What Good is Organizational Nostalgia in the Time of Pandemic? Unpacking a Pathway from COVID-Related Stress to Authenticity at Work

ABSTRACT

We propose that COVID-related stress undermines felt authenticity, but also triggers nostalgia. In turn, nostalgia conduces to felt authenticity, thereby counteracting the deleterious impact of COVID-related stress. We tested this regulatory model of nostalgia in two studies. Study 1 was an online cross-sectional study during the pandemic, in which we assessed COVID-related stress, nostalgia, and authenticity. In Study 2, we followed a group of working adults in a daily diary study across five workdays. We assessed COVID-related stress each morning, organizational nostalgia at midday, and authenticity at the end of the workday. The results of both studies were consistent with the palliative role of nostalgia in support of the regulatory model.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• nostalgia
• stress
• authenticity
• emotions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We based this approximate effect size on the correlations between loneliness and nostalgia reported in two studies by Zhou et al. (2008, Studies 1 and 4). These correlations were r(758) = .14 and r(193) = .27, respectively. We weighted the smaller correlation more heavily, because it was based on a larger sample. We selected the correlation between loneliness and nostalgia as benchmark, because social isolation and ensuing loneliness are aspects of COVID-19 related stress.

2. Participants completed a number of additional measures that were unrelated to our present research objectives. The purpose of these additional measures was to examine the role of nostalgia in transition to university. Items assessed: nostalgia for home community (1 item), identity continuity (2 items), perceived academic obstacles (3 items), and life satisfaction (5 items). These items were administered together in a separate section of the survey, following our focal study variables.

3. These analyses produced a number of additional findings. Female (vs. other) participants reported higher nostalgia, b = 0.30, SE = 0.13, t(348) = 2.39, p = .018, 95% CI [0.05, 0.54], b* = .13. Also, age, b = 0.02, SE = 0.01, t(347) = 3.40, p < .001, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03], b* = .17, and PA, b = 0.25, SE = 0.06, t(347) = 4.13, p < .001, 95% CI [0.13, 0.37], b* = .21, were positively associated with authenticity, whereas NA was negatively associated with it, b = −0.32, SE = 0.07, t(347) = −4.67, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.46, −0.19], b* = −.25.

4. The Tuesday response rate was low, as we initially used the same morning survey link from the previous day. Many participants did not recognize that they needed to refresh the screen, or else the link would indicate that they had finished the survey. We fixed the problem as soon as we became aware of it, by creating a new survey link every day.

5. The state version of the Southampton Authenticity Scale has also been validated by Kelley et al. (2022).

6. We included a number of additional measures that were unrelated to the current research objectives. These measures focused on examining the role of organizational nostalgia in the context of the job demands-resources model of burnout (Demerouti et al., 2001). Items assessed job demands (5 items), job resources (6 items), burnout (15 items), and job satisfaction (5 items).

7. These analyses yielded one additional association. As in Study 1, older (compared to younger) participants reported significantly higher levels of authenticity, b = 0.02, SE = 0.01, t(418) = 3.09, p = .002, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03], b* = .17.