Performance Anxiety, Deadlines, and Employee Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model

Originating in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the present study examines the mediating role of failure to meet deadlines in linking employee performance anxiety to employee well-being, while also considering the moderating role of neuroticism in this relationship. Time-lagged data provided in the study to employees indicate that performance anxiety reduces well-being largely due to the increased likelihood of failing to meet deadlines, thereby raising stress and depleting resources. The effects of failing to meet deadlines are particularly strong when employees show high levels of neuroticism, and neurotic individuals are more vulnerable than others to the negative impact of failure. This study marks out such an important link through which an organization can suffer from performance anxiety, contributing to the decline of overall well-being (by way of task-related failures imposed on employees by performance anxiety) and, interestingly enough, reveals that this link may involve individual personality traits. Therefore, by capturing these dynamics, the research accentuates performance-related anxiety and encourages organizations to train and empower employees in handling deadline management issues for improved well-being, especially among those with a higher neurotic tendency.