Government nowadays focuses on resolving problems in medical institutions and workers due to covid19. Covid19 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is transmitted through person-to-person via direct contact or droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, and talking [1]. Usually, the symptoms of COVID-19 infection include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty, myalgia or fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea [1]. Severe cases can lead to cardiac injury, respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and even death. Older people, along with other underlying medical conditions, are at a high risk of mortality. Covid started in late December of 2019, a novel coronavirus disease and first reported spreading from Wuhan, China, that eventually affected 26 countries worldwide, including the Philippines.

However, the support nowadays revolves around the medical institutions disregarding that there is also the impact of covid 19 in non-medical institutions, which is also part of government and delivering public services amidst the time of Covid19 pandemic. According to Osibanjo and Adeniji, employees are considered assets of an organization because they compose the workforce to attain the purpose or objectives of every organization. 

The importance of the performance of government function is significant, and many early management and academicians' studies focused on personal factors believed to relate to or predict job performance among government employees. Employees are the organizations' human capital, and their performance within an organization leads to organizational success or failure. The management` of organizations needs to manage the resource appropriately to ensure success.

The success of an organization will be based on the performance of employees; therefore, adequate support and strategies are needed to maintain their performance even amidst the Covid 19 pandemic.

Literature review, in essence, expands the researchers' understanding of the need to study the support needed by non-medical personnel to reduce the stress as an impact of the covid19 pandemic to government employees. Reviewing various articles will help identify the gaps in existing literature related to the potential sustainable strategies to reduce the impact of the covid19 pandemic in the work performance of government employees in public services. More so, conducting this study will provide a backbone for other studies that deal with similar topics.

Literature Review

Upon entry of Covid19 in the country, the early response of the Philippine Government focused on the travel restrictions, community interventions, risk communication, and testing, from 30 January 2020 when the first case was reported up to the present. Travel restrictions in the Philippines were imposed as early as 28 January, before the first confirmed case was reported on 30 January. After the first few COVID-19 cases and deaths, the government conducted contact tracing and imposed additional travel restrictions, with arrivals from restricted countries subject to 14-day quarantine and testing. While travel restrictions in the early phase of the COVID-19 response prevented the spread of the disease by potentially infected people, travelers from countries not on the list of restricted countries were not subject to the same screening and quarantine protocols. The restrictions successfully delayed the spread of the disease only briefly, as the number of confirmed cases increased in the weeks that followed.

The government declared "enhanced community quarantine" (ECQ) for Metro Manila between 15 March and 14 April, which was subsequently extended to the whole island of Luzon. The quarantine consisted of strict home quarantine in all households, physical distancing, suspension of classes and introduction of work from home, closure of public transport and non-essential business establishments, prohibition of mass gatherings and non-essential public events, regulation of the provision of food and essential health services, curfews and bans on the sale of liquor and a heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce the quarantine procedures.

Upon issuing the Civil Service Commission of the order to continue the public services amidst the pandemic, all government offices continue regular operations amidst the pandemic following health and safety protocols and alternative working arrangements. However, in most employees, bringing back to public service amidst the pandemic results stress concerning their health and thinking of becoming infected while giving services to people or clientele.

Stress is a feeling of worry about a particular event. It is also a condition of the mind that might influence an employee's life. It affects the employees in general and their work performance in particular. Stress occurs when a person faces threats. Physiologically and psychologically, it results in heart and cardiovascular problems, anxiety, depression and demoralization, substance abuse, certain cancers, infectious diseases, conflicts diseases, and back pains that cannot be managed.

COVID-19 outbreak has pushed almost all the employees worldwide to work in a completely different setting compared to what it used to be before. COVID-19 triggered interventions such as social distancing, travel restrictions, virtual or remote work, and skeleton crews have constrained the continuance of earlier processes, thereby changing the way employees work [2]. However, these changes in the work setting have an impact on employees. Clearly, the absorption of COVID-19 triggered interventions by the organizations to contain its impact on the performance of employees [2].

Impact of Covid19 in the Workplace

The COVID-19 crisis has created a new workplace hazard that will be a significant source of stress and anxiety for many workers. This is especially true where infection risks are greatest, workers are deemed essential to continue working, and particularly vulnerable workers. Opening of workplaces during COVID-19 is occurring against a backdrop of heightened levels of psychological distress in the community that crosses all socio-demographic divides. Distress may result from increased personal financial pressure, social isolation, fear of infection, or the threat of job loss. Returning to an uncertain working environment presents an additional stressor that will further affect workers' mental health.

Supporting the negative impact, a recent Deloitte survey in Chinese firms indicated that 46% of them expect a reduction in performance due to COVID-19. Increased stress, inadequate infrastructure, missing work environment/colleagues, unrealistic performance expectations, impaired manager-employee relationships, and difficulty establishing trust with colleagues are the downsides of virtual work environments [3] can negatively impact employees' performance. Caputo and Hyland, through a focus group conducted with a sample of 256 employees (mostly from U.S. firms), indicated that four out of ten respondents felt that the pandemic would reduce cross-functional collaboration, and 36% of the respondents worried about how remote work would impact their work-life balance.

Supporting the positive impact, HSBC revealed that virtual work is more likely to increase worker productivity than financial incentives. Research also showed that firms providing a better work-life balance through virtual work options pave the way for a more productive workforce as employees feel more motivated. Graves and Karabayeva [3] stated that virtual work provides employees with flexibility in work, increased availability of time due to the absence of commuting, and access to better talent around the globe that can increase the average individual performance.

According to Gursoy and Chi [4], the pandemic has also threatened employees' safety and health which has caused many employees to perform their work remotely, which has become a widely applied operational strategy during the pandemic.

Alternative Working Arrangement

Working-from-home or telecommuting refers to working remotely from a non-office location, usually an employee's home. Since epidemiologists generally believe that gathering individuals in one place accelerate the spread of the virus, governments encourage or even force people who can perform their work-related responsibilities and duties from a remote location to reduce the risk of amplifying the outbreak. According to a report released in April of 2020, 59 countries required public employees who can perform their job-related duties and responsibilities remotely to work from home to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Chi et al. [4] stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, working-from-home has arguably become one of the most utilized strategies to decelerate the unemployment rate, maintain society functions, and protect the population against the virus.

Fostered by this pandemic, people have realized that working from home may be a short-term measure and a long-term trend in the post-COVID-19 era. In a recent survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, 98% of general employees indicated that they desire the option of teleworking in their future careers. In addition, experts and researchers estimate that a large portion of the workforce can potentially perform their work-related responsibilities and duties from a remote location such as a home. For example, by the end of 2021, 25–30% of U.S. employees are estimated to work remotely, and it is estimated that 34% of U.S. jobs can be performed from home.

Some experts suggest that working from home may promote positive job outcomes. For example, allowing employees to work remotely, especially during the fearful pandemic, exhibits its human-centered management value that promotes organizational support for their employees' emotional and physical wellbeing. Furthermore, some research data suggested that working-from-home might promote operating efficiency. For instance, Gurchiek's reported that the implementation of the work-from-home policy has led the IT and sales departments to gain 25% and 13% increases in productivity, respectively, and has reduced the turnover of the call centers to the lowest rate in history.

Risks in Alternative Working Arrangement

Workplace flexibility and modification will be needed to support safe workplace regularizations, and this will vary substantially by industry and occupation. Research of P Loisel, et al. [5] on 2005 for the Prevention of work disability due to musculoskeletal disorders: the challenge of implementing evidence can be adopted. Settings that involve working in close physical proximity to others will have an elevated risk of infection (e.g., meatpacking), while infection control measures are more feasible in others. The occupational rehabilitation literature shows that effective return to work programs are context-specific, and it seems apparent that a similarly targeted approach will be required as workplaces reopen during the pandemic. Some workers may choose to work from home indefinitely or take extended leave from work. In some workplaces that pose untenable risks, workers may seek other job roles or file for disability or unemployment payments.

In returning to regular work during the Covid19 pandemic, the safety challenges of COVID-19 are different for each type of project. For example, those working in outdoor environments and physically apart from one another are better positioned to adhere to the new safety codes than those working in contained spaces. Kermanshachi and Rouhanizadeh said that it is vital to conduct health and safety risk assessments, require employees to comply with scientific and policy requirements regardless of their work environment, and ensure that the workplace is safe.

For example, the employees that are working outdoors or in the field for law enforcement. Law enforcement is an occupational group that is more "at-risk" of physical and psychological harm, as its members are called on to be first responders to critical incidents, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and traumatic events. Drew and Martin [6] stated that there are impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of law enforcement personnel.

Reactions of the law enforcement community to COVID-19 thus far have been near-ubiquitous. Efforts were made to procure and utilize personal protective equipment (PPE) and officers have encouraged and enforced social distancing. Drew and Martin [6] added that law enforcement officers are not immune from the stress that COVID-19 placed on the general population. In fact, they are likely more heavily impacted as they are one of the "essential workers" that must continue to work and respond to calls for service while others shelter at home. As first responders normally during the shutdown, they may experience increased stress risk due to the prolonged threat of virus exposure and stay-at-home ordinance compliance enforcement. Compounding normal risk factors, COVID-19 social distancing policies have resulted in numerous changes and alterations in protocols, including requirements to wear personal protection equipment (PPE), altered patrolling routines, and changes to shift schedules and work hours that drive workplace stress. In addition to the direct impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic on officer wellbeing, law enforcement is likely to experience increased high-stress encounters with individuals suffering from mental health problems aggravated by fear of contagion, economic uncertainty, resource shortages, and isolation. Drew and Martin are right that first responders may react more strongly to a crisis such as COVID-19 due to their responsibility for maintaining public safety, risk of exposure through interactions with the community, and the concern of exposing family members to the virus.

Furthermore, Moon and Jonson [7] indicate that officer stress is inversely linked to job commitment—those that experience more job-related stress are less committed to their position as law enforcement officers. Wolfe et al. similarly found that uncertainty over the future of policing was a significant factor in understanding officers' job satisfaction. An extended increase in stress and uncertainty surrounding the future of policing similarly to law enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely impacted the dedication and resiliency of current officers. Further, job stressors directly impact performance indicators, suggesting that COVID-19 may have impaired some officers' ability to respond to calls for service. It remains to be seen whether the pandemic will result in increased officer turnover, but as extant research points to stressors facilitating burnout among officers, jurisdictions will likely employ a less experienced workforce in the upcoming years.

Acknowledging the potential relationship between COVID-related officer stress and productivity, performance is further impacted by safety protocols that limit interaction or simply require officers' attention. Each moment that officers spend stocking, preparing, donning, and discarding personal protective equipment is a moment that is not spent completing essential functions. Equipment may impair the field of vision, breathing, and grip on objects hindering officer functions. The expectation that uniformed officers will encourage social distancing and enforce lockdown directives requires time that distracts from other obligations; performance measures such as clearance rates may suffer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly affected law enforcement practices and the mental health of law enforcement officers. As such, it is critical to quantify the scope of these impacts to justify and properly target the provision of resources that allow agencies and individuals to weather the storm. Further, understanding COVID-19 effects will enable a more informed response to future crises to retain law enforcement effectiveness and avoid detrimental effects on law enforcement mental health. While COVID-related precautions are being labeled "the new normal," it is imperative that steps be taken to ensure that pandemic worsened job stress levels do not become "the new normal" for law enforcement officers.

In the wake of this unprecedented situation, many agencies were likely caught unprepared for the stress that their officers would experience. Most agencies consider an alternative working arrangement, work from home, not considering that it may be unsuitable for field workers or law enforcers.

Potential Sustainable Strategies to reduce the impact of Covid19 on Government Employees

Shaw et al. [8], in their research "opening the workplace after COVID-19: what lessons can be learned from return-to-work research," stated that successful opening of workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic will require significant changes to organizational health and safety policies and practices to show flexibility to individual worker needs, to be fair to workers with less socioeconomic advantage, and to understand the backdrop of stress and social disruption being experienced at all levels of society.

The COVID-19 pandemic will challenge many of our existing conventional practices in occupational health and safety and work disability prevention, and the reopening process will see tremendous variation across workplaces and between workers in the same occupations. A complexity of multi-level factors will influence whether individual workers will accept workplace safety risks, trust organizational measures and co-workers, modify work habits, return to shared working spaces, and resume production. Based on the lessons learned from the occupational rehabilitation literature, Shaw et al. [8] recommended the following:

• Employer plans and strategies for reopening the workplace should identify and anticipate individual worker circumstances that will affect worker COVID-19 attitudes and behavior. Policies that demand uniform compliance may be unsustainable or unrealistic

• Occupational health and safety guidelines for reopening the workplace should be industry- or occupation-specific and consider the unique physical, psychological, and social work factors of different work settings

• Workplace openings should prioritize the needs of disadvantaged workers, as they are most likely to have higher environmental exposures and inflexible job tasks, and they will be most threatened by job loss and unemployment

Drew and Martin recommend that a call to action is urgently needed to support police personnel as they continue to experience the stresses of an active COVID19 environment.  Of equal importance is the need to plan for a post-pandemic strategically. Following recommendations for law enforcers:

• Adequate support services should be available to assist officers in managing their mental health during the active COVID-19 period and provide continued access to support in the longer term.

• Support programs should be numerous and multi-faceted as evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of current crisis intervention programs in the unique circumstances of COVID-19 is unclear.

• Police agencies need to develop a methodology for identifying specific cohorts of police 

• that may require additional support—those at higher risk due to greater trauma exposure.

• Police agencies need to educate their police personnel on the delayed impact of COVID-19 for themselves and their families, ensuring understanding that mental health concerns are not necessarily immediate and that support is appropriate and available in the longer term.

A Kumar et al. [9] on their COVID-19 impact on sustainable production and operations management also mentioned that planning is really a crucial part of the post-pandemic era. Some of the recommended sustainable plans can be adopted:

• Adopt virtual capability building programs

• Improving the virtual capability of the workforce could lead to the digital fitness of the work pattern. The organisations whether manufacturing or in service should focus on the training and coaching for the staff to become resilient.

• Urgently review of human resources policies for social sustainability

• The manufacturing and service organizations should focus on the review of HR policies for retaining existing workforce, hiring new workforce, compensation & benefits, and learning and development policies to support the current situation as well as reduce the impact of pandemic on future workforce training and development patterns.

• Employee health and wellbeing

• Organizations should focus on workforce wellbeing, mental health, and health monitoring practices. A regular temperature scanning and regular health check-up reduce the impact of COVID-19 impact on implant operations.

Knowledge Sharing

The organizations should continuously communicate the organizational measures and actions taken against COVID-19. Organization should also create a digital workplace for the future. The knowledge management about the social distancing, personal hygiene, and use of masks at sites reduces the impact of COVID.

The articles reviewed showed that there are positive impacts in the government strategies of alternative working arrangements such as working from home. In this working arrangement, employees have a better work-life balance through virtual work as well as employees can show flexibility in working since there is no stress and worries concerning their health while serving the public. However, there are work or government services that cannot adopt these strategies as the work requires field encounters and has impacts on COVID-19. Insufficiency of plans supporting the different work settings, including fieldwork and law enforcement, was found out in this literature review. Therefore, potential sustainable strategies are needed to support different kinds of work settings in public services. 

Synthesis

Workplace flexibility and modification is needed to support safe workplace regularizations, and this will vary substantially by industry and occupation. In returning to regular work after the pandemic, the safety challenges of COVID-19 are different for each type of project. Definitely, Drew and Martin [6] are right in stating that law enforcement officers are not immune from the stress that COVID-19 placed on the general population. It is true that they are the most impacted of the pandemic as they are one of the "essential workers" that must continue to work and respond to calls for service while others are in shelter at home. Undeniably, they are the first responders from the time of shutdown and until the post covid19 era. However, work from home as the most used alternative working arrangement might not be suitable for field workers since they need more physical appearance in giving public services. Relative thereto, Drew and Martin [6] is right that most employers needs more suitable and sustainable plans and strategies for the regularization of the workplace and should identify and anticipate individual worker’s circumstances. These plans and strategies should be services- industry- or occupation-specific and considers the unique physical, psychological, and social work factors of different work settings while also following the occupational health and safety guidelines for covid19.

1. Yang Y. Forn et al. "Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients infected with 2019-new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): A review and perspective." International Journal of Biological Sciences, vol. 16, no. 10, 2020, pp. 1708.

2. Narayanamurthy G., and G. Tortorella. "Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on employee performance–moderating role of industry 4.0 base technologies." International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 234, 2021, p. 108075.

3. Graves L.M., and A. Karabayeva. "Managing virtual workers—strategies for success." IEEE Engineering Management Review, vol. 48, no. 2, 2020, pp. 166–72.

4. Chi O.H. Forn et al. "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on management-level hotel employees' work behaviors: Moderating effects of working-from-home." International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 98, 2021, p. 103020.

5. Loisel P. Forn et al. "Prevention of work disability due to musculoskeletal disorders: The challenge of implementing evidence." Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, vol. 15, no. 4, 2005, pp. 507–24.

6. Drew J.M., and S. Martin. "Mental health and wellbeing of police in a health pandemic: Critical issues for police leaders in a post-COVID-19 environment." Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, vol. 5, no. 2, 2020, pp. 31–36.

7. Moon M.M., and C.L. Jonson. "The influence of occupational strain on organizational commitment among police: A general strain theory approach." Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 40, no. 3, 2012, pp. 249–58.

8. Shaw W.S. Forn et al. "Opening the workplace after COVID-19: What lessons can be learned from return-to-work research?" Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2020.

9. Kumar A. Forn et al. "COVID-19 impact on sustainable production and operations management." Sustainable Operations and Computers, vol. 1, 2020, pp. 1–7.