Internal crisis communication practices and job performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating effects of internal crisis communication satisfaction

Abstract

The study examines the influence of internal crisis communication practices on internal crisis communication satisfaction and the job performance of frontline employees. Also, the mediating effects of internal crisis communication satisfaction are considered. Data were collected from 284 frontline employees working in the UAE public service organisations, and SmartPLS was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that internal crisis communication practices are positively related to internal crisis communication satisfaction. Also, the relationships between internal crisis communication satisfaction and the identified work outcomes (job satisfaction, employee engagement and affective organisation commitment) were statistically significant. This study will assist service organisations in converging their attention on communication practices, particularly during crisis time to enhance employees’ work-related outcomes and achieve desired job performance. Our research extends work on organisational communication in an emerging economy context. This study offers solutions to advance communication practices in service organisations.

Keywords Affective Organisation Commitment, Employee Engagement, Internal Crisis Communication, Job Performance