Dealing with stress in new normal after the onset of COVID-19 – a study on public sector bank employees

ABSTRACT

The paper attempts to address issues related to occupational and personal stress faced by bank employees in new normal post-COVID-19, understand its impact on their mental and physical health, and how yoga and meditation can help them to develop self-care capabilities to manage stress in a eustress way. Structured questionnaires were used to collect first-hand data from employees working in public sector banks across India. Factor analysis was conducted on 21 statements which led to the creation of six factors. Using the clustering method, three clusters were identified to determine the profile of employees. This was followed by impact analysis and analysis of coping mechanisms. The study found that bank employees have been mainly grappling with mental health. The study recommends employees to adopt self-care tools to replace the script of fear, anxiety, depression, and insecurity with health, happiness, and joy. © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.