Job embeddedness and life satisfaction during pandemic: the impacts of work-from-home stressors and emotional exhaustion

Abstract

Purpose

This study applies the job demands-resources model the conservation of resources theory to explain and examine the impacts of home-work conflict, perceived insufficient organizational support, and perceived social isolation, that is, work-from-home stressors, o

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 418 Thai employees who worked from home during the nationwide lockdowns at two time points. The hypotheses were tested and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and a bootstrapping procedure.

Findings

The results indicate that the three work-from-home stressors significantly cause emotional exhaustion and that these stressors are negatively associated with job embeddedness and life satisfaction via the mediation of emotional exhaustion.

Research limitations/implications

To reduce error in parameter estimation due to self-report data, future research could use a more rigorous longitudinal design with a longer time lag and collect data from multiple sources.

Practical implications

Realizing how critical situations shape the workplace would help organizations understand the issues concerning a remote work approach and create more applicable interventions to improve employees' retention and wellbeing.

Originality/value

This study reinforces the application of COR in times of crisis and extends the traditional JD-R model beyond the normal work context.

Citation

Dechawatanapaisal, D. (2024), "Job embeddedness and life satisfaction during pandemic: the impacts of work-from-home stressors and emotional exhaustion", Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 994-1014. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-11-2022-0504