The effects of mandatory work-from-home strength on job performance: An investigation into the mediating role of emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled organizations to adopt mandatory work-from-home (WFH) policies, which have distinct features of criticality, disruptiveness, and novelty. These features, collectively known as event strength, have the potential to trigger avoidance coping behaviors among individuals. To minimize the potential for common method bias, we conducted a three-wave time-lagged study with a sample of 269 Chinese employees. Our results show that mandatory WFH strength during COVID-19 is positively associated with emotional exhaustion, which in turn is negatively related to job performance. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion partially mediates the relationship between mandatory WFH strength and job performance. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we offer a theoretical explanation for these findings and enrich the COR framework by including these variables. Our study contributes to the understanding of teleworking in exceptional circumstances and offers practical implications for governments and organizations to implement effective strategies during times of crisis.