Coronavirus Updates

As the world’s population adjusts to measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, the lack of social interaction can result in isolation and loneliness. Anyone can be affected. We recommend ways to limit the impact on health and well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a worldwide impact and organisations with a globally mobile workforce will be particularly affected. We discuss trends in how organisations can support their international populations to keep them healthy and the support Cigna is offering its clients and members.

Until recently, the terms ‘stay at home’, ‘social distancing’, ‘self-isolation’ and ‘quarantine’ were not used in everyday conversation and no one could have predicted that over a third of the global population would be in lockdown at the time of writing. We’re all trying to adapt to a unique and strange way of living, parenting, working, teaching, caring, socialising – the list is endless.

As the impact of COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, the majority of businesses and organisations, including Cigna, have shifted to remote working. Whilst this ‘trend’ has risen by 400% in the past decade, for many, the transition to virtual meetings and a digital workplace has been one filled with new stressors and challenges, especially during a growing pandemic.

COVID-19 has been described as non-discriminatory. The virus can be carried by and transmitted to people of all countries, regions, ethnicities, cultures, religions, ages, races, belief systems, socioeconomic statuses, professions, and genders.

Whilst the immediate health benefits of avoiding common workspaces are obvious in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to consider the impact this crisis is having on people’s mental health as they adjust to a new remote way of working.

Changes in working practices and technology that were just starting to take hold prior to COVID-19 suddenly became part of everyday life. Working from home has become one of the main changes to our everyday lives and digital solutions are now being leveraged to a greater degree to connect people.