COVID‐19 lockdown anxiety harms newcomers' job satisfaction: A cross‐lagged panel analysis during snap lockdowns in China

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic may have been a difficult time to join a new organization. Drawing on the feelings‐as‐information theory, this study explores how COVID‐19 lockdown anxiety influenced newcomers' job satisfaction during their first few months of work. We tested 357 new employees working in 84 cities across China. We conducted a longitudinal study, and participants were invited to complete the same survey at two time points. Cross‐lagged panel analysis was conducted to test our hypotheses. We confirmed that COVID‐19 lockdown anxiety at Time 1 predicted less job satisfaction at Time 2, whereas the data did not support the idea of reverse causality. These findings suggest public health crises like the pandemic can impact newcomers' job satisfaction, especially during China's Zero‐Covid Policy.