Webinar by Laurier researcher educates about mental health impacts of COVID-19 on employees

June 12, 2020

How is the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and financial consequences impacting the mental health and psychological wellbeing of workers?

Simon Coulombe, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University, addressed this question during a recent webinar presented to members of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

The webinar, “Understanding and Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Workers During and After the COVID-19 Crisis,” is part of a series of virtual events organized by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce to help business professionals throughout the region respond to the impacts of the pandemic. The webinar included results from the ongoing study “Overcoming the Unseen: The Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Mental Health of Canadian-Based Workers,” which Coulombe is conducting with two professors at the Université du Québec à Montréal and Laurier graduate student Tyler Pacheco.

The study is assessing the mental health and wellbeing of more than 1,100 workers from across the country in an effort to determine how factors related to the COVID-19 outbreak – including physical distancing measures and working from home – are impacting individuals’ mental health, family relationships, finances and overall wellbeing. The researchers also seek to provide recommendations about workplace policies and government legislation that could minimize negative impacts.

“Since we don’t know how long this situation will last, our goal is to find results as soon as we can to help support workers during this trying time and, if needed, improve our response to future crises,” says Coulombe. “Canadians are not used to this level of social isolation.”

During his presentation to the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Coulombe also presented evidence-based self-care and self-management practices that employees, managers and organizations can implement to promote positive mental health among workers both during and after the pandemic, including mindfulness, breathing and yoga.

A recording of Coulombe’s webinar is available on the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce website. The presentation slides are also available online in PDF format.