IMPACT OF WORK IMPLICATIONS ON EMPLOYEE'S JOB PERFORMANCE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES DURING COVID-19 IN THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF BATTICALOA REGION OF SRI LANKA

Abstract

It has been generally observed that there is an empirical knowledge gap with regard to work implications and its impact on employee's job performance during the COVID-19. During COVID-19 pandemic, information and communication technology (ICT) played a key role in performing organizational activities and works. COVID-19 pandemic has made significant changes and transformations in implementing day-to-day works with the support of ICT. In this context, this study was initiated to fulfill the observed empirical knowledge gap in this research area with three research objectives. They are: to examine the status of work implications, employee's job performance and information and communication technologies; to examine the impact of work implications on employee's job performance and to examine the mediating role of information and communication technologies in the relationship between work implications and employee's job performance during COVID-19 outbreak. Based on the literature review, four hypotheses were formulated and a conceptual model was derived. This study has used a quantitative research approach and data were collected among the 240 employees of non-banking financial institutions in Batticaloa Region of Sri Lanka, A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The study found that there are significant positive relationships and impact between work implications and employee's job performance, work implications and information & communication technologies, and information & communication technology and employee's job performance. Moreover, study also found that information &, communication technologies partially mediate the relationship between work implications and employee's job performance. As COVID-19 outbreak inevitably pushed new ways of working that can become an integral part of the post-pandemic world, and this study provides important theoretical and practical implications for improving employee's job performance through the digitalization of non-banking financial institutions.