When Work Stress Mounts: How Commitment Explains and Social Bonds Protect Workplace Citizenship

What is it about?

This study examines how two major job stressors—work overload and interpersonal conflict—impact employees’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), or voluntary actions that support coworkers and the organization. Using the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, it shows that these stressors reduce OCB by undermining organizational commitment, the key mechanism linking stress to behavior. The study also explores how social interaction moderates these effects by offering a supportive context that helps employees sustain commitment and cooperation under strain. Using multisource data from employees and supervisors in a Mexican organization, the study finds that organizational commitment fully mediates the link between work overload and OCB, and partially mediates the link between interpersonal conflict and OCB. Social interaction mitigates the negative effects of both stressors on commitment—employees with stronger, more positive relationships show less decline under pressure. When social interaction is high, the indirect negative impact of stressors on OCB through commitment is weaker. These results reveal that workplace stress diminishes OCB primarily because it erodes employees’ emotional attachment to their organization. Managers can preserve cooperation and engagement by fostering strong interpersonal bonds and cultivating a socially supportive climate. By reinforcing both commitment and connectedness, organizations can sustain employees’ willingness to help others and contribute beyond formal job requirements even in demanding environments.

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Photo by Sandra Gabriel on Unsplash

Photo by Sandra Gabriel on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in identifying organizational commitment as the central explanatory mechanism and social interaction as the buffering resource through which work overload and interpersonal conflict affect organizational citizenship behavior. It extends the JD-R model by illustrating how job demands influence behavior through motivational processes and how relational support can protect against the negative effects of stress. The study is particularly timely as organizations contend with increasing workloads and interpersonal tension in modern, interdependent workplaces. Conducted in Mexico, it underscores the importance of social connectedness in sustaining commitment and cooperation. The findings encourage leaders to build supportive, relationship-centered environments that maintain employee engagement and discretionary effort even under high-stress conditions.