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Human Resources during COVID-19: A Monthly Survey on Mental Health and Working Attitudes of Czech Employees and Managers during the Year 2020

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  • Marcel Rolf Pfeifer

    (Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Management, Brno University of Technology, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic)

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns and non-lockdown phases on managers and employees in the Czech Republic in the year 2020. The Czech Republic came through the first COVID-19 wave in spring 2020 with low case numbers, but became one of the countries with the highest case incidences in the second autumn wave in Europe. The study focused on examining the differences of perceptions on digital readiness of the company, working style, and mental health variables of working personnel in lockdown and non-lockdown phases. Data was obtained by an online survey conducted monthly from March-2020 to December-2020 with the same questions each month. Collected data consisted of respondents’ basic information on the actual situation, on perceptions on company and technology and on perceptions of the own mental state in the given month, retrieved from a pool of employees and managers from the Czech Republic machine and equipment manufacturers’ industry. Statistical analysis was conducted with the Kruskal-Wallis test for ordinal variables to check for significant differences in perceptions during 2020. Results show that managers in general and telecommuting-experienced workers in particular are better able to adapt to forced home office, while telecommuting-inexperienced employees struggle to adapt positively even with increasing company support and with an increasing digital team communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcel Rolf Pfeifer, 2021. "Human Resources during COVID-19: A Monthly Survey on Mental Health and Working Attitudes of Czech Employees and Managers during the Year 2020," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10055-:d:631369
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jitka Volfová & Kamila Matysová & Diana Maria Vrânceanu & Claudia Elena Țuclea, 2023. "Telework Perception and Implications during COVID-19 in the Czech Republic," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(4), pages 59-76.
    2. Peter Karacsony & Kornél Krupánszki & Imrich Antalík, 2022. "Analysis of the Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Hungarian Employees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-14, February.

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