With most restrictions introduced to contain the pandemic having been eased in our country, we need to start thinking of how to manage the post-pandemic period. The health authorities have done a wonderful job in limiting the contagion and will be monitoring the situation in case the virus spreads again.
The government had introduced measures to support the economy and last Monday rolled out further measures to contain the negative economic impact. Unfortunately, one could not help feeling that some of the measures were intended to satisfy particular lobbies in our society and not enough consideration was given to the common good.
I hope these particular measures will not come back to haunt us, like when we allowed the property developers to make hay while the sun shone (to quote the developers themselves).
A survey by the EU agency Eurofound highlighted a number of aspects about how individuals were coping with the impact of COVID-19. The survey was conducted among the 27 member states of the EU and results are available for individual countries. The survey was conducted in April, therefore, at the peak of the pandemic. I have picked up just some of the questions, those which in my opinion give a good understanding of how we have been coping with the virus.
It is also an employee wellness issue which cannot be discarded as it will come back to haunt us
The survey report does mention that some of the data about Malta may have limited reliability given the low number of responses to some questions. However, the answers do provide some important insights which help us avoid having misguided perceptions, based just on our own individual experiences.
Respondents were asked to state how satisfied they felt with life in general using a 10-point scale. Respondents in Malta gave themselves a rating of 6.1 out of 10. The EU average is 6.4. As such, the data for Malta is just below the EU average. What is significant is that usually the data for Malta shows a level of satisfaction that is much higher than the EU average.
Being an eternally optimistic nation, the level of optimism about the future is quite high with 57 per cent of respondents demonstrating optimism, compared to an EU average of 45 per cent.
Some questions were about finance issues. Forty-four per cent of respondents in Malta said they were finding difficulty to a varying degree to make ends meet. This is slightly below the EU average, but the percentage is still significant. Equally, another 44 per cent stated they can maintain the same standard of living without any income while using savings for up to three months.
With the passage of time, considering the survey was conducted in April, the situation cannot have improved as it is unlikely that their incomes have increased. And 33 per cent expect the financial situation of their household to get worse over the next three months. This data certainly indicates elements of great concern for Maltese families.
One may ask about the relevance of this data. The core issue is employee wellness. This data seems to indicate that the Maltese are emerging from the pandemic in a state of mind that does demonstrate stress and worry. They sound bruised but certainly not beaten.
They do believe that things will get better, which is a positive thing in itself. On the other hand, the level of stress and worry may be such that it will impact productivity and efficiency at work. It is in everyone’s interest that employees in every enterprise and organisation stay healthy, not just physically but also mentally. This maximises employee engagement and leads to a better quality of life.
Coping with the impact of coronavirus is a health issue as well as an economic issue – but it is also an employee wellness issue which cannot be discarded as it will come back to haunt us.