| Summary: | Purpose – The global pandemic has required organisational leaders to respond rapidly in a time of
uncertainty. A specific challenge for leaders during the global pandemic is the salient and immediate threat to
worker health and well-being. Unfortunately, the consequences of different leadership actions in this context
are not well understood. By exploring the path from leader behaviour to employee well-being via experienced
work characteristics, this study aims to provide a framework for better understanding pandemic threat and
corresponding leadership impact.
Design/methodology/approach – Two prevention-focused leadership strategies were explored: defend and
adapt strategy. Two important work characteristics role clarity and workload were used to help explain the
links between leadership strategies and well-being. Potential mediating pathways were tested in path analysis
with Mplus (v7.4) based on 515 online survey responses.
Findings – Different mediating pathways demonstrated complex associations between the constructs.
Increases in the both prevention-focused leadership strategies were found associated with positive well-being
by increasing employees’ perceptions of leadership and by improving role clarity in the workplace. Notably,
evidence also supported that increase in defend strategy was linked to reduced worker well-being through
intensified workload.
Originality/value – In times of uncertainty amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, prevention-focused
leadership is vital to engage the workforce and ensure compliance with safety procedures to avoid associated
risks to worker health and organisational performance. This research focused on the rarely studied topic of
prevention-focused leadership, and how prevention strategies were related to employee well-being. Based on
the findings for prevention-focused defend and adapt strategies, this study suggested leadership practices that
might shape employee well-being in a time of turbulence.
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