Mental well­being and work-related quality of life across European workers: characteristics and associated factors

Purpose: Mental well-being of employees has decreased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data collected by Eurofound in the electronic survey 'Living, working and COVID-19' (2020), this paper aims to identify which aspects of the work-related quality of life and other sociodemographic variables can explain the mental well-being of workers in, especially, convulsive times like those experienced during COVID-19 and beyond. The main objective is to improve labor welfare in the future. Design/methodology/approach: With a sample of 8,777 observations (Round 2), cross-sectional analyses were conducted. Findings: The results indicated that all factors of work quality of life such as working conditions, work–family interface, job stress and job satisfaction were predictors of the mental well-being of workers. Likewise, being a woman, being of mature age, having a partner and having good training/education were variables also associated with mental well-being. Originality/value: The research revealed that the pandemic in Europe had a greater impact on the psychological well-being of women compared to men. Also, younger populations exhibited decreased levels of mental health.