Fears of contracting COVID-19

The majority of participants relayed fears of contracting COVID-19 while at work. Some had underlying health conditions that heightened these anxieties:

I was probably more worried than some are, that I might be more prone to catching it. Because I’ve got asthma, I’ve got chronic sinusitis, and I just thought, if this is a respiratory thing, you’re buggered. (Supermarket worker 1)

Others were less fearful of the implications for themselves but expressed concerns about becoming a source of transmission. Some lived in households with vulnerable family members, including elderly parents and children with underlying health conditions (‘because of my personal circumstances at home, I had two people in their 70s and an asthmatic child. The stress and worry and fear of me basically bringing that home to them was just crippling me’, supermarket worker 2), while others were more concerned about contracting and transmitting the virus to vulnerable members of the public (‘I also don’t want to give it to anyone else. I might see someone who’s vulnerable, so I’m conscious that it’s not me I’ve got to worry about, it’s everyone else’, police staff). Working in environments that posed significant risks to themselves and others was, therefore, a source of anxiety:

I was so anxious about going to work with the coronavirus. I was quite paranoid. I used to dread leaving the house every day, going into work. It was really, really hard. (Bus driver 1)

Exposure risks

Participants noted specific exposure risks at work that prompted fears of contracting COVID-19. Some reported governmental and organisational delays in initiating and implementing protective actions, including workplace instructions aimed at mitigating transmission. As a result, many continued to work without organisational guidance during the initial stages of the pandemic, which prompted feelings of vulnerability:

So, that first week was really important to me, because we weren’t really protected. We didn’t know what the crack was about face masks….we were driving around in buses for that week that didn’t have protection, what we call an assault screen, you know, something that separates you from the passengers on the bus…and we were thinking, jeez guys, anything could be going on here. (Bus driver 2)

Similarly, most participants reported the inadequate provision of workplace PPE. Some noted initial delays in receiving equipment through their employer (‘hand sanitiser came in, I think, probably three, four weeks after lockdown started’, bus driver 3), while others described limited (‘sometimes we don't even have soap in the bathrooms’, delivery driver) or no supplies (‘we weren't given any kind of PPE. Nothing was offered’, supermarket worker 2). In some workplaces, such as on buses and in supermarkets, other protective measures including daily antiviral cleaning and enhanced sanitation were often inadequate:

There are aspects of it that worry me. I don’t think in some ways [the supermarket] is the most hygienic place in the world. (Supermarket worker 1)

Working closely with the public was an additional concern among some keyworkers. Some noted how some members of the public did not always conform with social distancing guidelines or the wearing of PPE (‘there are people not getting on with masks when they should, or if they are wearing one they are wearing one under their chin. I would say 80% of people are being compliant, but then you’ve got 20% of people who don’t give a monkeys’, bus driver 4). Others reported how the public would also, at times, behave inappropriately around staff. This was often frightening for participants:

I mean, we did initially have some young lads come in who were actually deliberately coughing and sneezing, both on colleagues and other customers. And it really freaked a lot of people out because people were genuinely in fear. (Supermarket worker 2)

Relatedly, some keyworkers worked in confined spaces that were unconducive to social distancing (‘social distance is quite hard at the depot to do’, delivery driver), or worked with colleagues who did not follow social distancing rules. The inability to properly socially distance elevated fears of potential exposure:

I don't feel very safe… because many, many drivers arrive and they meet with other people as well and I don't know where they are or who they are …a few of them was coughing…and they said, oh it’s just a cold. But you think it’s a cold but how I supposed to know that it’s not. (Delivery driver)

Virus mitigation strategies

To mitigate concerns about contracting and transmitting the virus, participants often enacted their own mitigation strategies. Some reported purchasing and wearing their own PPE (‘I got my face mask, I got a cloth one… I have started wearing a hoodie as well, just to cover me whole’, bus driver 6) and sanitising their workspace (‘I took my own bleach solution and soapy water solution and was cleaning everything in the cab… we were all bringing our own stuff in… just to be safe’, bus driver 4). Such measures were acted out in the absence of inadequate PPE provision:

There was no hand sanitisers. There was nothing. Absolutely zero. Even during lockdown, for the first part of it, there was nothing at all. It was down to the drivers. (Bus driver 4)

While these measures enabled participants to psychologically cope with stressful working conditions, they did not always prevent family members or loved ones from feeling anxious about possible transmission. To reduce these concerns, some keyworkers would therefore ‘decontaminate’ on re-entering their home:

So when I come from school, I literally strip off at the door. Everything goes into a bag, everything gets cleaned off. I don’t talk to anyone or touch anyone. I don’t go near anyone until I’ve decontaminated (teacher 1).

Others temporarily separated from anxious loved ones by either sleeping in separate bedrooms (‘[husband] went in the spare room, so he kind of lived in the spare room for a long time, so that we were distanced’, supermarket worker 1) or moving out of their home. One bus driver, for example, moved to rented accommodation to protect his wife from the risk of infection. Such measures, while deemed necessary by participants, induced additional psychosocial strains including loneliness and isolation:

[I feel] Very lonely…I’ve been with [wife] since 1990. We’ve always been together, always done things together and to suddenly be sitting in a room on your own is quite dire. It upset me at first. I cried myself to sleep for a few nights, you can’t believe this is happening. (Bus driver 4)

increased workload burdens

The pandemic presented several work-related disruptions and challenges. Staff who were infected with COVID-19 or had been in close contact with a case were required to self-isolate. This often resulted in staff shortages:

During lockdown, we were decimated with staff. We were absolutely on our backside… so, I was actually out on weekends, on Saturdays, driving vehicles supporting the operation leaders. We didn't have enough staff. (Waste operative)

Insufficient staff numbers resulted in increased workloads and longer hours, often without extra pay (‘we’re doing more hours. They increased the length of the shift. We’re on a salary. We’re not hourly-paid so obviously, when we were due to do a shorter shift we would still get a long one’, bus driver 4). Some participants were also required to perform additional or new duties to relieve workload burdens, which were an additional source of stress:

We’re totally doing jobs that we never did before, because we’re answering the telephone calls, because our call centre is in India, and they’re on total lockdown… so, that part I find stressful. (Bank worker)

The stress of increased workload burdens and carrying out new tasks beyond usual levels of expertise would, at times, lead to tension and conflict within the workplace:

A lot of friction, people just snapping at each other over the slightest thing. It would just set people off. A couple of times, I had to intervene. Guys, calm down. Jesus, boys. What are you doing?… behave yourself… I was having to stop people pulling lumps out of each other. (Waste operative)

Additionally, those who transitioned to online working (including police, teachers and bank workers) welcomed such changes but noted difficulties. Tasks that were previously performed with ease proved more challenging when working from home (eg, communicating with colleagues). Some also reported being ‘overloaded’ with virtual meetings:

Because it’s virtual and I chaired a meeting the other day and I said, look, I need to eat, I need to get up. Because what you don’t see is, we have a meeting here now, and then say yes, bye, and then I’m straight into another one…so I think there’s been a huge overload. (Police staff 2)

Lack of recognition and support

Although some participants were appreciative of the support they received from the public, some felt undervalued, particularly in comparison with National Health Service healthcare workers whose work was recognised regularly in public gestures of appreciation (eg, clap for carers):

They deserve the respect they get, the NHS people, and they should. But I think a lot of people forgot about there’s people out there like myself on the railway, bus drivers as well. And there’s been really, not much for people, like myself, in the frontline. (Platform staff)

Internal recognition (ie, from management) was also limited (‘Internally, from management… I don't think the recognition has been as wide as it could or should be’, waste operative). In particular, keyworkers felt that the risks they were exposed to were not fully acknowledged or appreciated (‘I felt stressed. I felt uncomfortable. I felt vulnerable. I felt neglected. I felt everything because the company still don’t think it’s serious’, bus driver 5). Some felt that profit was sometimes prioritised over staff safety:

Management don’t give a crap about staff. They just care about the things that goes in the till, which is the money. And they don’t want to pay sick pay. There was another one… his wife was a teacher and she was told to self-isolate. So obviously, he should have been self-isolating, because there was an outbreak at the school. He was told by the manager of the store just to come in, it wasn’t a problem. (Supermarket worker 2)

Disempowerment

Despite concerns about contracting COVID-19, many participants felt that they had to work for fear of financial implications or punitive measures. Some were concerned that protracted absences would result in disciplinary action (‘But the particular academy chain that I work for has said that if teachers are not available to work from day one when they come back, then it will be disciplinary’, teacher 1) or job loss:

People were genuinely scared because the government was saying this and your manager’s going, no, you do this or you don't have a job…you can’t afford not to be there or to lose hours or to lose your job. (Supermarket worker 2)

Participants reported opportunities to take furlough or sick leave but noted the financial implications of doing so. For example, some participants (particularly supermarket workers, bus drivers and police staff) relied on overtime to supplement their income. However, additional hours are not accounted for in SSP or furlough schemes. Any absence would subsequently result in financial hardship:

I worked all the way through since the beginning. I was given the choice of furlough, but I turned it down…it would have been such a drop in money, it would have put a financial hardship on us. (Bus depot supervisor)

In this context, many keyworkers recognised that they had no option but to continue working (‘I just thought, well, I either stay at home and do nothing and go unemployed, or I carry on working. And that was literally my two options. There was no middle’, bus driver 3). Some reported feeling powerless and resigned themselves to the possibility of contracting COVID-19:

And in my line of work, being on the frontline, there’s probably a high chance that I am going to probably get it at some point. And you just resign yourself to the fact. (Platform staff)