Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers
In this research, we examined how COVID-19 impacts employee decision-making and performance, knowing that this virus has negatively affected public health, crippled economies, and transformed social and business environments across the globe. To quantitatively test our specific hypotheses regardi...
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| Format: | research article |
| Language: | English |
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2022
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| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5215 |
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| _version_ | 1779905280506593280 |
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| author | Ngqabutho Moyo Anita D. Bhappu Moment Bhebhe Farai Ncube |
| author2 | Department of Management of Complex Systems, School of Engineering, University of California, |
| author_facet | Department of Management of Complex Systems, School of Engineering, University of California, Ngqabutho Moyo Anita D. Bhappu Moment Bhebhe Farai Ncube |
| author_sort | Ngqabutho Moyo |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | In this research, we examined how COVID-19 impacts employee decision-making and
performance, knowing that this virus has negatively affected public health, crippled economies, and
transformed social and business environments across the globe. To quantitatively test our specific
hypotheses regarding the effects of employees’ perceived risk of COVID-19 and psychological distress
on negative performance outcomes, we surveyed 443 healthcare workers who were employed by a
group of private hospitals in Zimbabwe. These essential workers were delivering day-to-day frontline
services with high exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic. We find that employees’ perceived
risk of COVID-19 increases their disengagement, turnover intention, burnout, and low morale at
a p < 0.05 significance level. These latter relationships are mediated by employees’ psychological
distress at a p < 0.05 significance level. Our findings shed light on how the COVID-19 pandemic is
affecting the cognitions and behaviors of the frontline workers who are vulnerable to this contagious
disease. Turnover intentions are amplified among healthcare employees, due to their perceived risk
of COVID-19 and the resulting psychological distress. Similarly, burnout becomes predominant as
these workers worry about contracting the coronavirus due to the poor working conditions they face.
As such, our research confirms that the pandemic has intensified the precariousness of work and
challenge of managing employee performance, especially for frontline healthcare workers. |
| format | research article |
| id | ir-11408-5215 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-52152022-11-16T10:16:05Z Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers Ngqabutho Moyo Anita D. Bhappu Moment Bhebhe Farai Ncube Department of Management of Complex Systems, School of Engineering, University of California, Department of Management of Complex Systems, School of Engineering, University of California Midlands State University Midlands State University frontline workers; employee disengagement low morale turnover intention burnout survey research healthcare employees In this research, we examined how COVID-19 impacts employee decision-making and performance, knowing that this virus has negatively affected public health, crippled economies, and transformed social and business environments across the globe. To quantitatively test our specific hypotheses regarding the effects of employees’ perceived risk of COVID-19 and psychological distress on negative performance outcomes, we surveyed 443 healthcare workers who were employed by a group of private hospitals in Zimbabwe. These essential workers were delivering day-to-day frontline services with high exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic. We find that employees’ perceived risk of COVID-19 increases their disengagement, turnover intention, burnout, and low morale at a p < 0.05 significance level. These latter relationships are mediated by employees’ psychological distress at a p < 0.05 significance level. Our findings shed light on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the cognitions and behaviors of the frontline workers who are vulnerable to this contagious disease. Turnover intentions are amplified among healthcare employees, due to their perceived risk of COVID-19 and the resulting psychological distress. Similarly, burnout becomes predominant as these workers worry about contracting the coronavirus due to the poor working conditions they face. As such, our research confirms that the pandemic has intensified the precariousness of work and challenge of managing employee performance, especially for frontline healthcare workers. Volume 19 1 16 2022-11-16T10:16:04Z 2022-11-16T10:16:04Z 2022-06-01 research article https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5215 . https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116762 en International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 1660-4601 open MDPI |
| spellingShingle | frontline workers; employee disengagement low morale turnover intention burnout survey research healthcare employees Ngqabutho Moyo Anita D. Bhappu Moment Bhebhe Farai Ncube Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title | Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title_full | Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title_fullStr | Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title_short | Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers |
| title_sort | perceived risk of covid-19 and employee decision-making: how psychological distress during the pandemic increases negative performance outcomes among healthcare workers |
| topic | frontline workers; employee disengagement low morale turnover intention burnout survey research healthcare employees |
| url | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5215 |
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