Safety and mental health of employees during COVID-19 pandemic: Medical and legal aspect

Abstract

Supporting mental health has nowadays become the main concern of employers since a growing number of employees is facing the problem of anxiety, loneliness, depression and the like. These problems were particularly emphasized with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In significantly changed working conditions around the world, employees and employers have faced mental health problems that are related to numerous stressors and factors related to the pandemic. Given the circumstances, the question is how to protect the mental health of employees in order to preserve their productiveness and well-being after the crisis. The legal system has a very important role in this process, especially the regulations concerning occupational safety and health and labor law in general because it sets the framework which enables the subjects of employment to maneuver their rights and obligations during the pandemic. Therefore, this framework is a key element in taking occupational safety measures in order to preserve the mental health of employees.