Local Government Employees and COVID-19 Stress: What Managers Can Do About It by Leisha DeHart-Davis, UNC School of Government It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to gure out that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking an emotional toll on local government employees. Emergency medical professionals transport COVID-19 victims at increased risks to themselves, with protocols that change on a daily basis. Law enforcement of cers are tasked with enforcing stay-at-home orders, a new responsibility that put them at odds with some citizens. Dispatch operators take calls from panicked citizens with COVID-19 symptoms. Social service employees handle the escalating strains on the social safety net, including food security and child welfare programs. Even outside of emergency services and law enforcement, the pandemic is stressing out local government employees. Many are forced to work at home, where they may have a house full of kids (and perhaps a spouse). Others are working at home alone, meaning they are isolated from the social interactions of work. Some employees may still be interacting with citizens, some of whom are out of work and stressed themselves, which doesn’t exactly lend itself to civility. Loneliness and monotony may be weighing in, even for employees who are adept at connecting with others via Zoom. It’s not a stretch to suspect that the risk of damaging your employees’ sense of belonging to your organization, along with the cohesion of your organization, is high. Reprinted f rom the ICMA Blog, May 4, 2020.
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