How Work-Family Conflict Influenced the Safety Performance of Subway Employees during the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic: Testing a Chained Mediation Model

Abstract

This study examined the impact of work-family conflict on subway employees’ safety performance during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We proposed a chain mediation model in which job burnout and affective commitment play mediating roles in this process. Using questionnaire data from 632 Chinese subway employees during February 2020, structural equation modeling analyses were performed. The analyses showed that work-family conflict had a significant negative impact on subway employee safety performance. Moreover, job burnout completely mediated the influence of work-family conflict on safety performance, while affective commitment only partially mediated the influence of job burnout on safety performance. These findings suggest the important role played by Work-Family balance during the pandemic and contribute to a deeper understanding of the inner mechanisms. We also discussed several practical implications for organizations to reduce the negative impact of work-family conflict on safety performance.

How Do COVID-19 Risk, Life-Safety Risk, Job Insecurity, and Work–Family Conflict Affect Miner Performance? Health-Anxiety and Job-Anxiety Perspectives

“…When work–family conflicts occur, miners must spend significant time and energy adjusting their emotions and states, making it difficult for them to focus entirely on their work [ 50 ]. Zhang et al [ 51 ] found that work–family conflict had a significantly negative effect on the job performance of subway employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bojan showed the indirect effect of work–family conflict with psychological safety as an intermediate variable in employees job performance [ 52 ].…”

Management of Emerging Health Conditions to Improve Resilience and Mental Health

“…Distance learning and working have led to changes in health behaviors [ 10 , 11 ]. Furthermore, people need to face organizational adaptation [ 12 ] and concerns for self-health [ 13 ] when fighting against diseases. These changes indicate that emerging diseases systematically impact human society and require attention from all facets of society.…”