“The day the Earth stopped” – How belief in a just world affected emotions and job outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparison between Brazil and France

Abstract

Introduction

While the measures taken to contain COVID-19 have been criticized in many countries, their emotional impact has encouraged people to draw on organizing principles about the world, such as belief in a just world (BJW). Alongside this, reactions to an exceptional and extreme life event also affect labor relations, and have given rise to a crisis that is still evident today.

Objective

Based on the Affective Event Theory (AET), the study aims to test how behavior at work is affected by an extreme life event as a function of the work environment.

Method

449 teleworkers in Brazil and 236 in France participated in the study, considering that these two countries had imposed similar periods of mandatory teleworking while adopting different policies. Empirical models were tested using structural equation modeling, and differences between countries were tested using ANOVA.

Results

Low positive emotions tended to decrease perceived job satisfaction when BJW was high in both countries. This also occurred among French teleworkers when they had high negative emotions. BJW directly affected both performance and job satisfaction in Brazil and only job satisfaction in France.

Conclusion

Results offer support for the AET and confirm that the work environment indirectly influences affective experiences and work outcomes. Despite a limited sample, because the respondents were part of the minority of the working population who could stay at home, the study offers a practical contribution. The difference in support perceived by French and Brazilian teleworkers reinforces the idea that attention to ideals and contextual conditions is essential for maintaining emotional health and job performance.