Psychosocial risks and resources at work and employee wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: time series of cross-sections

OBJECTIVE: We examined the relationships between psychosocial factors and employee wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Survey data were from Finnish public sector employees from 2018 (T1 = before), 2020 (T2 = during), and 2022 (T3 = after the pandemic) (n = 29,360). Employee wellbeing was measured with self-rated health, work ability, and recovery from work. The generalized linear models using Poisson distribution were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, obesity, and health behaviors. RESULTS: Psychosocial factors were associated with suboptimal employee wellbeing in every timepoint. The association between high effort-reward imbalance and suboptimal work ability was strongest during the pandemic (risk ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.47-1.59). The association between high job strain and suboptimal recovery from work was stronger during the pandemic (1.49, 1.46-1.52) than post-pandemic (1.45, 1.43-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Job stress had the strongest associations with suboptimal wellbeing during the pandemic.