Are Business-to-Business Employees More Engaged or Burned Out amid A Global Health Crisis: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT Purpose The most recent health crisis, COVID-19, has been the greatest disruptor to society in centuries. This disruption has significantly impacted how business-to-business organizations conduct business. These disruptions may create changes in work-related attitudes and perceptions for business-to-business employees. However, due to the recency of the pandemic, there is a lack of published comparison studies on employee attitudes and perceptions. Specifically, the overarching research question in this study investigates if differences between pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic exist for ten work-related attitudes and perceptions. Methodology/approach Quantitative survey data using a Qualtrics panel was collected from currently employed business-to-business salespeople from two different time periods. The first survey of three hundred sixty-one participants was completed pre-pandemic (2018) while the second survey of three hundred five participants was completed mid-pandemic (late-2020). All measures were taken from the extant literature using a seven-point scale. Findings Overall, out of ten constructs investigated, five significant differences were identified. Results found that employees mid-pandemic experienced higher levels of organizational support and personal accomplishment than employees pre-pandemic. These employees experienced lower levels of work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions mid-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. No statistically significant differences existed between pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic employees’ attitudes and behaviors for supervisory support, engagement, depersonalization, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Contribution of the article This is the first study that has compared the impact of a global health crisis on business-to-business salespeople’s job-related attitudes and behaviors. This study is important because it highlights the impact that a health crisis can have on employees within the organization. In a time of great negativity and uncertainty, these results showcase how a pandemic may have also positively impacted organizations, especially as it relates to the sudden adoption of new technologies. For sales organizations, we provide guidance on ways organizations can be successful post-pandemic.