Beyond safety outcomes: An investigation of the impact of safety climate on job satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover using social exchange theory as the theoretical framework

Moving FOCUS - The Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey - From research to practice

INTRODUCTION

FOCUS, the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey, has evolved from a research to practice enterprise within the United States fire and rescue service. The FOCUS tool was developed through a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Research & Development grant. Then it moved to practice in the field. To date over 35,000 firefighters have participated. A current FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety grant can support FOCUS assessment in up to 1,000 fire departments, with the potential of nearly 120,000 respondents. With each funding cycle, the goal of the FOCUS program is to grow and measure its research to practice impact.

METHODS

We describe how FOCUS safety culture results are disseminated to fire service stakeholders. By utilizing customized reports and a training curriculum we demonstrate how FOCUS is moving research to practice by: (1) illustrating how survey results can be delivered effectively to practitioners, (2) providing examples of how fire departments are using results, and (3) sharing the reactions of the fire service to the FOCUS instrument, reports, and our flagship data training curriculum - Culture Camp. Results' Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed to demonstrate the impact and acceptance of the FOCUS report and Culture Camps. Stakeholders reflect on the report and the experience of having quantitative safety culture data. Culture Camps are evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using a matching game exercise, pre/post-test, a fire department teach back, and a Qualtrics evaluation. Practical Applications: Traditionally, the fire service has focused on reducing negative safety outcomes. FOCUS is helping shift their attention further upstream in the prevention pathway through the measurement of important organizational outcomes. The research to practice evolution of the FOCUS program may hold utility for other occupational groups when considering how to steadily move occupational health and safety research to practice in the field for measurable impact.

The influence of work context and organizational well-being on psychophysical health of healthcare providers

Background:

A high level of organizational well-being improves employee performance and influences the physical and mental health of healthcare providers and students.

Objective:

This study investigates the relationship between the work context, organizational well-being, and the psychophysical health of healthcare providers.

Methods:

A multicentre cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on a sample of healthcare providers (physicians and nurses) and healthcare students (medical students and nursing students). A self-report questionnaire was administered between September and November 2016.

Results:

Of the 300 questionnaires administered, 201 (67%) were correctly completed. Overall, both the physical and mental health of the healthcare providers and students are explained by the variables of the organizational context: organizational well-being and socio-demographic/work characteristics. In particular, the results show a dependence on gender and age. Furthermore, decision latitude had a positive effect on physical health (b=.134) while job demands had a negative effect (b=-.160) explaining 21% of the PCS of the healthcare providers and students (R2=.209). Mental health improved via the satisfaction (b=.345), and positivity (b=.222) of healthcare professionals and students of these disciplines.

Discussion:

The results are significant because they directly impact the quality of care provided as well as patient safety.

Examining the Influence of Human Capital on Employees’ Innovative Work Behaviour: A Moderated Serial Mediation Model

Organisations invest in human capital to achieve favourable organisational performance. The purpose of this research is to explain how organisational human capital investments influence an individual’s human capital and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and its subset Affect Theory of Social Exchange, this study empirically examines how the human resource management activity of human capital investments manifests at the individual level by developing and testing a moderated serial mediation model. A total of 115 employees working in a diverse set of industries, such as service, manufacturing, information technology, consultancy and education, who had received at least one training from their current employer, participated in the survey. The participants completed five standardized, valid and reliable instruments. SPSS was employed for data analysis. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. Results show that both gratitude and knowledge management mediate the relationship between human capital and IWB and the moderating effects of job characteristics. This study extends current literature and integrates macro–micro human capital by exploring how and when human capital leads to the generation of micro social orders. The concept of micro social orders refers to repeated interactions (exchange frequency), emotional reactions, perceptions of cohesion and affective sentiments of a group/organisation due to social structures. This research also highlights how managers can establish positive reciprocity obligations and enhance employees’ gratitude that helps to achieve IWB.

Safety climate and employees' voluntary work behaviours: the moderating role of employees' voice

Purpose

This study examined the relationship between safety climate and employees' voluntary work behaviours (i.e. organisational citizenship behaviour and counterproductive work behaviour). It also examined the moderating role of employees' voice on the relationship between safety climate and employees' voluntary work behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the quantitative survey research design, data were collected from 220 respondents from three manufacturing companies in Accra, Ghana. Pearson's correlation test (r) and hierarchical multiple regression were used for data analysis.

Findings

Results showed that safety climate plays a significant role in predicting employees' voluntary work behaviours. Also, employees' voice was found to moderate the relationship between safety climate and organisational citizenship behaviour but does not moderate the relationship between safety climate and counterproductive work behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

Data was collected from manufacturing firms in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana; hence, the findings may be limited to just the manufacturing industry in the Ghanaian setting.

Originality/value

This paper positions safety climate as a catalyst for positive voluntary work behaviours in the workplace and an antidote to negative workplace behaviours. It also highlights the role of employees' voice in enhancing positive voluntary workplace behaviours of employees.

Psychosocial Factors and Tobacco Use Among Commercial Truck Drivers

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relationships between tobacco, social support, job satisfaction, and depression among truck drivers.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were collected from 797 truck drivers in six US states. Data collected included self-reported medical history and biological samples. Modified Zung depression scale and Work Apgar scores were used to measure depression and social support. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR).

RESULTS

24.0% of tobacco users were in the least depressed category and 18.2% were most depressed. 22.8% of the tobacco users had the most social support compared with 27.9% of the non-users. Drivers in the two most depressed categories were significantly less likely to use tobacco (OR = 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.39-0.96, and OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.41-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

Drivers with low social support or low levels of depression are more likely to be tobacco users.

Leader-Member Exchange, Work Engagement, and Psychological Withdrawal Behavior: The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment

Perceptions of psychological empowerment play a vital role in the way an individual perceives things at the workplace. In spite of this, there is scant research on the antecedents and consequences of psychological empowerment. This study is an attempt to fill this gap by analyzing the mediating role of psychological empowerment on the relationship between its antecedents (leader-member exchange) and its consequences (work engagement and psychological withdrawal behavior). Data were collected from 454 employees working in the Research and Development (R&D) departments of the information technology (IT) and pharmaceutical sectors operating in India. Results suggest that employees who have a high-quality relationship with their leader have high psychological empowerment, they are highly engaged at work, and their psychological withdrawal behavior is also low. In addition to this, high levels of psychological empowerment have a positive impact on their engagement toward work, which further leads to a low psychological withdrawal behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

"Digging Deeper" into the Relationship Between Safety Climate and Turnover Intention Among Stone, Sand and Gravel Mine Workers: Job Satisfaction as a Mediator

Employee turnover has been linked to negative business performance outcomes, increased costs, and disruptions to operations. Research to explore predictors of turnover intention is important to the mining industry, including the stone, sand, and gravel mining (SSGM) industry. Safety climate has been linked to job satisfaction and reductions in turnover intention in other fields, but investigation within SSGM has virtually been non-existent, creating a knowledge gap. This research seeks to address this dearth of information. Cross-sectional data from 452 workers in the SSGM industry were analyzed to assess the influence of safety climate on turnover intention through job satisfaction. Mediation analyses showed that job satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between safety climate and turnover intention. The implications of these novel findings are important for SSGM administrators. It suggests that bolstering safety programs and increasing safety climate perceptions will help increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover intention among workers in the SSGM industry.

Workplace friendship, psychological safety and innovative behavior in China

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify the influences of workplace friendship, psychological safety on employees’ innovative behavior and the moderated role of transformational leadership and face.

Design/methodology/approach

The current research proposes and tests a theoretic framework to explore the mechanism of workplace friendship in influencing employees’ innovative behavior. Based on a sample of 441 respondents from various Chinese companies, this paper used SPSS 22.0 and Amos 22.0 to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

Results indicate that workplace friendship positively related to innovative behavior and psychological safety functioned as a mediator between them. Moreover, it examines the moderating roles of transformational leadership and face. Transformational leadership and desire to gain face strengthen the relationship between psychological safety and employees’ innovative behavior but fear of losing face is negatively related to the strength of this relationship.

Originality/value

The current research is meaningful for managerial practice. Then, the theoretical framework will contribute to providing a new perspective for understanding complex friendship at studies thus explore its boundary conditions, which help to lead to desirable outcomes. Besides, the findings advance nascent theory on face under oriental culture background.

The dynamic interplay of physical and psychosocial safety climates in frontline healthcare

Little is known about how safety climates concerning physical safety and psychosocial safety interact in the prediction of working conditions and subsequent worker health. Frontline healthcare was selected as the setting for this study on the dynamic interplay between physical and psychosocial safety climates because of a recent call for attention to working conditions in this industry. Poor safety climates for healthcare workers spill over into adverse outcomes for worker health, and when workers are compromised, then so too is their provision of quality patient care. We developed an integrated model of the relationships between psychosocial and physical safety climates, working conditions, and health and safety outcomes. A multilevel model was tested (N = 463 workers nested within n = 60 teams), and lagged analysis was conducted across four time points, each 6 months apart. The combination of safety climates significantly predict objective outcomes from hospital safety system records on staff accidents, absence, and patient incidents (quality of care), suggesting a dynamic interplay in the prediction of impacts on the worker, organization, and end-user. Integrated physical and psychosocial safety climate measures can be incorporated into hospital occupational health and safety reporting and response systems as effective lead indicators and key performance metrics for work health and safety.

Exploring leading nurses' work values and their association with team safety climate: Results from a questionnaire survey in neonatal intensive care units

AIM

To explore leading nurses' work values and their effect on the safety climate in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

BACKGROUND

Despite their significance for behaviour, the work values of leading nurses are still insufficiently studied. We explore the impact of work value dimensions (self-transcendence, self-enhancement, conservation, and openness to change) on the safety climate.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 86 German NICUs between September 2015 and August 2016. Our analyses relate questionnaire data from 75 leading nurses to the shared perceptions regarding safety among their team members (n = 1,277). We used fractional response modelling to identify important work values.

RESULTS

The analysis showed differences between the dimensions of work values and their association with the safety climate. A significant positive association was found between the work value dimension self-transcendence (including the work values relationships with others and altruism) and safety climate (β = 0.255, p = .001). A large team size has a negative impact on the safety climate.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that the leading nurse's score on self-transcendence is positively related to the safety climate.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

The results demonstrate that it might be useful to consider work values in the selection of nurse leaders.

Do SHRM and HPWS shape employees’ affective commitment and empowerment?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of affective commitment and empowerment as mediators in the relationship among high-performance work systems (HPWS) and organizational performance. Different inconsistencies found in the literature review shows the need to take into account certain mediating variables, such as employees’ behaviors and attitudes, to understand how human resource management (HRM) facilitates the achievement of organizational results.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 200 medium-sized Spanish organizations was examined through partial least squares modeling methodology.

Findings

As hypothesized, a proactive strategic HRM approach in an organization can be translated in a series of human resources practices systems of high-performance, which stimulate directly employees’ affective commitment and promote empowerment among them, getting to better results in employees’ performance and in organizational performance.

Originality/value

This research shows that affective commitment and empowerment play a determinant role as mediators in HPWS and performance relationship, providing a deeper understanding of the alignment of strategy and HRM practices for organizational success.

The psychological mechanism linking employee work engagement and turnover intention: A moderated mediation study

BACKGROUND

In the global economy, motivating people to engage and stay in their work is a challenge for organizations. Researchers are increasingly recognizing the need for promoting strong employee engagement in the workplace.

OBJECTIVE

This paper examines the effect of employee work engagement on turnover intention. The study focuses on the mediating role of trust that underpins the relationship between employee work engagement and turnover intention, and the moderating role of job embeddedness in influencing the effect of trust.

METHOD

Survey data were collected from 418 employees from private media organizations. Hierarchical regression analysis and moderated mediation analysis were employed to test the hypotheses.

RESULTS

The results indicate that trust mediates the relationship between employee work engagement and turnover intention. Job embeddedness moderates the strength of the mediated relationship between employee work engagement and turnover intention via trust, such that the mediated relationship is weaker under high job embeddedness than under low job embeddedness.

CONCLUSION

This paper described the relationships among the concepts of work engagement, job embeddedness, trust, and turnover intention from a novel direction. Theoretical and practical consequences of these findings are discussed.

Occupational exposure to volatile organic compounds and health risks in Colorado nail salons

Nail salon technicians face chronic exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can lead to adverse health outcomes including cancer. In this study, indoor levels of formaldehyde, as well as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, were measured in 6 Colorado nail salons. Personal exposure VOC measurements and health questionnaires (n = 20) were also performed; questionnaires included employee demographics, health symptoms experienced, and protective equipment used. Cancer slope factors from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and anthropometric data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were then used to estimate cancer risk for workers, assuming 20-yr exposures to concentrations of benzene and formaldehyde reported here. Results show that 70% of surveyed workers experienced at least one health issue related to their employment, with many reporting multiple related symptoms. Indoor concentrations of formaldehyde ranged from 5.32 to 20.6 μg m^-3, across all 6 salons. Indoor concentrations of toluene ranged from 26.7 to 816 μg m^-3, followed by benzene (3.13-51.8 μg m^-3), xylenes (5.16-34.6 μg m^-3), and ethylbenzene (1.65-9.52 μg m^-3). Formaldehyde levels measured in one salon exceeded the Recommended Exposure Limit from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Cancer risk estimates from formaldehyde exposure exceeded the US EPA de minimis risk level (1 × 10^-6) for squamous cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and leukemia; leukemia risk exceeded 1 × 10^-4 in one salon. The average leukemia risk from benzene exposure also exceeded the US EPA de minimis risk level for all demographic categories modeled. In general, concentrations of aromatic compounds measured here were comparable to those measured in studies of oil refinery and auto garage workers. Cancer risk models determined that 20-yr exposure to formaldehyde and benzene concentrations measured in this study will significantly increase worker's risk of developing cancer in their lifetime.

Development of Scales to Measure and Analyse the Relationship of Safety Consciousness and Safety Citizenship Behaviour of Construction Workers: An Empirical Study in China

China's construction industry has experienced a long period of development and reform but compared to developed countries, safety on construction sites in China continues to present serious problems. Safety consciousness and safety citizenship behaviour are influential factors related to safety issues in the construction industry and may play a direct role in improving the safety of personnel on construction sites. However, recently no research has been focused on the relationship between safety consciousness and safety citizenship behaviour. Therefore, this paper aimed to investigate the relationship between safety consciousness and safety citizenship behaviour for personnel working on construction sites in China by using a questionnaire survey and statistical analysis, so that correlation between safety consciousness and safety citizenship can be demonstrated and effective measures suggested to improve the safety of construction workers in China, and perhaps in other countries as well.

Effect of Leadership Support, Work Conditions and Job Security on Job Satisfaction in a Medical College

Background:

Faculty members are crucial elements of an educational institution, and their job satisfaction is likely essential for success of the educational process. Leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security could be factors affecting academic job satisfaction.

Objective:

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security on the overall academic job satisfaction of faculty.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional survey, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted to determine the effect of leadership support, work conditions and perceived job security on academic job satisfaction among faculty and teaching staff at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the significance of these relationships at 95% confidence interval and P < 0.05 level of significance.

Results:

Leadership support (β = 0.187, t = 2.714, P = 0.007), work conditions (β = 0.199, t = 2.628, P= 0.009) and perceived job security (β = 0.264, t = 3.369, P = 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with overall academic job satisfaction.

Conclusion:

The results of this study support the hypothesis that faculty and teaching staff working with supportive leaders and favorable work conditions as well as having an optimized sense of perceived job security demonstrate significantly higher levels of overall academic job satisfaction. These findings provide input for policymakers, and their implementation could enhance an institution's vitality and performance, and thus enable it to fulfill its goals.

The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach and Employees' Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Cynicism and Work Alienation

Psychological contract breach (PCB) may trigger negative attitudes in employees and ultimately cause further negative behaviors. By drawing on social exchange theory, this study aims to explore the link between PCB and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) by focusing on the mediating role of organizational cynicism and work alienation. We administered a cross-sectional survey of 484 energy company front-line employees. The conceptual model was examined via structural equation modeling. The results suggested that organizational cynicism and work alienation sequentially mediated the relationship between PCB and CWB. This study elucidated the mechanisms underlying the relationship between PCB and CWB by introducing negative attitudes (i.e., organizational cynicism and work alienation) into the model, and offered further evidence that organizations should pay more attention to employees’ PCB and negative attitudes in order to reduce their CWB.

Occupational health and safety management practices and musculoskeletal disorders in aged care

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether occupational health and safety (OHS) management used to manage musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the aged care sector reflects contemporary research evidence of best practice to reduce the incidence of these disorders. Design/methodology/approach In total, 58 interviews were conducted with managers and supervisors in the aged care sector across four organisations in Australia. Policies and procedures relating to MSDs were reviewed for each organisation. Findings Policies and procedures for managing MSDs do not reflect contemporary evidence, which supports a complex aetiology, related to a range of physical and psychosocial workplace factors. Despite strong evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to MSD development, these were not included in the policies and procedures reviewed. Findings from the interviews management practices including leadership and various components of HRM were functioning well but fragmentation was evident due to the challenging nature of the aged care sector. Practical implications To address the significant burden of MSDs in the aged care sector, policies and procedures need to include coverage of psychosocial and physical workplace factors. The development of systematic and integrated OHS management at the workplace level may play an important role in the effective management of MSDs. Originality/value This study offers insights into the previously unexplored area of MSD risk management and the role of management practices such as HRM in the aged care sector.

Exploring Blue- and White-Collar Employees' Well-Being at Work System

The aim of this study was to examine occupational group-related differences in well-being at work (WBW) indicators ranging from real accidents, absences and retirement to experienced pleasure at work. Occupational group included two categories: blue- and white-collar employees. The study is based on analysing national statistics or ones of various industrial sectors (Study 1), or bases on findings of questionnaires in Finnish case companies (N=7) (Studies 2 and 3). WBW questionnaires answered by 3500 employees. Analysis utilised data that employees of two occupational groups, or company and national statistics revealed about WBW. Analysis was based on factors related to employee, task, tool, organisation and work environment (traditional work system (WS)), psychosocial factors, and information and communication within WS. The biggest and statistically significant differences were emphasised in results and discussion. Although two groups' roles and tasks provide reasons for many differences, the ones should be measured, thoroughly discussed and consciously managed.

Safety climate and mindful safety practices in the oil and gas industry

INTRODUCTION

The existence of a positive association between safety climate and the safety behavior of sharp-end workers in high-risk organizations is supported by a considerable body of research. Previous research has primarily analyzed two components of safety behavior, namely safety compliance and safety participation. The present study extends previous research by looking into the relationship between safety climate and another component of safety behavior, namely mindful safety practices. Mindful safety practices are defined as the ability to be aware of critical factors in the environment and to act appropriately when dangers arise.

METHOD

Regression analysis was used to examine whether mindful safety practices are, like compliance and participation, promoted by a positive safety climate, in a questionnaire-based study of 5712 sharp-end workers in the oil and gas industry.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed that a positive safety climate promotes mindful safety practices.

CONCLUSIONS

The regression model accounted for roughly 31% of the variance in mindful safety practices. The most important safety climate factor was safety leadership.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The findings clearly demonstrate that mindful safety practices are highly context-dependent, hence, manageable and susceptible to change. In order to improve safety climate in a direction which is favorable for mindful safety practices, the results demonstrate that it is important to give the fundamental features of safety climate high priority and in particular that of safety leadership.

Use of portable ladders - field observations and self-reported safety performance in the cable TV industry

Portable ladders incidents remain a major cause of falls from heights. This study reported field observations of environments, work conditions and safety behaviour involving portable ladders and their correlations with self-reported safety performance. Seventy-five professional installers of a company in the cable and other pay TV industry were observed for 320 ladder usages at their worksites. The participants also filled out a questionnaire to measure self-reported safety performance. Proper setup on slippery surfaces, correct method for ladder inclination setup and ladder secured at the bottom had the lowest compliance with best practices and training guidelines. The observation compliance score was found to have significant correlation with straight ladder inclined angle (Pearson's r = 0.23, p < 0.0002) and employees' self-reported safety participation (r = 0.29, p < 0.01). The results provide a broad perspective on employees' safety compliance and identify areas for improving safety behaviours. Practitioner Summary: A checklist was used while observing professional installers of a cable company for portable ladder usage at their worksites. Items that had the lowest compliance with best practices and training guidelines were identified. The results provide a broad perspective on employees' safety compliance and identify areas for improving safety behaviours.