Date of Conferral

8-27-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Derek Rohde

Abstract

When health safety efforts for COVID-19 are perceived negatively, the implementation of health safety efforts by employers may not be effective and are therefore likely to fail in protecting employee health, such as in the agriculture industry. Guided by social exchange theory, organizational support theory, and the theory of organizational commitment, this quantitative correlational study involved examining relationships between organizational health safety efforts specific to COVID-19 (OHSE-C19), perceived organizational support (POS), and affective organizational commitment (AOC) among poultry hatchery employees. The study entailed analyzing survey and opinion poll data from 90 participants from two poultry hatcheries in Iowa and Pennsylvania, using multiple regression after confirming that all assumptions met the regression requirements. The overall model was statistically significant, F(5, 54) = 29.21, p = .001, with an R2 of .635. Three predictors that were significantly related to AOC are sanitation of commonly touched surfaces (β = .24, p = .004), vaccination opportunities (β = –.15, p = .038), and POS (β = .75, p = .001). Paid time off for own COVID-19 quarantine time (β = –.02, p = .724) and required mask-wearing (β = –.07, p = .363) were not statistically significant predictors. Understanding this relationship could further assist organizational leaders in aligning communicable disease interventions with employee perspectives and improving organizational communication to clarify the purpose and potential benefits of health safety efforts. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational leaders to strengthen workplace health strategies that support employee wellbeing, foster engagement, and contribute efforts to reduce disease transmission.

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