How does line-manager support enhance worker wellbeing? A study in China

Enhancing midwives' occupational well-being: Lessons from New Zealand's COVID-19 experience

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization posits that adequate maternity health is possible if midwives are supported, respected, protected, motivated, and equipped to work safely and optimally within interdisciplinary health care teams. Based on qualitative survey data, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified job demands and resources, professional invisibility, and gender norms to negatively impact midwives' well-being.

PURPOSES

We aim to develop a refined understanding of the antecedents of well-being in midwifery to equip policymakers, administrators, and professional associations with the knowledge to enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model, we thematically analyzed qualitative survey data ( N = 215) from New Zealand midwives to reveal how job demands, resources, and structural factors impacted midwives' well-being.

RESULTS

We identified fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19, financial and legal imperatives (job demands), work-related hypervigilance, sense of professional duty, practical and social support, and appreciation and recognition (job resources) as key antecedents of midwives' well-being. These job demands and resources were influenced by professional invisibility and gender norms.

CONCLUSION

Policy and practice solutions must address job demands, resources, and structural factors to meaningfully enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

We recommend that policymakers, administrators, and professional associations monitor for signs of overcommitment and perfectionistic strivings and then take appropriate remedial action. We also suggest that midwives receive equitable pay, sick leave, and other related benefits.

Testing a chain mediation model of effort-reward imbalance, Confucian values, job satisfaction, and intention to quit among Chinese vocational education teachers

Context

This research delves into the significant impact of Confucian Values on the societal fabric of China, particularly in the realm of vocational education. In this setting, these principles are instrumental in guiding both educators and students. The study employs the Culture-Value Structure (CVS) model to dissect the intricate dynamics between Confucian Values, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), educators' job satisfaction, and their inclination toward leaving the profession. Teachers in vocational education, who are often regarded as moral guides, play a pivotal role in the ethical and social upbringing of students. Adopting Confucian values not only promotes academic success but also nurtures all-round development, equipping students for conscientious societal roles. In the backdrop of Confucian influence, these educators face substantial stressors in the workplace due to varied demands. The ERI model, proposed by Siegrist, serves as a tool to comprehend the stress experienced when there is a disproportion between efforts and rewards. This study delves into how ERI correlates with job satisfaction among vocational education teachers, with a focus on the modifying effect of Confucian values. Additionally, it examines the potential role of job satisfaction in mediating the relationship between ERI and the tendency to consider leaving the job. The research illuminates the complex interrelation of cultural values, occupational stress, job contentment, and career decision-making in the context of vocational education in China.

Methodology

The research involved a group of 332 Vocational education teachers from diverse Chinese institutions. Through thorough statistical analysis, the study validated the model's effectiveness, notably indicating a substantial direct impact of ERI on the Intention to Quit.

Findings

The investigation pinpointed Factors I (Integrity), II (Confucian Ethos), and IV (Moderation) as key determinants of job satisfaction. Notably, an increase in job satisfaction was found to inversely relate to the likelihood of leaving the profession, implying it could lessen the propensity to resign. The research applied a Chain Mediation Model to elucidate the influence of ERI on the decision to quit, mediated by various factors. The findings highlight the complex interaction of elements influencing teachers' decisions to leave, showcasing the utility of sophisticated statistical methodologies in decoding complex social dynamics.

The work of first line managers - A key to resilience in manufacturing

First-line managers (FLMs) have a vital role in developing stable output and organizational competitiveness through their ability to manage front-line operations in daily work. It is also well known that FLMs are strong determinants of good ergonomics and well-being for front-line staff. However, research focusing on how FLMs deal with their important role is lacking particularly regarding empirical studies. The focus here is how they deal with uncertainties and disruptive interruptions and develop more resilient performance in daily work - introduced in this article as resilient action strategies. This research uses two conceptual frameworks on resilient engineering for analysis of FLM's actions in daily work in two manufacturing companies, to explore how resilient action strategies can be organizationally supported. The study combines analysis of front-line activities with multilevel organizational support based on 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with FLMs and support functions, 21 workshops as well as policy documents of the two companies. The analysis exemplifies how resilience engineering was enabled in practice in the organizations. The study contributes to the empirical understanding of how resilience can be organizationally supported in daily front-line work. Our results show that a developed and consistent infrastructure in companies promotes the emergence of resilient action strategies in front-line work. We propose an extended model for resilient front-line performance enhancement by including coordination as a linking aspect between the earlier suggested resilient potentials - anticipate, monitor, respond and learn. This highlights the importance of both organizational support and coordination between system levels to enable the development of resilient action strategies by FLMs.

FDI and Wellbeing: A Key Node Analysis for Psychological Health in Response to COVID-19 Using Artificial Intelligence

Developing countries are primary destinations for FDI from emerging economies following the World Investment Report 2022, including destinations in OECD countries. Based on three theoretical lenses and case analyses, we argue that Chinese outward FDI has impacts on wellbeing in destination countries, and that this is an important issue for psychological health in response to COVID-19. Based on the super-efficiency DEA approach, our study investigated the impact of Chinese outward FDI on wellbeing in OECD countries. We also applied a Tabu search to identify country groups based on the relationship between Chinese outward FDI and wellbeing and we developed a key node analysis of the country groups using an immune algorithm. This research has implications for public administrators in global governance and could help shape FDI policies to improve psychological health of the destination countries in response to COVID-19.

Being ethically resilient during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of Indian supply chain companies

Purpose

The present study aims to examine the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and ethical decision-making (EDM) in Indian supply chain companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to explore the moderating role of technological frames (TF) in the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM is examined using correlation and regression analysis. The moderating effect of five dimensions of TFs (personal attitude, application value, organisational influence, supervisor influence and industry influence) is analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The correlation coefficient between techno-ethical orientation and EDM is 0.513. Also, the regression coefficient (β = 0.213) is significant at 0.05, establishing a positive linkage between the two. R-square values showed a 45.2% variation in EDM is explained by techno-ethical orientation. Similarly, all variables of TFs have a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM.

Originality/value

This is one of the pioneer studies exploring techno-ethical orientation’s impact on EDM in supply chain companies.

Making leadership as practice development visible: Learning from Activity Theory

Across the globe, organisations are facing significant challenges and operating in increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments. In the context of such complexity, effective leadership is ever more important. Recently, a body of work known as ‘Leadership as practice’ and leadership as practice development has been developed as a useful way of thinking about leadership that is shared across organisational members as opposed to being inherent in the traits of individual leaders. At present methodological approaches for capturing and exploring leadership as practice remain in their infancy. This article contributes to leadership learning by arguing that we can learn a great deal about how leadership unfolds and is developed in practice by utilising a theoretical framework called Cultural Historical Activity Theory. Data from two leadership workshops are drawn upon to demonstrate the value of Cultural Historical Activity Theory for making visible the specificities of leadership that emerge collectively and collaboratively in practice. The article concludes with a critical discussion of what we can learn from the Cultural Historical Activity Theory approach and how this can be applied to the study of leadership, leadership learning and leadership development.

Does Gender Matter? Effect of Colleagues’ Support on Work Engagement of Salespeople

Salespeople suffer from work pressure in their workplace. Hence, an important issue in sales management is how to increase salesperson confidence and motivate them to work harder. This study examines social support from management and peers on sales employees using the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory. A cross-sectional survey was then conducted among 140 female and male salespersons from the insurance/financial/retail industries during the pandemic period in Hong Kong. It was found that management support was important for the work engagement of salespeople. Self-confidence can be improved through consultation with managers. Female salespersons prefer sharing their concern with managers from another department, whereas male salespersons opt for managers from the same department. Peer support from sales colleagues of the same department was not preferred. Emotional support for female salespeople and cognitive support for male salespeople should be provided.

Career growth opportunities, thriving at work and career outcomes: Can COVID-19 anxiety make a difference?

Based on a two-wave survey of 242 frontline employees from a restaurant company, this study examines, in the COVID-19 setting, how career growth opportunities affect employee career-related outcomes and how these effects may be moderated. It was found that career growth opportunities improved career commitment and reduced career regret via its boosting effect on employee thriving at work. The survey results also showed that the impact of career growth opportunities on thriving (directly), and on career commitment and career regret (indirectly), is heightened by employee anxiety triggered by COVID-19. This indicates that career growth opportunities are most needed and most beneficial for shaping employees’ career outcomes when they experience high levels of COVID-19 anxiety.

Assessment of the effects of supervisor behaviour, safety motivation and perceived job insecurity on underground miner’s safety citizenship behaviour

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of mining supervisor behaviour, safety motivation and perceived job insecurity on Ghanaian underground miner’s safety citizenship behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors proposed a conceptual framework that tested supervisor behaviour as an independent variable, safety motivation as a mediator variable, perceived job insecurity as a moderator variable and safety citizenship behaviour as a dependent variable. The authors tested the hypothesized relationships using 351 valid responses collected through a structured questionnaire using hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

Results revealed that both components of supervisor behaviour significantly influenced safety motivation and safety citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, safety motivation could mediate the relationships between both components of supervisor behaviour and safety citizenship behaviour. Also, perceived job insecurity failed to moderate the relationship between safety motivation and safety citizenship behaviour.

Originality/value

This current study is vital for managerial practices. The complex conceptual framework also contributes to offering different ways of understanding how supervisors’ behaviours can catalyze improvement or worsen safety outcomes.

First-Line Managers' Experiences of Working with a Structured Support Model for Systematic Work Environment Management

Background: This paper describes the experiences of first-line managers when working with a structured support model for systematic work environment management in their work groups. First-line managers play a key part in influencing the work environment. Methods: In this study, a sample of managers implementing a structured support model, the Stamina model, in Swedish municipalities were interviewed. A total of 31 (n = 31) interviews were conducted at two time points during a one-year period. The collected data were analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. Results: The results showed that managers experienced discomfort when giving the responsibility of working with work environmental issues to employees. However, managers also experienced and were impressed by how well it worked in allowing employees to take on work environmental issues. Managers found that they balanced between being quiescent and, at the same time, actively monitoring progress in the work groups. Conclusions: The results from this study implicate that managers need to be sensitive to the needs and capacity of their work groups. The oracle in Delphi stated know yourself. We conclude: Know your group!

A Qualitative Study on Employees' Experiences of a Support model for Systematic Work Environment Management

Background: The aim is to explore how an organisational work environment support model, the Stamina model, influences employees' work situations and the development of sustainable work systems. Methods: It was a qualitative study with semi-structured, focus-group interviews, including 45 employees from six work groups. Eighteen focus group interviews were conducted over a period of two years. Data were analysed with constant comparative method. Results: The core category, shifting focus from an individual to an organisational perspective of work, illustrated how communication and increased understanding of one's work tasks changed over time and contributed to deeper focus on the actual operation. These insights were implemented at different time points among the work groups during the two-year process. Conclusions: Our results indicate that working with the model engages employees in the work environment management, puts emphasis on reflections and discussions about the meaning and purpose of the operations and enables a shared platform for communication. These are important features that need to continue over time in order to create a sustainable work system. The Stamina model, thus seems to have the potential to promote productive and healthy work places.

The role of human resource practices and managers in the development of well-being

Purpose

Organisational change is increasingly important and interesting to study. Change may affect employees’ attitudes and impact on their well-being. In this regard, it is important to examine how organisations enhance employees’ well-being when the competitive environment requires organisational changes whose implementation could cause well-being to deteriorate. Research suggests that human resource management practices (HRMPs) may have a positive impact on well-being. However, there is little research that analyses how the internal and external contexts of changing organisations may influence the outcome of HRMPs as regards well-being, which is of interest as it pertains to the application of suitable HRMPs in every setting. Thus, to address this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to analyse how employees’ perceptions of HRMPs and support from supervisors enhance well-being, taking into account the national cultural context of organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Linear regression models tested the proposed hypotheses on a sample of 10,866 employees from 18 European countries who participated in the Fifth European Working Conditions Survey. Of the total sample, 5,646 respondents were involved in substantial restructuring and organisational change.

Findings

Results confirm the importance of national “uncertainty avoidance” values in the choice of the proper HRMPs to enhance employees’ well-being.

Originality/value

The literature highlights that HRMPs and supervisor support have a positive impact on well-being, and it also warns that national culture may condition the outcomes of human resource (HR) interventions. Based on this, the current study analyses how such HR interventions enhance well-being, taking into account national cultural context of organisations in both stable contexts and those involving change.

Study protocol of an effect and process evaluation of the Stamina model; a Structured and Time-effective Approach through Methods for an Inclusive and Active working life

BACKGROUND

The working environment should be a naturally integrated part of business development. Provisions are in place that address the employer's obligations to investigate, carry out and follow up activities in such a way that ill health and accidents at work are prevented and a satisfactory working environment is achieved. Still, there are organizations that not properly perform systematic work environment management. In order to improve adherence, interventions and models focused on these issues need to be easy to understand and provide rapid feedback of results in order to be implemented. The Stamina model has recently been implemented in Sweden. The model is a participatory organizational systematic model facilitating the work environment, productivity and quality. It is a support model that provides structured and recurrent feedback in the systematic work environment management. The aim of the present paper is to thoroughly describe the Stamina model and the studies that are designed to investigate the effect, to increase the understanding of how and why the model was or was not effective, and to identify factors that facilitate implementation.

METHODS

The paper presents a project consisting of two related evaluation parts. Part one is an effect evaluation with an active group applying the Stamina model and a control group. This part investigate effects on proxy outcomes that are relevant for health and productivity. Part two is a process evaluation with a qualitative design. This part will be based on semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders, such as employees, first line managers, project managers, facilitators and representatives from the management group, in the organizations.

DISCUSSION

Many interventions found to be effective in research projects fail to translate into meaningful outcomes across multiple contexts. In this project a participatory approach will be adopted, including the possibility to modify the model according to organizational needs and preconditions. Valuable knowledge regarding the design and implementation of the model will be generated in order to develop a model that is suitable and sustainable in organizations.