164 / 2021-10-27 15:32:14

The psychological aspect of crisis management in the face of a pandemic

SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 pandemic, mental health, psychological aspect of crisis management

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a sudden, intense event affecting large geographical areas. It has an impact on a person’s physical and mental condition, as well as many areas of life: their family, interpersonal relationships, profession and society. It has also caused sudden, global changes in the functioning of economy. Employers struggle with an increased number of dismissals, higher turnover and lower productivity. The losses following a crisis encompassing every area of our functioning are difficult to estimate – both in the economic aspects, as well as the human aspect and impact on employees. During a pandemic, given its traits, it is particularly difficult to manage the feeling of uncertainty and more difficult adaptation to constantly changing conditions, as even short-term planning carries a high risk of committing errors or the necessity of changing the planned action. It is important to highlight the necessity of the person managing employees to maintain their own mental and physical condition first, in order to ensure the accuracy of decisions and sufficient resources to act. The factors helping in crisis situations are the possibility of cooperation, exchanging information and knowledge, as well as support in current activities, also through participation in associations and business organizations. From an employee’s point of view, the employer’s support is needed in multiple areas, as well as attentiveness in adapting decisions and instructions, the flow of information concerning current conditions and initiating additional action in regard to the mental and physical well-being of the employees. They may also have the form of knowledge bases for the crisis period and practical advice on how to act and self-help using published articles available in multiple places, as well as projects dedicated to those issues. PGG S.A has undertaken action for employees in a joint project by the psychologists of  Polska Grupa Górnicza and Centralna Stacja Ratownictwa Górniczego and a project realized by PGG and PZUW under the name “The state of epidemic – good practices”. The articles concerned issues such as the escalation of emotions, managing stress, verification of the constant flow of information, mental resilience and sources of motivation with practical advice. Keeping in mind the long-term effects of the pandemic, the issue has been included in the “The state of epidemic – good practices” project, in which the questions of crisis management, responsibility viewed from varying perspectives, widely understood communication, careful approach to conflict and stress management are elaborated using a workshop method, based on the experiences of participants from all divisions of  PGG. The workshops are preceded with knowledge based on the research by GIG concerning the functioning of mines in the face of SARS-CoV-2. The goal of working on the areas listed is exchanging experience, establishing good practices for the future. It also helps in finding solutions to problems in daily functioning in a professional environment, regaining control of one’s own life, finding own methods of managing stress, as well as raising awareness of difficult emotions and psychological phenomena, which can occur in a state causing long-term physical and mental strain. One of severe effects of difficult and crisis situations is professional burnout, classified by the WHO as a syndrome with a significant impact on the state of health. In the face of a pandemic a new hierarchy of values emerges in many people, alongside an increased feeling of solidarity and the will of finding shared activities. Current difficult experiences related to Covid-19 allow to notice new solutions, can be the basis for future actions, give the possibility of reflection and preparing crisis measures. They also point our attention at the occurrence of early incidents and cause the necessity of reacting to them, which prevents the outbreak and escalation of another crisis.