CAN PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT PROTECT AGAINST EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION IN SMART WORKERS? A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Abstract

"The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 is deeply affecting the way people work, with changes concerning the labor market (e.g., increasing unemployment), work practices (e.g., smart working), the emergence of new risk factors (e.g., the perceived risk of infection at work) and the accentuation of traditional ones (e.g., workload). In this study, we investigated whether smart working (SW) could affect the well-known association between the perceived characteristics of the work environment and workers' health and well-being. More specifically, building on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model we hypothesized that workload and perceived social support (PSS), as relevant job demands and resources (i.e., risk and protective factors), may be associated with emotional exhaustion (EE) over time. We also hypothesized that working condition, that is, smart vs in-person working, may affect these longitudinal relationships. We expected the positive association between workload and EE to be stronger, while the negative association between PSS and EE to be weaker, for smart workers. A longitudinal study was carried out in a sample of workers from different organizations in Italy (N = 292). Participants completed an online questionnaire between the end of October 2020 and the first half of November 2020 (i.e., T1) and four months later (i.e., T2). Workload and PSS were measured at T1 using scales taken from the Qu-Bo Test and the SAPH@W Questionnaire, respectively, two instruments standardized for the Italian context. Emotional exhaustion was assessed at T2 using the scale taken from the Italian adaptation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The hypothesized relationships were tested using moderated multiple regression. Workload at T1 was positively associated with EE at T2, whereas the association between PSS at T1 and EE at T2 was negative. Furthermore, SW moderated the association between PSS and EE, which was negative and significant for in-person workers, but non-significant for smart workers. Our study confirmed that, in line with the JD-R, workload and PSS can be conceived as risk and protective factors for EE, respectively. Interestingly, when considering the moderating role of SW, results showed that, to date, PSS may not be a valuable job resource for smart workers. Hence, although SW has proved useful and sometimes necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, possible negative aspects of SW as implemented in the pandemic-related emergency (e.g., social separation and work-to-family conflict) need to be carefully considered. In terms of prevention, supervisors should be encouraged to foster a sense of belonging, trust and results-based management."