Perceived Nonwork Constraints and Withdrawal Intention among Expatriates during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moderating Role of Resilience and Marital Status
Main Article Content
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a considerable threat to the well-being of expatriates, which can be seriously exacerbated by both work- and nonwork-related factors. Since restrictions were introduced worldwide, expatriates find it more challenging to integrate into their organizations and local societies. This study mainly aimed to examine if resilience and marital status could affect the perceptions of nonwork constraints and withdrawal intentions among expatriates during the pandemic. Data collected from a sample of 205 expatriates living and working in Malaysia was analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The results showed the positive and direct effect of perceived nonwork constraints on withdrawal intention (β = .29, p = .30). Using the two-stage moderation analysis, the results indicated the significant moderating effect of marital status on the relationship between perceived nonwork constraints and withdrawal intention (β = -.14, p = .04). However, the results did not substantiate the moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between perceived nonwork constraints and withdrawal intention (β = .16, p = .07). This research contributes to behavioral science knowledge about global mobility by applying spillover theory and the conservation of resources theory in the context of a medical emergency like the COVID-19 crisis. Notwithstanding ongoing obstacles caused by the global pandemic, the research findings could provide implications for human resource practitioners to improve work behavior among expatriates by considering their nonwork aspects and marital status.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Andresen, M., Goldmann, P., & Volodina, A. (2018). Do overwhelmed expatriates intend to leave? The effects of sensory processing sensitivity, stress, and social capital on expatriates’ turnover intention. European Management Review, 15(3), 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12120
Aguiar-Quintana, T., Nguyen, T. H., Araujo-Cabrera, Y., & Sanabria-Díaz, J. M. (2021). Do job insecurity, anxiety and depression caused by the COVID-19 pandemic influence hotel employees’ self-rated task performance? The moderating role of employee resilience. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102868
Arshad, A., Sun, P. Y., & Desmarais, F. (2021). Abusive supervision and employee empowerment: The moderating role of resilience and workplace friendship. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 28(4), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518211005449
Bader, A. K., Reade, C., & Froese, F. J. (2019). Terrorism and expatriate withdrawal cognitions: The differential role of perceived work and nonwork constraints. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(11), 1769-1793. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1233448
Bader, B., Berg, N., & Holtbrugge, D. (2015). Expatriate performance in terrorism-endangered countries: The role of family and organizational support. International Business Review, 24(5), 849-860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2015.03.005
Bajrami, D., Terzić, A., Petrović, M. D., Radovanović, M., Tretiakova, T. N., & Hadoud, A. (2021). Will we have the same employees in hospitality after all? The impact of COVID-19 on employees’ work attitudes and turnover intentions. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102754
Caligiuri, P., Cieri, H. D., Minbaeva, D., Verbeke, A., & Zimmermann, A. (2020). International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for future research and practice. Journal of International Business Studies, 51, 697-713. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00335-9
Carnevale, J. B., & Hatak, I. (2020). Employee adjustment and well-being in the era of COVID-19: Implications for human resource management. Journal of Business Research, 116, 183-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.037
Chan, H. L., Toh, P. S., Ng, S. I., & Zawawi, D. (2021). I love my career, don’t I? The influence of organization-based support on expatriates’ adjustment and occupational withdrawal intention. International Journal of Business Science & Applied Management, 16(1), 69-85.
Chan, H. L., Zawawi, D., Toh, P. S., & Gunn, S. M. (2022). Exploring perceived organizational support and resilience as antecedents of expatriates’ work and non-work spheres amid the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Business and Society, 23(2), 967-986. https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.4853.2022
Channuwong, S., & Ruksat, S. (2022). Buddhist teachings for improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 17(2), 29-41. https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/IJBS/article/view/256761
Charoensukmongkol, P., & Phungsoonthorn, T. (2022). The interaction effect of crisis communication and social support on the emotional exhaustion of university employees during the COVID-19 crisis. International Journal of Business Communication, 59(2), 269-286. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488420953188
Charoensukmongkol, P., & Puyod, J. V. (2022). Mindfulness and emotional exhaustion in call center agents in the Philippines: Moderating roles of work and personal characteristics. The Journal of General Psychology, 149(1), 72-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2020.1800582
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depress Anxiety, 18(2), 76-82. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113
Crouter, A. C. (1984). Spillover from family to work: The neglected side of the work-family interface. Human Relations, 37(6), 425-442. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678403700601
Davies, S. E., Stoermer, S., & Froese, F. J. (2019). When the going gets tough: the influence of expatriate resilience and perceived organizational inclusion climate on work adjustment and turnover intentions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(8), 1393-1417. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1528558
Hair, J. F., Matthews, L. M., Matthews, R. L., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). PLS-SEM or CB-SEM: Updated guidelines on which method to use. International Journal of Multivariate Data Analysis, 1(2), 107-123.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi:10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2017). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. Sage.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hoang, A.-D. (2020). Pandemic and teacher retention: empirical evidence from expat teachers in Southeast Asia during COVID-19. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40(9/10), 1141-1166. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-07-2020-0269
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513-524. 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, 103-128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
InterNations. (2021). Expat Insider 2021: The Year of Uncertainty. InterNations GmbH.
Jamrisko, M., & Curran, E. (2021). Expats in Singapore, Hong Kong Watch With Envy as World Opens Up. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-17/expats-in-singapore-hong-kong-watch-with-envy-as-world-opens-up
Kimura, T., Bande, B., & Fernández-Ferrín, P. (2018). Work overload and intimidation: The moderating role of resilience. European Management Journal, 36(6), 736-745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2018.03.002
Koveshnikov, A., Lehtonen, M. J., & Wechtler, H. (2022). Expatriates on the run: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates’ host country withdrawal intentions. International Business Review, 31(6), 102009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2022.102009
Landau, E. (2020). Malaysia based expats still barred from travelling abroad [NSTTV]. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/07/608541/malaysia-based-expats-still-barred-travelling-abroad-nsttv
Lee, K. (2020). 11 joggers, mostly expats, arrested in Mont Kiara for defying MCO. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/03/27/11-joggers-mostly-expats-arrested-in-mont-kiara-for-defying-mco/1850931
Mello, S. F., & Tomei, P. A. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates: A pathway to work-life harmony? Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 40(5), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22088
Munyenyembe, B., Chen, Y.-Y., & Sambo, G. (2021). COVID-19 sources of primary care nurses’ work disengagement in Malawi. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 16(1), 1-13. https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/IJBS/article/view/243848
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Ram, B. S. (2020). Eurocham Malaysia urges review of new foreign worker, expatriate policy. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/11/637706/eurocham-malaysia-urges-review-new-foreign-worker-expatriate-policy
Sahoo, A., Xechung, N. L., Mostafiz, M. I., & Krishnaswamy, J. (2022). Perceived risk and sensitivity and their influence on expatriate performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 41(4), 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22152
Selmer, J., & Fenner, C. R. (2009). Spillover effects between work and non-work adjustment among public sector expatriates. Personnel Review, 38(4), 366-379. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480910956328
Selmer, J., & Lauring, J. (2011). Marital status and work outcomes of self‐initiated expatriates: Is there a moderating effect of gender? Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 18(2), 198-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527601111126021
Shelef, L., Schiff, M., Pat-Horenczyk, R., & Dekel, R. (2022). COVID-19 vs. terrorism: Contribution of the COR theory to the process of coping with invisible threats. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 147, 176-182. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.023
Smith, B., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Christopher, E. T., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15, 194-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705500802222972
Staines, G. L. (1980). Spillover versus compensation: A review of the literature on the relationship between work and nonwork. Human Relations, 33(2), 111-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678003300203
Takeuchi, R., Yun, S., & Tesluk, P. E. (2002). An examination of crossover and spillover effects of spousal and expatriate cross-cultural adjustment on expatriate outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 655-666. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.655
The Straits Times. (2022). Expats leave as Shanghai's Covid-19 lockdown drags. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/expats-leave-as-shanghais-covid-19-lockdown-drags
Thomas, R. (2020). Psychologist’s Mind on Missing Beats of An Expatriate Life. In L. S. Manickam & L. S. Manickam (Eds.), COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Responses of Psychologists from India (pp. 101-107). Thiruvananthapuram: Centre for Applied Psychological Studies.
Traunmüller, C., Stefitz, R., Schneider, M., & Schwerdtfeger, A. (2021). Resilience moderates the relationship between the psychological impact of COVID-19 and anxiety. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1955137
Tripathi, C. M., & Singh, T. (2021). Sailing through the COVID-19 pandemic: Managing expatriates’ psychological well-being and performance during natural crises. Journal of Global Mobility, 10(2), 192-208. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-03-2021-0034
Tulucu, F., Anasori, E., & Madanoglu, G. K. (2022). How does mindfulness boost work engagement and inhibit psychological distress among hospital employees during the COVID-19 pandemic? The mediating and moderating role of psychological resilience. The Service Industries Journal, 42(3-4), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2021.2021182
Vijayakumar, P. B., & Cunningham, C. J. (2019). Expatriates’ identity salience, work stressors, and work-nonwork conflict: Moderating role of gender and marital status. Thunderbird International Business Review, 61(2), 375-386. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.21986