This study was conducted to investigate the effects of work stress on psychological well-being (eudaimonic) during the shift from COVID-19 pandemic phase to the endemic phase with social support as a moderator. The sample of this study comprised 150 employees who hold various positions at both executive and support levels in the public and private sectors. Hypothesis testing was conducted using the Smart PLS 3.0 software by utilizing the regression analysis test to examine the direct relationship and moderating relationship. The results of the study showed the existence of a negative relationship between work stress and psychological well-being (eudaimonic), while social support moderates this relationship. This study can provide valuable input to managements to strengthen social support as a moderator for employees’ stress level through motivation and training, given that a large number of employees face work stress when they are handling the challenging transition from COVID-19 pandemic to endemic phase. This study will empirically prove the significant effects of work stress which impair employees’ psychological well-being, specifically on the eudaimonic perspective, while strengthening the literature on the underlying mechanism of social support (superiors, co-workers, family, and friends) during the challenging time (endemic phase). By studying workplace stress, researchers, policymakers, and organizations can work collaboratively to identify effective strategies for prevention, intervention, and creating healthier work environments. Ultimately, examining the impact of workplace stress on eudaimonic psychological well-being provides a richer and more nuanced understanding of what it means to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life. This field of research contributes to a more thorough understanding of human flourishing by providing a deeper and more holistic view on human well-being.
Blanch, A. (2016). Social support as a mediator between job control and psychological strain. Social Science & Medicine, 157, 148-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.007.
Brough, P., O'Driscoll, M. P., & Biggs, A. (2009). Parental leave and work?family balance among employed parents following childbirth: An exploratory investigation in Australia and New Zealand. Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 4(1), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2009.9522445.
Buzzai, C., Sorrenti, L., Orecchio, S., Marino, D., & Filippello, P. (2020). The relationship between contextual and dispositional variables, well-being and hopelessness in school context. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 533815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533815.
Camargo, C. A. C. M., Gerais, P. M., Gerais, P. M., Gerais, P. M., Gerais, P. M., & Gerais, P. M. (2019). Stress and Suffering at Work: Possible Causes. Open Access Library Journal, 6(04), 1.
Ceri, V., & Cicek, I. (2021). Psychological well-being, depression and stress during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey: A comparative study of healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 26(1), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2020.1859566.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404.
Cohen, S., Underwood, L. G., & Gottlieb, B. H. (Eds.). (2000). Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780195126709.001.0001.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310.
Connell, C. M., Janevic, M. R., & Gallant, M. P. (2001). The costs of caring: impact of dementia on family caregivers. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology, 14(4), 179-187. https://doi.org/10.1177/089198870101400403.
der Kinderen, S., & Khapova, S. N. (2020). Positive psychological well-being at work: The role of eudaimonia. The Palgrave handbook of workplace well-being, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02470-3_79-1.
der Kinderen, S., Valk, A., Khapova, S. N., & Tims, M. (2020). Facilitating eudaimonic well-being in mental health care organizations: The role of servant leadership and workplace civility climate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1-17. 1173. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041173.
Didymus, F. F., Norman, L., Hurst, M., & Clarke, N. J. (2021). Job stressors, strain, and psychological wellbeing among women sports coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(3), 456-464. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954120974345.
Dollete, M., Steese, S., Phillips, W., & Matthews, G. (2004). Understanding girls’ circle as an intervention on perceived social support, body image, self-efficacy, locus of control and self-esteem. The Journal of Psychology, 90(2), 204-215.
Dworkin, E. R., Ojalehto, H., Bedard-Gilligan, M. A., Cadigan, J. M., & Kaysen, D. (2018). Social support predicts reductions in PTSD symptoms when substances are not used to cope: A longitudinal study of sexual assault survivors. Journal of affective disorders, 229, 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.042.
García?Sierra, R., Fernández?Castro, J., & Martínez?Zaragoza, F. (2016). Work engagement in nursing: an integrative review of the literature. Journal of nursing management, 24(2), E101-E111. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12312.
Gauer, S., & Germann, B. (2022). Managing COVID-19 in workplaces–a theoretical framework for integral employees’ health. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 24(2), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcre-10-2020-0045.
Freire, C., Ferradas, M. D. M., Nunez, J. C., Valle, A., & Vallejo, G. (2019). Eudaimonic well-being and coping with stress in university students: The mediating/moderating role of self-efficacy. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16010048
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Thiele, K. O. (2017). Mirror, mirror on the wall: a comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 45, 616-632.
Harding, T., Lopez, V., & Klainin-Yobas, P. (2019). Predictors of psychological well-being among higher education students. Psychology, 10(04), 578. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2019.104037.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American psychologist, 44(3), 513. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.44.3.513.
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J.-P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 103–128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640.
Holliman, A. J., Waldeck, D., Jay, B., Murphy, S., Atkinson, E., Collie, R. J., & Martin, A. (2021). Adaptability and social support: Examining links with psychological wellbeing among UK students and non-students. Frontiers in Psychology, 205.
http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636520.
Holman, D., Johnson, S., & O'Connor, E. (2018). Stress management interventions: Improving subjective psychological well-being in the workplace. Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers, 2.
Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwarz, N. (Eds.). (1999). Well-being: Foundations of hedonic psychology. Russell Sage Foundation.
Keyes, C. L., Shmotkin, D., & Ryff, C. D. (2002). Optimizing well-being: the empirical encounter of two traditions. Journal of personality and social psychology, 82(6), 1007. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.6.1007.
Kinyita, P. (2015). Relationship between work stress and perfomance of employees: a case study of transit hotel in Nairobi City County. Archives of Business Research, 3(6). https://doi.org/10.14738/ABR.36.1538.
Koprowski, E. J. (1981). Exploring the meaning of “good” management. Academy of Management Review, 6(3), 459-467. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1981.4285788.
Kuranchie-Mensah, E. B., & Amponsah-Tawiah, K. (2016). Employee motivation and work performance: A comparative study of mining companies in Ghana. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management (JIEM), 9(2), 255-309. https://doi.org/10.3926/JIEM.1530.
Kundi, Y. M., Aboramadan, M., Elhamalawi, E. M., & Shahid, S. (2021). Employee psychological well-being and job performance: exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 736-754. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoa-05-2020-2204.
Kundu, S. C., Tuteja, P., & Chahar, P. (2022), COVID-19 challenges and employees' stress: mediating role of family-life disturbance and work-life imbalance, Employee Relations, 44(6), 1318-1337. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2021-0090.
Ismail, H. N., Karkoulian, S., & Kertechian, S. K. (2019). Which personal values matter most? Job performance and job satisfaction across job categories. International Journal of Organizational Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-11-2017-1275
Jamal, M. T., Anwar, I., Khan, N. A., & Saleem, I. (2021). Work during COVID-19: assessing the influence of job demands and resources on practical and psychological outcomes for employees. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration.
https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-05-2020-0149.
Lee, H. (2021). Changes in workplace practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of emotion, psychological safety and organisation support. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-06-2020-0104.
Loon, M., Otaye-Ebede, L., & Stewart, J. (2019). The paradox of employee psychological well-being practices: An integrative literature review and new directions for research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(1), 156–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1479877.
Mehta, P., & Sharma, J. (2021). Moderation effect of social support and personal resources between emotional work and employee wellbeing. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 13(2), 235-255. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-07-2020-0252.
Oruh, E. S., Mordi, C., Dibia, C. H., & Ajonbadi, H. A. (2021). Exploring compassionate managerial leadership style in reducing employee stress level during COVID-19 crisis: the case of Nigeria. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 43(6), 1362-1381. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2020-0302.
Padilha, F., Gruber, L., Ribeiro, Y. P., Carvalho, J., Beuren, F. H., Fagundes, A. B., … de Campos, D. B. (2021). Resilience as an Important Soft Skill for Engineers’ Work during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Creative Education, 12(11), 2529–2534.
https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.1211189.
Rajeswari, M., & Magesh, R. (2017). A study on psychological well-being among employees of IT companies. Asian Social Science, 13(8), 59-65.
https://doi.org/10.5539/ASS.V13N8P59.
Reis, D., Hoppe, A., & Schroder, A. (2015). Reciprocal relationships between resources, work and study engagement, and mental health: Evidence for gain cycles. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(1), 59-75.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2013.834891.
Rosse, J. G., & Rosse, P. H. (1981). Role conflict and ambiguity: An empirical investigation of nursing personnel. Evaluation & the health professions, 4(4), 385-405.
https://doi.org/10.1177/016327878100400403.
Rozman, M., & Cancer, V. (2022). Appropriately organized work and employees' concerns related to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case in Slovenia. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 44(7), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/er-09-2021-0402.
Sarstedt, M., Henseler, J., & Ringle, C. M. (2011). Multigroup analysis in partial least squares (PLS) path modeling: Alternative methods and empirical results. In Measurement and research methods in international marketing (Vol. 22, pp. 195-218). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2011)0000022012.
Savage, S., & Bailey, S. (2004). The impact of caring on caregivers' mental health: a review of the literature. Australian health review, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1071/ah042710111.
Soman, S., & Mohanan, D. (2022). Home-based work and stress in the pandemic period: a case of working women in Kerala. IIM Ranchi journal of management studies. https://doi.org/10.1108/IRJMS-07-2021-0034.
Stanley, I. H., Hom, M. A., Chu, C., Dougherty, S. P., Gallyer, A. J., Spencer-Thomas, S., Shelef, L., Fruchter, E., Comtois, K. A., Gutierrez, P. M., Sachs-Ericsson, N. J., & Joiner, T. E. (2019). Perceptions of belongingness and social support attenuate PTSD symptom severity among firefighters: A multistudy investigation. Psychological Services, 16(4), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000240.
Sulaiman, T., Ibrahim, A., Motevalli, S., Wong, K. Y., & Hakim, M. N. (2021). Effect of e-evaluation on work motivation among teachers during the movement control order in COVID-19: the mediating role of stress. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(3), 435-449.
Tee, S., Ozcetin, Y. S. U., & Russell-Westhead, M. (2016). Workplace violence experienced by nursing students: A UK survey. Nurse education today, 41, 30-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.014.
Tian, L., Tian, Q., & Huebner, E. S. (2016). School-related social support and adolescents’ school-related subjective well-being: The mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction at school. Social Indicators Research, 128, 105-129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-1021-7.
Trastek, V. F., Hamilton, N. W., & Niles, E. E. (2014, March). Leadership models in health care—a case for servant leadership. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 89, No. 3, pp. 374-381). Elsevier.
Waterman, A. S. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 678–691. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.4.678.
Waterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., Ravert, R. D., Williams, M. K., Agocha, V. B., Kim, S. Y., & Donnellan, M. B. (2010). The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760903435208.
Yildirim, M., & Aziz, I. A. (2017). Psychometric properties of Turkish form of the Fear of Happiness Scale. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 5(2), 187-195.
Yunita, P.I., & Saputra, I.G. (2019). Millennial generation in accepting mutations: Impact on work stress and employee performance. International journal of social sciences and humanities. 3(1), https://doi.org/10.29332/IJSSH.V3N1.268.
Zeytun, D., & Aycan, Z. (2021). A Manifestation of Destructive Leadership: Downward Mobbing and Employees' Stress-Related Growth. In Destructive Leadership and Management Hypocrisy (pp. 143-162). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-180-520211010.
Zhou, T., Xu, C., Wang, C., Sha, S., Wang, Z., Zhou, Y., ... & Wang, Q. (2022). Burnout and well-being of healthcare workers in the post-pandemic period of COVID-19: a perspective from the job demands-resources model. BMC health services research, 22(1), 1-15.
Zhou, X., Wu, X., Wang, W., & Tian, Y. (2019). Self-efficacy and self-esteem mediate the relation between social support and posttraumatic growth amongst adolescents following Wenchuan earthquake. Psychological Development and Education, 35, 573-580.
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2.
