The COVID-19 pandemic: Workplace safety management practices, job insecurity, and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract

How do organizations and employees react to the COVID-19 pandemic? Can workplace safety management practices (WSPs) maintain employees’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in this time of global health crisis? Can employees’ perceptions of the risk associated with COVID-19 and job insecurity mediate the WSPs–OCB relationship? Drawing upon social exchange and protection motivation theories, this research aims to answer such questions. Analyzing the survey data from 501 Vietnamese employees using SmartPLS software, we find that WSPs positively influence the OCB and negatively influence the perceived job insecurity. Furthermore, the perceived risk associated with COVID-19 positively affects perceived job insecurity and OCB. Unexpectedly, in the context of Vietnam, a developing country with a collectivist culture, WSPs increase the employees’ perceived risk associated with COVID-19 instead of reducing their fear. Also, employees’ perceptions of job insecurity are not statistically correlated with OCB. In addition, we reveal a partial mediating role of the perceived risk associated with COVID-19 in the WSPs–OCB relationship. This research highlights the power of WSPs as well as measures to psychologically reassure employees during the pandemics.