The Intervening Effects of Perceived Organizational Support on COVID-19 Pandemic Stress, Job Burnout and Occupational Turnover Intentions of Collegiate Sport Athlete-Facing Professionals

Abstract

Already a challenging position in higher education, collegiate sport athlete-facing professionals have been exposed to excessive stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic that can result in emotional exhaustion and a mass exodus of valued employees within collegiate sport organizations. Accordingly, based on COR theory, we aimed to assess the intervening effects of perceived organizational support that can mitigate job burnout and occupational turnover intentions due to pandemic stress. A total of 427 academic support professionals in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I organizations responded to an online survey measuring pandemic stress, job burnout, occupational turnover intention, and organizational support. Hypotheses were tested through a serial-mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro for SPSS Model 6. Results showed that pandemic stress had a statistically significant effect on occupational turnover through job burnout. It was also confirmed that organizational support fully mediates the relationship between pandemic stress, job burnout, and occupational turnover. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of providing adequate organizational support towards employees under a high level of stress due to the pandemic. As ASPs adapt to the “new normal,” college sport organizations can assist employees by catering the support they provide to meet changing needs, especially by leveraging technologies that have been advanced during the pandemic. Further implications of the findings on collegiate sport organization literature are offered, as are suggestions for future research.