Previous research has supported the positive effects of health-oriented leadership (HoL) on follower health. However, effectiveness in times of crisis is unknown. This study examines whether crises weaken or strengthen the positive relationships of health-oriented leadership with follower strain and performance. Effectiveness was tested for (1) follower irritation and performance (extra effort) in smaller crises on the team level with a vignette study (N = 257) and (2) follower exhaustion and performance (task proficiency) during the Covid-19 crisis in a cross-sectional survey study (N = 196). As expected, the results provided evidence for an increase in follower health with higher health-oriented leadership but a decrease in health in crises. The positive relationship between health-oriented leadership and follower health was even stronger in crises. Health-oriented leadership had a positive relationship with job performance in both studies. Our findings provide initial evidence that health-oriented leadership is particularly important for followers affected by a crisis, and that leaders should display health-oriented leadership in both small-scale and large-scale crises. Findings suggest that health-oriented leadership does not undermine goal achievement but relates positively to performance. More generally, the study contributes to the clarification and deeper understanding of situational contingencies of health-specific leadership concepts.

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This paper sheds further light on the contextual boundaries in the relationship between high-performance work practices (HPWPs) and employee wellbeing. In particular, we analyze whether this relationship is moderated by health-oriented leadership behavior (i.e., staff care) which describes the extent to which leaders value, are aware of, and protect their followers’ health at work. Our analyses are based on employee data (N = 1,345) from Germany, covering two points in time. Findings show positive associations between HPWPs and happiness-related (i.e., engagement, commitment) and health-related (i.e., general health, physical health complaints, mental health complaints, strain) wellbeing outcomes. The positive relationship between HPWPs and employee wellbeing is weaker the more employees experience leadership behavior in terms of staff care. Thus, our results provide further evidence for a substitutive or compensatory effect between HRM and leadership.

Abstract. By disrupting routines at work, the Covid-19 pandemic may have undermined the extent and effectiveness of health-oriented leadership (HoL) in terms of staff-care and self-care. In a survey with two measurement points in the spring of 2020 ( Nt1=264; Nt2=123), we examined whether the stronger the crisis the lower HoL is, while becoming more effective in terms of follower health. Crisis severity turned out to be indirectly related to exhaustion via staff-care and self-care. Staff-care was more effective for follower health the stronger the crisis was. The results were largely supported in a subsample when exhaustion was measured 1 week later. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic was indirectly related to crisis severity via hindrance stressors. Findings underline that staff-care was jeopardized but gained in importance during the pandemic. By displaying staff-care, leaders can buffer negative crisis effects on followers. Organizations should strengthen HoL to protect the health of both leaders and followers during crises.

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