Work engagement and workaholism: comparing the self-employed and salaried employees

When high work engagement is negative for family tasks: mechanisms and boundary conditions

Background

Typically, work engagement is positively related to beneficial job outcomes. Earlier studies, however, revealed a "dark side" of work engagement showing negative effects such as more work-family conflict. Using a resource perspective, our study seeks to better understand why and when these negative effects of work engagement occur. Specifically, we test a new model in which the relationship of work engagement with work-family conflict is mediated by organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and work rumination. Moreover, we argue that employees' resource-building strategies (i.e., job crafting) and resource levels (i.e., psychological capital) buffer resource depletion due to high work engagement.

Methods

We tested our assumptions in a field study that involved data collected on three measurement points with 523 employees from Nigeria. The measures consist of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, Work Rumination Scale, Psychological Capital Scale, Job Crafting Measure, Work-family Conflict Scale, and demographic variables. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Results and discussion

Results from latent structure equation modelling confirm that work rumination mediates the positive relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Additionally, our findings suggest that behavioral engagement (i.e.,OCB) and work rumination mediate the relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Moreover, psychological capital mitigated the relationships of work engagement with work rumination, but not job crafting. Our study helps to better understand the "dark side" of work engagement and offers implications on how to mitigate its detrimental relationship with work-family conflict.

How Is Job Insecurity Related to Workers' Work-Family Conflict during the Pandemic? The Mediating Role of Working Excessively and Techno-Overload

The current labor market is characterized by drastic changes linked to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and post-COVID-19 transformations, which have decreased job security and job stability. As a result, the feeling of losing one's job has become even more common among European workers. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether and how job insecurity would be related to work-family conflict during the pandemic. Online self-report questionnaires assessing job insecurity, working excessively, techno-overload, and work-to-family conflict were completed by 266 workers from Italy. Descriptive analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation mediation models were conducted. Job insecurity was positively associated with work-to-family conflict, both directly and indirectly, as mediated by techno-overload and a tendency to work excessively. This study advances the literature, as it is the first to identify techno-overload and working excessively as parallel psychological mechanisms linking job insecurity to work-family conflict among Italian workers during the pandemic. Workers could benefit from technological workload monitoring programs, techno effectiveness, and time management training programs. Companies could also consider implementing family-friendly and digital disconnection practices.

Antecedents of Workaholism and Work Engagement: A Motivational Perspective in Research on Heavy Work Involvement

In this perspective article, we propose encompassing the motivational perspective to enrich future studies on two forms of heavy work involvement (HWI): workaholism and work engagement. Based on the holistic definition of motivation, we build a theoretical instrumentation that includes four motivational categories that are presented and characterized by relevant key terms: I. Activation and energy of action; II. Action orientation and action realization; III. Competencies and cognitive processes; IV. Work environment and the context of action. We use these categories in an analysis of the latest contemporary research which has investigated the motivational determinants of both workaholism and work engagement. Our analysis shows that studies in this perspective are in the initial stages; we propose examples of theories and models as well as important precise questions embedded in each I-IV motivation category that can stimulate future research directions. The concluding comments include three main recommendations for future research on HWI.

The social construction of workaholism as a representational naturalization

Workaholism, a term borrowed from the language around alcoholism, first appeared in academic writing in the late 1960s. This article addresses the following questions: How has the concept of workaholism evolved in scientific literature and in society? How do people who identify as workaholics represent and communicate work addiction, and how do they identify it as their lived reality? Drawing on the concept of naturalization as a process of social representation, we argue that workaholism has been constituted as a naturalized object, and we consider the ways in which it is reproduced in everyday life through communication and experience. We situated the definition of workaholism within the scholarly literature. We then conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven individuals who self-identify or have been diagnosed as work addicts. Our research shows that representational naturalization began when workaholism first became a recognizable reality as a result of changes in the world of work. Naturalization was then achieved by eliminating contradictions through the process of decoupling the positive features of workaholism from the overall concept. Our results demonstrate how this naturalized representation of workaholism is reproduced through the communication and lived experience of "workaholics."

Conceptualizing the moderating effects between work from home and individual performance - Developing a conceptual framework using the self-determination theory

The working systems of organizations/institutions have undergone continuous transformations over the years for various reasons. Researchers have continually strived to find effective solutions/appropriate work systems to sustain an individual's performance in spite of the challenging working/business environment. The global pandemic Covid-19 prompted a rethinking of organizational work practices across sectors. Work from home (WFH) became a key component of continuing the organization's working system. This paper specifies the following six factors that may moderate the effectiveness of a work-from-home setting on individual performance such as dedication, disposition, determination, configuration, collaboration, and coordination. The paper uses self-determination theory (SDT) to develop a conceptual framework for WFH-individual performance, which specifies dedication, disposition, and determination as intrinsic motivators, while configuration, collaboration, and coordination as extrinsic motivators. Moreover, it provides implications and future research directions for theory development and practice.

Emotional demands and entrepreneurial burnout: the role of autonomy and job satisfaction

Entrepreneurs can exhibit the entrepreneurial burnout syndrome, which retards entrepreneur and firm performance. Building upon insights from the conservation of resources theory of stress response and psychology theory, this study examined the role of entrepreneur emotional demands as well as job autonomy and satisfaction resources with regard to entrepreneurial burnout. Multivariate regression analysis relating to 273 entrepreneurs in France revealed that emotional demands were positively associated with entrepreneurial burnout, while job autonomy and satisfaction were negatively associated with entrepreneurial burnout. Job autonomy buffered the negative effect of emotional demands on entrepreneurial burnout. However, job satisfaction did not buffer the negative effect of emotional demands on entrepreneurial burnout. Implications are discussed.

Work Addiction Among Employees and Self-Employed Workers: An Investigation Based on the Italian Version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale

The increasing interest in work addiction is connected to recent changes in the work culture and work habits. Despite this interest, knowledge pertaining to this phenomenon and measures to assess it are still limited. This study aims to contribute by examining the psychometric features of the Italian version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, a unidimensional scale based on the perspective of addiction. The research method consisted in two steps: in the first cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 1,035 workers filled in a self-report questionnaire; the second step was a two-wave longitudinal study that involved a convenience sample of 292 workers. Results confirmed the psychometric properties of the scale across employees and self-employed groups. Moreover, results showed a significantly higher level of work addiction among self-employed workers than employees. This study provides support for the evaluation of workaholism in the Italian context among different kind of professions.

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 Test Based on Meta-Analysis on "Does Workaholism Prefer Task Performance or Contextual Performance?"

The relationship between workaholism and work performance is explored by meta-analysis in this article. After searching relevant references, we had gained 94 individual effect sizes (n = 57,352), 45 individual samples, and 37 references. Through the heterogeneity test, it was shown that the random effect model is more suitable. The main effect analysis showed that there is a significant positive correlation between workaholism, working excessively, working compulsively, and work performance, and further analysis showed that workaholism emphasizes the improvement of contextual performance. The subgroup test showed that the relationship between workaholism, working excessively, working compulsively, and work performance is influenced by the measurement tools of workaholism, but not influenced by the cultural background differences and time-lag research. The above results show that workaholism and its dimensions have different influences on different aspects of work performance. Besides, it is worthy to consider the moderating function of the measurement tools of workaholism in the relationship between workaholism and work performance.

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.

Effect of self-employment on the sub-health status and chronic disease of rural migrants in China

Background

Rural migrants usually suffer from major disease risks, but little attention had been paid toward the relationship between self-employment behavior and health status of rural migrants in China. Present study aims to explore the causal effect of self-employment behavior on rural migrants’ sub-health status and chronic disease. Two research questions are addressed: does self-employment status affect the sub-health status and chronic disease of rural migrants? What is potential mechanism that links self-employment behavior and health status among rural migrants in China?

Methods

The dataset from the 2017 National Migrants Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey (NMPDMS-2017) was used to explore the causal effect. Logit regression was performed for the baseline estimation, and linear probability model with instrument variable estimation (IV-LPM) was applied to correct the endogeneity of self-employment. Additionally, logit regression was conducted to explore the transmission channel.

Results

Self-employed migrants were more susceptible to sub-health status and chronic disease, even when correcting for endogeneity. Moreover, self-employed migrants were less likely to enroll in social health insurance than their wage-employed counterparts in urban destinations.

Conclusion

Self-employed migrants were more likely to suffer from sub-health status and chronic disease; thus, their self-employment behavior exerted a harmful effect on rural migrants’ health. Social health insurance may serve as a transmission channel linking self-employment and rural migrants’ health status. That is, self-employed migrants were less prone to participate in an urban health insurance program, a situation which leaded to insufficient health service to maintain health.

Workaholism across European and Asian cultures during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current cross-cultural study examined the construct of workaholism across European and Asian cultures during the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 2,617 recipients, aged 18-80 years from three Asian countries (China, India, and Indonesia) with higher levels of collectivistic values, and three European countries (Bulgaria, Germany, and Hungary) supposing to have higher individualistic values. The participants completed the online version of the two-dimensional measure, dubbed the Dutch Workaholism Scale (DUWAS). The goal of the study was to demonstrate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the cultural context that mediates and influences the way of change in workaholics' attitudes. The results led to the conclusion that the way in which the COVID-19 crisis affects workaholism and workaholics' behavior depends on cultural and sex differences, and stages of the human life cycle. The data analysis revealed that cultural differences and sex affect the configuration of workaholism (excessive/compulsive): in the Asian sample, unlike the European, there was a significant increase in the level of workaholism compulsive; European female participants reported higher levels of workaholism compulsive and workaholism excessive, but the sex difference was not found in Asian sample. Along with cultural context, and sex differences, age also influences the configuration of workaholism. In this case, the separate stages of the human life cycle contribute in different ways to changes in levels of workaholism excessive and workaholism compulsive.

The relationship between work engagement and workaholism: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between two sub-constructs of heavy work investment: work engagement and workaholism.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize and critically assess existing research on the relationship between these concepts.

Findings

The review revealed three major shortcomings of the extant literature: a dichotomous perspective, variations in measurements and the unaddressed complexity of the relationship.

Originality/value

Based on these findings, this study provides a discussion on the limitations and suggestions for future research on work engagement and workaholism, including using a person-centered approach.

Having the Cake and Eating It Too: First-Order, Second-Order and Bifactor Representations of Work Engagement

Even though work engagement is a popular construct in organizational psychology, the question remains whether it is experienced as a global construct, or as its three components (vigor, dedication, absorption). The present study thus contributes to the ongoing scientific debate about the dimensionality of work engagement systematically compared one-factor, first-order, higher-order, and bifactor confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) representations of work engagement measured by the short version of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). We also documented the validity evidence of the most optimal representation based on its test-criterion relationship with basic psychological need fulfillment at work, turnover intentions, work addiction, and work satisfaction. Based on responses provided by two distinct samples of employees (N ₁ = 242, N ₂ = 505), our results supported the superiority of the bifactor-CFA representation including a global factor of work engagement and three co-existing specific factors of vigor, dedication, and absorption. This representation replicated well across the two samples through tests of measurement invariance. Finally, while global work engagement was substantially related to all correlates, the specific factors also demonstrated meaningful associations over and above the global levels of work engagement.

To detach or not to detach? The role of psychological detachment on the relationship between heavy work investment and well-being: A latent profile analysis

This study focuses on two types of heavy work investment, namely workaholism and work engagement, and on psychological detachment from work. Both workaholism and work engagement refer to an intense work effort, yet with a different impact on work and personal life. Building on Stressor–Detachment Model (SDM), we examine how different levels of workaholism, work engagement, and psychological detachment influence different outcomes related to employees’ well-being (i.e., perceived health, negative affectivity, positive affectivity). Data were collected from 342 employees via online survey and analyzed by mean of latent profile analysis. Five employee profiles were identified: High-Detachment and Engaged, Heavy Work Investors, Mild-Detachment and Disengaged, Mild-Detachment and Engaged, and Pure Workaholics. The profiles showed different patterns of the outcomes under investigation. Our findings also indicate that psychological detachment is an important factor that alleviates the detrimental effects of heavy work investment on employees’ well-being and that work engagement can play an immediate protecting role for employees’ well-being even in absence of significant levels of psychological detachment.

Workaholism, presenteeism, work-family conflicts and personal and work outcomes: Testing a moderated mediation model

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

While research suggests that nurses who experience work-family conflicts (WFC) are less satisfied and perform less well, these negative outcomes may be more important for some nurses. This study proposes a mediated moderation model wherein the interaction between two individual characteristics, workaholism and presenteeism, relates to family life satisfaction and work performance with WFC mediating these relationships.

BACKGROUND

Because a limited number of nursing studies have examined the potential outcomes of workaholism and presenteeism, we extend past research to address the question of how workaholism and presenteeism affect nurses' functioning.

DESIGN

We used a cross-sectional questionnaire survey design to test our hypotheses. STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional research were followed in designing and reporting this study.

METHODS

A total of 419 nurses completed measures of workaholism, presenteeism, WFC, family life satisfaction and work performance.

RESULTS

Results revealed that the relationships between workaholism and outcomes (family life satisfaction and work performance) through WFC were stronger among nurses characterised by high levels of presenteeism.

CONCLUSIONS

These results revealed that high presenteeism may exacerbate the negative relationships of workaholism to family life satisfaction and work performance through WFC.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Healthcare organisations and managers should consider addressing work environment factors in their efforts to reduce the negative outcomes (e.g., low family satisfaction and work performance) of nurses' workaholism, presenteeism and WFC.

The Relationship between Technological Capabilities and Organizational Impact: Direct and Indirect Routes for Employed and Self-Employed Personal Fitness Trainers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between technological capabilities, individual impact, market agility and organizational impact in employed and self-employed personal trainers hired by fitness centers. The study was performed with 259 personal trainers. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and a Structural Equation Model were used. The results showed, for the employees, positive relationships between all variables, except for the relationship between individual impact and organizational impact. In contrast, for self-employed personal trainers, only the relationships of technological capabilities with market agility and individual impact, and between the latter and organizational impact, were positive. While the individual variables of the employees show positive relationships with the organizational variables analyzed, this impact could not be determined in the performance of the self-employed. These results are discussed in relation to the previous literature, and possible causes for the differences found between employees and self-employed personal trainers are pointed out. This study’s findings indicate that the promotion and consolidation of personal trainers’ technological capabilities (TCs), whether they are self-employed or employees, will be key for the fitness centers where they work, by directly influencing the individual impact of the trainers on them and in the organizational performance.

Self-employment and eudaimonic well-being: Energized by meaning, enabled by societal legitimacy

This study investigates why and where self-employment is related to higher levels of eudaimonic well-being. We focus on meaningfulness as an important eudaimonic process and subjective vitality as a eudaimonic well-being outcome that is central to entrepreneurs' proactivity. Building on self-determination theory, we posit that self-employment, relative to wage-employment, is a more self-determined and volitional career choice, which enhances the experience of meaningfulness at work and perceptions of work autonomy. In a multi-level study of 22,002 individuals and 16 European countries, meaningfulness at work mediates the relationship between self-employment and subjective vitality and explains this relationship better than work autonomy. We identify moderating effects of context: the societal legitimacy of entrepreneurship in a country affects the choice set of alternative career options that individuals can consider and thus shapes the experience of meaningfulness at work and work autonomy, and thereby indirectly subjective vitality. These findings expand our understanding of eudaimonic well-being, entrepreneurs' work, and the role of context in entrepreneurship and well-being research. They complement existing research on hedonic well-being of entrepreneurs and extend the scarce literature on their eudaimonic well-being.

Servant leadership and academics outcomes in higher education: the role of job satisfaction

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of servant leadership on work engagement and affective commitment among academics in higher education. Moreover, the paper highlights the role of job satisfaction as an intervening mechanism among the examined variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to academics working in the Palestinian higher education sector. We used structural equation modelling to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

A positive relationship was found between servant leadership and affective commitment. The relationship between servant leadership and work engagement is fully mediated by job satisfaction, whereas partial mediation was found between servant leadership and affective commitment. Both work engagement and affective commitment have a positive impact on academics’ job performance.

Practical implications

The paper provides a fertile ground for higher education managers concerning the role of leadership in stimulating work engagement and organisational commitment among academics.

Originality/value

First, the paper is one of the few studies that empirically examines servant leadership in higher education using data coming from a non-Western context because most of the servant leadership research is conducted in the Western part of the world (Parris and Peachey, 2013). Second, we empirically provide evidence for the argument that servant leadership is needed in higher education. Third, the paper contributes to the limited body of research on work engagement and commitment in the higher education sector.

Employer or Employee: Who is More Likely to Suffer From Burnout?

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to examine burnout among full-time workers and to investigate the effect of employment status on burnout.

METHODS

The data of this cross-sectional study were derived from the 2015 Taiwan Social Change Survey. Burnout was measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory's four core items. Employment status was categorized into employer and employee. Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the associations between employment status and burnout.

RESULTS

Among 1007 full-time workers, 21.65% were employers and 78.35% were employees. The multivariate linear regression model indicated that after adjusting for all possible risk factors, being an employer (b = 3.95, 95% CI: 0.40 to 7.50) was associated with an increased risk of burnout among full-time workers.

CONCLUSIONS

Employment status was a significant factor of burnout among workers.

Open Office Space: The Wave of the Future for Academic Health Centers?

Facing space constraints similar to those experienced by many urban campuses, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) looked to innovative office workplace design to curb growing facilities expenditures. Mission Hall, a new office building primarily for desktop and clinical researchers and staff, was designed as an activity-based workplace (ABW), a type of open-space design. ABW was simultaneously being proposed as the template for future UCSF desktop research workspaces. ABWs can be less costly to construct than other designs, and their mix of shared and open workspaces is intended to improve efficiency and interaction. Evaluations of ABWs in corporate settings have yielded mixed results. Examples of ABW buildings for faculty in academic health centers (AHCs) are rare.The Mission Hall experience provided a unique opportunity to understand the impact of an ABW design on faculty satisfaction, work effectiveness, well-being, and engagement. In a 2016 survey of faculty, 1 year after occupancy, respondents reported adverse changes in all 4 areas. The most common complaints involved noise exposure and lack of visual and auditory privacy. In response to these issues, faculty reported working at home or elsewhere more frequently, making collaboration more difficult. In 2018, UCSF retrofitted the building to create some private offices and adjusted its overall program to balance private office and open workspaces in future projects.Lessons drawn from this experience can inform workplace solutions at other AHCs. Most critical are the needs to assess functional requirements of work and align design, change management, and technologies to support those requirements.

Authentic Leadership and Employees' Innovative Behaviour: A Multilevel Investigation in Three Countries

The innovativeness of individual employees is a vital source of competitive advantage of firms, contributing to societal development. Therefore, the aim of this multilevel study was to examine how entrepreneurial firm owners' authentic leadership relates to their employees' innovative behaviour. Our conceptual model postulates that the relationship between business owners' authentic leadership (as perceived by their employees) and their employees' innovative behaviour is mediated by employees' personal initiative and their work engagement. Hypotheses derived from this model were tested on data collected from 711 employees working in 85 small firms from three European countries: the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. The results of the multilevel modelling confirmed our model, showing that when business owners are perceived as more authentic leaders, their employees show higher personal initiative and are more engaged at work and, in turn, identify more innovative solutions to be implemented in the organization. A cross-national difference was observed: employees from Spain (in comparison to Dutch and Polish employees) reported engaging less frequently in innovative behaviour. These research findings suggest that the innovative behaviour of employees can be boosted through leadership training, improving the quality of relationships between leaders and subordinates, and strengthening employees' personal initiative and work engagement.

The moderating role of 360-degree appraisal between engagement and innovative behaviors

Purpose

Engaged employees are a critical asset in any business. This is largely because engaged employees tend to proffer innovative solutions to complex problems in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between engagement and innovation as moderated by the use of 360-degree evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey targeting employees in Lebanon solicited their perceptions of 360-degree evaluation, engagement and innovative behaviors along with a statement as to whether their firm used 360-degree evaluations or not. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the moderating effect of 360-degree evaluations on the latent variables of engagement and three facets of innovation.

Findings

SEM results show that 360-degree evaluations serve to enhance engaged employees’ innovative work behavior. However, ideation (creation and implementation) behaviors are more strongly influenced by the presence of 360-degree evaluation as compared to their “tangible” counterpart (technology and financial resource use).

Research limitations/implications

Respondents selected for this research were randomly sampled employees in Lebanon. A stronger study strategy would be to study paired departments within organizations – one implementing 360-degree evaluation and another not implementing it.

Practical implications

Managers, seeking to engender and strengthen innovative behaviors in engaged employees, should utilize 360-degree evaluation processes. Furthermore, the 360-degree evaluations should be designed to probe both tangible (technology and financial resource use) and intangible (idea generation and implementation) facets of innovation.

Originality/value

This study yields a deeper understanding of the relationship between engagement and innovative behaviors in the workplace along with managerial insights into the design and use of 360-degree evaluation.

Longitudinal study of antecedents of work engagement in Thailand

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of job demands, job resources and personal resources on work engagement using the job demands–resources (JD–R) model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized a longitudinal research design in a sample of Thai employees (n=182). The data were collected by questionnaires administered in two waves over a period of four months, and the hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

The results supported the negative relationship between role ambiguity and work engagement. In addition, the findings suggested self-efficacy as a moderator in reducing the effect of increasing workload on work engagement.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study will be helpful for managers in designing appropriate human resources policies and practices; in recruiting, selecting and developing engaged employees; and in ensuring workplace well-being.

Originality/value

This is the first notable study establishing the applicability of the antecedents of work engagement in the JD–R model in a Thai work setting.

The impact of new working practices on employee productivity

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the impact on employee productivity of adopting the activity-based working (ABW) a form of new work practices (NWPs). A study of this nature has never been made in Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods design was used, which combined a comprehensive literature review, three interviews with senior professionals and a questionnaire survey with 37 office occupiers all from one international real estate consultancy firm in Hong Kong, as a case study, to analyse the impact of ABW on employee productivity.

Findings

Findings suggest that ABW influences employee productivity to a certain degree. Though both physical and behavioural working environmental factors influence employee productivity in general, the latter factors were relatively more influential. Interestingly, though space-per-employee has been reduced under the ABW, this has not affected employee performance negatively. However, findings indicate that distraction elements (e.g. interruptions, overcrowding and noise) do have a negative influence on employee performance.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this exploratory study is limited to Hong Kong and to a small sample of respondents representing one international real estate firm. However, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other similarly expensive real estate rental markets.

Originality/value

The study highlighted the impact of not only physical but also behavioural working environment factors on employee productivity. The maximum benefits of NWPs can only be accomplished by striking a balance between aspects of physical and behavioural working environments.

Employee engagement and job performance in Lebanon: the mediating role of creativity

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between employee engagement and job performance in the country of Lebanon, and to test whether creativity mediates the relationship between engagement and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research sample consisted of 186 respondents working in Lebanese firms. The questionnaire included established measures relating to employee engagement, job performance and creativity – in addition to various demographic questions. Stepwise multiple regression and bootstrapping methods were employed in the analysis of the data.

Findings

The findings showed a significant positive effect of employee engagement on job performance. However, mediation analysis using bootstrapping methods has shown that creativity has fully mediated the relationship between engagement and performance.

Originality/value

The study extends previous research and increases the external validity of the findings by investigating the relationship between engagement and performance in new non-western contexts. Moreover, this is one of the first research studies that explores the role of creativity in the relationship between the two variables; this helps in improving our understanding of the model and aids in enhancing the effect of engagement on performance.

Is the Role of Work Engagement Essential to Employee Performance or ‘Nice to Have’?

The current study aimed to scrutinize roles of work engagement as a mediator in the relationships between job and personal resources and employees’ outcomes, namely job performance and turnover intention, specifically focusing on testing the essentiality of work engagement. A total of 571 complete responses from full-time employees in Korean organizations were utilized for data analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM). This study analyzed two research models through the competing model approach: One model (Model 1) specified that job and personal resources directly influence job performance and turnover intention and also indirectly influence job performance and turnover intention through work engagement, whereas the other model (Model 2) specified that job and personal resources only indirectly influence turnover intention and job performance through work engagement. The results of the competing models demonstrated that overall, Model 2 adequately fit better than Model 1. The results also showed that the direct effects of job and personal resources on work engagement, as well as the direct effects of work engagement on job performance and turnover intention were statistically significant. In addition, the results of the study revealed statistically significant mediating effects of work engagement, not only on the relationship between job and personal resources and job performance, but also on the relationship between job and personal resources and turnover intention. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications for human resource management, limitations, and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Workaholism and negative work-related incidents among nurses

The present study comprised 1,781 nurses who participated in an investigation about working conditions, sleep, and health. They answered a questionnaire about age, sex, marital status, children living at home, work hours per week, number of night shifts last year, and total sleep duration and that also included a validated instrument assessing workaholism. In addition, they were asked to report on eight items concerning negative work-related incidents (dozed off at work, dozed while driving, harmed or nearly harmed self, harmed or nearly harmed patients/others, and harmed or nearly harmed equipment). Logistic regression analyses identified several predictors of these specific incidents: Low age (dozed at work, harmed and nearly harmed self, harmed and nearly harmed equipment), male sex (harmed and nearly harmed self, nearly harmed equipment), not living with children (harmed patients/others), low percentage of full-time equivalent (nearly harmed self and harmed patients/others), number of night shifts last year (dozed off at work and while driving, nearly harmed patients/others) and sleep duration (inversely related to dozed off at work and while driving, nearly harmed self). However, the most consistent predictor of negative work-related incidents was workaholism which was positively and significantly associated with all the eight incidents.

Do talent management strategies influence the psychological contract within a diverse environment?

Orientation: Even though globalisation has resulted in a more diverse workforce and working environment, talent management strategies have not evolved catering for the diversity experienced in organisations. It is assumed that talent management strategies developed on Western principles can be applied effectively to employees in emerging markets. However, the success of these strategies in creating a high-performance work culture is widely questioned.Research purpose: This study aims to empirically determine the relationship between talent management strategies on the psychological contract, and whether this relationship influences employee retention within diverse working environments, which includes generational cohorts, gender and ethnicity.Motivation for the study: As talent management strategies impact differently on the psychological contract of individuals across the generations, gender and ethnicity, it therefore implies that a fit for purpose talent management strategy must consider these variables. The reason for this study was to determine the influence of talent management strategies on the psychological contract and ultimately retention within the diverse environment of different generations, genders and ethnicity.Research approach/design and method: A structured, closed-ended Likert-type validated questionnaire was distributed to employed persons of differing ethnicity, gender and generations and emanating from various professions within the private and public sector (n = 711). A quantitative survey design was used.Main findings: A significant relationship between the work environment and the psychological contract on retention exists. On the contrary, no significant differences exist between growth and development and financial security. Unlike other research conducted on generational cohorts, this study revealed a strong correlation between talent management strategies and generational cohort preferences.Practical/managerial implications: Talent management strategies need to be flexible and inclusive in terms of generational differences, including but not limited to ethnicity and gender. Human resource practitioners are made aware that the work environment impacts most significantly on the psychological contract and ultimately on retention.Contribution/value-add: This study subscribes to the international literature and provides empirical evidence that demonstrates the importance of generational cohorts, gender and ethnicity when executing talent management strategies. This study empirically provides the basis for human resource (HR) practitioners to develop a customised generational talent management strategy to retain high performing individuals.

From psychosocial working environment to good performance: the role of work engagement

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of work engagement in the relationship between job and personal resources and performance results.

Design/methodology/approach

Two samples from public (n=250) and private sector (n=475) organizations were surveyed. The hypotheses were tested through AMOS using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of the study confirmed the assumptions of the Job Demands-Resources Model. Specifically, job resources and personal resources predicted performance results via work engagement in both samples. Moreover, in alignment with previous studies (e.g. Bakker et al., 2004), work engagement was moderately related to job performance.

Originality/value

The present study expands previous research by investigating how job and personal resources facilitate engagement and performance expressed in terms of annual performance appraisal results.

Task-level work engagement of self-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers

Purpose

Self-employed workers typically report higher well-being levels than employees. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanisms that lead to differences in work engagement between self-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers (N=167) were compared using a multigroup multilevel analysis. Participants assessed their job control (general level) and reported their work engagement during work tasks (task level) by means of the Day Reconstruction Method. Aspects of job control (autonomy, creativity, and learning opportunities) and task characteristics (social tasks and core work tasks) were contrasted for the two groups as predictors of work engagement.

Findings

Self-employed workers reported higher levels of job control and work engagement than organizationally employed workers. In both groups, job control predicted work engagement. Employees with more opportunities to be creative and autonomous were more engaged at work. Self-employed workers were more engaged when they had more learning opportunities. On the task level, the self-employed were more engaged during core work tasks and social tasks.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that self-employment is an effective way for high-skilled workers to increase the amount of job control available to them, and to improve their work engagement. From an intervention perspective, self-employed workers may benefit most from more learning opportunities, more social tasks, and more core work tasks. Organizationally employed workers may appreciate more autonomy and opportunities for creativity.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of the role that job control and task characteristics play in predicting the work engagement of high-skilled self-employed and organizationally employed workers.

Indications of a Scarring Effect of Sickness Absence Periods in a Cohort of Higher Educated Self-Employed

Objectives

Little is known regarding incidence and recurrence of sickness absence in self-employed. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the number of prior episodes of sickness absence on the risk of subsequent periods of sickness absence in higher educated self-employed.

Methods

In a historic register study based on the files of a Dutch private disability insurance company all sickness absence periods of 30 days or more were analysed.

Results

A total of 15,868 insured persons contributed 141,188 person years to the study. In total, 5608 periods of sickness absence occurred during follow-up. The hazard of experiencing a new period of sickness absence increased with every previous period, ranging from a hazard ratio of 2.83 in case of one previous period of sickness absence to a hazard ratio of 6.72 in case of four previous periods. This effect was found for both men and women and for all diagnostic categories of the first period of sickness absence.

Conclusions

Our study shows that for all diagnostic categories the hazard of experiencing a recurrence of sickness absence is appreciably higher than for experiencing a first episode. This suggests that this increased hazard may be related to the occurrence of sickness absence itself rather than related to characteristics of the insured person or of the medical condition. These findings could indicate that sickness absence periods may have a scarring effect on the self-employed person experiencing the sickness absence.

The Relationships between Workaholism and Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study

Despite the many number of studies examining workaholism, large-scale studies have been lacking. The present study utilized an open web-based cross-sectional survey assessing symptoms of psychiatric disorders and workaholism among 16,426 workers (M_{age =} 37.3 years, SD ₌ 11.4, range = 16–75 years). Participants were administered the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, the Obsession-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, along with additional questions examining demographic and work-related variables. Correlations between workaholism and all psychiatric disorder symptoms were positive and significant. Workaholism comprised the dependent variable in a three-step linear multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Basic demographics (age, gender, relationship status, and education) explained 1.2% of the variance in workaholism, whereas work demographics (work status, position, sector, and annual income) explained an additional 5.4% of the variance. Age (inversely) and managerial positions (positively) were of most importance. The psychiatric symptoms (ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and depression) explained 17.0% of the variance. ADHD and anxiety contributed considerably. The prevalence rate of workaholism status was 7.8% of the present sample. In an adjusted logistic regression analysis, all psychiatric symptoms were positively associated with being a workaholic. The independent variables explained between 6.1% and 14.4% in total of the variance in workaholism cases. Although most effect sizes were relatively small, the study’s findings expand our understanding of possible psychiatric predictors of workaholism, and particularly shed new insight into the reality of adult ADHD in work life. The study’s implications, strengths, and shortcomings are also discussed.

How Do Work Engagement, Workaholism, and the Work-to-Family Interface Affect Each Other? A 7-Year Follow-Up Study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the long-term relationships between work engagement, workaholism, work-to-family enrichment, and work-to-family conflict (WFC).

METHODS

We used structural equation modeling and the three-wave 7-year follow-up data of 1580 Finnish dentists to test our hypotheses.

RESULTS

Work engagement and work-to-family enrichment mutually predicted each other, and work engagement also negatively predicted WFC. Workaholism predicted WFC, but not vice versa. Work engagement and workaholism were unrelated over time.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that beyond its suggested benefits for organizations, work engagement may boost the positive interaction between work and family, whereas workaholism is likely to lead to WFC over time. It is valuable for organizations to distinguish work engagement from workaholism and to enhance the former while preventing the latter to have sustainably hardworking working employees with happy home lives.