Work stress, office clutter and employees' performance during COVID-19 waves

PurposeThe aim of the study is to test the integrated model involving work stress, office clutter and employee performance with the moderating roles of training and self-discipline (SD) after the re-opening of the banks after the COVID-19 wave.Design/methodology/approach The study used 333 respondents from banking industry, whose responses were recorded using a closed ended questionnaire. The authors used partial least square path anaysis to analyze the data.Findings Work stress significantly increases office clutter, which harms the employees' performance. Moreover, SD and training significantly improve employees' performance by reducing work stress and thereby office clutter. There are various mechanisms through which both these factors reduced stress and office clutter.Practical implications The employee's performance can be enhanced with lower levels of office clutter. The office clutter can be managed through having lower levels of stress and providing people with training and inculcating SD among them. A greater understanding of the factors that count toward office clutter might help bank managers and employees to address the issues related to their performance.Originality/value The authors have proposed a new framework involving conservation of resources theory for the employees' performance. They posit employees' performance is an organizational resource, which can be conserved as well as enriched both by employers and employees through their own contribution.

The link between fear about COVID-19 and insomnia: mediated by economic concerns and psychological distress, moderated by mindfulness

This paper adds to extant research by examining the relationship between employees' fear of coronavirus disease 2019 and their suffering from insomnia. It specifically proposes mediating roles of employees' economic concerns and psychological distress and a moderating role of mindfulness in this process. The research hypotheses are tested with survey data collected through two studies among Pakistani-based professionals: 316 in study 1 and 421 in study 2. The results pinpoint a salient risk for employees who experience fear during a pandemic crisis, in that the associated economic and psychological hardships make the situation worse by undermining their sleep quality, which eventually could diminish the quality of their lives even further. It also reveals how organizations can mitigate this risk if employees can leverage pertinent personal resources, such as mindfulness.

Well-Being in a Post-Pandemic World – A Positive Psychological Perspective

Globally, employees are experiencing many challenges to their sense of well-being. The COVID-19 crisis, as well as the enormous technological development we are experiencing, has contributed to employees' poor mental health. This chapter offers a synopsis of different theoretical frameworks that support our understanding of well-being from a positive psychological perspective. The theoretical frameworks presented include the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), the PERMA theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. Some interventions that could be introduced to support employee well-being in the future are also recommended. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

PERCEIVED INCOME ADEQUACY, FAMILY SUPPORT, FINANCIAL ANXIETY, AND TAX NON-COMPLIANCE OF INDONESIAN WORKING WOMEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In high-risk situations like the Covid-19 epidemic, it is believed that perceived income adequacy, family support, financial anxiety, and tax non-compliance have a strong relationship. This study applies the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory in building research models to fill gaps in previous research. According to the COR theory, individuals safeguard the quality and quantity of their financial resources by avoiding threats to their existence, including taxes. Thus, maintaining limited financial resources during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet needs and wants leads to tax avoidance. The cross-sectional data were collected using an online survey and analyzed using the PLS-based SEM technique. Purpo-sive sampling was used to identify 371 Indonesian working women for the study sample. The study's findings confirmed that perceived income adequacy for current needs and wants and perceived family support directly impact financial anxi-ety. However, this study can only demonstrate the direct effect of perceived income adequacy for current wants and tax non-compliance. Financial anxiety has also been proven to mediate the relationship between the three exogenous factors and tax non-compliance. This study can strengthen the concept of COR theory, which has never been used to investigate tax non-compliance behaviour and can be considered by authorities to design tax policies that take gender into account to achieve tax compliance. © 2023 The Author(s).

The effect of resource loss on depression and peritraumatic distress during the early period of the COVID-19: considering the pandemic-situational and social context.

BACKGROUND: The public experienced loss of resources, including their health and property during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory is a useful tool to explain the effect of resource loss on mental health. This paper examines the effect of resource loss on depression and peritraumatic distress considering the situational and social context of the COVID-19 pandemic applying COR theory. METHODS: An online survey was conducted for Gyeonggi residents when the second wave of COVID-19 in South Korea declined (5 October to 13 October 2020); 2,548 subjects were included in the hierarchical linear regression analysis. RESULTS: COVID-19 infection-related experiences, resource losses (e.g., financial burden, deterioration of health, and decline of self-esteem), and fear of stigma were related to elevated levels of peritraumatic distress and depression. Risk perception was associated with peritraumatic distress. Reduced income or job loss were related to depression. Social support was a protective factor for mental health. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that we need to focus on COVID-19 infection-related experiences and loss of daily resources in order to understand mental health deterioration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it is important to monitor the mental health of medically and socially vulnerable groups and those who have lost resources due to the pandemic and to provide them with social support services.

Global employees and exogenous shocks: considering positive psychological capital as a personal resource in international human resource management

While positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a significant antecedent of favorable work outcomes, it is unclear whether this is true for global employees during an exogenous shock. Applying conservation of resources theory, we found that, under conditions of crisis-induced role novelty, global employees leveraged PsyCap to follow a resource-gain route to job satisfaction, whereas their ability to mitigate resource loss was limited. We differentiate among global employees, finding that role novelty compensated for lower PsyCap in motivating job engagement for those with higher travel obligations. Our results stress the importance of PsyCap in international human resource management scholarship and practice. © 2023

The impact of ICT use on entrepreneurial performance: evidence from Chinese microenterprises

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, information and communication technology (ICT), as a part of digital technology, was of particular help to microenterprises in obtaining resources. Drawing upon Conservation of Resources Theory, we investigated the impact of ICT use on entrepreneurial performance. To examine our hypotheses, data were collected from 206 Chinese microenterprises. The results suggest that ICT use was positively related to entrepreneurial performance, that network capabilities mediated the relationship between ICT use and entrepreneurial performance and that perceived ICT usefulness moderated the relationship between ICT use and network capabilities. Finally, the implications, limitations and future research directions will be discussed. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

How does ai use drive individual digital resilience? A conservation of resources (cor) theory perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) serves as a useful resource for replacing, supporting, and augmenting individuals in responding to external difficulties and enhancing individual resilience. However, little is known about the underlying laws of how AI can heighten individual resilience. This research examines the formation of individual resilience based on the consequences of different AI usage behaviours. Study 1 uses text mining to detect individual resilience based on the experience with AI. We identify not only individual resilience but also family resilience. Study 2, based on the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, collects online survey data from personal intelligent assistant users to investigate the transformation mechanism of AI usage behaviours to individual resilience. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, routine and infusion use are considered two levels of resource investments to strengthen the different degrees of individual resilience by coping responses (task-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance coping). The findings confirm the differences between routine and infusion use in the formation of individual resilience, mediated by both task-focused and emotion-focused coping, without the mediating role of avoidance coping. Our research provides enlightenment for researchers and practitioners on building resilience and improving performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The interplay between servant leadership, psychological safety, trust in a leader and burnout: assessing causal relationships through a three-wave longitudinal study.

COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented psychological challenges for frontline healthcare workers, especially nurses, causing anxiety and depression leading to burnout. The responsibility of healthcare leaders has increased manyfold to deal with such challenges. This study attempts to employ the conservation of resources theory to examine the relationship between servant leadership and nurses' burnout, with the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating effect of trust in leader. A three-wave longitudinal design was employed for data collection from 1204 nurses from 27 hospitals in China. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was used for data analyses with SmartPLS version 3.2.8. The findings endorse that servant leadership at time 1 significantly reduces nurses' burnout measured at time 3 through the mediating role of psychological safety measured at time 2, and that a higher level of trust in the leader enhances the impact of servant leadership in reducing nurses' burnout.

The Effect of Servant Leadership on Work Resilience: Evidence from the Hospitality Industry during the COVID-19 Period.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a tremendous crisis for public health, which also has a profound impact on business and social activities because many countries restrict travel and social gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Workers suffer from mental health problems including depression and anxiety due to the uncertain work environment. Hence, psychological resilience, a positive psychological response to these challenges, is essential to the success of employees and companies. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory (COR), this paper investigates how the leadership style (i.e., servant leadership) enhances the work resilience of hospitality employees through two time-lagged empirical studies. Specifically, study 1 demonstrates a positive relationship between servant leadership and employees' work resilience. Study 2 replicates study 1's result and further demonstrates that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between servant leadership and employees' work resilience. Furthermore, study 2 finds a significant moderating effect of job complexity. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence for practitioners to manage employees' resilience and psychological resources.

How do shared values improve eudaimonic workplace well-being: role of perceived justice and emotional exhaustion among nurses.

PURPOSE: This study aims to explore how shared values improve eudaimonic workplace well-being, the fulfillment that comes from personal development and the utilization of personal capabilities. The authors investigate the serial mediating role that perceived overall justice and emotional exhaustion play in how shared values relate to well-being. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using data collected from three hundred nurses in Turkish healthcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Male = 113, Female = 187). The age of participants ranged from 19 to 58 and the average age was 34. The snowball sampling method was used to form the sample and self-administered surveys that could be completed online were delivered to the sampled nurses. FINDINGS: The authors analysis using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) supported the expected relationship between shared values and eudaimonic workplace well-being as well as the mediating role of perceived overall justice and emotional exhaustion. The authors also show a serial mediation where shared values are related to justice perceptions which in turn negatively relate to emotional exhaustion which subsequently relates to higher levels of eudaimonic workplace well-being. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The results of this study suggest that when the shared values between the healthcare institution and the employees are aligned, the eudaimonic well-being of employees is higher. The findings provide implications for the mental health of frontline employees in health organizations to have higher levels of eudaimonic well-being which is especially important in times of intense pressure such as the period during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 Risk Perception on Emotional Exhaustion among Chinese Hospitality Employees: The Mediating Effect of Job Insecurity.

This study aims to investigate the levels of COVID-19 risk perception (CVRP), job insecurity (JI), and emotional exhaustion (EE) among Chinese hospitality employees to examine the mediating effect of JI on the relationship between CVRP and EE. The moderating role of employee mindfulness (MF) and perceived employability (PE) have also be examined. Data were collected from 652 hospitality employees in Shandong and Jiangsu Province, China. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationship among the variables. Significant relationships were found between hospitality employees' CVRP and EE (ß = 0.103, p < 0.01), CVRP and JI (ß = 0.168, p < 0.001), and JI and EE (ß = 0.378, p < 0.001). According to the results, the higher level of the CVRP of hospitality employees, the higher level of the EE. In addition, results showed mediating effects of JI on the relationship between CVRP and EE. This study also found that MF buffered the positive relationship between CVRP and EE. Therefore, in the era of COVID-19, an effective support system at the organizational level is necessary to reduce JI and EE of hospitality employees.

Understanding residents’ hospitality toward tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a conservation of resources perspective

Rooted in conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigated the effects of perceived threat severity (PTSE) and susceptibility (PTSU) of COVID-19 pandemic on residents’ hospitality toward tourists. The mediating role of COVID-19-caused stress and the moderating role of economic benefits from tourism were addressed. Data were collected from 281 destination residents in Xiamen and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that the negative effect of PTSE on residents’ hospitality toward tourists is stronger than that of PTSU, and both effects are partially mediated by COVID-19-caused stress. Furthermore, economic benefits from tourism significantly moderates the effects of PTSE, PTSU, and COVID-19-caused stress on residents’ hospitality toward tourists, and these effects are insignificant for residents with high economic benefits from tourism. Theoretically, this study advances literature on residents’ attitudes toward tourism by introducing COR theory to build a framework centered on resource loss and replenishment. Practically, useful strategies are proposed to reduce the negative effects of PTSE and PTSU of COVID-19 pandemic and thus foster residents’ hospitality toward tourists. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Sustainable Tourism is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Job insecurity and psychological distress during the COVID-19 outbreak: The moderating role of perceived supervisor support among hotel employees in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Millions of employees were laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality industry has been gravely hit by this crisis. OBJECTIVE: Drawing from the theory of conservation of resources (COR), our study aims to examine possible factors that influence turnover intention among hotel employees. METHODS: The hypotheses were tested on 141 hotel employees from Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data were collected by means of questionnaires, purposive sampling was employed, and PLS-SEM was used in performing the data analyses. RESULTS: Job insecurity and psychological distress were found to be the potent antecedent of turnover intention. In contrast, the role of perceived supervisor support did not significantly moderate the effects of both job insecurity and psychological distress on the quitting intention. CONCLUSION: Re-looking at existing policies and leadership styles may be fruitful in ensuring the sustainability path of an organization. This is pivotal in growing back the entire hospitality industry that has gravely affected by COVID-19.

The Double-Edged Sword of Safety Training for Safety Behavior: The Critical Role of Psychological Factors during COVID-19.

Safety training (ST) is the primary means of avoiding unsafe behaviors, but it has not achieved the expected impact on improving workplace safety because of the high psychological stress it brings to workers. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) further threatens workers' psychological conditions, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of ST. However, the existing literature has mainly laid emphasis on the bright side of ST and neglected examining its impact on safety behavior (SB) from detrimental psychological factors. Drawing from the conservation of resources theory, a novel two-staged model was established to understand how these psychological factors mediate and moderate the association between ST and SB. We incorporated resource consumption (e.g., role overload (RO) and COVID-19-related task setbacks) and resource generation (e.g., psychological resilience) into the model to consider both detrimental and protective psychological factors against ST. We then implemented a time-separated, three-wave data collection on a sample of frontline workers to validate this hypothetical model. Consistent with our hypothesis, RO played a significant mediating role between ST and SB, that is, ST leads to RO, and in turn, holds up SB. Surprisingly, contrary to our hypothesis, COVID-19-related task setbacks weakened the negative and indirect impact of ST on SB via RO. This is one of the first empirical studies to highlight how detrimental psychological factors caused by ST constrict or amplify SB. In practice, the efficacy of ST can be enhanced by cultivating psychological resilience and clarifying employees' job responsibilities to reduce the ambiguity of roles.

Determinants of psychological empowerment and work engagement during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose Existing studies have demonstrated the significances of job, personal and social resources in stimulating work engagement (WKE). However, the role of psychological empowerment (PYE) in linking these resources to WKE has received limited attention. Hence, drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this paper investigates the effects of friends and family support (FFS), supervisor support (SST), and employee resilience (ERS) in stimulating PYE for WKE amid the uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach With a survey instrument, the authors collected data from 259 knowledge workers in Malaysia and analyzed the hypothesized model with the partial least square (PLS) structural equation modeling technique. Findings The data support the significant effects of FFS, SST, and ERS on PYE. Also, PYE was a significant mediator of FFS, SST, and ERS effects on WKE. Originality/value This study offers empirical support for the relevance of COR theory in explaining how employees adjust to the burden of uncertainty and psychological stress associated with the COVID-19 mandated "work from home" (WFH) practices through their engagement in work.

Pandemic stress and the role of resources in expatriate-local interaction adjustment: an extension of Berry's model

Purpose The literature on expatriation rarely considers environmental stressors beyond cultural differences or interaction adjustment from the standpoint of host country nationals (HCNs). The authors develop a typology of expatriate-HCN interaction adjustment in response to a call to investigate the conditions under which pandemic stress facilitates cohesion or division among culturally diverse colleagues. Design/methodology/approach The typology is based on Berry's acculturation model, developed with conservation of resources theory and extended with the dual-concerns problem-solving framework from the conflict management literature. Findings The authors propose that expatriate and HCN perceptions of resource adequacy to cope with pandemic stress shape their choice of adjustment mode, and that contextual resources, including those provided by the organization, are critical. An Integration adjustment mode characterized by perceptions of adequate contextual resources and collaborative problem-solving is proposed to be most beneficial in the context of a pandemic to foster cohesion among culturally diverse colleagues, while a Separation mode characterized by perceptions of inadequate contextual resources and competitive problem-solving is proposed to foster division. Theoretical and practical contributions are provided. Originality/value The study takes a novel interdisciplinary approach to develop a contextualized typology of interaction adjustment between expatriates and HCNs. It contributes to the literature on managing multinational enterprise stakeholders in high-risk environments and offers insights into the formulation of international HRM policies and practices during a pandemic that are applicable to other high-risk contexts.

How does mindfulness help university employees cope with emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 crisis? The mediating role of psychological hardiness and the moderating effect of workload.

The COVID-19 crisis has had severe adverse psychological effects on people globally. Although previous research has shown that mindfulness helps people cope with stressful situations, we do not know whether mindfulness can help people cope with the effects of the pandemic. This research examined the effect mindfulness has on emotional exhaustion on the part of employees who work at private international universities in Thailand that are affected by COVID-19. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this research proposed that the level of psychological hardiness mindful employees have mediates the effect of mindfulness in reducing emotional exhaustion. The Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model was used as an additional theory to test the moderating effect of workload, which may reduce the benefit mindfulness has in alleviating emotional exhaustion. Questionnaire survey data were collected from 300 employees at two universities. Data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and the model showed that psychological hardiness mediated the effect mindfulness has on emotional exhaustion fully. Further, the analysis supported the moderating role workload plays in suppressing the effect of psychological hardiness on emotional exhaustion significantly. A simple slope analysis indicated as well that the negative association between psychological hardiness and emotional exhaustion was present only in employees with light workloads. By integrating the principle of COR theory with the JD-R model, this research extended previous research by showing that mindfulness may not help employees cope with stress during an organizational crisis like COVID-19 when they have to manage a heavy workload.

Acting Proactively to Manage Job Insecurity: How Worrying About the Future of One's Job May Obstruct Future-Focused Thinking and Behavior.

An increasing number of people experience insecurity about the future of their job, making it more important than ever to manage this insecurity. While previous research suggests that proactive coping is a promising way to alleviate job insecurity, we suggest that, paradoxically, it may be particularly difficult to act proactively when feeling emotionally distressed about the future of one's job. Drawing on the principle of resource scarcity and the Conservation of Resources theory, we propose that affective job insecurity ignites a scarcity mindset that inhibits workers' future focus and cognitive functioning, thereby undermining proactive career behavior. Additionally, we examine whether income adequacy can compensate for these negative consequences of job insecurity. Results of a three-wave survey study among 108 self-employed professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that initial affective job insecurity was negatively related to cognitive functioning but unrelated to future focus. Yet, the latter relationship was moderated by income adequacy: affective job insecurity was positively related to future focus when participants reported high income adequacy. In turn, future focus was positively related to proactive career behavior, which was subsequently related to lower cognitive job insecurity. Thus, while replicating the finding that workers can proactively manage their cognitive job insecurity, we also showed that initial affective job insecurity may obstruct people's cognitive functioning. We discuss how our results signal a Matthew effect, in which job insecure people with sufficient means are able to look ahead and proactively build resources to change their career, while job insecure people with insufficient means may fall behind.

Employee well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of teleworking during the first lockdown in the province of Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health. Many employees have had to pivot suddenly to teleworking to prevent the virus from spreading. While teleworking may have some negative consequences, it may also represent a human resources practice that may improve employee well-being. OBJECTIVE: The study main objective was to determine if teleworking played a moderating role in the relation between potential stressors and employee well-being during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic when working from home. This was based on the theory of conservation of resources. METHODS: Multivariate regression analyses were conducted with Stata 13 software to determine the contribution of potential stressors on employee well-being, as well as the moderating role of teleworking on a sample of 480 Canadian employees. Data were collected once for white and blue collar from both public (67.08%) and private (32.92%) business sectors. RESULTS: Results indicated that work-life imbalances, workload, and marital tension were associated with lower levels of well-being. On the other hand, teleworking and household income were associated with higher levels of well-being. Teleworking also moderated the differences in well-being between the public and private sectors. Teleworking in the public sector seems to increase employee well-being. Conversely, working on-site in the public sector seems to decrease well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Employers need to proactively address work-life imbalances, workloads, and teleworking to maintain employee well-being. Specific recommendations are offered to ensure that teleworking remains positive for employee well-being both during a pandemic and afterward.