Managing employees’ health, safety and anxiety in a pandemic

PurposeThis paper identifies and discusses the strategies adopted by a manufacturing company to manage its national and international employees' anxiety, health and safety with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to fill a current research gap.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the qualitative method to identify the strategies employed by a manufacturing company to manage its employees' anxiety, health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis of data from fourteen semi-structured interviews is presented.FindingsResults from the data analysed show that five strategies that help manage employees' health, safety and anxiety are - enhanced communication, formulation and enforcement of policies, rules and regulation, education and training, and management commitment. The findings indicate that the implementation of these strategies does not lead to a negative effect and therefore can conclude that there was no cobra effect.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough exploratory and based on one organisation; the findings lay the foundation for future theoretically grounded research on management of employees' health, safety and anxiety.Practical implicationsFindings could be the basis for training for managers and also be used to modify the strategies applied in managing employees' anxiety, health and safety.Originality/valueThis paper investigates and offers insight into the best strategies to adopt to manage employees' anxiety, safety and health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the manufacturing sector.