The role of organizational and supervisor support in young adult workers’ resilience, efficacy and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic

As workers continue to grapple with the ongoing changes and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to examine how to foster young adult workers’ resilience and efficacy, which may prevent their burnout in a sustained crisis. This study investigates the effects of the perceived qualities of change communication, organizational support, and supervisor support on young adult workers’ resilience and efficacy in South Korea, which may mitigate disengagement and exhaustion. Our findings demonstrated that: (a) Supervisor support was positively associated with resilience and efficacy among young adult workers, whereas organizational support and communication did not have such effects. (b) Although young professionals who perceived themselves as efficacious were not necessarily able to prevent burnout, those who conceived of themselves as resilient were indeed less susceptible to burnout. Drawing on these findings, we discuss theoretical implications and practical recommendations for building a supportive work environment during a crisis.