Work engagement interventions can be effective: a systematic review

Work engagement of psychiatric nurses: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Work engagement is an essential factor in improving employee performance. However, no reviews on the work engagement of psychiatric nurses have been conducted to date. This study aimed to examine the current status of research on the work engagement of psychiatric nurses and identify salient factors.

DESIGN

A scoping review.

METHODS

This review adhered to the established scoping review methodological guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews checklist. The inclusion criteria were based on nurses, work engagement and psychiatric settings without language or date restrictions. Regardless of the methodology or study design, research studies related to the work engagement of psychiatric nurses have been included. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO from the inception of each database, with the search strategies being set by an information specialist. The deadline for the search was 15 February 2023.

RESULTS

The study included 12 studies. All studies have been published since 2013. The study designs included cross-sectional (n=10), longitudinal (n=1) and intervention (n=1) studies. The impacts of work engagement were classified into (1) attitudes towards patients, (2) attitudes towards work, (3) mental health and (4) quality of care. Factors influencing work engagement were classified into (1) demographics, (2) workplace factors, (3) individual factors and (4) patient factors.

CONCLUSION

Work engagement of psychiatric nurses has lately gained attention, although data are limited because most studies used a cross-sectional design. Psychiatric nurses with higher work engagement showed positive outcomes. Workplace and individual factors can potentially improve their work engagement. The findings can assist nursing managers in enhancing psychiatric nurses' work engagement and, consequently, their performance.

Association between constant connectivity to work during leisure time and insomnia: does work engagement matter?

PURPOSE

The influx of communication media to contemporary workplaces has exposed workers to be always connected to their work. Constant connectivity to work (CCW) refers to the condition in which workers are always connected to work, even during their non-work hours, and are not detached from the work situation. We investigated the association between CCW and insomnia and the moderating effect of work engagement.

METHODS

A total of 29,512 nationally representative samples of workers in Korea were used. Insomnia was assessed by the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The additive interaction between CCW and low work engagement was estimated by calculating Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI).

RESULTS

Exposure to CCW was related to insomnia (OR [95% CI] 1.33 [1.22-1.46]). Additionally, a significant negative interaction between CCW and work engagement was observed. The effects of CCW were mitigated in those with high work engagement. The OR of the combined effect of CCW exposure and low work engagement was 2.52 (95% CI 2.22-2.87). RERI between exposure to CCW and low work engagement was 0.69 (95% CI 0.38-0.99), indicating that there is a supra-additive interaction.

CONCLUSION

Our study found that CCW is related to an increased risk of insomnia and that high work engagement can mitigate the effect of CCW. Our study suggests that improving work engagement and disconnecting from work outside of work hours can help protect employees' sleep quality.

Impact of confrontation to patient suffering and death on wellbeing and burnout in professionals: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Palliative care and oncology generate a risk of burnout and psychological distress in professionals. The purpose of this study is to identify both psychopathological and positive factors related to mental health at work. It aims (i) to explore the extent to which these professionals are confronted with suffering, illness, and death; and to explore the prevalence of psychological distress and/or burnout, (ii) to identify potential determinants of burnout and psychological wellbeing at work, (iii) to develop an integrative model of mental health; and to identify frequency and impact of confrontations with death, and (iv) to identify profiles of professionals are at risk of developing a mental health disorder or, conversely, characterized by wellbeing.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in palliative care and oncology evaluating confrontations with death, coping, burnout, psychological distress, personality, self-esteem, well-being and meaning at work. Regressions, clustering, and structural equation modeling analyses were performed.

RESULTS

109 professionals participated (58% from oncology and 42% from palliative care), of which 79% were female, and 65% were between 30 and 49 years old. Aim i: 30% witnessed an intolerable suffering at least 9 times a month, 45% reported moderate to high levels of burnout, 39% suffered from anxiety and 11% from depression. Aim ii: the determinants of burnout were the personality traits conscientiousness and neuroticism, low meaning of work, and low wellbeing (R2 = 0.44). The determinants of wellbeing were work meaning, depersonalization, self-esteem, fulfillment and low emotional exhaustion (R2 = 0.71). Aim iii: the integrative model included both well-being (self-esteem, conscientiousness) and psychopathology (neuroticism, anxiety) parameters, and strongly satisfied the standard SEM goodness of fit indices (e.g., CFI, IFI, and TLI ≥ 0.95). Aim iv: three profiles were identified: (a) a "distressed profile" with a majority of professionals at the patient's bedside, (b) a "disengaged profile" with professionals working as second-line consultants, (c) a "wellbeing profile" contains profiles of caregivers insensitive to psychological distress and with a high level of positive Impact of confrontation on different areas of their lives.

CONCLUSIONS

An integrative approach is essential to understand the full range of mental health issues for professionals. Meaning of work is a key factor in professional interventions that should primarily affect front-line professionals with limited experience.

Advanced theoretical-applied model based on the PD approach in the light of healthcare-associated infections: what have we achieved so far?

Healthcare-associated infections remain a persistent concern despite decades of research and intervention efforts. Adherence to infection prevention and control guidelines by health professionals remains a challenge, necessitating innovative strategies. The Positive Deviance (PD) approach, rooted in harnessing localized solutions, holds promise but lacks comprehensive frameworks and empirical validation to bolster its theoretical underpinnings. This perspective article serves a dual purpose: first, to examine the unique challenges of applying the PD approach in the context of HAIs; and second, to introduce a robust theoretical-applied model developed in response to these challenges. This article addresses these gaps through a multi-faceted model developed in a mixed-methods study across three Israeli governmental hospitals and comprises four essential components that address the identified gaps in existing research. This article enriches the dialog on PD's applicability in HAIs by providing a robust model that not only offers solutions but reshapes the approach to healthcare hygiene and safety. It responds to critical gaps highlighted in the literature, offering tailored interventions by practical, context-specific solutions to improve adherence to IPC guidelines in the long term. Methodological clarity is also a key focus, offering a toolkit for practical implementation. This bottom-up approach empowers HPs to drive change, fostering a culture of innovation and improvement in healthcare settings.

Antecedents and outcomes of work engagement among nursing staff in long-term care facilities-A systematic review

AIM

To determine antecedents and outcomes of work engagement (WE) among nursing staff in long-term care (LTC) using the Job Demand-Resources model.

DESIGN

A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement and Synthesis Without Meta-analysis in systematic reviews guideline. A study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022336736).

DATA SOURCES

The initial searches were performed in PsycInfo, Medline, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL and Scopus and yielded 3050 unique publications. Updated searches identified another 335 publications. Sixteen studies published from 2010 to 2022 were included.

REVIEW METHODS

The screening of titles and abstracts, and subsequently full-text publications, was performed blinded by two author teams using the inclusion/exclusion criteria. When needed, a mutual consensus was obtained through discussion within and across the teams. A descriptive and narrative synthesis without a meta-analysis of the included studies was performed.

RESULTS

The extent of research on WE in LTC facilities is limited and the factors examined are heterogeneous. Of forty-two unique antecedents and outcomes, only three factors were assessed in three or more studies. Antecedents-in particular job resources-are more commonly examined than outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Existing literature offers scant evidence on antecedents and outcomes of WE among nursing staff in LTC facilities. Social support, learning and development opportunities and person-centred processes are the most examined factors, yet with ambiguous results.

IMPACT

Antecedents and outcomes of engagement among nursing staff in LTC facilities have not previously been reviewed systematically. Engagement has been correlated with both more efficient and higher-quality service delivery. Our findings suggest opportunities to improve health and care services by enhancing engagement, whilst at the same time better caring for employees. This study lays the groundwork for more detailed research into the contributing factors and potential results of increasing caregivers' engagement. No patient or public contribution.

Coaching leaders toward favorable trajectories of burnout and engagement

Existing literature on executive coaching has shown beneficial outcomes for leaders. Indeed, executive coaching can positively affect an individual's psychological well-being and quality of work life. However, while burnout among leaders is on the rise, to our knowledge no prior study has investigated the influence of executive coaching on the dimensions of burnout and engagement concurrently. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to examine if an executive coaching intervention has positive effects on managerial burnout and engagement. We implemented a ten-week coaching intervention for leaders, where questionnaire data were collected at two time points. Participants (N = 92; Mage = 42; 64% male) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a wait-list control group. Self-reported levels of engagement and burnout were collected at the start of the study protocol (T1) and at the end (T2). Coaching sessions for the intervention group were one hour once per week. The control group did not receive coaching. Repeated measures ANOVAs examined the extent to which the intervention influences the leader's engagement and burnout. Analyses revealed that all three dimensions of burnout significantly decreased for the intervention group over time while vigor increased. Findings did not reveal an increase in dedication and absorption. Consistent with prior literature, this study supports that executive coaching can improve a leader's well-being. Specifically, this study shows that an executive coaching intervention can decrease burnout symptoms and increase vigor in leaders. Adding a follow-up survey to the design would allow for further exploration of the intervention on engagement.

Green human resources management practices, leadership style and employee engagement: Green banking context

This paper discusses green human resource management practices, employee engagement, and transformational leadership in green banking. Specifically, we explore how green human resource management practices influence employee engagement, and how the role of transformational leadership influences their relationships. We used a random sample of 363 green bank employees in Indonesia. Data was collected through online surveys and analyzed using regression modeling. The results show that in general, green human resource management practices are positively and significantly related to employee engagement, and transformational leadership is shown to moderate the relationship. However, specifically, green recruitment and selection only affects the behavioral factors of employee engagement, but not affective and cognitive factors. Meanwhile, training and development only affect the affective factors of employee engagement, but not cognitive and behavioral factors. Furthermore, this research presents novel discoveries regarding how the interplay of contextual and institutional factors between transformational leadership behaviors and green human resource management practices can promote employee engagement.

The impact of job burnout on nurses' caring behaviors: Exploring the mediating role of work engagement and job motivation

AIM

To investigate the influence of job burnout on nurses' caring behaviors, with a specific focus on the serial mediating role of work engagement and job motivation.

BACKGROUND

Job burnout is a prevalent issue among nurses and poses significant challenges to their ability to deliver compassionate care. However, the underlying mechanisms that explain the relationship between job burnout and nurses' caring behaviors, which could provide valuable insights for developing targeted interventions and strategies to support nurse well-being and ensure the consistent provision of compassionate care, remain underexplored.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used to gather data from 520 clinical nurses working in various acute healthcare settings in the Philippines. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS Macro with Model 6.

RESULTS

Nurses exhibited high levels of caring behaviors (M = 4.219); however, they experienced moderate levels of job burnout (M = 2.342). Job burnout had a negative effect (β = -0.0603, p = 0.0482) on nurses' caring behaviors. Work engagement and job motivation sequentially mediated the relationship between job burnout and nurse caring behaviors (β = -0.0126, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher levels of job burnout were associated with a decreased demonstration of nurses' caring behaviors. Job burnout among nurses led to a decrease in their level of work engagement and job motivation, ultimately impacting their ability to provide caring behaviors to patients.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Organizations should prioritize creating a positive work environment and implementing theory-driven strategies to address job burnout, which can foster work engagement and job motivation among nurses, thereby providing crucial support for them in delivering high-quality, compassionate care to patients.

Work-related causes of mental health conditions and interventions for their improvement in workplaces

Mental health problems and disorders are common among working people and are costly for the affected individuals, employers, and whole of society. This discussion paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on the relationship between work and mental health to inform research, policy, and practice. We synthesise available evidence, examining both the role of working conditions in the development of mental disorders, and what can be done to protect and promote mental health in the workplace. We show that exposure to some working conditions is associated with an increased risk of the onset of depressive disorders, the most studied mental disorders. The causality of the association, however, is still debated. Causal inference should be supported by more research with stronger linkage to theory, better exposure assessment, better understanding of biopsychosocial mechanisms, use of innovative analytical methods, a life-course perspective, and better understanding of the role of context, including the role of societal structures in the development of mental disorders. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to protect and promote mental health and wellbeing in the workplace; however, there is a disproportionate focus on interventions directed towards individual workers and illnesses, compared with interventions for improving working conditions and enhancing mental health. Moreover, research on work and mental health is mainly done in high-income countries, and often does not address workers in lower socioeconomic positions. Flexible and innovative approaches tailored to local conditions are needed in implementation research on workplace mental health to complement experimental studies. Improvements in translating workplace mental health research to policy and practice, such as through workplace-oriented concrete guidance for interventions, and by national policies and programmes focusing on the people most in need, could capitalise on the growing interest in workplace mental health, possibly yielding important mental health gains in working populations.

Effects of an Internet Delivered Behavioral Activation Program on Improving Work Engagement Among Japanese Workers: A Pretest and Posttest Study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to examine the effect of a newly developed Internet-delivered behavioral activation (iBA) program on work engagement and well-being among Japanese workers with elevated psychological distress.

METHODS

Participants were recruited via an Internet survey company ( N = 3299). The eligibility criteria were as follows: (1) Japanese employees aged 20 to 59 years, (2) having psychological distress, and (3) not self-employed. This iBA program was a 3-week web-based training course using behavioral activation techniques. Work engagement, psychological distress, and eudemonic well-being at work were measured at baseline and postintervention period. A paired sample t test was conducted to assess the intervention effect.

RESULTS

Of the 568 eligible participants, 120 were randomly selected. A total of 108 participants completed the baseline survey and received the iBA program. Eighty respondents completed the postintervention survey and were included in analyses. The iBA program did not show a significant intervention effect on work engagement ( P = 0.22, Cohen d = 0.14), while psychological distress ( P < 0.01, d = -0.40) and role-oriented future prospects ( P = 0.02, Cohen d = 0.27) were significantly improved.

CONCLUSIONS

The effect of the iBA program on work engagement may be limited.

The impact of negative and positive affectivity on the relationship between work-related psychological factors and work engagement in Japanese workers: a comparison of psychological distress

BACKGROUND

A previous study has shown that Japanese individuals generally exhibit behavior that suppresses the expression of positive emotions, which are strongly affected by affectivity traits. In the present study, to clarify the relationship between affectivity traits and work engagement (WE) or work-related psychosocial factors among Japanese workers, we compared it to the association between psychological distress and these same factors.

METHODS

A total of 1,000 full-time Japanese regular workers responded to an online survey that measured demographic variables, negative and positive affectivity, job demands and resources, WE, and psychological distress. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted separately, which used WE and psychological distress as dependent variables.

RESULTS

The proportion of variance explained by negative and positive affectivity was lower for WE than for psychological distress. However, the proportion of variance defined by job demands and resources was higher for WE than for psychological distress. The proportion of variance explained by all variables for negative and positive affectivity and job demands and resources, and their interactions was approximately equal for WE and psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

These results emphasize when researchers aim to evaluate the change of psychosocial factors in the workplace, such as improving the workplace environment among Japanese workers, it might be beneficial to measure positive indicators in addition to negative indicators. Furthermore, enriching job resources would be effective in improving WE and alleviating psychological distress.

Fostering flow experiences at work: a framework and research agenda for developing flow interventions

Flow, the holistic experience of intrinsic motivation and effortless attention, is positively associated with job performance, work engagement, and well-being. As many individuals struggle to enter and maintain flow states, interventions that foster flow at work represent valuable catalysts for organizational and individual improvement. Since the literature on work-related flow interventions is still sparse, this article aims to provide a foundation for the systematic development of these interventions. Through a narrative review of the empirical and theoretical field, we develop a comprehensive framework with three dimensions, (1) the intervention aim (entering, boosting, or maintaining flow), (2) the target (context, individual, or group), and (3) the executor (top-down or bottom-up), for systematically classifying flow interventions at work. We complement the framework with guiding questions and concrete starting points for designing novel interventions. In addition, we explain how to build on these dimensions when operationalizing flow as the outcome variable in evaluating intervention effectiveness. By acknowledging individual and situational variability in flow states and the contingent limitations of flow interventions, we offer a broad perspective on the potential for fostering flow at work by using adaptive interventions.

Creating an age-inclusive workplace: The impact of HR practices on employee work engagement

Drawing on social exchange theory, our study aims to examine how age-inclusive human resource (HR) practices affect work engagement by shaping the age-diversity climate and perceived organizational support (POS). We hypothesize that diversity beliefs play a moderating role in the relationship between age-inclusive HR practices and POS. Our analysis of a sample of 983 employees from 48 organizations in China highlights the direct impact of age-inclusive HR practices on work engagement. Moreover, age-diversity climate and POS mediate the association between age-inclusive HR practices and work engagement. We further demonstrate that diversity beliefs play a moderating role in the association between age-inclusive HR practices and POS. Our findings not only contribute to the literature but also provide practical implications for managing an aging workforce.

The influence of high-quality workplace relational systems and mindfulness on employee work engagement at the time of crises

Workplace relational systems move the organizational processes therefore, the influence on employee work behavior is inevitable. Drawing on the relational systems and broaden & build theory, this study aimed to examine the impact of high-quality workplace relational systems and trait of mindfulness on employee work engagement. This study also posits that psychological capital mediates this relationship and negative affectivity plays a moderating role. Data was collected from 331 employees associated with the public and private sectors. PLS-SEM, Higher Component Modeling technique employed to analyze the data. Results showed a positive association between high-quality workplace relational systems and mindfulness with employee work engagement. Data also support the mediating role of psychological capital. This study contributes to understanding the internal mechanism of how workplace relational systems and mindfulness affect work engagement through mediating effect of psychological capital. The findings of this study showed that high-quality workplace relational systems and mindfulness are workplace factors that induce employees' work engagement. The present study advances the knowledge on the flourishment of the work environment. The findings of this study also contribute to further focusing research on the relational work environment in its response to employee behavioral dimension.

What Could Highly Engaged Workers Gain From Mental Health Promotion Programs?: An Exploratory Analysis of Secondary Outcomes of Brief Daily Workplace Well-being Programs

OBJECTIVE

The current study aims to examine the effects of mental health programs on well-being among highly engaged workers.

METHODS

Participants were randomly allocated to body-mind-spiritual or peer support program. Of the whole sample, we examined participants' work engagement and positive affect from the highest quarter and the lowest quarter of work engagement at baseline. Measures were taken at baseline and 1-month intervals during 3-month programs and 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

The programs had decreasing effects on work engagement in the HWE subgroup. There is an increasing trend of positive affect on the HWE group only in the body-mind-spiritual program. The trajectories of work engagement in the HWE group moved toward a moderate level.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the work engagement's decrease in the HWE group could be a sign of recovery and relaxation.

Effectiveness of Digital Interventions for Deficit-Oriented and Asset-Oriented Psychological Outcomes in the Workplace: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Digital psychological interventions can target deficit-oriented and asset-oriented psychological outcomes in the workplace. This review examined: (a) the effectiveness of digital interventions for psychological well-being at work, (b) associations with workplace outcomes, and (c) associations between interventions' effectiveness and their theory-base.

METHODS

six electronic databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCT) and quasi-experimental studies. The methodological quality of studies that used randomisation was conducted with the "Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias" tool, while the "JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist" was used for non-randomised studies. Studies' theory-base was evaluated using an adaptation of the "theory coding scheme" (TSC). Due to heterogeneity, narrative synthesis was performed.

RESULTS

51 studies were included in a synthesis describing four clusters of digital interventions: (a) cognitive behavioural therapy, (b) stress-management interventions and workplace well-being promotion, (c) meditation training and mindfulness-based interventions, and (d) self-help interventions. Studies demonstrated a high risk of contamination effects and high attrition bias. Theory-informed interventions demonstrated greater effectiveness. Cognitive behavioural therapy demonstrated the most robust evidence for reducing depression symptoms among healthy employees. With the exception of the Headspace application, there was weak evidence for meditation training apps, while relaxation training was a key component of effective stress-management interventions.

Job demands-resources, job crafting and work engagement of tobacco retailers

In recent years, the development of tobacco control actions in China and the changes in people's health concepts have slowed the development of the tobacco industry. As an important strategic partner of tobacco sales companies, tobacco retailers are the key link between tobacco commercial enterprises and consumers. How to improve the work engagement level of tobacco retailers is an urgent issue for tobacco business enterprises. On the basis of job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, the mechanisms of the effects of job resources and demands on tobacco retailers' work engagement were explored. Results showed that (1) The negative path of job demands influencing tobacco retailers' work engagement was supported, and job crafting played a mediating role in it. (2) The positive path of job resources influencing tobacco retailers' work engagement was supported, and job crafting played a mediating role in it. (3) Servant leadership moderated the influence of job resources and demands on job crafting. Higher level of servant leadership brings the stronger effect of job resources on job crafting and the weaker effect of job demands on job crafting. (4) The mediating effect of job crafting between JD-R and work engagement was moderated by servant leadership. The higher level of servant leadership strengthened the mediating role of job crafting between job demands and work engagement, whereas it weakened the mediating role of job crafting between job demands and work engagement. This study enriches the research on application fields and boundary conditions of JD-R theory and provides practical guidance for improving the work engagement level of tobacco retailers.

Work engagement of psychiatric nurses: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Psychiatric nurses face various stressors related to nurse-patient relationships, workplace interpersonal relationships and organisational problems, and are required to perform excellent work under stressful situations. As work engagement (a counterconcept of burnout) is a key factor that improves the performance of nurses, clarifying how to improve work engagement is an essential topic among researchers. Although some knowledge has been accumulated on the subject, no reviews have been conducted on the work engagement of psychiatric nurses. To fill the gap, this scoping review will examine the status of research activity on the work engagement of psychiatric nurses and identify related factors, consequently mapping the available research in this area.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The review will be conducted according to established scoping review methodological guidelines. The inclusion criteria will be based on nurses (participants), work engagement (concept), and psychiatric settings (context) without language or date restrictions. Regardless of the methodology or study design, research related to the work engagement of psychiatric nurses will be included. A systematic search will be conducted for MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO, with the searches being arranged by an information specialist through discussion. The first author will screen all potentially relevant publications, and the second author will independently screen a random sample comprising 10% of the manuscripts. Any disagreement will be resolved by a review team. Data will be extracted using a standardised extraction form, subsequently summarised through quantitative (frequencies) and qualitative analyses (narrative synthesis), and reported in the results of the review.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

As the data will be collected from existing literature, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. They are expected to help researchers enhance psychiatric nurses' work engagement, consequently contributing to improving their performance.

Crossover of Work Engagement: The Moderating Role of Agreeableness

Work engagement can cross over from one individual to another, and this process may depend on several factors, such as the work context or individual differences. With this study, we argue that agreeableness, one of the Big five personality measures that characterized empathetic, can be instrumental in the crossover process. Specifically, we hypothesize that agreeableness can facilitate this process so that engagement of an actor can more easily cross over to their partner when either of them or both have high agreeableness. To evaluate our hypotheses, we implemented an intervention to the working schedules of 74 participants for two weeks. The intervention involved pairing participants to work together so that to create dyads with varying levels of dissimilarity. The results from a multilevel regression model indicate that there is a crossover effect and partner’s work engagement can be transferred to actor after a two-week collaboration. This effect is further intensified if either one or both members in the dyad are characterized by high levels of agreeableness. These findings help to decode the mechanisms underlying the crossover process and illustrate how to ideally coordinate work dyads to take advantage of the crossover effect and maximize employee engagement.

The GRANDPACT Project: The Development and Evaluation of an Intergenerational Program for Grandchildren and Their Grandparents to Stimulate Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Using Co-Creation

In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to intergenerational physical activity (PA) programs because they may have several benefits for both children and older adults (e.g., the reduction of ageism). An intergenerational PA program focusing on grandchildren and grandparents in a 'standard' family setting that combines PA and cognitive function is innovative and may hold potential for promoting PA and improving cognitive functioning in both grandchildren and grandparents. The aim of this study is to describe the protocol of the GRANDPACT (GRANDparents and GRANDchildren improve their Physical Activity and Cognitive functions using co-creaTion) Project, focusing on the development of an intergenerational, cognitively enriched, movement program for grandchildren and grandparents using the theoretical framework of the "Behaviour Change Wheel" in combination with a co-creation approach. Two co-creation trajectories will be organized to develop the program, followed by a pilot study to refine the program and an RCT with a pre-test (at baseline), a post-test (after 24 weeks), and a follow-up (after 36 weeks) to measure the outcomes of co-PA, cognitive functions, psychosocial well-being, and the quality of the family relationship ingrandchildren and grandparents. The outcomes will be measured using accelerometry for PA, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) for cognitive functions, and questionnaires for the psychological well-being and quality of the family relationship. Co-development with end-users and stakeholders during both co-creation trajectories is expected to result in an effective, attractive, and feasible program. Co-PA is expected to improve PA, cognitive functioning, psychosocial well-being, and the quality of the family relationships between grandchildren and grandparents.

Long term outcomes of chronic pain patients attending a publicly funded community-based interdisciplinary pain program in the Greater Toronto area: results of a practice-based audit

Background

Chronic pain management multi/interdisciplinary programs attempt to address all elements of the biopsychosocial model. The primary objective of this retrospective study (based on practice-based audit) was to determine the effectiveness of a patient-centered, comprehensive and intense interdisciplinary pain management program in a publicly funded community-based pain clinic in the Greater Toronto Area.

Method

This retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on 218 carefully selected sequential chronic pain patients, with 158 completing a 3–4-month interdisciplinary program between January 2016 and December 2018. Data collected upon exit, at 6 months and 12 months post-discharge included demographic information, pain characteristics, emotional/functional status obtained by validated instruments and global impression of change (GIC). Additionally, social health outcomes (return to work or school) were retrieved through retrospective chart review. Means of pre-and post-program variables were compared to assess changes of each patient’s “journey”.

Results

Physical and mental/ emotional health outcomes at exit, 6 months and 12 months post-discharge, showed initial and sustained, statistically and clinically significant improvement from pre-treatment levels, with GIC (much/very much improved) reported as 77%, 58% and 76%, respectively. Additionally, a substantial positive change in social health outcomes was noted particularly in patients on disability (29%), part time workers gaining full time employment (55%), and students (71%) who improved their level of schooling.

Conclusion

The study showed that careful patient selection in a community-based publicly funded interdisciplinary pain management program can produce significant improvement in pain, physical, mental/emotional health and social function, with sustained long-term outcomes.

Loneliness influences avoidable absenteeism and turnover intention reported by adult workers in the United States

Purpose

Loneliness is known to adversely impact employee health, performance and affective commitment. This study involves a quantitative cross-sectional analysis of online survey data reported by adults employed in the United States (n = 5,927) to explore how loneliness and other related factors may influence avoidable absenteeism and turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Worker loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3). Composite variables were constructed as proxy measures of worker job and personal resources. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine independent variable effects on dependent outcomes of (a) work days missed in the last month due to stress (stress-related absenteeism) and (b) likelihood to quit within the next year (turnover intention).

Findings

The job resources of social companionship, work-life balance and satisfaction with communication had significant negative relationships to loneliness in the SEM, as did the personal resources of resilience and less perceived alienation. Results further show lonely workers have significantly greater stress-related absenteeism (p = 0.000) and higher turnover intention ratings (p = 0.000) compared to workers who are not lonely. Respondent demographics (age, race and gender) and other occupational characteristics also produced significant outcomes.

Practical implications

Study findings underscore the importance of proactively addressing loneliness among workers and facilitating job and personal resource development as an employee engagement and retention strategy.

Originality/value

Loneliness substantially contributes to worker job withdrawal and has negative implications for organizational effectiveness and costs.

Balancing Work Life: Job Crafting, Work Engagement, and Workaholism in the Finnish Public Sector

The aim of this study was to investigate how job crafting, work engagement, and workaholism were related in public sector organizations. The participants (N = 213) were civil servants from three Finnish public organizations, representing different professions, such as school personnel, secretaries, directors, parking attendants, and ICT specialists. We duly operationalized job crafting, work engagement, and workaholism by using the Job Crafting Scale, the UWES-9, and the Work Addiction Risk Test. The current study focused on the Finnish public sector, since work engagement is recognized at the governmental level and has been shown to be strongly and positively associated with economic activity and productivity, while workaholism is associated with poor wellbeing. We analyzed the data by using structural equation modeling and found that three job crafting dimensions were strongly intertwined with one another. These dimensions were increasing structural job resources, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands. In the structural model, dimension “increasing structural job resources” was positively related to work engagement, whereas dimension “decreasing hindering job demands” was negatively associated with workaholism. This study highlighted the relevance of employees learning to balance their job resources and demands. We recommend that, in the public sector, employees be systematically encouraged to practice job crafting behavior by enabling them to increase structural job resources. These results are of high relevance, considering the heavy workload of public sector employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning environments, reliability enhancing work practices, employee engagement, and safety climate in VA cardiac catheterization laboratories

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the relationship between learning environments (the educational approaches, cultural context, and settings in which teaching and learning happen) and reliability enhancing work practices (hiring, training, decision making) with employee engagement, retention, and safety climate.

DATA SOURCE

We collected data using the Learning Environment and High Reliability Practices Survey (LEHRs) from 231 physicians, nurses, and technicians at 67 Veterans Affairs cardiac catheterization laboratories who care for high-risk Veterans.

STUDY DESIGN

The association between the average LEHRs score and employee job satisfaction, burnout, intent to leave, turnover, and safety climate were modeled in separate linear mixed effect models adjusting for other covariates.

DATA COLLECTION

Participants responded to a web-only survey from August through September 2020.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

There was a significant association between higher average LEHRs scores and (1) higher job satisfaction (2) lower burnout, (3) lower intent to leave, (4) lower cath lab turnover in the previous 12 months, and (5) higher perceived safety climate.

CONCLUSIONS

Learning environments and use of reliability enhancing work practices are potential new avenues to support satisfaction and safety climate while lowering burnout, intent to leave, and turnover in a diverse US health care workforce that serves a vulnerable and marginalized population.

Remote Working for Sustainability of Organization during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediator-Moderator Role of Social Support

Remote working became a widespread business practice during the COVID-19 pandemic as an organizational response to protect employees’ health and maintain business continuity. The aim of this paper is to reveal the role of social support in the relationship among NWHI, NHWI and loneliness, and work engagement and job performance. The study respondents were employees with a remote working status in Serbian companies, and a total of 226 valid surveys were collected. The PLS-SEM approach was deployed to test the hypothesized relationship between named variables. A standard bootstrapping procedure was used to reveal direct and indirect effects among latent variables. Results indicate a strong and positive direct association between social support and work engagement and job performance, while mediation and moderation of the role of social support were mostly confirmed but with some results opposite to what was expected. Social support was not able to buffer a negative home–work interaction and loneliness within remote working. The study offers insight into the role of social support and recommendations for managing the antecedents and consequences of remote working, with the aim to determine a sustainable model for extensive application, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in regular times.

An Integrative Review on the Research Progress of Mindfulness and Its Implications at the Workplace

Mindfulness has rapidly become a significant subject area in many disciplines. Most of the work on mindfulness has focused on the perspective of health and healthcare professionals, but relatively less research is focused on the organizational outcomes at the workplace. This review presents a theoretical and practical trajectory of mindfulness by sequential integration of recent fragmented scholarly work on mindfulness at the workplace. The review showcases that most contemporary practical challenges in organizations, such as anxiety, stress, depression, creativity, motivation, leadership, relationships, teamwork, burnout, engagement, performance, well-being, and physical and psychological health, could be addressed successfully with the budding concept of mindfulness. The causative processes due to higher mindfulness that generate positive cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioral outcomes include focused attention, present moment awareness, non-judgmental acceptance, self-regulatory functions, lower mind wandering, lower habit automaticity, and self-determination. Employee mindfulness could be developed through various mindfulness interventions in order to improve different organizational requirements, such as psychological capital, emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, in-role and extra-role performance, financial and economic performance, green performance, and well-being. Accordingly, this review would be beneficial to inspire academia and practitioners on the transformative potential of mindfulness in organizations for higher performance, well-being, and sustainability. Future research opportunities and directions to be addressed are also discussed.

Building Positive Organizations: A Typology of Positive Psychology Interventions

Research indicates that Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in the work context have a small positive impact on improving desirable work outcomes, and a small to moderate effect on reducing undesirable work outcomes, suggesting that the effects of PPIs are not trivial, but also not large. Whereas this may be related to the difficulty of changing oneself or one's happiness levels, the relatively small effects of PPIs may also be due to the predominant use of one-off interventions instead of more structural interventions that reflect policy level commitment. Furthermore, since most PPIs tend to focus on the individual, one could question the long-term effectiveness of such interventions, especially when the work environment remains unchanged. In this manuscript, I introduce a typology of PPIs in organizations by distinguishing between the organizational level they target (the individual or group level), and between one-off and structural interventions. I argue that different types of interventions can strengthen each other, and that to make a sustainable contribution to the optimal functioning of workers, PPIs need to comprise a wide variety of one-off and structural interventions targeting both individuals and groups in organizations. Furthermore, I make suggestions for improving the long-term effectiveness of PPIs by drawing on the literature on transfer of training, nudging, and positive design.

Bottom-Up Interventions Effective in Promoting Work Engagement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Promoting work engagement is of interest to organizations across sectors due to the associated positive outcomes. This interest warrants research on the evidence of work engagement interventions. Intervention research increasingly advocates a bottom-up approach, highlighting the role of employees themselves. These workplace interventions often encourage employees to identify, develop, and make use of workplace resources. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the effectiveness and potential underlying mechanisms of these bottom-up, resource-developing interventions. Method: Systematic searches were conducted in the online databases Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, Business Source Ultimate, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. Publication year range was 2000-2020. Eligibility criteria were defined using PICOS. To be eligible for the systematic review, the intervention study identified had to aim at promoting working individuals' work engagement by developing workplace resources from bottom-up. Work engagement had to be measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The systematic review included one-, two-, or multiple-armed - randomized or non-randomized - intervention studies with various study designs. Further, a meta-analysis was conducted on a sub-set of the studies included in the systematic review. To be eligible for the meta-analysis, the studies had to be two- or multiple-armed and provide the information necessary to compute effect sizes. Results: Thirty-one studies were included in the systematic review. The majority reported that overall work engagement increased as an effect of the intervention. The evidence regarding the sub-components of work engagement was scattered. Potential underlying mechanisms explored were intervention foci, approach, and format. Dimensions of satisfaction and performance were identified as secondary outcomes. Participant experiences were generally described as positive in most of the studies applying mixed methods. The meta-analysis showed a small but promising intervention effect on work engagement (24 studies, SMD: -0.22, 95% CI: -0.34 to -0.11, with I 2=53%, indicating moderate inconsistency in the evidence). Conclusion: The synthesized evidence suggests that bottom-up, resource-developing interventions are effective in the promotion of work engagement. The meta-analysis suggests that focusing on strengths use or mobilizing ego resources and adopting a universal approach increase intervention effectiveness.

Cognitive crafting and work engagement: A study among remote and frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a profound change in the organization of work in the health care sector. As frontline health care workers are essential in battling the pandemic and their work is appreciated in society, we argue that health care workers who are forced to work from home are likely to perceive their jobs as less meaningful, which in turn may negatively affect their engagement at work. Cognitive crafting, or the altering of the perceptions one has about their tasks and relationships with the aim to enhance the meaningfulness of work, may be a fruitful cognitive strategy to counter the problems remote health care workers face.

Participatory Development Process of Two Human Dimension Intervention Programs to Foster Physical Fitness and Psychological Health and Well-Being in Wildland Firefighting

Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated by and within organizations are a critical component in the promotion of employee health and well-being and in the prevention of occupational injury. Critical for transference of findings across complex occupational settings is a clearly articulated development process, a reliance on and evaluation of underlying theoretical foundations, and the inclusion of relevant outcomes emerging out of participatory action processes. To date, there have been no documented efforts outlining the development, implementation, or evaluation of human dimension intervention programs targeting wildland firefighters. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of two collaborative and participatory intervention programs, targeting wildland firefighters’ physical and psychological health and well-being. Two human dimension intervention programs were developed in a collaborative, iterative and participatory process following the Context–Content–Process–Outcomes Framework. First, a physical fitness training intervention program was designed to maintain wildland firefighter’s physical fitness levels and attenuate risk of injury. Second, a psychosocial education intervention program was developed to mitigate the impact of psychosocial risk factors, foster work engagement, and decrease job stress. The current study provides evidence for the capacity of researchers and organizations to collaboratively develop practical programs primed for implementation and delivery.

Engaging to innovate: an investigation into the implications of engagement at work on innovative behaviors in healthcare organizations

PURPOSE

Organizational innovation relies on the employees' active participation in improving extant processes and practices. In particular, it has been argued that employees' engagement triggers innovation-oriented behaviors at work. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of evidence of the implications of work engagement on the health professionals' innovation propensity. The article intends to push forward what we currently know about this issue, providing some food for thought to scholars and practitioners.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

A path analysis based on ordinary least square (OLS) regression and 10,000 bootstrap samples was designed to investigate the direct and indirect implications of employees' engagement on innovative behaviors at work in a large sample of health professionals operating in Europe. The quality of employee-manager relationships and the organizational climate were included as mediating variables affecting the relationship between work engagement and propensity to innovation-oriented behaviors.

FINDINGS

The research findings highlighted that being engaged at work fosters the willingness of health professionals to partake in the improvement of organizational processes and practices. The positive implications of employees' engagement on innovative behaviors at work are catalyzed by good employee-manager relationships and a positive organizational climate.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Healthcare organizations should uphold the health professional's engagement to enhance their innovation potential. Targeted interventions are needed to merge work engagement with the enhancement of the organizational environment in which health professionals accomplish their activities. A positive organizational climate enacts an empowering work environment, which further incentivizes innovation.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The article adopts a micro-level perspective to investigate the triggers of innovative behaviors among healthcare professionals, providing evidence which is relevant for theory and practice.

Towards a biochemical approach to occupational stress management

Given the immense and growing cost of occupational stress to society through lost productivity and the burden to healthcare systems, current best practices for detecting, managing and reducing stress in the workplace are clearly sub-optimal and substantially better methods are required. Subjective, self-reported psychology and psychiatry-based instruments are prone to biases whereas current objective, biology-based measures produce conflicting results and are far from reliable. A multivariate approach to occupational stress research is required that reflects the broad, coordinated, physiological response to demands placed on the body by exposure to diverse occupational stressors. A literature review was conducted to determine the extent of application of the emerging multivariate technology of metabolomics to occupational stress research. Of 170 articles meeting the search criteria, three were identified that specifically studied occupational stressors using metabolomics. A further ten studies were not specifically occupational or were of indirect or peripheral relevance. The occupational studies, although limited in number highlight the technological challenges associated with the application of metabolomics to investigate occupational stress. They also demonstrate the utility to evaluate stress more comprehensively than univariate biomarker studies. The potential of this multivariate approach to enhance our understanding of occupational stress has yet to be established. This will require more studies with broader analytical coverage of the metabolome, longitudinal sampling, combination with experience sampling methods and comparison with psychometric models of occupational stress. Progress will likely involve combining multi-omic data into a holistic, systems biology approach to detecting, managing and reducing occupational stress and optimizing workplace performance.

Nurse perspectives in the emergency department: The synergy tool in workload management and work engagement

AIM

To explore emergency nurses' perceptions of how a nurse-driven patient needs assessment tool, the synergy tool, influenced their workload management.

BACKGROUND

Quadruple Aim, particularly the fourth aim of improved staff work experiences, served as the conceptual framework to engage nurses in a participatory action research project. This project took place between 2017 and 2020 in two tertiary care emergency departments in one large Canadian city.

METHOD

This study employed a qualitative descriptive component, focus group interviews and nurse comments on two open-ended survey questions.

RESULTS

Use of the synergy tool heightened nurses' awareness of patients' holistic care needs. Nurses also stated how patient needs assessment data helped them identify unsafe workloads.

CONCLUSIONS

The synergy tool, adapted for emergency department use by nurses, was a means to engage and empower nurses. Patient needs assessment data from the tool identified staffing gaps, resulting in additional nursing staff for both emergency departments.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

A focus on patient needs assessment can be an effective way to address nurses' workload concerns.

Effects of Smartphone-Based Stress Management on Improving Work Engagement Among Nurses in Vietnam: Secondary Analysis of a Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Work engagement is important for employee well-being and work performance. However, no intervention study has investigated the effect of an eMental Health intervention on work engagement among workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Objective

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a newly developed smartphone-based stress management program (ABC Stress Management) on improving work engagement among hospital nurses in Vietnam, an LMIC.

Methods

Full-time registered nurses (n=949) were randomly assigned to one of 2 intervention groups or a control group. The intervention groups were a 6-week, 6-lesson program offering basic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-based stress management skills), provided in either free-choice (program A) or fixed order (program B). Work engagement was assessed at baseline and 3-month and 7-month follow-ups in each of the 3 groups.

Results

The scores of work engagement in both intervention groups improved from baseline to 3-month follow-up, and then decreased at the 7-month follow-up, while the score steadily increased from baseline to 7-month follow-up in the control group. Program B showed a significant intervention effect on improving work engagement at the 3-month follow-up (P=.049) with a small effect size (Cohen d= 0.16; 95% CI 0.001 to 0.43]). Program A showed nonsignificant trend (d=0.13; 95% CI –0.014 to 0.41; P=.07) toward improved engagement at 3 months. Neither program achieved effectiveness at the 7-month follow-up.

Conclusions

The study demonstrated that a fixed order (program B) delivery of a smartphone-based stress management program was effective in improving work engagement in nurses in Vietnam. However, the effect was small and only temporary. Further improvement of this program is required to achieve a greater effect size and more sustained, longer lasting impact on work engagement.

Trial Registration

University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000033139; tinyurl.com/55gxo253

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025138

Effects of a gratitude intervention program on work engagement among Japanese workers: a protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Work engagement is one of the most important outcomes for both employees and employers. Although the findings to date, integrated 40 intervention studies aiming to improve work engagement, consistent results have not yet been produced, suggesting the importance of further intervention studies. This study aims to investigate the effects of gratitude intervention programs focused on two important work engagement factors among Japanese workers: personal and job resources.

METHODS

This study will be a two-arm, parallel-group cluster (organization) randomized control trial. Japanese organizations and nested employees will be recruited through the first author's acquaintances using snowball sampling. Organizations that meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly allocated to intervention or control groups in a 1:1 ratio within the company unit. The intervention groups will be provided with a 1-month long gratitude intervention program, which aims to promote reciprocal gratitude exchanges within the same organization. The program consists of psychoeducation, gratitude lists, and behavioral gratitude expression. The control groups will not receive any intervention. The primary outcome will be work engagement measured by the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale at baseline and after 1 (immediate post-survey), 3, and 6 months. Multilevel latent growth modeling will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of the intervention program.

DISCUSSION

This study will be the first cluster randomized controlled trial applied to the investigation of gratitude intervention aimed at improving work engagement among Japanese workers; to promote reciprocal gratitude exchanges within a given organization; and to include both gratitude lists and behavioral gratitude expression. Gratitude interventions have several strengths in terms of implementation: the objectives of the exercises are easy to understand and implement; it does not require much time or expense; they tend to have lower dropout rates; and they do not require experts in psychology. Although implementation difficulties have been common in previous interventions targeting work engagement, gratitude intervention may be suitable even for workers who have limited time to devote to the tasks.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR, ID=UMIN000042546): https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000048566 on November 25, 2020.

The Role of Value Stream Mapping in Healthcare Services: A Scoping Review

Lean healthcare aims to manage and improve the processes in the healthcare sector by eliminating everything that adds no value by improving quality of services, ensuring patient safety and facilitating health professionals’ work to achieve a flexible and reliable organization. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is considered the starting point of any lean implementation. Some papers report applications of VSM in healthcare services, but there has been less attention paid to their contribution on sustainability indicators. The purpose of this work is to analyze the role of VSM in this context. To do so, a scoping review of works from recent years (2015 to 2019) was done. The results show that most applications of VSM reported are in the tertiary level of care, and the United States of America (USA) is the country which leads most of the applications published. In relation with the development of VSM, a heterogeneity in the maps and the sustainability indicators is remarkable. Moreover, only operational and social sustainability indicators are commonly included. We can conclude that more standardization is required in the development of the VSM in the healthcare sector, also including the environmental indicators.

Resource-Based Internet Intervention (Med-Stress) to Improve Well-Being Among Medical Professionals: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Medical professionals are exposed to multiple and often excessive demands in their work environment. Low-intensity internet interventions allow them to benefit from psychological support even when institutional help is not available. Focusing on enhancing psychological resources—self-efficacy and perceived social support—makes an intervention relevant for various occupations within the medical profession. Previously, these resources were found to operate both individually or sequentially with self-efficacy either preceding social support (cultivation process) or following it (enabling process).

Objective

The objective of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the efficacy of 4 variants of Med-Stress, a self-guided internet intervention that aims to improve the multifaceted well-being of medical professionals.

Methods

This study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N=1240) were recruited mainly via media campaigns and social media targeted ads. They were assigned to 1 of the following 4 groups: experimental condition reflecting the cultivation process, experimental condition reflecting the enabling process, active comparator enhancing only self-efficacy, and active comparator enhancing only perceived social support. Outcomes included 5 facets of well-being: job stress, job burnout, work engagement, depression, and job-related traumatic stress. Measurements were taken on the web at baseline (time 1), immediately after intervention (time 2), and at a 6-month follow-up (time 3). To analyze the data, linear mixed effects models were used on the intention-to-treat sample. The trial was partially blinded as the information about the duration of the trial, which was different for experimental and control conditions, was public.

Results

At time 2, job stress was lower in the condition reflecting the cultivation process than in the one enhancing social support only (d=−0.21), and at time 3, participants in that experimental condition reported the lowest job stress when compared with all 3 remaining study groups (ds between −0.24 and −0.41). For job-related traumatic stress, we found a significant difference between study groups only at time 3: stress was lower in the experimental condition in which self-efficacy was enhanced first than in the active comparator enhancing solely social support (d=−0.24). The same result was found for work engagement (d=−0.20), which means that it was lower in exactly the same condition that was found beneficial for stress relief. There were no differences between study conditions for burnout and depression neither at time 2 nor at time 3. There was a high dropout in the study (1023/1240, 82.50% at posttest), reflecting the pragmatic nature of this trial.

Conclusions

The Med-Stress internet intervention improves some components of well-being—most notably job stress—when activities are completed in a specific sequence. The decrease in work engagement could support the notion of dark side of this phenomenon, but further research is needed.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03475290; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03475290

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.1186/s13063-019-3401-9

Psychological Flexibility and Its Relationship to Distress and Work Engagement Among Intensive Care Medical Staff

Intensive care settings place specific work-related demands on health care professionals that may elicit stress and negatively influence occupational health and work engagement. Psychological flexibility has emerged as a promising construct that could help explain variation in reported health. Understanding the role of psychological flexibility in occupational psychological health among intensive care medical staff may potentially guide the development of effective interventions. Thus, the present study evaluated the relationships between psychological flexibility (Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire), distress (Perceived Stress Scale, General Health Questionnaire) and work engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) in a sample of 144 health care professionals from one adult (ICU, N = 98) and one pediatric (PICU, N = 46) intensive care unit. In addition to cross-sectional analyses, a subset of data (PICU, N = 46) was analyzed using a longitudinal design. Results illustrated that higher levels of distress were associated with lower levels of work engagement. Furthermore, psychological flexibility was related to greater work engagement, and psychological flexibility had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between distress and work engagement. Lastly, increased psychological flexibility over time corresponded with increased work engagement. Although tentative, the results suggest the importance of psychological flexibility for work engagement in health care professionals within intensive care settings.

What Kind of Intervention Is Effective for Improving Subjective Well-Being Among Workers? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objectives: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to improve subjective well-being (SWB), including evaluative, hedonic, and eudemonic well-being, and the mental component of quality of life (QOL) of working population. Methods: A literature search was conducted, using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES. Eligible studies included those that were RCTs of any intervention, conducted among healthy workers, measured SWB as a primary outcome, and original articles in English. Study characteristics, intervention, outcomes, and results on SWB outcomes were extracted by the investigators independently. After a brief narrative summarizing and classifying the contents of the interventions, the included outcomes were categorized into each aspect of SWB (evaluative, hedonic, and eudemonic well-being, and the mental component of QOL). Finally, the characteristics of the effective interventions for increasing each aspect were summarized, and the pooled effect of interventions on SWB was investigated by a meta-analysis. Publication bias was investigated by drawing a funnel plot and conducting Egger's test. Results: From the 5,450 articles found, 39 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The interventions included in this review were classified into six categories (physical activity, ergonomics, psychological, environmental, multicomponent intervention, and others). The meta-analysis from 31 studies showed that the pooled effect of included interventions on SWB was significantly positive (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.51; standard error (SE) = 0.10). A funnel plot showed there were extremely large or small SMDs, and Egger's test was significant. Thus, we conducted sensitivity analysis, excluding these extreme SMDs, and confirmed that the estimated pooled effect was also significantly positive. Subgroup analyses for separate types of interventions showed the effects of psychological interventions (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive behavioral based approach, and other psychological interventions) were also significantly positive. Conclusion: The current study revealed the effectiveness of interventions for increasing SWB. Specifically, psychological interventions (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive behavioral based approach, and other psychological interventions) may be useful for improving SWB.

Positivity Ratio and Well-Being Among Teachers. The Mediating Role of Work Engagement

Previous studies indicated that the balance of positive to negative affect (i.e., positivity ratio) is associated with subjective well-being and flourishing in the general population. Moreover, a positivity ratio of 2.9 is considered a critical value discriminating between flourishing and non-flourishing individuals. To date, however, there is limited research on the positivity ratio on samples of teachers. The present study aimed to investigate whether the positivity ratio affects work engagement and well-being among teachers. Based on the broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2001) and work engagement model (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007), we predicted that positivity ratio (the ratio between positive and negative emotions) experienced by teachers would increase their work engagement, which in turn would positively affect their well-being. A sample of 1,335 teachers (762 women and 573 men) from Romania participated in the study. Results revealed that work engagement mediated the relationship between positivity ratio and well-being. Specifically, teachers with a higher ratio of positive to negative emotions reported more engagement (dedication, absorption, and vigor) and in consequence higher levels of subjective well-being (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance, positive relations with others and purpose in life). Also, when investigating the positivity ratio according to participants’ well-being, we found a mean of positivity ratio of 2.84 for the group of teachers with high levels of well-being, validating the proposed critical positivity ratio of 2.9. These findings support the importance of addressing positive emotions and positivity ratio in prevention and intervention programs with teachers.

Cross-cultural comparison of mental health between Japanese and Dutch workers: relationships with mental health shame, self-compassion, work engagement and motivation

Purpose

The primary purpose of this descriptive study was to compare the levels of, and relationships among mental health problems, mental health shame, self-compassion, work engagement and work motivation between workers in Japan (collectivistic and success-driven culture) and the Netherlands (individualistic and quality-oriented culture).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional design, where convenience samples of 165 Japanese and 160 Dutch workers completed self-report measures about mental health problems, shame, self-compassion, engagement and motivation, was used. Welch t-tests, correlation and regression analyses were conducted to compare (1) the levels of these variables, (2) relationships among these variables and (3) predictors of mental health problems, between the two groups.

Findings

Dutch workers had higher levels of mental health problems, work engagement and intrinsic motivation, and lower levels of shame and amotivation than Japanese workers. Mental health problems were associated with shame in both samples. Mental health problems were negatively predicted by self-compassion in Japanese, and by work engagement in Dutch employees.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study relates to exploring differences in work mental health between those two culturally contrasting countries. Our findings highlight potential cultural differences such as survey responding (Japanese acquiescent responding vs Dutch self-enhancement) and cultural emphases (Japanese shame vs Dutch quality of life). Job crafting, mindfulness and enhancing ikigai (meaningfulness in life) may be helpful to protect mental health in these workers, relating to self-compassion and work engagement. Findings from this study would be particularly useful to employers, managers and staff in human resources who work with cross-cultural workforce.

Is Higher Work Engagement Associated With Healthy Behaviors? A Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a longitudinal study to examine whether work engagement promotes healthy employee behaviors (smoking cessation, drinking moderation, and regular exercise) among Japanese workers.

METHODS

The study was part of the Japanese Study of Health, Occupation, and Psychosocial Factors Related to Equity (J-HOPE). The survey measured work engagement of 8050 employees from 12 workplaces. A multivariable logistic analysis was used to examine the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals after adjusting for job stress, psychological distress, and other confounders.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sample was 40.6 years and 77.4% of the participants were men. The mean work engagement score was 2.9. Higher work engagement was significantly positively associated with drinking moderation and weekly exercise behavior, but not smoking cessation.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher work engagement was associated with healthier employee behaviors after 1 year.