Perceived intensity of extreme events and employees’ safety performance: an affective events perspective

Abstract

The study of extreme work contexts has grown significantly in recent years, with a focus on understanding various adaptation strategies to unusual or atypical work events. While much attention has been paid to organizational responses in these contexts, research into individuals’ psychological and behavioral reactions has been more limited. This has led to insufficient evidence on the micro-foundations of extreme events, such as differences in the perceived intensity or severity of such events and their psychological consequences. Using affective events theory, we conducted two quasi-experiments to understand how three distinct levels of exposure to extreme events influence safety performance. In Study 1, using data from 292 firefighters, we report a significant reduction in safety performance among employees experiencing high, rather than medium and low, exposure to extreme events. This reduction is mediated by negative emotions and a decrease in work engagement. In Study 2, we replicate these findings using data from 315 seafarers. We further examine the role of self-emotion appraisal as a boundary condition, such that individuals with this psychological ability demonstrate greater resilience when experiencing high exposure to extreme events. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.