Digital Solutions for Workplace Mental Health Promotion During COVID-19 Pandemic: Taxonomy and Human Factors Issues

Recent empirical studies have shown the negative psychological impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing and avoidance of social gatherings are considered among the best public health and safety measures to adopt to counter the outbreak, and governments are establishing subsequent rules worldwide. Consequently, interventions in workplaces need to be implemented remotely, including those regarding mental health. Therefore, the importance of digital solutions for workplace mental health promotion becomes apparent. Meta-analytical and systematic evidence has shown that digital technologies may be useful in improving workers’ mental health. Thus, digital-based interventions can be deemed as a feasible solution to deal with the negative psychological impact of the current pandemic. Based on previous literature, we developed a conceptual taxonomy composed of two main functional categories of digital solutions, such as (1) allowing assessment and intervention, and (2) allowing to work remotely. We also identified three sub-categories of (1), such as digital technologies for externally provided interventions, for stress self-management strategies, and for reformatting in-presence interventions. Human Factors and Ergonomics issues should be considered when dealing with the use of workplace mental health promotion digital technologies, both at the individual and organizational level, as they can be conceived as implementation challenges that may undermine interventions’ effectiveness when not managed properly. This paper intends to allow researchers to identify future directions of investigating workplace psychological well-being interventions based on novel technology advancements. Also, the paper provides practitioners with an overview of actionable solutions that can be easily implemented during these organizationally challenging times.