Fear of Pandemic (COVID-19) & Employees’ Engagement - The Moderating Role of Perceived Support

Abstract

COVID-19 has impacted nearly all walks of life – life at work is no exception. In 2020, nearly all the working professionals had to make some sort of adjustments in their routine work life to address the monumental challenges posed by the pandemic. Employees in most organisations are reported to have experienced distress, fear and anxiety while working in a highly unpredictable environment created by COVID19 across the globe. As a result, managers are struggling to find ways to maintain /enhance the level of employees’ engagement and continue to realize their true potential while at work. This study aims to advance knowledge in the Fear of Pandemic area in particular. While driving its theoretical foundations from cognitive activation theory of stress, “Four Horsemen of Fear” and Organisational Support theory, we have tried to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework to enhance our understanding of the pandemic and the vital role it plays in lowering the levels of employees’ engagement / performance while at work. It also emphasises the need to have effective Organisational/Supervisory / Peer support mechanisms in place to assist the managers in their fight against monumental workplace challenges posed by the Pandemic. In the prevailing context of COVID 19, study offers quite useful and timely insights both for the researchers as well as practitioners; it draws their attention to the escalating fear created by this dreadful disease on one hand and facilitates their efforts to devise a successful strategy to deal with it on the other. The study will help the managers to revisit/ further refine their existing HR policies & procedures particularly the policies around employees engagement/retention, rewards/ incentives /compensations and future development/recognition etc and ensure they are well- equipped to deal with any such challenges in the future.