R. David Lebel, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Ben L. Fryrear Faculty Fellow, Katz Graduate School of Business
Key Findings: Fear of financial insecurity during the pandemic led U.S. workers to engage in proactive skill-building to safeguard their jobs. This resulted in proactive employees feeling psychologically depleted and burned out. Those with “high impression management motives,” or the need to be publicly recognized for their work, felt especially exhausted.
Recommendations: It is crucial for leaders and supervisors to be aware of how fear-inducing situations can contribute to employee burnout. Regular check-ins and providing support during difficult times can go a long way in alleviating the potential negative effects of fear-inducing situations. Proactive employees also could benefit from more public recognition. Finally, managers should be mindful – and workers should be aware – that proactivity is generally beneficial but can also have negative consequences.
Researchers: David Lebel; Xue Yang and Daniya Kamran-Morley, both doctoral students at Katz Graduate School of Business; and Sharon K. Parker, John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior at Curtin University.
Methodology: This was a multi-wave study during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic involving 1,315 non-faculty employees in higher education.
Links: I-O At Work: Science for the Workplace article; American Psychological Association research abstract
