Wish-making during the COVID-19 pandemic enhances positive appraisals and job satisfaction.

Guided by cognitive appraisal theory, we argue that wish-making is a conceptually distinct type of coping strategy and that wish-making during the COVID-19 pandemic has functional cognitive–affective consequences. Specifically, it facilitates positive appraisals of the pandemic, which then facilitate job satisfaction. Enhanced job satisfaction in turn reduces counterproductive work behavior during the pandemic. These arguments were tested via two empirical studies involving 546 Hong Kong employees surveyed on two consecutive working days during the pandemic. The individuals who made wishes during the pandemic reported more positive appraisals of the pandemic, which in turn promoted their job satisfaction and lowered their counterproductive work behavior. Crucially, wish-making had significant effects on positive appraisals above and beyond other coping strategies. Thus, we contribute to the employee coping literature by highlighting one relatively easy way for employees to combat the psychological effects of the pandemic (and other challenges in life) and regulate their affective well-being and behaviors at work. Namely, making wishes that envision a better future can enhance employees' job satisfaction, which in turn lowers counterproductive work behavior. • This study examines whether wish-making during the pandemic facilitates job satisfaction. • Wish-making promotes positive appraisals of the pandemic, which then enhance job satisfaction. • Enhanced job satisfaction in turn reduces counterproductive work behavior. • Two empirical studies showed the predictive power of wish-making beyond existing coping strategies. • This study contributes to the coping literature by highlighting wish-making as an important coping tactic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]