Impact of role conflict and social support on performance of layoff survivors: Evidence from India

COVID-19 has propelled the tech industry in India into a cycle of extensive downsizing, leaving numerous layoff survivors in a vulnerable state and demanding an urgent need for appropriate strategies to counter this precarious situation. Hence, the objective of the study is to investigate the impact of layoff-induced role conflicts on the task performance of layoff survivors, along with the moderating role of perceived family support and perceived organizational support in Indian tech companies. A descriptive survey method was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire. A total of 256 responses were collected from 25 major tech companies that executed layoffs in the recent past. SPSS AMOS and Jamovi 2.4.11 were used for the analysis. The result reveals that layoff-induced role conflicts were significantly associated with the task performance of surviving employees (p < .026), though the impact was negative (β = –0.106). The moderating effect of both perceived organizational support (β = 0.647, [LLCI = 0.505], [ULCI = 0.785], p < 0.001) and perceived family support (β = 0.324, [LLCI = 0.181], [ULCI = 0.459], p < 0.001) was significant between role conflict and task performance. The results also demonstrate that the task performance of surviving employees is significantly diminished by role conflicts as it leads to work-related stress. Furthermore, the study also highlights that perceived organizational and family support plays a crucial role in tackling the overall negative impact of layoff-induced role conflicts on the task performance of surviving employees in post-layoff scenarios.