Effects of trust in organizations and trait mindfulness on optimism and perceived stress of flight attendants during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis research adopts the conservation of resources (COR) theory to examine the effects of trust in organizations and trait mindfulness on optimism and perceived stress of flight attendants in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachOnline survey data were collected from 234 flight attendants who work for five low-cost airlines based in Thailand. The data were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that trust in an organization and trait mindfulness are negatively associated with the perceived stress of flight attendants. Their associations are also partially mediated by optimism. Moreover, the moderating effect analysis reveals that trait mindfulness intensifies the positive association between trust in organizations and optimism.Originality/valueThe evidence from this research broadens COR theory by showing that different aspects of resources can be combined to strengthen the ability of individuals to gain more resources to lessen stress.

How work passion and job tenure mitigate the effect of perceived organizational support on organizational identification of flight attendants during the COVID-19 pandemic

Grounded in Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, this research examines whether the characteristics of flight attendants in terms of work passion and job tenure moderate the effect of perceived organizational support on organizational identification. Data was collected from 307 flight attendants among the five domestic airlines based in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used the partial least squares structural modeling to analyze the data. The results confirmed the positive association between perceived organizational support on organizational identification. However, the results from the moderating effect analysis indicate that perceived organizational support tends to have a weaker positive effect on organizational identification for the flight attendants who demonstrate high work passion and for the flight attendants with long tenure. As a theoretical contribution, the study extends the knowledge from prior research by proposing the boundary conditions in terms of individual characteristics to explain why different groups of employees may not be motivated by organizational support to the same degree.