Recognition of the importance of personal demands and resources in employee well-being: Lessons for management at The State Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic – a critical evaluation of NHS employee perceptions

Abstract

This article provides critical evaluation of the impact of Covid-19 on NHS employee perceptions of workplace well-being at The State Hospital (Scotland) during the global pandemic, focusing on lessons learned for NHS management during times of crisis. An exploratory case study qual→QUAL sequential dependent strategy was adopted, extracting themes from the NHS deployed Staff Well-Being Survey of summer 2020 (227 respondents, 35% of all staff) (qual) to inform thematic progression for 10 in-depth interviews with a range of NHS employees (QUAL). The Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R Model) was adapted during the study to incorporate personal demands and resources (personal challenges and coping mechanisms at work and in wider life), providing a more holistic and detailed picture of working life during the pandemic for NHS workers. Three recommendations emerged to enhance employee well-being during periods of crisis around management development, workload issues and communication strategies.