Religiousness Moderates Eldercare Burden's Impact on OCB Through Mental Exhaustion

Abstract

This study examines the detrimental effects of employees' eldercare burden on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), mediated by mental exhaustion. This study discovered that employee personal resources of religiousness significantly moderate and mitigate the impact of eldercare burden on mental exhaustion. A longitudinal study employing a three-wave, multisource design, collected data from 373 employees across education, banking and healthcare sectors in Pakistan. The study's findings indicate a significant negative relationship between employee eldercare burden and OCB. Mediation analysis revealed that employee eldercare burden negatively impacts work outcomes via mental exhaustion. Employee religious beliefs mitigate the adverse effects of eldercare burden on mental exhaustion, demonstrating a weakened relationship among highly religious caregivers. The study identified a moderated mediation model, where religiousness influences the indirect relationship between eldercare burden and work outcomes via mental exhaustion. The research expands on previous studies by examining the specific factors that contribute to the negative impact of eldercare burden on workplace performance, with findings indicating that mental exhaustion are primary mediators of this relationship. This dysfunctional effect of eldercare burden in turn, buffers due to religiousness, acting as shield against the spillover of workplace stress due to mental exhaustion and it promotes behaviors which ultimately promote employee’s performance. The findings of this study are intended to inspire organizational transformation, encouraging proactive strategies that address the eldercare burden, promote religious harmony, and enhance performance outcomes, ultimately contributing to the well-being of employees and the success of the organization.