The effects of social and organizational connectedness on employee well‐being and remote working experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

AbstractMaintaining social connectedness is crucial for health and well‐being—especially during uncertain times such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. The present study examined (1) the effects of general and organizational indicators of connectedness on employee well‐being and (involuntary) remote work experiences during lockdown and (2) whether organizational connectedness attenuated the ill effects of isolation on employee well‐being. Full‐ and part‐time workers (N = 188) recruited during the UK's second national COVID‐19 lockdown completed a questionnaire measuring time spent interacting and alone during lockdown, social connectedness, organizational identification, perceived organizational support, organizational communication, ill‐being, organizational well‐being (i.e., well‐being at work), and remote working experiences. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that those with greater social connectedness and organizational support reported less ill‐being. In contrast, those spending more time alone and, unexpectedly, those strongly identifying with their organization, reported more ill‐being. Additionally, those who felt greater organizational support had more positive remote working experiences, whereas stronger organizational identification negatively related to the latter. Only organizational support was significantly associated with (more positive) well‐being at work. Furthermore, moderation analyses showed that time spent alone during the pandemic was associated with poorer organizational well‐being but only among those with lower levels of organizational identification, and those whose organizational communication strategies were poorer. These findings demonstrate that indicators of organizational connectedness played a distinct role in explaining ill‐being, workplace well‐being, and remote working experiences, above and beyond the effects of general connectedness, during lockdown.