Background and objective: The COVID-19 pandemic occurs in a scenario that already reveals great concern for health workers. Added to this, in a context of constant changes and unpredictability, the risk of increased mental suffering is a worldwide finding. The present study aimed to verify indicators of suffering and pleasure in health workers in the pandemic context. Methods: Exploratory, analytical, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 437 health professionals invited electronically, who answered the questionnaire on sociodemographic information, occupational aspects and clinical conditions. Suffering and pleasure at work were considered as outcomes, which were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression regarding the associated independent variables. Results: Most participants were female (71.0%), nurses (55.6%), mean age of 38.4 years, with an employment relationship (60.9%) and weekly workload of 40 hours or more (75.8%). Regarding suffering, 61.6% of participants were in mental distress, with the average score having critical levels in professional exhaustion and lack of recognition. As for pleasure at work, it is presented at a critical level, with the freedom of expression factor at a critical level. However, despite the difficulties faced in working on the front lines of COVID, health workers still feel some pleasure in their professional activities, especially due to the professional fulfillment of the tasks performed. Conclusions: Suffering at work is associated with occupational characteristics and mental exhaustion and lack of recognition among health workers in the COVID-19 setting.