Search results
1 – 10 of over 8000Georg Dutschke, Lia Jacobsohn, Alvaro Dias and Jaime Combadão
The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that individuals consider necessary to be happy in their job. Based on these factors, a measure of job design happiness (JDH…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that individuals consider necessary to be happy in their job. Based on these factors, a measure of job design happiness (JDH) is proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
Two methods were applied: a qualitative study with content analyses (n=969) to develop an exploratory questionnaire; and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis by applying structural equations models. In this second study the questionnaire was sent to a second sample (n=1,079).
Findings
Five first-order factors were identified: self-fulfillment; group working, attaining goals; leadership; and sustainability and job/family balance. These factors are explained by a second order factor: JDH.
Research limitations/implications
Further research is needed to determine how the identified “job design happiness” components may interact with one another. Testing the measure of different industries and national cultures is also suggested.
Practical implications
Managers and human resources practitioners can improve job and organizational performance by applying the scale in several moments in time measuring the job happiness “pulse,” monitoring their decisions.
Social implications
The adoption of this measure for decision making in organizational and job design can contribute to the improvement of living standards and firm sustainability.
Originality/value
Research on organizational happiness has been increasing but instruments to measure JDH, considering organizational factors, are limited.
Details
Keywords
Hong-Lei Mu, Jiang Xu and Sijing Chen
The main purposes of this research are: first of all, to re-classify the types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into primary stakeholder-oriented CSR and secondary…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purposes of this research are: first of all, to re-classify the types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into primary stakeholder-oriented CSR and secondary stakeholder-oriented CSR from the perspective of stakeholders and, second, to investigate empirically how and which types of CSR can better impact employees' job satisfaction and happiness management.
Design/methodology/approach
An online self-administered questionnaire was adopted to test the conceptual model. Questionnaires were sent to Chinese employees and restrict the data to those whose companies had experience implementing CSR. The study employed the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique for data analysis using SmartPLS 4.0 software.
Findings
For factors of happiness management, both primary stakeholder-oriented CSR and secondary stakeholder-oriented CSR had significant and positive effects on happiness management. In addition, both primary and secondary stakeholder-oriented CSR positively and significantly affected job satisfaction, with primary stakeholder-oriented CSR way larger than secondary stakeholder-oriented CSR. Job satisfaction, in turn, was positively and significantly associated with happiness management. The results showed that the control variables of gender and education background had significant effects on happiness management.
Practical implications
First, the results provide useful empirical evidence in support of the feasibility that firms could develop competitive and sustainable development strategies by paying more attention to CSR practices. In terms of the primary stakeholder-oriented CSR, managers are recommended to put employees' benefits as a priority and invest in the to offer a healthy and safe working environment or employee support programs. In terms of the secondary stakeholder-oriented CSR, managers are suggested to denote parts of earnings to charity and to people in need. Second, in order to create job satisfaction, firms should put a stronger emphasis on CSR practices. When considering job satisfaction, managers should treat their employees in a socially responsible way and fulfill their demands and rights and place this at the core of their CSR activities.
Originality/value
First, this study makes a contribution to the existing literature by classifying the four important CSR practices into two types from the perspective of stakeholder theory. By incorporating a series of CSR practices and the stakeholder theory, this study provides a comprehensive and reasonable CSR classification, which has not been considered by prior research. Second, this study adds to the literature by defining the construct of happiness management explicitly along with identifying the dimensions of happiness management. Third, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies exploring the relationship between CSR and happiness management. Finally, this study is among the first to investigate the correlation between job satisfaction and happiness management.
Details
Keywords
Yilmaz Akgunduz, Ovunc Bardakoglu and Gaye Kizilcalioglu
Based on The Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), Spillover Theory and Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study investigates the mediating role of job dedication in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on The Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), Spillover Theory and Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study investigates the mediating role of job dedication in the relationships between job stress, happiness and perceived organizational support (POS).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 5-star resort hotel employees in Turkey. 362 valid questionnaires were collected. The research hypotheses were tested using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM).
Findings
The analysis results show that POS is positively related to employee happiness and job dedication. Job stress is negatively related to employee happiness but positively related to job dedication. Job dedication partially mediates the relationships between job stress and happiness, and POS and happiness.
Research limitations/implications
The study's findings could be used by hotel managers to improve employees' job dedication, which will lead to increased employee happiness. Together with qualitative and quantitative research methods, future research could be conducted on the predecessors of job dedication and comparatively on employee happiness for different country samples.
Practical implications
In order to increase employee happiness, Turkish hotel managers may want to increase POS and decrease perceived job stress of their employees. Although it was found out in this study that job stress increases job dedication, it is also accepted that this unexpected situation arises due to special conditions. Therefore, by reducing job stress, hotel managers may prefer to increase the job dedication of their employees and their happiness indirectly.
Originality/value
The current study contributes to the hospitality management literature by investigating the organizational factors behind employee happiness. In addition, it also explored in depth the mediating effect of job dedication on the relationships between POS, job stress and happiness.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between job crafting and work engagement and the potential mediating effect of organizational happiness on this…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between job crafting and work engagement and the potential mediating effect of organizational happiness on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 256 full-time employees from various industries such as automobiles, retail, real estate, petrochemicals, investment, industrial and education, working at top 50 Forbes Middle East companies in UAE, were surveyed to gather data on job crafting, organizational happiness and work engagement. The study used an empirical research design, with data collected through surveys.
Findings
The results of this study, obtained through a two-step structural equation modelling approach, indicate that job crafting has a positive and direct influence on both organizational happiness and work engagement. The findings also suggest that the relationship between job crafting and work engagement is partially mediated by organizational happiness.
Practical implications
The findings emphasize the need for human resources (HR) professionals to develop programmes and training workshops focused on cultivating these concepts, particularly as remote and blended working arrangements become more prevalent. In addition, the study highlights the global impact of employee disengagement on financial losses and stresses the importance of revising HR policies in the UAE to mitigate potential risks. Lastly, the study suggests that enhancing happiness and reducing disengagement can be achieved through training managers and employees in task structuring techniques, emphasizing the teachability of job crafting skills through interventions that align tasks with employees’ interests.
Originality/value
To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study to theoretically explore and empirically test a proposed model on the relationships between job crafting, organizational happiness and work engagement in the context of the UAE.
Details
Keywords
With intention to promote growth of happiness literature in non-western settings and facilitate positive interventions at workplace, the purpose of this paper is to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
With intention to promote growth of happiness literature in non-western settings and facilitate positive interventions at workplace, the purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties and validate the short version of happiness at workplace (S-HAW) scale using knowledge workers’ sample in the Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
The S-HAW scale was validated using data from 226 Indian knowledge workers from public and private sector organisations. The mixed-mode approach was used for collecting data, whereas factor structures, reliability and validity scores were also examined with the help of SPSS AMOS 21. The study included initial descriptive analysis, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
The results of the study discovered that psychometric properties of the S-HAW scale were similar to those of originally developed scale when applied in the Indian context. Hence, the higher-order structure was retained in Indian settings.
Originality/value
Despite the changes in work-related values and societal structures between Western and Asian nations, this study provides a significant contribution to empirically confirming that the different cultural scales can also show good fits in Collectivist cultures. The study can bridge the gap between Asian and Western nations with the uniform measure of HAW. Thus, more cross-cultural studies usually comparative in nature welcomed with S-HAW Indian version scale for knowledge workers.
Details
Keywords
Naiwei Chen, Ho-Chyuan Chen and Shih-Yu Lin
Prior research mostly focuses on the effect of over-education on happiness, whereas the effect of under-education on happiness has received minimal attention. In addition, no…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research mostly focuses on the effect of over-education on happiness, whereas the effect of under-education on happiness has received minimal attention. In addition, no research to date has examined the effect of both over- and under-education on happiness by using a full spectrum of workers. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to fill this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The ordered probit model is estimated to examine the effect of the education–occupation mismatch on happiness based on 2012 survey data from Taiwan.
Findings
The results generally indicate that over-education positively affects happiness, whereas under-education has a minimal effect. The effect of the education–occupation mismatch on happiness also varies with different age groups. Specifically, over-education positively affects happiness except for workers aged 42 and above, whereas negative effects of under-education are found only among workers aged between 32 and 42 when their social network is insufficiently extensive. Moreover, a worker’s social network as a non-pecuniary factor, rather than income as a pecuniary factor, is a major channel through which education enhances happiness.
Originality/value
Given the limited and mixed evidence on the relationship between over-education and happiness, this study contributes to the existing literature by examining whether and how the education–occupation mismatch (over- and under-education) affects the happiness of workers both directly and indirectly via pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors. The research issue remains unexplored to date. Addressing such a question should help explain the persistent trend in pursuing higher education in Taiwan, although highly educated people may suffer from unemployment and an education–occupation mismatch.
Peer review
The peer review history for this paper is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2019-0283
Details
Keywords
Nivethitha Santhanam and Sharan Srinivas
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of engagement on job burnout and turnover intention (plan to leave the organization) among blue-collar workers in manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of engagement on job burnout and turnover intention (plan to leave the organization) among blue-collar workers in manufacturing facilities. In addition, this study also explores the role of happiness as a moderator in explaining the effect of engagement on burnout and turnover intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The data required to examine the hypothesis were collected using well-established research instruments from 1,197 blue-collar employees working at three manufacturing facilities that are owned and operated by the same company in India. The hypotheses were examined and the conceptual model was validated using structural equation modeling. The statistical analyses were conducted using two statistical packages, namely, SPSS and SPSS–AMOS.
Findings
The results indicate that a disengaged employee is at higher risk of burnout and is likely to leave the organization in the near future. Furthermore, employee burnout was positively associated with turnover intentions. Happiness was established as a significant moderating factor in the relationship between employee engagement and burnout and turnover intention. Besides, the prevalence of happiness and turnover intention was higher in males.
Practical implications
The results showed the importance of engagement and happiness on reducing burnout and turnover intention. Organizations could capitalize on these findings by implementing new and improving their existing quality management initiatives, which, in turn, could improve the employee’s organizational commitment.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the industry and academia by exploring the perceptions of working-class, blue-collar employees, which has received limited attention till date, despite specific negative job characteristics.
Details
Keywords
For many years now, both organizational researchers and practitioners alike have been interested in the role played by employee happiness on a number of workplace outcomes. In…
Abstract
For many years now, both organizational researchers and practitioners alike have been interested in the role played by employee happiness on a number of workplace outcomes. In particular, many have been fascinated by the happy/productive worker thesis. According to this hypothesis, happy employees exhibit higher levels of job-related performance behaviors than do unhappy employees. However, despite decades of research, support for the happy/productive worker thesis remains equivocal. These inconsistent findings primarily result from the variety of ways in which happiness has been operationalized. Most typically, organizational theorists have operationalized happiness as job satisfaction, as the presence of positive affect, as the absence of negative affect, as the lack of emotional exhaustion, and as psychological well being. I will review this literature using the circumplex framework as the taxonomic guideline. In addition, drawing on the impetus of the “positive psychology” movement, I propose Fredrickson’s (1998, 2001, 2003) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions as one approach especially well-suited for future research to better understand the happy/productive worker thesis.
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The study creates a model for Job Design Happiness that incorporates well-being, identifying five factors people perceive they need to be happy in their job - self-fulfillment, group working, attaining goals, leadership, and sustainability and job/family balance
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Details
Keywords
Safeya Almazrouei, Shaker Bani-Melhem and Faridah Mohd-Shamsudin
Job characteristics can potentially influence employees’ attitudes and behaviors. However, their impact on employees’ innovative behaviors, particularly in public sector…
Abstract
Purpose
Job characteristics can potentially influence employees’ attitudes and behaviors. However, their impact on employees’ innovative behaviors, particularly in public sector organizations, has received little scholarly attention. Based on relational job design theory and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, this study aims to examine the effect of job contact on public sector employees’ innovative work behavior through the mediator of happiness at work. It also assesses whether prosocial motivation strengthens the influence of job contact on innovative work behavior (via happiness at work).
Design/methodology/approach
The model was examined on a sample of 180 employee-supervisor dyads (90 supervisors and 180 employees) recruited from various government departments in the United Arab Emirates.
Findings
The findings support the proposed moderated mediation model in which job contact positively and significantly impacts innovative work behavior. The association between job contact and innovative behavior via happiness at work is found to be stronger for employees who are highly prosocially motivated.
Originality/value
The findings offer prescriptive insights into public sector employee happiness and prosocial motivation by illustrating when and how job contact influences innovative work behavior. The authors also present relevant managerial recommendations for promoting public sector employees’ innovative behavior.
Details