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1 – 10 of 67Human–animal interactions (HAIs) have been found to have an extensive and significant influence on individuals' well-being and health-related outcomes. However, there are few…
Abstract
Purpose
Human–animal interactions (HAIs) have been found to have an extensive and significant influence on individuals' well-being and health-related outcomes. However, there are few studies that examine this influence on work-related contexts, such as teleworking. In this study, the author relied on the affective events theory to examine the effect of daily HAI on employees’ daily work engagement and the underlying mechanisms (daily affect ratio and state mindfulness), by resorting to a daily diary study.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses, the author collected daily data during five consecutive working days with pet owners (N = 400 × 5 = 2,000).
Findings
Multilevel results showed that interacting with pets during the working day was positively associated with daily work engagement, but this positive relationship was stronger for individuals with lower levels of mindfulness. Further analyses showed that the daily affect ratio mediated the moderating effect of mindfulness on the relationship between daily interactions with pets and daily work engagement.
Practical implications
These findings provide strong support for the proposed mediated moderation model; indeed, positive affect and mindfulness help to explain the positive effect of HAIs on work engagement. Hence, managers may consider the adoption of teleworking, even in a hybrid format for those workers who own pets, because interacting with pets may be a strategy to make them feel more positive and, in turn, more enthusiastic, dedicated and absorbed in their work.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies to demonstrate the importance of adopting pet-friendly practices, such as allowing pet owners to telework, as a way to promote daily work engagement.
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Ayatallah Magdy, Ayman Hassaan Mahmoud and Ahmed Saleh
Comfortable outdoor workspaces are important for employees in business parks and urban areas. Prioritizing a pleasant thermal environment is essential for employee productivity…
Abstract
Purpose
Comfortable outdoor workspaces are important for employees in business parks and urban areas. Prioritizing a pleasant thermal environment is essential for employee productivity, as well as the improvement of outdoor spaces between office buildings to enhance social activities and quality of outdoor workplaces in a hot arid climate has been subjected to very little studies Thus, this study focuses on business parks (BPs) landscape elements. The objective of this study is to enhance the user's thermal comfort in the work environment, especially in the outdoors attached to the administrative and office buildings such as the BPs.
Design/methodology/approach
This research follows Four-phases methodology. Phase 1 is the investigation of the literature review including the Concept and consideration of BP urban planning, Achieving outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) and shading elements analysis. Phase 2 is the case study initial analysis targeting for prioritizing zones for shading involves three main methods: social assessment, geometrical assessment and environmental assessment. Phase 3 entails selecting shading elements that are suitable for the zones requiring shading parametrize the selected shading elements. Phase 4 focuses on the optimization of OTC through shading arrangements for the prioritized zones.
Findings
Shading design is a multidimensional process that requires consideration of various factors, including social aspects, environmental impact and structural integrity. Shading elements in urban areas play a crucial role in mitigating heat stress by effectively shielding surfaces from solar radiation. The integration of parametric design and computational optimization techniques enhances the shading design process by generating a wide range of alternative solutions.
Research limitations/implications
While conducting this research, it is important to acknowledge certain limitations that may affect the generalizability and scope of the findings. One significant limitation lies in the use of the shade audit method as a tool to prioritize zones for shading. Although the shade audit approach offers practical benefits for designers compared to using questionnaires, it may have its own inherent biases or may not capture the full complexity of human preferences and needs.
Originality/value
Few studies have focused on optimizing the type and location of devices that shade outdoor spaces. As a result, there is no consensus on the workflow that should regulate the design of outdoor shading installations in terms of microclimate and human thermal comfort, therefore testing parametric shading scenarios for open spaces between office buildings to increase the benefit of the outer environment is very important. The study synthesizes OTC strategies by filling the research gap through the implementation of a proper workflow that utilizes parametric thermal comfort.
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Barbara Plester and Rhiannon Lloyd
Hybrid work is changing modern conceptions of work as workers move between their office space and alternate spaces such as a home office. Social aspects of work are therefore also…
Abstract
Purpose
Hybrid work is changing modern conceptions of work as workers move between their office space and alternate spaces such as a home office. Social aspects of work are therefore also changing, and this study aims to explore the implications arising for workplace fun when workspaces become dispersed.
Design/methodology/approach
We undertook ethnographic research into two different companies to explore in depth the concept of fun at work and how it is being adapted for hybrid work. Data were collected through full immersion into both companies and gathered using mixed qualitative methods comprising semi-structured interviews, participant observations and evidence from organizational online platforms. A structured coding system was used in the analysis with an interpretive approach.
Findings
Our themes include (1) artefacts, (2) organizing fun and space and (3) loss of fun and these provide the underpinning for our theoretical contribution.
Research limitations/implications
We had limited access to online channels and identified opportunities for future research to explore fun in online platforms including chat functions, meme, gifs and other places where workplace fun may be enacted.
Practical implications
Work has changed for workers and managers, and this impacts fun which needs to adapt to hybrid work models.
Social implications
Hybrid work is changing workplace social interactions, particularly, for fun and play. We depict how workers navigate the changing context of work and the significance of emerging elements of workplace fun and the implications for fun cultures.
Originality/value
Our contribution is in a re-theorization of workplace fun arguing that sharing and supporting the creation and promotion of fun among workers at all levels offers new opportunities for organizations that value a fun culture. Our theorization of workplace fun shows its adaptation to new hybrid work contexts that deemphasize co-location and physical presence. We outline the significance of artefacts and depict the variability of workplace fun in hybrid work.
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Bruno Luiz Americo, Stewart Clegg and Fagner Carniel
Despite being conjointly stronger in their synergies in the past, there is still a significant gap between management and organization studies and sociology. The temporal lag is…
Abstract
Despite being conjointly stronger in their synergies in the past, there is still a significant gap between management and organization studies and sociology. The temporal lag is also, on occasion, a substantive lag. The emergent sociological concept of emotional reflexivity has recently been used in organizational studies. The question that animates this contribution concerns the nature of this translation, reception, and extension; thus, we ask how organization studies have been using the sociological concept of emotional reflexivity? We will examine recent seminal sociological studies on emotional reflexivity to answer this inquiry and consider some organizational studies citing these. We describe the reception of sociological ideas of emotional reflexivity in management and organization studies literature. By analyzing the differences and disconnections produced within this discourse, it will be possible to understand that emotional reflexivity is rarely addressed in emotional encounters between people and other modes of being in modern organizations. We introduce narrative fiction as a method; the narrative focuses on the relationships between humans and other beings in the workplace dynamics of a vocational school. The story tells how Charlie, a deaf student, changed his life after entering the vocational school and becoming involved with different pedagogical teaching-learning strategies. Adopting two deaf dogs, which had both suffered from past unsuccessful adoption experiences, produced life-enhancing emotional reflexivity. We conclude with a research agenda scoping further directions.
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Violence and aggression against mental health professionals is a global concern with well-documented consequences. In the UK, mental health care is increasingly delivered in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Violence and aggression against mental health professionals is a global concern with well-documented consequences. In the UK, mental health care is increasingly delivered in the community, yet little research has explored practitioner experiences of workplace violence (WPV) outside of inpatient settings. This study aimed to explore how mental health professionals in a UK community mental health team (CMHT) perceive, experience and cope with WPV.
Design/methodology/approach
Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten multidisciplinary professionals based in a CMHT in a UK city. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings
Three interconnected themes emerged. WPV was accepted as inevitable: participants carried on working despite its impact, and feeling unheard by management they gave up on change, perpetuating the perceived inevitability of WPV. Peer support and organisational resources like debriefing, counselling and occupational health improved coping. Stigma and ideas of professional responsibility were barriers to access.
Originality/value
To mitigate against the negative consequences of WPV, CMHTs could offer peer support initiatives, improve communication and availability of organisational resources and involve staff in post-incident decision-making. Recommendations are made to shift the attitude of acceptance of WPV and encourage help-seeking.
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Yue (Darcy) Lu, Yifeng Liang and Yao-Chin Wang
This study aims to conceptualize the characteristics of artificial intelligence (AI) dogs while exploring their applications in tourism and hospitality settings.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conceptualize the characteristics of artificial intelligence (AI) dogs while exploring their applications in tourism and hospitality settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The total of 30 in-depth interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed through thematic analysis.
Findings
This study proposed differences between AI dogs and real dogs and human-like robots, core characteristics of AI dogs’ functions, a matrix of appearance and expectation regarding intelligence for AI dogs and human-like robots, the relationship between ethical barriers and task complexity, adoptions of AI dogs in different user segments and practical applications in hospitality and tourism settings, such as restaurants, city tour guides, extended-stay resorts and event organizations.
Research limitations/implications
This research advances the field of tourism and hospitality studies by introducing the new concept of AI dogs and their practical applications. This present study adds new insights into the opportunities and contexts of human–robot interaction in the field of tourism and hospitality.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the first studies of AI dogs in tourism and hospitality.
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Niloofar Solhjoo, Maja Krtalić and Anne Goulding
While exploring the information experience within multispecies families, the subjective nature of humans and non-human entities, living beings and non-living objects becomes…
Abstract
Purpose
While exploring the information experience within multispecies families, the subjective nature of humans and non-human entities, living beings and non-living objects becomes evident. This paper aims to reveal the underlying significance of information within socio-physical living environments shared among humans, cats and dogs as companions.
Design/methodology/approach
Gaining inspiration from the information experience approach and posthumanism, this is a phenomenological paper. Empirical material related to lived experiences of participating families were gathered through multispecies ethnography methods, followed by phenomenological reflections. The paper has been written based on excerpt-commentary-units and the inclusion of videos and images as an approach to convey the richness of the lived experiences and multiple perspectives.
Findings
Findings are organised into three main sections, each capturing lived experiences of information and its utilization from various frames. The paper shows how living beings, both human and animal, use their physical, sensual and moving bodies to acquire and convey information to and from each other. Moving beyond the living beings, the study discusses how non-living objects in the physical environment of a multispecies family also shape information. Material objects, spatial locations and even plants became sources of information for the family members. Lastly, the paper delves into the social environment of the family, where all members, human and animal, are actively shaped by information within their social interactions and companionship.
Originality/value
Considering information distributed across species and material objects in a shared, more-than-human environment, the article suggests implications for an information experience approach. It emphasizes how information shapes the in-between humans, animals and their environment, highlighting their reliance on each other for understanding and living a good shared life. There is a need for future research to explore the information experience within the internal subjective minds of members of multispecies families, bridging the gap in the understanding of these external information and their internal information processes.
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