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1 – 10 of over 70000Hulusi Karabiber, Sena Kurt and Yonca Deniz Gürol
Psychosocial risks in the workplace include occupational risks such as stress, harassment, burnout, and workplace violence that affect the physical integrity and mental health of…
Abstract
Psychosocial risks in the workplace include occupational risks such as stress, harassment, burnout, and workplace violence that affect the physical integrity and mental health of employees (Bunker et al., 2003). Work-related psychosocial risks are relevant to the design and management of the job and its social and organizational contexts (Leka, Griffiths, & Cox, 2003). In this study, it was investigated which factors are effective in the psychosocial risk assessments of blue-collar workers in Turkey and whether there is a significant effect of gender in these assessments. The sample of the research consists of 663 employees working in a production facility in Tekirdag. The results showed that cognitive demands, the meaning of work, and development opportunity variables differed by gender from psychosocial risks. Women evaluate lower scores than men in expressions related to cognitive demands, the meaning of work, and development opportunities. Quantitative demands, emotional demands, burnout, and job satisfaction did not differ significantly by gender. The findings provide an understanding of the potential risks in the working conditions of blue workers in Turkey and provide the basis for future research.
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Sandra C. Buttigieg and Michael A. West
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the quality of senior management leadership on social support and job design, whose main effects on strains, and moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the quality of senior management leadership on social support and job design, whose main effects on strains, and moderating effects on work stressors‐to‐strains relationships were assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey involving distribution of questionnaires was carried out on a random sample of health care employees in acute hospital practice in the UK. The sample comprised 65,142 respondents. The work stressors tested were quantitative overload and hostile environment, whereas strains were measured through job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Structural equation modelling and moderated regression analyses were used in the analysis.
Findings
Quality of senior management leadership explained 75 per cent and 94 per cent of the variance of social support and job design respectively, whereas work stressors explained 51 per cent of the variance of strains. Social support and job design predicted job satisfaction and turnover intentions, as well as moderated significantly the relationships between quantitative workload/hostility and job satisfaction/turnover intentions.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are useful to management and to health employees working in acute/specialist hospitals. Further research could be done in other counties to take into account cultural differences and variations in health systems. The limitations included self‐reported data and percept‐percept bias due to same source data collection.
Practical implications
The quality of senior management leaders in hospitals has an impact on the social environment, the support given to health employees, their job design, as well as work stressors and strains perceived.
Originality/value
The study argues in favour of effective senior management leadership of hospitals, as well as ensuring adequate support structures and job design. The findings may be useful to health policy makers and human resources managers.
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Nicholas J. Beutell and Joy A. Schneer
Hispanics represent a growing segment of the US population and workforce, yet there is a lack of empirical research on Hispanics in relation to work-family conflict and synergy…
Abstract
Purpose
Hispanics represent a growing segment of the US population and workforce, yet there is a lack of empirical research on Hispanics in relation to work-family conflict and synergy. Drawing on work-family and job demands-resources theories, the authors model predictors (autonomy, schedule flexibility, social support, work hours) and outcomes (health and satisfaction) of work-family variables among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study examined responses from respondents (n=2,988) of the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVAs, and structural equation models (SEM). The paper focusses primarily on Hispanics and also examined gender differences for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites.
Findings
Hispanic women reported the highest work-family conflict (work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW)) and synergy (work-family synergy (WFS)) levels. Job resources are related to WIF for Hispanic women but not Hispanic men. Autonomy was the best predictor of WFS for all groups. Coping mediated the depression-life satisfaction relationship. WIF and WFS were each significantly related to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and life satisfaction were significantly related for all groups except Hispanic women. Job satisfaction-turnover paths were significant.
Research limitations/implications
Although based on a high-quality national probability sample, all information was gathered from one extensive interview. There is also a need to examine subgroups of Hispanics beyond the scope of this data set.
Practical implications
Results suggest similarities as well as differences in work-family variables for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Corporate work-family policies and initiatives may need to be altered in light of ethnicity and gender issues as the workforce becomes more diverse.
Originality/value
This study examined work-family conflict and synergy among Hispanics. The predominance of research on non-Hispanic whites needed to be extended to different racial/ethnic groups who may experience WIF, FIW, and WFS differently.
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Monica Molino, Chiara Ghislieri and Claudio G. Cortese
Several studies have pointed out the importance of work‐family enrichment (WFE) for individuals' well‐being and organizations and for this reason, it seems important to understand…
Abstract
Purpose
Several studies have pointed out the importance of work‐family enrichment (WFE) for individuals' well‐being and organizations and for this reason, it seems important to understand how organizations may promote it. This study attempts to understand the role of organizational resources and, particularly, of opportunities for professional development (OPD), in promoting WFE. Specifically, it aims to test the mediation role of OPD between job resources (supervisor and colleague support, job security) and WFE.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted using a self‐report questionnaire administered to 353 employees and self‐employed workers from different occupational sectors.
Findings
Filling a gap in the literature, the results showed that two job resources (supervisor support and job security) increase OPD which, in turn, mediates the relationship between the two job resources and WFE. Colleague support showed only a direct positive effect on WFE.
Research limitations/implications
The first limitation of this research concerns the cross‐sectional design of the study, due to which no causal conclusions can be drawn. Moreover, future research might integrate some job demands and additional job resources into the model. Finally, regarding OPD, it is necessary to improve both understanding and measurement of this construct.
Practical implications
Based on the study's findings, organizations are encouraged to improve opportunities for job training and professional development, with important benefits for individuals, in terms of quality of work and life, and for organizations, in terms of better job attitudes and performance. Moreover, with regard to job security, more protection should be given to workers in order to enhance the quality of workplace learning and extra‐work life.
Originality/value
This study highlights the importance of integrating OPD into work‐family studies, demonstrating their role in enhancing the quality of life in the family domain. Furthermore, this study is one of the first to focus on job security as a significant resource in promoting professional development.
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Safiya Mukhtar Alshibani and Thierry Volery
Social support has been identified as a valuable resource that could help entrepreneurs maintain goal directness in their endeavours and increase their life satisfaction. However…
Abstract
Purpose
Social support has been identified as a valuable resource that could help entrepreneurs maintain goal directness in their endeavours and increase their life satisfaction. However, to date, scant research has examined the effect of perceived social support on life satisfaction during the transition from paid employment to self-employment. This paper uses the job demand resource model (JD–R) as a theoretical lens to investigate this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the household income and labour dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, we use latent growth curve modelling (LGCM) to investigate the trajectories of entrepreneurs' perceived social support and life satisfaction (n = 1,303) up to five years after their transition into self-employment.
Findings
Results suggest that entrepreneurs experience a boost in life satisfaction in the transition phase, followed by a declining trend in the years that follow. We find that both the initial perception and the evolution of perceived social support are positively related to life satisfaction over time across gender groups. However, we find that females may benefit more from early social support soon after the transition into self-employment to forestall declines in life satisfaction over the long-term.
Research limitations/implications
The generalisability of the research findings beyond the Australian context is undefined. Future research needs to examine to what extent these results can generalize to other samples within different cultural and institutional frameworks.
Practical implications
Since perceived social support is a strong buffering mechanism that helps mitigate job demands, entrepreneurs need to be proactive in building a strong network. Individuals who switch to self-employment should carefully map and build a strong social network that can help them weather the challenges and setbacks in their new job.
Originality/value
This study extends the JD–R literature by examining the transition into self-employment, considered an “active job” characterised by high demands and high decision latitude. LGCM modelling captures how both initial levels and changes in social support affect life satisfaction during entrepreneurship entry and over time.
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Melrona Kirrane and Finian Buckley
The importance of various support sources to the experience of work and non‐work life balance is a well‐documented factor. This study investigate the differential impact of the…
Abstract
The importance of various support sources to the experience of work and non‐work life balance is a well‐documented factor. This study investigate the differential impact of the support of work colleagues, workplace supervisors, non‐work friends, spouse/partner, and extended family on employees’ perceptions of the balance between their work and family life commitments. The sample of an Irish working cohort (n=170) indicated that after having a young child (6 years of age) the next significant predictor of experienced work interference with family life was spouse‐partner instrumental support. Spouse‐partner social support did not have an impact on experienced work interference in family life. The support of co‐workers and workplace supervisors did not influence experienced work‐family conflict. How and why positive spouse‐partner instrumental support should lead to elevated work‐family conflict are discussed.
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Evangelia Demerouti, Pascale M. Le Blanc, Arnold B. Bakker, Wilmar B. Schaufeli and Joop Hox
The opposite of absenteeism, presenteeism, is the phenomenon of employees staying at work when they should be off sick. Presenteeism is an important problem for organizations…
Abstract
Purpose
The opposite of absenteeism, presenteeism, is the phenomenon of employees staying at work when they should be off sick. Presenteeism is an important problem for organizations, because employees who turn up for work, when sick, cause a reduction in productivity levels. The central aim of the present study is to examine the longitudinal relationships between job demands, burnout (exhaustion and depersonalization), and presenteeism. We hypothesized that job demands and exhaustion (but not depersonalization) would lead to presenteeism, and that presenteeism would lead to both exhaustion and depersonalization over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses were tested in a sample of 258 staff nurses who filled out questionnaires at three measurement points with 1.5 years in‐between the waves.
Findings
Results were generally in line with predictions. Job demands caused more presenteeism, while depersonalization was an outcome of presenteeism over time. Exhaustion and presenteeism were found to be reciprocal, suggesting that when employees experience exhaustion, they mobilize compensation strategies, which ultimately increases their exhaustion.
Research limitations/implications
These findings suggest that presenteeism can be seen as a risk‐taking organizational behavior and shows substantial longitudinal relationships with job demands and burnout.
Practical implications
The study suggests that presenteeism should be prevented at the workplace.
Originality/value
The expected contribution of the manuscript is not only to put presenteeism on the research agenda but also to make both organizations and scientists attend to its detrimental effects on employees' wellbeing and (consequently) on the organization.
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Yuanjie Bao, Chaoping Li and Hao Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to compare two mediating mechanisms of servant leadership’s effect on followers’ work engagement: the social exchange mechanism (represented by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare two mediating mechanisms of servant leadership’s effect on followers’ work engagement: the social exchange mechanism (represented by leader-member exchange (LMX)) and the social learning mechanism (represented by public service motivation in Study 1 and prosocial motivation in Study 2).
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, the authors collected two-wave matched data from 216 public sector employees. In Study 2, the authors collected two-wave matched data from 178 private sector employees. The authors use hierarchical regression and bootstrapping to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Servant leadership is positively related to follower’s work engagement and this relationship is mediated by LMX, but not by public service motivation (Study 1) or prosocial motivation (Study 2). It suggests that servant leadership promotes followers’ work engagement mostly through the social exchange mechanism.
Research limitations/implications
The data were collected from Chinese employees, and future studies are necessary to verify the findings in other cultural contexts.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on a more nuanced picture of the effect mechanisms of servant leadership.
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Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to…
Abstract
Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to improve measurement in the study of work organizations and to facilitate the teaching of introductory courses in this subject. Focuses solely on work organizations, that is, social systems in which members work for money. Defines measurement and distinguishes four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Selects specific measures on the basis of quality, diversity, simplicity and availability and evaluates each measure for its validity and reliability. Employs a set of 38 concepts ‐ ranging from “absenteeism” to “turnover” as the handbook’s frame of reference. Concludes by reviewing organizational measurement over the past 30 years and recommending future measurement reseach.
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The purpose of the research is to examine whether need for achievement moderates the relationship between job‐demand for learning and job‐related learning.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research is to examine whether need for achievement moderates the relationship between job‐demand for learning and job‐related learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from 153 participants full‐time. The scales for job‐demand for learning and job‐related learning were developed for this research, whilst the scale for need for achievement was obtained from an external source. Hierarchical regression analysis was used in testing the hypothesized moderating effects.
Findings
It was found that need for achievement moderates the relationship between job‐demand for learning and job‐related learning. Specifically, although job‐demand for learning is correlated positively to job‐related learning for both the high and the low need for achievement groups, this correlation is stronger amongst the high group.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a cross‐sectional design in this study prohibits inferences being drawn regarding the causal relationships between job‐demand for learning, need for achievement and job‐related learning.
Practical implications
Job‐related learning can be facilitated through increasing the need for achievement by allowing employees to establish their own learning and performance goals rather than by imposing such goals on them. The redesign of jobs to create challenges for employees is an equally important practical consideration.
Originality/value
This research provides a succinct view of the relationship between an external factor, job‐demand for learning, and an internal motivator, need for achievement. It emphasizes the degree to which organizations can facilitate learning through design of challenging jobs, to the extent of the individuals' motivation.
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