Does the End Justify the Means? The Role of Organizational Communication among Work-from-Home Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Margherita Zito, Emanuela Ingusci, Claudio G. Cortese, Maria Luisa Giancaspro, Amelia Manuti, Monica Molino, Fulvio Signore and Vincenzo Russo
Additional contact information
Margherita Zito: Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour “Carlo A. Ricciardi”, Università IULM, Via Carlo Bo 1, 20143 Milan, Italy
Emanuela Ingusci: History, Society and Human Studies Department, University of Salento, Via di Valesio 24, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Claudio G. Cortese: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy
Maria Luisa Giancaspro: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, Palazzo Chiaia Napolitano, Via Crisanzio 42, 70121 Bari, Italy
Amelia Manuti: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, Palazzo Chiaia Napolitano, Via Crisanzio 42, 70121 Bari, Italy
Monica Molino: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy
Fulvio Signore: History, Society and Human Studies Department, University of Salento, Via di Valesio 24, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Vincenzo Russo: Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour “Carlo A. Ricciardi”, Università IULM, Via Carlo Bo 1, 20143 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: During the first months of 2020, the world, and Italy at an early stage, went through the COVID-19 emergency that had a great impact on individual and collective health, but also on working processes. The mandatory remote working and the constant use of technology for employees raised different implications related to technostress and psycho-physical disorders. This study aimed to detect, in such a period of crisis and changes, the role of organizational communication considering the mediating role of both technostress and self-efficacy, with psycho-physical disorders as outcome. The research involved 530 workers working from home. A Structural Equations Model was estimated, revealing that organizational communication is positively associated with self-efficacy and negatively with technostress and psycho-physical disorders. As mediators, technostress is positively associated with psycho-physical disorders, whereas self-efficacy is negatively associated. As regards mediated effects, results showed negative associations between organizational communication and psycho-physical disorders through both technostress and self-efficacy. This study highlighted the potential protective role of organizational communication that could buffer the effect of technostress and enhance a personal resource, self-efficacy, which is functional to the reduction of psycho-physical disorders. This study contributed to literature underlying the role of communication in the current crisis and consequent reorganization of the working processes.

Keywords: COVID-19; remote working; organizational communication; technostress; self-efficacy; psycho-physical disorders (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 (12)

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