Protecting oneself while supporting the organisation: A longitudinal exploratory study of healthcare workers’ coping strategies and organisational resilience processes in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major source of stress for health professionals and health institutions. In response, healthcare workers adapted their behaviours to protect their health and the organisational resilience of their institutions. The study aimed to explore these individual coping and organisational resilience strategies and their evolution during the first year of the pandemic. Based on a mixed and longitudinal protocol, the study included staff from several French-speaking Swiss healthcare institutions. Participants completed an online questionnaire three times during the first year of the pandemic. They described daily problematic work situations, coping styles, and organisational resilience strategies. ‘Problem solving’ was the most frequently reported coping style, followed by ‘positive thinking’, and in a lesser extent ‘seeking social support’ and ‘avoidance’. A high level of ‘problem solving’ and ‘positive thinking’ was associated with well-managed situations, learning and development of new work practices and higher team performance. A higher level of ‘seeking social support’ and ‘avoidance’ tended to be associated with high-risk problematic situations that hindered organisation resilience. Coping strategies differed depending on profession, job tenure and hierarchical status. The article concludes with recommendations for improving both organisational resilience and individual workers’ well-being in healthcare institutions.