JD-R & Employee Wellbeing during the Covid-19 Pandemic: “Traditional” Values as Psychological Buffer

Fusing theory and research on the JD-R framework and cultural values shift and set at a unique historical moment representing the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we theorized that values typifying the traditional society prioritizing social order and the collective including collectivism, rule/hierarchy orientation and religiosity act as psychological buffer in associations between work and non-work demands, resources, and employee wellbeing. Results from a large sample of employees working in many different industries and situated across four world regions including Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia found support for these notions. Societal culture was found to amplify the interactive effects of demands/resources and values on employee wellbeing at the individual level such that larger effects were found in tight societal cultures. The theoretical and practical implications of the present findings for research and practice in international business are discussed.