The importance of management in promoting hospital staff's mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic—A survey

Abstract

Aim: To describe hospital staff's experiences of management actions to promote their mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental well-being was examined on the basis of four entities: level of anxiety, support and encouragement from the manager, and the opportunity to discuss concerns about COVID-19 with the manager. Background: The workload of COVID-19 affects the mental well-being of staff. However, there is limited data on managers' actions to promote their mental well-being during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to collect survey data (n = 1995) among staff working in two specialized medical care hospitals. To gain deeper understanding related issues, the survey included open questions, which were answered by 178 participants. Results: The results indicate that those staff who felt they had received support, encouragement, and the opportunity to discuss of COVID-19 worries with a manager experienced less anxiety. Conclusions: The study provides an insight into managers' actions to promote staff's mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for Nursing Management: The manager's actions have a significant effect on the anxiety levels of staff. During the pandemic, the well-being of staff is a priority that should be visible to both hospital administrators and policymakers.