Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effects of new work-related stressors on psychological distress and absenteeism and the role of recognition in these relationships.
Methods: Moderated path analyses were carried out on a sample of 1128 health care workers.
Results: Increased workload related to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) ( β = 1.511, P ≤ 0.01) and fear of COVID-19 ( β = 0.844, P ≤ 0.01) were directly associated with a higher level of psychological distress and indirectly ( β = 2.306, P ≤ 0.01; and β = 1.289, P ≤ 0.05, respectively) associated with a higher level of absenteeism. Recognition ( β = 0.260, P ≤ 0.001) moderated the association between teleworking and psychological distress. Furthermore, this significant moderation effect had a significant impact on absenteeism ( β = 0.392, P ≤ 0.05). Regardless of the workplace (on site or teleworking), high recognition was beneficial for psychological distress. This effect seems more important when working on site.
Conclusions: The results propose that specific new work-related stressors should be addressed in the context of organizational change (eg, a pandemic).
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