When caring depletes: the paradox of leading employee wellbeing during a prolonged crisis – evidence from the Australian resources sector

Purpose The protracted COVID-19 crisis placed substantial demands on managers in the Australian resources industry. While workers' wellbeing received increased attention during this period, much less is known about how managers sustained their own wellbeing while providing care, reassurance, and operational continuity. Drawing on the JD–R model, paradox theory, and moral strain perspectives, we examine wellbeing-oriented leadership during a sustained crisis. We focus on how leadership behaviour operated as both a resource for employees and a demand on managers, shaping their own wellbeing experiences and leadership identity. Design/methodology/approach An interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 managers in the Australian mining, oil, and gas sector. The interview accounts were analysed using IPA to examine how participants made sense of responsibility, care, and uncertainty during a prolonged crisis. Findings The findings indicate that leadership during a prolonged crisis embodied a Demand–Resource Paradox (DRP). Practices such as emotional support, constant availability, and responsibility for safety and wellbeing decisions acted as resources for employees while imposing demands on managers. Sustained over time, these practices contributed to the accumulation of psychological strain and resource depletion. Originality/value First, we extend JD–R theory by identifying a Demand–Resource Paradox in which wellbeing-oriented leadership supports workers while depleting managers. Second, we advance moral strain research by showing how moral strain accumulates through prolonged crisis-related responsibility. Third, we reconceptualise crisis leadership as an endurance-based process, distinct from resilience models, by emphasising chronic demands, cumulative depletion, identity reshaping, and the absence of clear recovery periods.