Death and Work: Utilizing Diverse Methods to Integrate Mortality into Management Research

Abstract

Many occupations involve mortality cues, or external stimuli that remind employees of death. Yet we know relatively little about: (1) how employees experience mortality cues in workplaces and (2) the effect of mortality cues on employees and organizations. On one hand, mortality cues can trigger employee stress, trauma, and uncertainty. On the other hand, employees can bond and find humor and purpose in these experiences. Our symposium reports qualitative and quantitative research that extends the understanding of mortality in the management literature, and, in so doing, strongly contributes to the Academy of Management’s conference theme “20/20: Broadening our Sight”. The symposium includes four papers showcasing the influence of mortality cues on employees’ emotions, work orientations, well-being, and performance. We address dichotomies in this symposium – that mortality cue exposure has both positive (e.g., work engagement, meaning) and negative (e.g., emotional exhaustion) employee outcomes – and clarify mechanisms and boundary conditions contributing to these dichotomies. Taken together, our papers and discussion, led by Dr. Peter Bamberger, endeavors to provide insight into the consequences of mortality cues for employees and organizations, deliver actionable recommendations for managers, and generate future academic research. Called to Cure: Patient Deaths, Death Fear, and Calling of Substance Abuse Treatment Counselors Presenter: Zhenyu Yuan; U. of Illinois at Chicago Presenter: Lisa E. Baranik; U. at Albany, State U. of New York Presenter: Lillian Eby; U. of Georgia Presenter: Robert R Sinclair; Clemson U. Another Day, Another Death? The Impact of Mortality Cues on Employees Exposed to Death at Work Presenter: Pascale Fricke; U. of British Columbia Presenter: Danielle Van Jaarsveld; U. of British Columbia Presenter: David Douglas Walker; U. of British Columbia Mortality Cue Threats, Death Anxiety, and Employee Well-Being: A Moderated-Mediation Model Presenter: Alexandra Jacobsen; Central Michigan U. Presenter: Terry A Beehr; Central Michigan U. Song of Sorrow: A Longitudinal Study of Work-Related Grief and Organizational Change Presenter: Elizabeth E. Stillwell; U. of Minnesota Presenter: Angelica Leigh; U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Presenter: Olivia Amanda O'Neill; George Mason U.