Layoff threat and extra effort: how threat and coping appraisals drive extra-role behavior via protection motivation

Drawing on protection motivation theory (PMT), this study investigates how employees respond cognitively and behaviorally to layoff threats in China’s megacity Internet sector. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey of 423 employees from Beijing Internet firms, and Study 2 conducted a scenario-based experiment to strengthen causal inference. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted to test a mediation model linking threat and coping appraisals to extra-role behavior (ERB) via protection motivation. Results show that perceived severity, vulnerability, response efficacy and self-efficacy jointly enhance protection motivation, which in turn promotes adaptive ERB. Perceived organizational support moderates this link, weakening the effect of protection motivation on ERB. These findings extend PMT from explaining defensive reactions to adaptive behaviors, highlighting how employees transform employment threats into proactive engagement. Practical implications emphasize fostering efficacy and balanced support to channel anxiety into constructive motivation.