Effects of the Sars CoV-2 Pandemic on the Quality of Work: Relations of Effects on Worker Health

Abstract

The new coronavirus pandemic has brought changes in the lives of the world population. The perception of the need for social isolation became a determining factor for creating new work models with known characteristics, such as the home office and mixed work (face-to-face and telework). There was a significant increase in illnesses caused by abrupt introduction of these models in the context to pandemic. There was a strong relationship of the working model with 4 variables: area of work (p = 0.000), work equipment used during quarantine (p = 0.000), illnesses found during the pandemic (p = 0.001), problems reported during the pandemic like sleep, stress, etc. (p = 0.010) and future expectations regarding the work performed and the pandemic (p = 0.022). There were also relationships between illnesses before the pandemic and those perceived reported during the pandemic period studied (p = 0.000) and the sleep profile before and during (p = 0.010). The study results added physical and psychological aspects, which have as premises the worker’s perception of the dynamics of companies, as well as their social structures and conditions of work execution. These events interfered with the quality of work of the interviewees and may lead to further studies in the clinical, ergometric or productivity areas. The results presented can help companies make more informed decisions when changing work processes and guide workers in labor operations.