Unequal availability of workplace policy for prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 across occupations and its relationship with personal protection behaviours: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: The evolving pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a severe threat to public health, and the workplace presents high risks in terms of spreading the disease. Few studies have focused on the relationship between workplace policy and individual behaviours. This study aimed to identify inequalities of workplace policy across occupation groups, examine the relationship of workplace guidelines and measures with employees’ behaviours regarding COVID-19 prevention. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted to gather employees’ access to workplace guidelines and measures as well as their personal protection behaviours. Statistical associations between these two factors in different occupations were examined using multiple ordinal logistic regressions. RESULTS: A total of 1048 valid responses across five occupational groups were analysed. Manual labourers reported lower availability of workplace guidelines and measures (76.9% vs. 89.9% for all, P = 0.003). Employees with available workplace guidelines and measures had higher compliance of hand hygiene, wearing masks, and social distancing, and this association was more significant among managers/administrators and manual labourers. CONCLUSIONS: Protection of the quantity and quality of employment is important. Awareness about the disease and its prevention among employers and administrators should be promoted, and resources should be allocated to publish guidelines and implement measures in the workplace during the pandemic. Both work-from-home arrangement and other policies and responses for those who cannot work from home including guidelines encouraging the health behaviours, information transparency, and provision of infection control materials by employers should be established to reduce inequality. Manual labourers may require specific attention regarding accessibility of relevant information and availability of medical benefits and compensation for income loss due to the sickness, given their poorer experience of workplace policy and the nature of their work. Further studies are needed to test the effectiveness of specific workplace policies on COVID-19 prevention. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12939-021-01527-x.