Reaction to COVID-19, social media engagement and well-being: a mediation analysis. (2nd October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khatri, Puja; Raina, Khushboo; Dutta, Sumedha; Pahwa, Harshleen; Kumari, Preeti
• Is Part Of: Labour & industry. Volume 31:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 457
• Page End: 484
• Publication Date: 2021-10-02
• Subjects: Employee well-being -- social media engagement -- pandemic reactions -- COVID-19 -- mediation analysis -- structural equation modelling; Work -- Periodicals; Industrial relations -- Periodicals; Industrial relations; Work; Periodicals; 331.05
• DOI: 10.1080/10301763.2021.1966293
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1030-1763

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruption of employee well-being; changing the work scenario across the globe. The psychological impact of this pandemic is an undeniable stressor greatly affecting employee well-being across cultures. Social media, in such a time of crisis, can provide the requisite support by filling the emotional, informational and instrumental voids. In order to explain how reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic influences an individual's employee well-being, this study first examines the relationships between pandemic reactions, social media engagement and employee well-being, and then develops a completely mediated model by fully integrating these links. The results, of structural equation modelling analyses conducted for 304 employees from Hospitality (129) and IT/ITeS sector (175) in India, offered strong support for the proposed model. We found that pandemic reactions were indirectly and positively associated with employee well-being; mediated by social media engagement. This study theoretically contributes to the employee well-being literature by revealing how social media engagement completely mediates the relationship between pandemic reactions and employee well-being. The study also offers practical implications by stressing the significant role played by social media engagement in influencing employee well-being in these testing times.