Organizational justice perception and employees’ social loafing in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic: the mediating role of organizational commitment

As the cornerstone of enterprises, employees have played a pivotal role in navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the survival and growth of businesses. The global wave of unemployment triggered by the pandemic has given rise to innovative work engagements, including remote work and employee sharing. This shift prompts employees to reconsider their relationship with the organization, the extent of their collaboration, and their commitment to sustaining the enterprise’s viability and development. Amidst the diverse performance level of employees, the question arises: will they redouble their efforts to showcase their value or succumb to a state of inertia? Additionally, the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has brought about adverse impacts, making enterprises think about how to inhibit employees’ social loafing, stimulate their enthusiasm, and to rely on collective strength to overcome the crisis. During the pandemic, uncertainty of the work environment was elevated, and the factors influecing employees’ social loafing, perception of organizational justice, and organizational commitment became more significant. Based on the social exchange theory, this paper conducts research on how employees’ perception of organizational justice level weakens their social loafing and incorporates organizational commitment into the research framework in order to explore new presentations of relationships between these variables in the context of the epidemic. Through the data analysis of 276 questionnaires, the study found that: (1) the organizational justice has a negative impact on the social loafing of employees; (2) the organizational commitment plays a complete mediating role between the organizational justice and employees’ social loafing.