with a specific focus on the personal and official wellbeing of the PAC staff and recommend the possible measures to enhance their wellbeing from a social work perspective.

Read More