Social Distancing Initiatives and POS: It’s the Intended Beneficiary that Counts

Abstract

Leveraging data on organizational social distancing initiatives (SDIs) this paper examines the link between SDI implementation and perceived organizational support (POS). We suggest that SDIs, involving various ways to separate employees to keep them safe, have the important secondary benefit of increasing employees' perception that the organization cares about their well-being and values their contributions. Further, the paper introduces the intended beneficiary heuristic to help explain why and when employment practices induce POS. We argue that such favorable treatment as SDIs increase POS most when employees attribute them to the organization’s concern for the welfare of employees. Results of two studies, a cross-sectional study with 126 employees in the United States and a longitudinal study with 103 employees in South Korea, indicate that SDIs increased employees' POS, which in turn enhanced their job satisfaction (Studies 1 and 2), affective organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior (Study 2). The results also show that these relationships were enhanced when employees perceived SDIs to be implemented to protect their welfare rather than as a means of protecting the organization.