Double Shield: The Roles of Personal and Organizational Resources in Promoting Positive Outcomes for Employees During Wartime.

Abstract

Employee well-being is essential for organizational growth and success in stable times and is even more critical during crises and life-threatening events. Although the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of holistic approaches to sustaining employee well-being, limited research has been conducted to identify strategies for maintaining employee well-being and preventing burnout during life-threatening events, such as wars or terrorist attacks. Addressing this gap, the current study investigates how and why a range of organizational resources (i.e., perceived organizational support, managerial accessibility, and psychological safety) and personal resources (i.e., hope and paradox mindset) contribute to reducing employee burnout in times of existential threat. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we propose that employee well-being mediates the relationship between organizational and personal resources and burnout at work. Data were collected through an online two-wave survey administered by a professional survey firm with access to a diverse pool of Israeli employees across occupations and work roles in November (time 1) and December 2023 (time 2), following the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. A time-lagged design, with key outcomes collected one month after the predictors, was employed to reduce the risk of common method bias. The data were analyzed using path analysis with bootstrapped indirect effects. The results demonstrate that hope, organizational support, psychological safety, and managerial accessibility positively contribute to employee well-being, which, in turn, is associated with lower levels of burnout. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.