These forces impact working women and minority workers disproportionately. In some ways, many experience a “time soup” such that they are less aware of the concrete dimensions of time and begin to think in terms of “COVID years.” Some simply forget to do things that they have committed to doing. Many team members are homeschooling kids while trying to keep up with their increasing workload. Many people work through their lunch hours and omit breaks throughout the day. Work seems always to be present because those unfinished projects remain in the line of sight. Working remotely from a home office makes days and nights run together as do weekdays and weekends. Obviously, as workers experience long hours week after week, fatigue sets in. “COVID fatigue” among the public workforce seems to arise from a range of causes and underlying forces. 2 These struggles impact the public health workforce directly and indirectly. In late June, 2020, 40% of American adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues stemming from the pandemic. In this column, we reaffirm core principles of leadership and management, consider the COVID context, and then offer a set of guiding principles and best practices related to conducting virtual meetings and managing virtual teams during the pandemic. Furthermore, as the pandemic stretches into its second year, “COVID fatigue” among public health professionals has threatened the capacity and resiliency of the local, state, and federal public health workforce.įrontline workers in all fields face similar challenges, as they navigate unrelenting work demands while struggling to preserve energy and maintain balance in the face of uncertainty. This mode of getting the work done has posed special challenges, which deserve attention. 1Īmong the multitude of challenges faced by public health workers, working virtually without the benefits of direct face-to-face interaction has become the norm. In the midst of overt threats toward public health leaders and cascading loss of trust in the public health system, frontline public health workers have continued to tirelessly serve the public under circumstances that were unimaginable 12 months ago. As public health has become front-page news, the saga of the public health workforce has also emerged. Life has changed in so many ways since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors also acknowledge Ryan Baker, Helena Hengelbrok, Bob Irwin, and Gene Matthews, whose thoughtful comments and encouragement have greatly strengthened this article. Their tireless service to the community in which one of us (E.B.) lives is a constant source of inspiration! By extension, we acknowledge the central role of local and state public health workers across the country who continue to serve their communities daily. This article is based in part on a recent presentation to senior leaders at the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Health Department to whom we dedicate this article. Baker, MD, MPH, 25 Vassal Lane, Cambridge, MA 02138 ( ). Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Baker) and Business Consultants Group, Inc, Rancho Mirage, California (Dr Murphy).Ĭorrespondence: Edward L. Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Dr Baker) Harvard T.
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