Will Healthcare Workers Withhold Effort During Communicable Disease Outbreaks? An Interactive Effect of Pay Satisfaction and Perceived Organizational Support

This study examined the influence of perceived organisational support and pay satisfaction on the withholding of effort among healthcare workers during communicable disease outbreaks. The healthcare industry is crucial in combating diseases and improving healthcare delivery. Grounded in Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Employee Motivation, this research adopted a quantitative approach to assess the main and interaction effects of pay satisfaction and perceived organizational support on withholding of effort. A total of 102 doctors (21.4%), 289 nurses (60.6%), 44 laboratory technicians (9.2%), and 42 pharmacists (8.8%) were purposively sampled from hospitals in Ondo State, Nigeria. Results revealed no significant main effects of perceived organizational support F (1,472) = 0.26, p >.01, or pay satisfaction F (1,472) = 0.7, p >.01, on withholding of effort. However, a significant two-way interaction effect was found, F (1,472) = 8.43, p <.01, indicating that healthcare workers with high pay satisfaction and low perceived organizational support withheld more effort than healthcare workers with low pay satisfaction but high perceived organization support. The study recommends prioritizing organizational support to sustain commitment and reduce withholding of effort. Health policies should address essential needs, such as PPE, transportation, childcare, vaccines, and insurance schemes. This study contributes to scholarship by providing empirical insight from the under-researched Nigerian healthcare context and demonstrating how pay satisfaction and perceived organizational support interact to influence effort-related behaviours during health crises. Keywords: Perceived Organizational Support, Pay Satisfaction, Withholding of Effort, Healthcare Workers, Dual Practice