During a widespread crisis, negative emotions don't simply go away once the workday begins. Organizational scholars who study how emotions affect employees tend to assume that negative emotions equal negative outcomes. That isn't always the case, according to new research from David Lebel, associate professor of business administration in the School of Business and director of the Berg Center for Ethics & Leadership.
Working with Pitt doctoral student Jordan Sanders and Jochen Menges at the University of Zurich, Lebel found that during one such crisis–the COVID 19 pandemic– only about half of the relationships examined between negative emotions and workplace outcomes were harmful. Many showed no effect, and some even showed positive effects.
