Elevating Health Significance Post-Pandemic: Is the Employee-Organization Relationship in a Period of Change?

Abstract

The employee-organization relationship (EOR) is a well-established research topic in the applied psychology and organizational behavior literatures. However, the potential links between the EOR and employee health and well-being are understudied in comparison to the effects of the EOR on traditional organization-focused outcomes such as organizational commitment, job performance, and turnover. To address the need for development of the role of the EOR on employee health, we focus on two of the most popular EOR concepts: psychological contracts and perceived organizational support. We review the empirical research on the EOR and health and well-being as well as theoretical underpinnings of social exchange and reciprocity. We then suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased emphasis on employee health and well-being, resulting in heightened employee expectations from their organization. Subsequently, we present a model based on social exchange theory to explain how this increased attention on health is linked with employee perceptions of organizational support and psychological contracts, ultimately contributing to enhanced or decreased health and well-being. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of the changing emphasis on the health and well-being of employees for the EOR and the importance of an expansion of research linking the EOR with health and well-being.