Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 19;115(6):e2024038.
doi: 10.23749/mdl.v115i6.15848.

COVID-19 Pandemic's Effects on Occupational Health and Perceived Work Ability of a Large Group of Italian Banking Employees

Marco Mendola  1 , Marco Leoni  2 , Giuseppe Marano  3 , Maurizio Coggiola  4 , Dario Russignaga  5 , Elia Biganzoli  3 , Paolo Carrer  6
Affiliations

COVID-19 Pandemic's Effects on Occupational Health and Perceived Work Ability of a Large Group of Italian Banking Employees

Marco Mendola et al. Med Lav. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic compelled changes to the structure and organization of many occupational sectors that may impact workers' well-being and work-related symptoms.

Objective: Evaluate the effects of working modifications related to the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational health outcomes and work ability (WA) among a large group of Italian banking employees.

Methods: 2,859 employees visited during health surveillance in 2021 were divided into two job groups: front-office (FO) and back-office workers (BO). Data on conditions associated with office work, psychological distress, WA, and fitness-to-work judgment were analyzed and compared with available data from the pre-pandemic period (2018-2019).

Results: The prevalence of analyzed outcomes was lower than in pre- and post-COVID evaluation literature. After COVID-19, a 28% increase in asthenopin was found in BO, while musculoskeletal symptoms increased about 22% in BO and 9% in FO. Post-COVID showed a 28% rise in stress-related symptoms and a 17% increase in psychotropic drug consumption in both groups. After the lockdown, the prevalence of moderate/poor scores decreased by 13% in each group. Fitness-to-work judgment without limitations prevalence was unchanged.

Conclusion: The slight worsening in all examined outcomes at post-lockdown evaluation and the outcomes' prevalence consistently lower than the literature data could be linked to the measures the Institute took to support employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, a comprehensive integration between occupational safety and health promotion practices is recommended to ensure the highest level of safeguarding for workers' well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence of occupational outcomes at pre-COVID and post-lockdown evaluations for front and back office workers.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Associations between the examined occupational outcomes at the pre-COVID time in the study population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Italian Government, Decree of the Prime Minister 8th march 2020 “Ulteriori disposizioni attuative del decreto-legge 23 febbraio 2020, n. 6, recante misure urgenti in materia di contenimento e gestione dell’emergenza epidemiologica da COVID-19”. available at: https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2020/03/08/20A01522/sg ; Last Accessed: 04.01.2024.
    1. Italian Government, Law Decree Apr 22 2021, n. 52 “Misure urgenti per la graduale ripresa delle attività economiche e sociali nel rispetto delle esigenze di contenimento della diffusione dell’epidemia da COVID-19. available at: https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2021/04/22/21G00064/sg ; Last Accessed: 04.01.2024.
    1. Meyer B, Zill A, Dilba D, Gerlach R, Schumann S. Employee psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: A longitudinal study of demands, resources, and exhaustion. Int J Psychol. 2021;56(4):532–550. Doi: 10.1002/ijop.12743. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Basso G, Formai S. “Il lavoro da remoto in Italia durante la pandemia: le imprese del settore privato,” Banca d’Italia, 2021. available at: https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/note-covid-19/2021/Nota_Covid_... ; Last Accessed: 04.01.2024.
    1. La Torre G, Chiappetta M, Mazzalai E, et al. Smart working perception in banking companies’ employees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional pilot study. Work. 2022;73(2):363–376. Doi: 10.3233/WOR-211152. - PubMed