The Interactive Effect of COVID-19 Risk and Hospital Measures on Turnover Intentions of Healthcare Workers: A Time-Lagged Study

Mehwish Majeed, Muhammad Irshad and Jos Bartels
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Mehwish Majeed: Faculty of Management Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Muhammad Irshad: Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Jos Bartels: School of Communication and Film, Department of Communication Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: COVID-19 has led to a global health emergency worldwide. As a result, healthcare workers undergo distress mainly due to the perceived risk of contracting the virus. Such stress might cause them to leave their jobs. In this context, the current study: (1) introduced the concept of perceived risk of COVID-19 and measured it by adapting and validating an existing scale available on the risk of infectious diseases and (2) investigated its outcomes, underlying mechanisms, and boundary conditions for healthcare workers. With the support of conservation of resources theory, the current study aimed to investigate the association between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intentions among healthcare workers, particularly Doctors, nurses, and paramedics staff. This study also aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived fear of COVID-19 between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intention. The current study also aimed to examine the buffering role that perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 could have on diminishing workers’ turnover intentions. Data were collected through a three time-lag email survey of healthcare workers in Pakistan (N = 178) who currently provide treatment to COVID-19 patients. The results supported the hypothesis that perceived risk of COVID-19 enhances fear of COVID-19 among healthcare workers and, consequently, their turnover intentions. Perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 weaken the relationship between perceived risk of COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19, which reduces turnover intentions of health care workers. The current study offers implications for theory, practitioners, and society.

Keywords: risk of COVID-19; fear of COVID-19; turnover intention; hospital measures against COVID-19; healthcare workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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