COVID-adjusted HR practices and employees' stress across continents: testing a moderated mediation model

Abstract

Purpose

The paper has intended to advance the research on the relationship between COVID-adjusted HR practices (CAHRP) and employees' stress (ES) by exploring the mediating role of employees' satisfaction from remote working (ESRW). Further, a consolidative moderated mediation model with HR pandemic readiness (HRPR) as moderator on the above-stated relationship has also been proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

A data set of 2266 respondents from 84 countries across six continents of the world was analysed using techniques like factor analyses, correlations and bootstrapping through PROCESS Macro in SPSS 23.

Findings

The results highlighted that ESRW significantly mediated the relationship of CAHRP and ES. Further, HRPR moderated significantly the indirect relationship between CAHRP and ES via employees' satisfaction. This relationship was found stronger at highest level as against lower level of HRPR.

Originality/value

This study has augmented empirical evidences to the existing literature of COVID-19 by presenting HRPR as a new dimension of HR and its role in handling the challenging situations of pandemics.

Citation

Kundu, S.C., Chahar, P. and Tuteja, P. (2024), "COVID-adjusted HR practices and employees' stress across continents: testing a moderated mediation model", South Asian Journal of Business Studies, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 442-462. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAJBS-06-2022-0214