Can We Mitigate Covid-19 Related Work Strain Among Civil Servants? Examining the Role of Organizational Commitment, Job Autonomy and Workplace Social Support

Abstract

The extraordinary measures taken to constrain infections with the coronavirus may have altered the known psychological processes preventing stress and strain in the public workplace. We use survey data of a large public organization in Belgium to look at the capacity of affective organizational commitment, perceived job autonomy, and workplace social support to buffer the impact of Covid-19 measures on work strain. We find a negative effect of perceived job autonomy on stress resulting from Covid-19 measures. We find no support for the buffering effect of affective organizational commitment and workplace social support on employee strain induced by Covid-19 measures.

Keywords:

• Affective organizational commitment
• Covid-19
• job autonomy
• occupational stress
• workplace social support

Acknowledgements

This article came forth from the following research projects: “Slow healing wounds: how public organizations organizations and employees deal with and recover from long-term reform trajectories”, supported by the Flemish Research Council (G085819N); “Do organizational changes paradoxically undermine the adaptability of organizations? A study of the impact of repetitive organizational change on decision-making within organizations”, supported by the University Research Fund of the University of Antwerp (BOF 41466) and “Avoiding repetitive reform injury in the public sector. Can leadership behaviour reduce the damaging effect of repetitive reforms?”, supported by the University Research Fund of the University of Antwerp (BOF 42338). The article benefitted from interactions within the GOVTRUST Centre of Excellence of the University of Antwerp.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dries Van Doninck

Dries Van Doninck is a doctoral student at the Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics and is affiliated to the research group Politics & Public Governance, both at the University of Antwerp. His research focusses on stress in the public sector with a particular focus on the effects of organizational changes and leadership on stress.

Danika Pieters

Danika Pieters is a doctoral student at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on the impact of continuous organizational change on employee well-being in the public sector.

Jan Wynen

Jan Wynen is research professor at the Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp and research group Politics & Public Governance. His research focuses on organizational responses and adaptions to changing environments.

Bjorn Kleizen

Bjorn Kleizen is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp. His research focuses on the effects of reforms and digitalization in the public sector, with a particular focus on changeand digitalization-related psychosocial effects.

Stéphanie Verlinden

Stéphanie Verlinden is a doctoral student at the Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp and research group Politics & Public Governance. Her research focuses on the impact of organizational change on organizational decision-making.

Koen Verhoest

Koen Verhoest is a research professor and spokesperson of the Politics & Public Governance Research Group (Faculty of Social Sciences) and GOVTRUST Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp.