Self-compassion as a replenishing resource for working parents during crisis: How being kind to self supports safety compliance

Hak Yoon Kim and Ellen Choi
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Hak Yoon Kim: Department of Management, David Eccles School of Business, The University of Utah Asia Campus, Incheon, South Korea
Ellen Choi: Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada

Australian Journal of Management, 2025, vol. 50, issue 3, 706-727

Abstract: Even in contexts where safety compliance is critical, not everyone complies with safety guidelines. To better understand why, we develop and test a theoretical model explaining how individuals can bolster the self-control capacity needed to remain compliant in contexts of crisis. Using Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we propose that self-compassion can serve as a personal resource that supports safety compliance among working parents during crisis, such as COVID-19. We argue that self-control capacity mediates the relationship between self-compassion and safety compliance and explore gender as a moderator, given prior research suggesting gender differences in the experience and benefits of self-compassion. Using data collected from 387 working parents at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic, our results show that self-control capacity mediates the link between self-compassion and safety compliance. Moreover, this relationship is stronger for working fathers than for working mothers. Our study highlights the importance of personal inner resources, like self-compassion, in promoting safety compliance, especially for working parents who may be more vulnerable to resource depletion during challenging times. JEL Classification: M50

Keywords: Self-compassion; safety compliance; self-control capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ausman:v:50:y:2025:i:3:p:706-727

DOI: 10.1177/03128962251329147

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