Abstract
During the Covid-19 pandemic, people started teleworking intensively, which has led to some benefits in terms of economic continuity, but also some complaints. International teams of scholars have pointed out the new work-related challenges, underlining leaders’ role in successfully managing them. This study aimed at investigating the role of destructive leadership in the job demands–resources and recovery model during the Covid-19 pandemic. In detail, this study intended to assess (1) whether destructive leadership is positively associated with off-work-hours technology-assisted job demand (off-TAJD) and cognitive demands, as well as whether it decreases autonomy, (2) whether two demands—off-TAJD and cognitive demands—and two resources—social support and autonomy—are respectively negatively and positively related to recovery, and (3) whether recovery mediates the relationship between demands, resources, and exhaustion. A total of 716 French remote workers (61% were women) took part in this study. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire. A multi-group structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses. The findings confirmed a significant association between destructive leadership, the two job demands, and autonomy; furthermore, all three variables mediated the relationship between destructive leadership and recovery. The findings showed the key role played by recovery as a mediator between, on one hand, off-TAJD, cognitive demands, autonomy, and social support, and, on the other hand, exhaustion. This study highlighted the role of destructive leadership, job resources, job demands, and recovery as determinants of exhaustion, illustrating their relationships in a sample of remote workers. Practical implications are discussed.
Highlights
The organization of work was profoundly disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially when the authorities decided to confine the population in order to contain the coronavirus
The findings showed the key role played by recovery as a mediator between, on one hand, off-TAJD, cognitive demands, autonomy, and social support, and, on the other hand, exhaustion
We suggested that destructive leadership impacts recovery and exhaustion through alterations in job demands and job resources
Summary
The organization of work was profoundly disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially when the authorities decided to confine the population in order to contain the coronavirus. Due to this emergency situation, healthcare workers were summoned to the front line (Taylor 2020), and many companies and public structures used telework to ensure the continuation of business at a distance despite the lockdown in order to avert a social and economic crisis. Several surveys carried out during the confinement period in France, between late March and early April, estimated that 25% of employees had to work remotely Sci. 2020, 9, 196 et des Statistiques—DARES Flash Survey (DARES 2020); Odoxa-Adviso Partners 2020 barometer)
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