Literature Review: Employee Work Status, Mental Health, Substance Use, and Career Turnover Intentions

Employee Work Status, Mental Health, Substance Use, and Career Turnover Intentions

Bufquin et al. (2021) explore how the shifting context of the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped worker behavior. The article notes that one of the most significant challenges the pandemic has created for restaurant employees is inconsistent operating schedules and, therefore, unstable income (p. 1). This added stress serves to exacerbate existing problematic behaviors in the industry. Prior to the pandemic, the restaurant industry ranked the highest among nineteen industries for illicit drug use and third highest for heavy alcohol consumption (p. 2). Undoubtedly, this is cause for concern, but throughout Bufquin et al.’s research, it was found that those restaurant employees who continued to work during the pandemic had higher rates of alcohol and drug use than those who were not actively working. Bufquin et al. hypothesize that fear of infection among those working and the relief of government financial aid for those who were not contributed to this discrepancy, despite previous research indicating that the reverse is true in a non-pandemic setting. Furthermore, those workers who rely on tips to supplement their wages are disproportionately impacted by inconsistent operations, limiting their otherwise more stable incomes (p. 7).

Above all, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that life can be highly unpredictable, and restaurant workers are more likely than most to resort to destructive habits (Bufquin, 2021, p. 2). Overall, the support restaurant workers have received from their employers during the Covid-19 pandemic has not been commensurate with the added stress of this unpredictability. The restaurant industry is a difficult place to work even in the best of times, and psychological distress is a key influence in career turnover (pp. 2, 7). Exodus from any industry serves only to make that industry more difficult for those still working in it. In their conclusion, Bufquin et al. place the responsibility of mitigating stress on employers. Their recommendations include rotating which employees are furloughed, informing employees about mental health resources like hotlines, and educating employees on healthy ways to manage and cope with stress (p. 7).