Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Well-Being of Employees: A Study of Mental Wellness of Employees during COVID-19 in India

COVID-19, which also induced an economic downturn globally, has forced the organizations to suddenly implement remote working, creating many challenges for the employees. The fast spread of the virus may also create fear among the employees. It can have a detrimental impact on the mental well-being of employees. There exists inadequate research on this subject, which is not only new but also very important. The study aims to assess the impact of a sudden transition to remote working, economic downturn, and the fear of virus transmission on the mental well-being of employees in India, focusing on the triggers of anxiety & mental illness. The impact of anxiety-causing independent factors, including organizational support, worklife balance, isolation, fear of the virus, and recession, on mental well-being, was determined through a survey. The dependent factor, i.e., the severity of anxiety, was measured using GAD-7 questions. The independent factors were measured through structured questions. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out on SPSS. There were no significant differences in gender between severities of anxiety. Logistic regression revealed that Organizational Support significantly influenced the anxiety of employees. It was found that there exists a significant association between the severity of anxiety in Employee Assistance Program, Job Insecurity, Financial Impact, and Fear of getting the virus, Concern over Safety at Workplace, Home Environment and Deterioration in team collaboration