COVID-19 Still Impacting Us?

Four Babushka dolls in order from smallest to larges wearing face masks

Have COVID-19 restrictions, and even the virus itself, left us all with a debilitating workplace hangover from which we are still recovering?

By Jessamy House

While this question is framed in a playful way, it is a serious one. At ThinkWell we are hearing a fascinating range of observations about the effects of COVID-19 times on the confidence and professional competence of new graduates. We are also coming across teams who reflect that their “COVID ways” of operating, which helped them to cope between 2019 and 2022, are becoming a source of concern because of the pace of work involved and lack of opportunity to stop and think about how things have changed.

Interestingly, we are also coming across speculation about the performance of professionals new to their fields who learnt their approaches in a vastly different way during lockdowns. We are hearing the question – does their apparent ease and confidence operating in an on-line world detract from their in-person social and communication skills? What does this mean for the future of our teams?

The impact of our still-recent experiences during COVID-19 are far from agreed. Some lessons can begin to be gleaned from emerging research – that globally the pandemic has led to a 28% increase in major depressive orders, and a 26% increase in anxiety, although these numbers come with a high level of uncertainty. Yet, some groups seem to be more significantly affected then others; among them women, young people and those with existing health conditions (Penix et al, 2022).

Research investigating changes to young people’s brains pre and post pandemic is showing that typical adolescent neurological development was disrupted. There is evidence of premature aging to parts of the young brain, with far more widespread and significant aging to female’s brains (average of 4.2 years) than male’s (1.4 years) (Corrigan et al, 2024). More broadly speaking, other studies have detected deterioration in cognitive processing speed, flexibility and working and prospective memory in healthy adult subjects (Manfredini et al, 2023). This research produces some clues about possible flow on workplace impacts. Some of the brain areas in which changes have been identified are those involved with vision, potentially impacting the processing of faces and facial expressions, and regions meditating language comprehension, social cognition and emotions (Manfredini et all, 2023, cited by Sample, 2023). All of this combined can have considerable impact on the social and communication skills of professionals. Those newer professionals who lack strong occupational habits, and the underpinning brain organisation that facilitates them, might find themselves well and truly behind the eight ball in relation to workplace expectations.

However, the news is not all bad. The same research also shows remarkable human resilience and adaptability when “buffers” are in place, such as positive work-life balance, supportive relationship dynamics and feelings of interpersonal connection and trust (Pennix et al, 2022).

We finally come to the question – what does this all the mean for organisational leaders and people managers? From our perspective at ThinkWell Consultancy, we believe that:

  1. The experience of the pandemic was different for everybody; however, we are alert to the potential lingering effects on staff’s social and communication skills, information processing, mental health and ongoing, elevated stress levels, especially for women, those with existing health issues and younger staff.
  2. Some experiences during the pandemic buffered us and supported resilience. Effective leadership seeks to identify and maintain these buffers.
  3. The human brain can respond to changes in demands and environment. Structure, repetition of experience and psychological safety supports it to do so. Leadership that provides and embeds these experiences in workplace practices and culture is well-positioned to support teams with recovery from COVID-19 times.

References:

Corrigan, N. M., Rokem, A., & Kuhl, P. K. (2024). COVID-19 lockdown effects on adolescent brain structure suggest accelerated maturation that is more pronounced in females than in males. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(38), e2403200121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2403200121
Manfredini A, Pisano F, Incoccia C, Marangolo P. The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Measures and COVID-19 Infection on Cognitive Functions: A Review in Healthy and Neurological Populations. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 10;20(6):4889. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20064889. PMID: 36981800; PMCID: PMC10049620.
Penninx BWJH, Benros ME, Klein RS, Vinkers CH. How COVID-19 shaped mental health: from infection to pandemic effects. Nat Med. 2022 Oct;28(10):2027-2037. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-02028-2. Epub 2022 Oct 3. PMID: 36192553; PMCID: PMC9711928.
Sample, I. (2024). “Covid lockdowns prematurely aged girls’ brains more than boys’, study suggests”. The Guardian. 10 Sept. 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/sep/09/covid-lockdowns-prematurely-aged-girls-brains-more-than-boys-study-finds