Majority of essential workers say they do not get the correct attention from companies

For most Brazilian professionals working in essential functions that could not stop during the pandemic and, sometimes, not even resort to the home office, companies have not taken enough care of their health during the pandemic so far.

The conclusion is from a global study made by Microsoft and published this Wednesday (12). 9,600 workers in essential activities for society were interviewed in eight countries: Brazil, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, India and Mexico.

According to the studies, 54% of Brazilian essential professionals believe that the companies where they work could do much more to not allow the mental and physical exhaustion of employees and find ways to avoid overload of work.

In addition, 43% of Brazilian professionals in these activities point out that the temporary absence of colleagues for health reasons is making their day-to-day work difficult.

And the perspective for many who occupy these positions is that the situation will continue or worsen in 2022. The study points out that 46% of Brazilian essential workers believe that stress at work due to the pandemic will increase or remain the same this year.

It also weighs on the emotional burden of workers who are on the cutting edge and cannot stop the fear of becoming obsolete and losing their jobs. For 46%, there is a fear of being fired for not fully adapting to the new technologies that gained traction during the pandemic.

A positive side effect of the pandemic has been the strengthening of solidarity in the workplace: 77% of Brazilians on the front line believe they are more “connected” to their colleagues because of the shared stress at such a delicate and challenging time.

For Brazilian professionals who participated in the study, salary increases, better digital tools and more paid time off are the most efficient incentives to reduce stress and improve their relationship with work.