Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis has been affecting workers from all walks of life all over the world. While other government agencies in the Philippines made drastic changes in the delivery of services, the government-owned banks continued to provide needed services, for these are very important for the people and the economy. However, the bank employees faced many anxieties and inconveniences, knowing that they had to face clients during the pandemic. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to understand the concerns of government bank employees in their job as an essential workforce that safeguards the public's financial needs amid the COVID-19 crisis. It employed a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research design. Ten government bank workers, seven regular and three contractual employees, participated in the semi-structured key informant interview. Results revealed two themes for their struggles: psychological pressures and physical exhaustion. As regards their coping mechanisms, they relied on social support, prayer, and resiliency. Although being public bank servants continued to be a challenge during this pandemic, the informants found ways to serve the clients and remained committed to their banking profession.