How do remote workers perform during COVID-19 lockdowns? Examining professional isolation, cynicism and psychological hardiness
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 1 November 2022
Issue publication date: 19 July 2023
Abstract
Purpose
With the spread of COVID-19, governments have initiated lockdown procedures and forced organizations to switch to remote working. Employees working remotely in isolated and confined situations are experiencing great stress and uncertainty. This study aims to investigate how remote workers perform during lockdowns.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on social information processing theory, this study developed and tested hypotheses linking professional isolation, cynicism and task performance. This study was comprised of 497 remote workers in the financial industry in China.
Findings
The findings revealed that professional isolation is positively related to cynicism, and cynicism is negatively related to task performance. Cynicism mediates the relationship between professional isolation and task performance. The results indicated that psychological hardiness moderated the mediation effect of professional isolation on task performance through cynicism.
Practical implications
This research offers implications for managers and practitioners on reducing employees' feeling of isolation through effective communication, collaboration and support via online platforms and preventing and reducing cynicism by introducing clear organizational policy and practice to balance job demands and job resources. Meanwhile, managers can develop commitment, control and challenge components of employees' psychological hardiness to enhance job performance.
Originality/value
This study extends the remote working literature in a crisis situation and fills the gap in the cynicism literature by understanding the role played by cynicism for remote workers. The current study also adds to the literature by highlighting the importance of psychological hardiness for remote workers during the pandemic.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Note: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
Disclosure statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
There is no financial interest in the research.
Citation
Yu, X. and Liu, Y. (2023), "How do remote workers perform during COVID-19 lockdowns? Examining professional isolation, cynicism and psychological hardiness", Information Technology & People, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 1894-1914. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2021-0259
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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