The effects of organizational climate on adherence to guidelines for COVID-19 prevention

BACKGROUND: During the current pandemic, it is essential that individuals follow the COVID-19 guidelines (e.g., physical distancing) to slow down the spread of the new coronavirus. Organizations generally affect their employees' behavior in a wide range of areas, but can they also affect how strictly employees adhere to COVID-19 guidelines? To answer this question, the present study examined the impact of an organizational climate for preventing infectious diseases (OCID) on employees' adherence to COVID-19 guidelines both at work and in their private life. METHOD: We used a two-wave longitudinal online survey with a final sample of N = 304 UK employees. RESULTS: Our results show that OCID during the first lockdown in the UK in April 2020 (T1) was positively linked to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines at work one month later (T2). We also found a relationship between OCID (T1) and adherence to guidelines in one's private life (T2) that was mediated through adherence to guidelines at work (T2). CONCLUSION: These results highlight the pivotal role organizations play in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.