Organizational inclusion and academics’ psychological contract

Included and engaged: the significance of perceived inclusion among healthcare workers

PURPOSE

This study investigates the impact of perceived inclusion among healthcare employees on intrinsic motivation and its subsequent effects on work engagement and stress levels. Drawing from multiple theoretical frameworks, the study hypothesizes the following: (a) perceived inclusion positively influences employees' intrinsic motivation, and (b) perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation serve as resources that enhance employee well-being by promoting work engagement and reducing stress.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Data were collected from 407 healthcare workers across the European Union. The research objectives were achieved through statistical analysis of the gathered responses.

FINDINGS

The results indicate a positive relationship between perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation. Importantly, both perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation emerged as significant predictors of work engagement. Additionally, perceived inclusion was found to have a negative association with stress levels, underscoring its importance in healthcare management.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

The study is subject to certain limitations, including the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The findings highlight the importance of fostering perceived inclusion and intrinsic motivation among healthcare employees to enhance work engagement and reduce stress, thus offering valuable insights for healthcare management practices.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the complex interplay between perceived inclusion, intrinsic motivation, work engagement and stress within the healthcare sector. It also identifies avenues for future research in this area.

Women academics and the changing psychological contract during COVID-19 lockdown

This study examines the psychological contract between academics and their institutions during a time of great stress-the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that relationships between these parties have been found to be deteriorating prior to the pandemic, we believed it pertinent to explore how environmental changes brought about through lockdown conditions may have shifted the academic-institution relationship. Through a qualitative research design, our data is from 2029 women academics across 26 institutions of higher learning in South Africa. The major shifts in the psychological contract were found to be workload and pressure, provision of resources, top-down communication, as well as trust and support. Whilst these shifts altered the transactional and interactional nature of the psychological contract, violation, rather than breach, occurred since the emotional responses of participants point to incongruence or misalignment of expectations between academics and their institutions during this time of crisis. We offer recommendations for rebuilding trust and negotiating the psychological contract to re-engage academics in the institution.

Mental Illness of Management Educators: Does Holding Multiple Academic Jobs Play a Role? A Qualitative Study

Through addressing management educators in four public business schools in Egypt, the authors of this paper aim to uncover the impact of holding multiple academic jobs on the mental health of management educators. The paper asserts that management educators do not perceive the holding of multiple academic roles as a stimulant of any form of mental illness (e.g., anxiety, depression, stress) if it is accompanied by a sense of autonomy (proper teaching loads, rational time for supervising theses, reasonable requests for research production) a feeling of competence (relevant monthly salary, available training and learning opportunities) and a sense of relatedness (feeling of involvement, flexible work hours, option to work from home).