Contact and impact on the frontline: Effects of relational job architecture and perceived safety climate on strain and motivational outcomes during COVID-19.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the relational nature of work, particularly for frontline workers who provide their labor in person. However, little is known about how relational job characteristics during the pandemic may affect workers or how frontline and nonfrontline workers may respond differently. We integrate theory on relational job architecture with the job demands-resources model to understand the effects of contact and impact during the pandemic. We propose contact as a job demand that increases strain outcomes among frontline workers and impact as a job resource that increases motivational outcomes among all workers. In addition, we propose perceived safety climate as a critical resource for mitigating the negative effects of contact among frontline workers and amplifying the positive effects of impact among all workers. We test hypotheses among 452 full-time workers (209 frontline, 243 nonfrontline) using a two-wave survey design. We find no support for the idea that contact operates as a job demand among frontline workers. In contrast, among nonfrontline workers, contact was associated with higher levels of burnout at lower levels of job impact and perceived safety climate. Impact and perceived safety climate acted as important resources among all workers, predicting both motivational and strain outcomes 4 months later. In addition, the positive effects of impact on prosocial motivation were amplified at higher levels of perceived safety climate among all workers. Our results suggest that impactful work, when conducted in a safe climate, is a key resource for enhancing prosocial motivation during crisis situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).