22000: Embracing Mortality in the Workplace: Understanding Generative Mechanisms of Death Reflection (session 25544)

Major events have the potential to significantly disrupt individual lives and societal functions, as vividly demonstrated by the COVID-19 crisis. Research indicates that although the crisis mainly triggered intense reactions in the death anxiety mechanism, it intriguingly evoked fewer functional responses concerning death reflection. This study explores the often overlooked but potentially advantageous effects of death reflection, employing the Death Awareness at Work model and the Generativity Theory within a four-wave study (N=246) conducted in China. The results showed that the perceived strength of the COVID-19 crisis was not only positively related to death anxiety but also correlated with death reflection. Furthermore, perceived COVID-19 crisis strength was found to influence in-role performance mediated through achievement motivation, and OCB mediated through prosocial motivation. The direct relationship between perceived strength of the COVID-19 crisis and death reflection, and the following indirect mediating effects were partly moderated by job resources. Our research provides insights into the mechanisms under which employees engage in death reflection and respond with generative behaviors to crises like COVID-19. Moreover, it offers practical implications for managing death reflection and generative behavior responses to traumatic events.

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