After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was put on hold and Rwanda wasn’t spared from the virus. Since then, the world has lived in constant fear of getting sick or having to be isolated from friends and loved ones.

With a focus on the impact this pandemic has had on the labour force, one can’t afford not to discern how employees are coping with the current working conditions.

As the pandemic progressed, workers have expressed feelings of fatigue, stress, and burnout. Others, who had (have) the privilege of working remotely, have been challenged with balancing work and personal life, as the two worlds now merged. 

Some employees have to juggle being their family’s caregivers, bread-winners, teachers, and day-care providers simultaneously. In addition to all this, they are living with high levels of stress and other strong emotions due to the pandemic.

Regarding how this impacts employees’ health and their job performance, employers are recommended to find strategies to help them cope with these uncertain times.

Among these strategies, is the need to create an environment to discuss job stress that employees may be facing with each other in the workplace.

Living with increased stress levels can lead to decreased motivation, decreased ability to focus, and limited creativity, says Rose R. Nyiraneza, Head of mental health department at Autism Echo Africa.

A technique that employers can use to help their employees is to create spaces where employees can discuss what their stressors are, she notes.

"By opening up this line of communication, employees and employers can identify whether work stressors or personal life stressors are impacting the employee’s performance. Importantly, employers should approach these conversations without judgment,” Nyiraneza adds.

To ensure good mental health and wellbeing of employees, Gamaliel Ririhafi, a clinical psychologist says workplaces need to normalise mental health conversations inside organisations, cultivate a mental health friendly environment and avail mental health services for employees.

Employees need spaces where they feel free to talk about their mental health without fear of stigma or judgment. They also need a place where they can have empathy from co-workers, social support and trust, he highlights. 

"Finally, in case they feel they need mental health services, they need a place where they can easily get information or professional help to meet their needs,” Ririhafi adds.

Employees, on the other hand can improvise ways on how they can deal with stress resulting from the working conditions caused by the pandemic. Here are some tips;

Implement schedules or routines to separate work and personal life

The pandemic forced us out of our regular schedules and routines. Working from home creates the expectation, in some workplaces, that employees should always be reachable and this also blurs the line between work-life and personal life.

The effects can be so severe that, in the process, some have reported losing productivity, not having time for physical activity, and losing the feeling of a clear sense of purpose. Having routines can give people a sense of direction.

Although the pandemic forced people to let go of some of their favourite activities, like socialising during lunch breaks with colleagues and going to the gym before or after work, that does not mean they cannot recreate those activities, in line with COVID-19 restrictions, to reap their benefits.

Encourage seeking mental health support

Although being able to talk to one another at the workplace, creating routines, and setting a clear boundary between work and personal life are good steps, it may not be enough. Some may need professional help to go through the pandemic, as they may be too afraid to seek such help because of the stigma around therapy and counselling. 

If safe spaces are created for colleagues to discuss openly about their need to seek out help for their mental health, it can reduce the stigma and discrimination that goes along with it. One of the biggest misconceptions about mental health is that someone must be labelled with a clinical condition.