Fostering sustainable careers across the lifespan: The role of disability, idiosyncratic deals and perceived work ability

When does cognitive crafting matter more in enhancing employee thriving at work? The moderating role of skill variety and job autonomy

The job crafting literature has not devoted much attention to the effects of specific forms of job crafting, particularly cognitive crafting. The present study builds on Conservation of Resources theory to explain how cognitive crafting might influence work meaningfulness for employees, and in turn, increase their experienced thriving at work. Moreover, we hypothesise that the impact of cognitive crafting on these outcomes is influenced by two motivational job characteristics: skill variety and job autonomy. To test our hypotheses, we collected three-wave survey data from 223 employees employed in a variety of occupations and industries in China. Results indicate that engaging in cognitive crafting enhances employees' work meaningfulness, resulting in thriving at work. Furthermore, skill variety and job autonomy are crucial moderators of these relationships. Specifically, when employees perceived low levels of skill variety or job autonomy, engaging in cognitive crafting was more likely to lead to enhanced work meaningfulness, which in turn resulted in higher levels of thriving at work. Implications for research, theory and practice are discussed.

Exploring the working conditions of disabled employees: a scoping review

PURPOSE

Disabled people are often overlooked in considerations about work design, which contributes to their exclusion from the labor market. This issue also reflects within research, as the body of knowledge on the working conditions of disabled employees remains relatively limited.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted to assess the research landscape concerning the working conditions of disabled employees. Five databases have been searched, focusing on relevant studies published between 2017 and 2022.

RESULTS

One hundred fourteen studies were included in the review. It was found that social aspects of work appeared within a substantial portion of the examined studies. Furthermore, it became evident that the interplay of accessibility and flexibility provides an important dynamic to make work design both inclusive and feasible.

CONCLUSION

The recurrent prominence of social aspects, accessibility, and flexibility across the studies shows common challenges and potentials within the work situation of disabled employees. This suggests avenues for future research and inclusive work design.

Work limitations as a moderator of the relationship between job crafting and work performance: results from an SEM analysis of cross-sectional survey data

PURPOSE

Job crafting is an incremental, employee-initiated job design process used to achieve a better fit between job demands and worker skills. Persons with work limitations face multiple barriers to optimal work performance. Some persons with work limitations may innately use job crafting as a strategy to achieve better alignment with their job tasks and demands, however the extent to which job crafting may be helpful in improving work performance and engagement is unknown. The purpose of this study is (1) to examine the moderating role of work limitations in the relationship between job crafting and work performance and (2) to understand the complex relationship between job crafting, work limitations, work engagement, work performance, readiness to change, and worker characteristics.

METHODS

We conducted an online survey of workers with and without disabilities (final N = 742) in 2020-2021. Our sample included workers aged 18 and older. Descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to assess the relationships among job crafting, work limitations, work engagement, work performance, readiness to change, and worker characteristics.

RESULTS

Work limitation moderates the relationship between job crafting and work performance by weakening the impact of innate job crafting on work performance. Worker characteristics such as education and years of work experience predict crafting behaviors and work engagement mediates the relationship between job crafting and work performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Work limitation weakens the relationship between job crafting and work performance. Workers with limitations may benefit from job crafting interventions to increase work engagement and performance.

The association of disability status with job tenure for U.S. workers

BACKGROUND: Job tenure is a useful economic indicator. To employees, longer job tenure creates higher rewards in pay, promotion opportunities, and job security. For employers, there are fewer costs in recruitment and retraining when job turnover is low. Marginalized populations, such as persons with disabilities, may find work in various economies, but retention is more difficult. They are often the first to be laid off in struggling economies. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to highlight differences in individual and employment-related factors associated with job tenure for American workers with and without disabilities. METHODS: Using newly available survey data (N = 1,538), OLS regression is used to estimate job tenure for workers with and without disabilities, controlling for worker sociodemographic characteristics, a job quality index, and job characteristics. All disability types are examined. RESULTS: Multivariate results show that workers with disabilities have shorter job tenure than others when controlling for job quality, individual characteristics and job characteristics. CONCLUSION: Employees with disabilities have shorter job tenure than those without. Given the benefits of lengthened job tenure, further efforts should be made to explore this issue and to develop effective strategies that help those with disabilities retain jobs long term.

Effect of Ergonomics-Based Piano Teaching on Teachers’ Physical and Mental Health and the Improvement of Sense of Happiness

Background. As a special occupation of human beings, teachers have an important responsibility for society and students. As preachers, all their actions will affect the students. Teachers can be said to be the indicator of students’ happy life. According to a survey by educational institutions, more than 90% of teachers believe that work pressure is increasing. 64.2% of teachers have experienced job burnout, and the status quo of teachers' professional well-being is worrying. So we must pay attention to teachers’ happiness research. However, based on ergonomics, piano education is a kind of piano education to relieve fatigue and an important way to improve teachers’ happiness. Objective. Using the self-designed questionnaire related to teachers’ professional happiness, we investigated piano teachers in universities to understand the status quo of piano teachers’ professional happiness, reduce the fatigue of piano teaching, explore the relationship between work fatigue and college piano teachers’ professional happiness. Methods. This study combines qualitative and quantitative survey methods to make a qualitative analysis of the collected literature and survey and, at the same time, to make a quantitative survey of the collected data so as to get more scientific and accurate survey results. Results. According to the above analysis, this paper puts forward effective suggestions in order to reduce the fatigue of piano teaching and ultimately greatly improve the enthusiasm and efficiency of piano teaching, improve the professional happiness of piano teachers, and promote the effective progress of education. Conclusions. Through this study, the overall situation of piano teachers’ professional happiness in H University is general and the evaluation of piano teachers’ professional happiness in H University is mostly at the ordinary level. However, more than half of the teachers do not feel happy and excited at work, and some of them are tired and bored.

Employability Paradox: The Effect of Development Idiosyncratic Deals on Recipient Employees' Turnover Intention

Applied social cognitive theory, this study built a moderated mediation model to explain how and when development idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) affect recipients' turnover intention. Specifically, this study proposed two paths that linked development i-deals with the recipients' turnover intention. One path was a retention path via perceived internal employability and another path was a turnover path via perceived external employability. This study tested the hypotheses with a sample of 337 employees from three companies in China. The results showed that development i-deals improved recipients' perception of internal and external employability both. Perceived internal employability predicted low risk of turnover, but perceived external employability predicted high risk of turnover. And perceived internal and external employability played mediating roles in the relationship between development i-deals and turnover intention. Furthermore, the recipients' perception of opportunity to perform in current organization strengthened the relationship between perceived internal employability and turnover intention, but weakened the relationship between perceived external employability and turnover intention. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.

Unravelling the process between career shock and career (un)sustainability: exploring the role of perceived human resource management

Purpose

Employees need a sustainable career to prolong their working lives. The ability, motivation and opportunity to work form an important basis for sustainable careers across the lifespan. However, over the lifespan of their careers employees are likely to experience several career shocks (e.g. becoming chronically ill or being fired) which might result in unsustainable trajectories. This study aims to contribute to the literature on sustainable careers by unraveling the process through which careers shocks relate to career (un)sustainability and what role perceptions of human resource practices play in the process.

Design/methodology/approach

Thirty-three in-depth retrospective interviews with participants of 50 years and older were conducted and analyzed using a template analysis.

Findings

Results showed that career shocks influence career sustainability through a process of changes in demands or changes in resources, which in turn, relate to changes in person–job fit. When person-job–fit diminished, the ability, motivation and opportunity to continue working decreased, whereas when person–job fit improved, the ability, motivation and opportunity to continue working improved as well. Organizations appear to be able to diminish the negative consequences of career shocks by offering job resources such as HR practices in response to career shocks.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this study is the retrospective nature of the interviews, which could have resulted in recollection bias.

Practical implications

This study gives HRM practitioners insight into the HR practices that are effective in overcoming career shocks.

Originality/value

This study extends existing literature by including career shocks as possible predictors of sustainable careers.

Job Crafting Among American Workers with Disabilities

Purpose Job crafting is an informal, employee-initiated approach to job re-design that has not been tested among people with disabilities, thus far. The purpose of this study is to examine crafting behaviors of workers with disabilities and individual factors associated with crafting behaviors. Methods We conducted a survey of employees with disabilities who were 18-64 years old and had at least 1 year of work experience. Bivariate and multivariate methods were used to: (1) compare the use of job crafting behaviors between our sample and published results from a sample of the general population; (2) identify individual characteristics associated with job crafting for workers with disabilities. Results Persons with disabilities engage in job crafting behaviors, albeit at lower levels than that reported in a broader sample (Int J Wellbeing, https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v3i2.1 , 2013). Education, and disability type (visual and mobility impairment) were associated with certain types of crafting behaviors. Conclusions As job crafting can be associated with higher levels of engagement and career growth among persons without disabilities, findings from this research can be utilized to design programs and policies that support the career goals of people with disabilities beyond labor force participation.

Encouraging young adults with a disability to be independent in their journey to work: A segmentation and application of Theory of Planned Behaviour approach

This study investigates how young adults with disabilities can be encouraged to be independent in their travel to work and thus, transition more smoothly into the workforce. Using cluster analysis, we identify three segment groups of young adults with physical disabilities. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is then applied to examine differences and identify strategies that could provide assistance and support to these groups of workers in their travel to work. This study is the first to segment this group of workers and identify strategies to mitigate the often-unique challenges they face in their physical journey to work.