JOB STRESS, EMPLOYEE HEALTH, AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: A FACET ANALYSIS, MODEL, AND LITERATURE REVIEW

A Historical Review of the Prevalence of Job Stress Theories

Job stress theories have been developed and refined to better understand employee wellbeing. Now that the field is maturing, it is appropriate to review the theoretical trends and developments for future research and practical guidance. The current paper provides a historical review, with both objective (i.e., counts of published theories) and subjective evaluation of job stress theory. In Study 1, two trained raters coded theories used in job stress journals. The job demand-control (-support; JDCS) model was initially well-represented, but has been superseded more recently by theories that focus on multiple resources (e.g., the job demand-resource - JDR - model). Among non-job stress theories, motivation and affective theories have been well-represented within job stress research. Study 2 expanded the results of Study 1 through review of two international applied psychology journals with additional coding categories. Specifically, we identified empirical support for theories and researcher characteristics (i.e., national and professional affiliation). The JDCS model had the least full support according to a vote counting method, and resource models (e.g., JDR) the most. Germany and the Netherlands were the most represented locations, with the United States having the most international collaborations. Psychology and management were the most represented affiliations.

Physiotherapy services during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediated model of physiotherapists' self-efficacy, tele-physiotherapy role stressors, and motivation to provide tele-physiotherapy

BACKGROUND

Occupational self-efficacy is a stable predictor for professionals' motivation to engage with new methods and tasks. Yet, the delivery of tele-physiotherapy (Tele-PT) by physiotherapists (PTs) during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak without advance training may have had the potential to increase work stress and damage their motivation, regardless of their occupational self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVES

The present study examined whether the relations between PTs' overall occupational self-efficacy and motivation to provide Tele-PT was mediated by role stress (i.e. role conflict and ambiguity).

DESIGN AND METHOD

Between February 4 and April 23, 2021, 150 Israeli PTs completed an online survey that measured their overall occupational self-efficacy, their role stress induced by the provision of Tele-PT, their motivation to provide Tele-PT, and their demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

PTs' overall occupational self-efficacy was positively associated with PTs' motivation to provide Tele-PT (r= 0.328, p < .01) and fully mediated by role conflict (0.1757, 95% CI = [0.0231, 0.3797]) and by role ambiguity (0.1845, 95% CI = [0.0196, 0.4184]) (components of role stress) caused by the provision of Tele-PT.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to investigate the predictors and mediators of the motivation to provide Tele-PT because in the post-COVID-19 era health organizations are likely to adopt many tele-medicine services, and they need to find ways to mitigate perceived challenges.

The moderating role of paternalistic leadership in the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress among health workers in Gaziantep, Turkey

BACKGROUND

Adopting an effective leadership style is of critical importance in increasing healthcare efficiency and therefore determining patient satisfaction. For example, although there are many new and effective leadership types today, the paternalistic leadership approach can still play an effective role in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of paternalistic leadership in the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress.

METHODS

A total of 466 healthcare workers completed measures of perceived paternalistic leadership, job stress, and job satisfaction. The research was conducted in the center of Gaziantep, one of the largest cities in Turkey. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the moderate variable. Dawson slope were used to visualize the results.

RESULTS

A negative relationship was found between job satisfaction and job stress. Additionally, it has been determined that the perception of paternalistic leadership has a moderating role. It has been observed that as the perception of paternalistic leadership increases, the negative relationship between job satisfaction and job stress decreases.

CONCLUSION

It has been concluded that the paternalistic leadership approach can play a critical role in increasing the productivity of healthcare workers and reducing the negative effect of stress on satisfaction. It has been suggested that policies be developed to develop appropriate strategies for creating work environments that will increase employees' perceptions of paternalistic leadership.

The Impacts of Leaders' Influence Tactics on Teleworkers' Job Stress and Performance: The Moderating Role of Organizational Support in COVID-19

With the outbreak of COVID-19, organizations have increased non-face-to-face work. This study aims to examine how leaders' influence tactics affect employees' psychological state and job performance in a non-face-to-face work (telework) setting. Moreover, based on substitutes for leadership theory, the study proposes that teleworkers' perceived organizational support moderates the relationship between leaders' influence tactics and their job stress in telework settings. We collected data via time-lagged surveys among 208 full-time employees in South Korean organizations that began teleworking after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that leaders' soft tactics (i.e., behaviors used to elicit the followers' voluntary acceptance of a request) and rational tactics (i.e., behaviors that exert influence by providing empirical evidence based on reason or logic) significantly reduced teleworkers' job stress, which in turn lowered their turnover intention and increased their task performance. Moreover, these tactics and teleworkers' perceived organizational support interact to influence the workers' job stress. By examining how leaders' influence tactics affect teleworkers' psychological stress, task performance, and turnover intention in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study theoretically broadens the influence tactics literature, which previously focused primarily on face-to-face workers. The study concludes with a discussion about the implications of findings and limitations, along with areas for future research.

Agile Project Management and Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Process

This article tested a moderated mediation process to explain the relationship between agile project management and emotional exhaustion. By transferring traditional stress theories to the agile context, work-related stress was introduced as a mediator, and the moderating effects of social competence, perceived team support, and a culture for psychological empowerment were evaluated. The results of two complementary field studies with 307 project employees indicated that higher levels of agile project management lowered project employees’ emotional exhaustion by reducing their work-related stress levels. This negative indirect relationship is significantly stronger when the organization fosters a culture for psychological empowerment.

The Individual- and Organization-Related Stressors in Pandemic Scale for Healthcare Workers (IOSPS-HW): Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Instrument to Assess Individual and Organizational Stress Factors in Periods of Pandemics

The validation and psychometric properties of the Individual and Organization related Stressors in Pandemic Scale for Healthcare Workers (IOSPS-HW) were presented. This is a new measure to assess individual factors related to the health and well-being of individuals, such as family and personal relationships, as well as organizational factors related to the management of the pandemic, including workplace relationships, job management and communication. Across two studies conducted at different time points of the pandemic, psychometric evidence of the IOSPS-HW is presented. In Study 1, through a cross-sectional design, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis through which the originally developed 43 items scale was reduced to a 20-item bidimensional scale with two correlated dimensions: Organization-related Stressors (O-S; 12 items) and Individual- and Health-related Stressors (IH-S; 8 items). Internal consistency and criterion validity were also provided by investigating the relationship with post-traumatic stress. In Study 2, we provided evidence for the temporal invariance of the measure and for temporal stability through a Multigroup-CFA through a longitudinal design. We also supported the criterion and predictive validity. The results suggest that IOSPS-HW is a good instrument to simultaneously investigating individual and organizational factors related to sanitary emergencies in healthcare workers.

Examining how different social account timings influence stress resolution in the aftermath of a psychological contract breach

A great deal of empirical research on the consequences of a psychological contract breach (PCB) has overlooked the role of time in understanding individuals' reactions to a PCB. Moreover, psychological contract research primarily focuses on how employees react to perceptions of a PCB, while questions regarding how the organization's responsiveness (i.e., social account) might impact these reactions remain unanswered. We aimed to enhance the understanding of stress reactions and recovery that are triggered by PCB perceptions and stimulate empirical research that treats psychological contracts as a dynamic phenomenon. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we investigated how social account delivery timing-and its subjective experience-influences individuals' stress resolution processes in the aftermath of a PCB. To this end, we used an experimental design and assessed participants' physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., self-report) stress reactions after inducing a breach. Our results underscore that a PCB is experienced as a stressful event. In addition, we find that social account timing influences heart rate recovery following a PCB. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings and offer recommendations for practitioners.

Isolated and Stressed? Examining the Effects of Management Communication in Alleviating Mental Health Symptoms during COVID-19

The goal of this research was to assess the role of professional isolation on mental health symptoms via stress among employees working remotely due to COVID-19. Additionally, this research explored the interactive effect of management communication on the relationship between professional isolation and stress, and stress and mental health symptoms. In Study 1, behavior analysts who were working remotely as a result of the pandemic completed assessments of professional isolation, stress, and mental health symptoms at two points in time, separated by two weeks. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings from Study 1 in a sample of remote employees recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk using a three-wave design. Findings of both Study 1 and Study 2 suggested that stress mediated the relationship between professional isolation and mental health symptoms. Additionally, management communication buffered the association between stress and mental health symptoms in Study 2. Lastly, the indirect effect of professional isolation on mental health symptoms was stronger for those who received less communication from their management. The findings of these two studies expand our understanding of the mechanism and boundary condition through which professional isolation is related to mental health symptoms.

Exploring the effect of workplace incivility on job outcomes: testing the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion

Purpose

The main goal of this research study is to look at the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion in the association between workplace incivility and job outcomes (job stress, job satisfaction, and employee turnover intentions).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors gathered field data from individuals working in the higher education sector of Jammu and Kashmir to test the proposed study paradigm. A total of 550 respondents reported their perceptions of workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion, and job-related outcomes (job stress, job satisfaction, and employee turnover intention) at Time 1 in the Kashmir division and Time 2 in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir via a two-wave data collection design.

Findings

The findings supported the hypothesized relationships, demonstrating that emotional exhaustion acts as a mediator between workplace incivility and employee job outcomes (job stress, employee job satisfaction, and employee intention to leave).

Practical implications

The findings of this research study will assist organizations and practitioners in comprehending the implications of workplace incivility and emotional exhaustion, as well as how they positively impact job-related outcomes (employee job stress, turnover intention), and negatively on job satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study adds to existing knowledge on COR theory by suggesting workplace incivility as a stressor and also testing emotional exhaustion as a defense mechanism for determining the effect of workplace incivility on employee job outcomes.

Situational Strength as a Lens to Understand the Strain Implications of Extra-Normative Work

Employees must often perform work outside of the time and/or space requirements that typically define their job role (e.g., working after-hours, teleworking), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We introduce the concept of extra-normative work to capture this idea and draw on situational strength theory to test the seemingly paradoxical hypotheses that (1) the effects of extra-normative work are more harmful to employee strain when this work represents a stronger situation (i.e., one that unambiguously prescribes expected behavior), relative to when this work represents a weaker situation (i.e., one that allows for greater personal choice and behavioral latitude), but that (2) this strain is diminished when situational strength is achieved by maximizing the clarity and consistency of extra-normative work, while this strain is enhanced when situational strength is achieved by imposing greater constraints and consequences surrounding extra-normative work. These predictions were supported in an experimental vignette study, a survey focused on after-hours work experiences, and an investigation of telework in response to COVID-19. We discuss the theoretical implications of viewing extra-normative work through the lens of situational strength, while also outlining how our findings inform best practices surrounding how to communicate about and frame extra-normative work to employees.

In the COVID-19 Era, Effects of Job Stress, Coping Strategies, Meaning in Life and Resilience on Psychological Well-Being of Women Workers in the Service Sector

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting the psychological well-being by using variables of job stress, coping strategies, meaning of life, and resilience to improve the quality of working life during COVID-19. The subjects were 135 adult women working for banks. Data were collected by having the subjects fill out a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, and analyzed through t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. The subjects’ psychological well-being showed positive correlations with the social support-seeking coping mechanism (r = 0.33, p < 0.001), problem-solving-focused coping mechanism (r = 0.55, p < 0.001), meaning in life (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), and resilience (r = 0.37, p < 0.001). Psychological well-being showed negative correlations with job stress (r = −0.44, p < 0.001) and avoidance-focused coping mechanism (r = −0.28, p = 0.001). The factors affecting the psychological well-being were problem-solving-focused coping mechanism (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), job role stress (β = −0.24, p < 0.001), meaning inlife (β = 0.29, p < 0.001), avoidance-focused coping mechanism (β = −0.23, p < 0.001), and resilience (β = 0.15, p = 0.023). It is necessary to formalize psychological intervention to induce the improvement of the quality of work life by increasing the psychological well-being of working women during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is suggested that intervention is made in consideration of variables identified as influencing factors to increase the psychological well-being of women workers.

How to Alleviate Hotel Employees’ Job Stress in the Associations between Job Stressors and Its Consequences

This study investigates the relationship between job insecurity, job stress, and the psychological well-being of hotel employees, and the moderating effect of emotional regulation control on the causal relationship between job stress and psychological well-being. A valid sample of 428 employees was used from three five-star hotels and two four-star hotels in Seoul and Busan, South Korea, for hypothesis testing. After confirming the construct validity and reliability of all measurements, a structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis examine the postulated hypotheses. The findings are as follows: (1) the positive effect of job insecurity on job stress is significant; (2) job stress negatively and significantly mediates the linkage between hotel employees’ job insecurity and psychological well-being, while the direct effect of job insecurity on psychological is not significant; (3) the negative relationship between hotel employees’ job stress and psychological well-being is dramatically alleviated by the seeking support strategy; (4) hotel employees’ active coping strategy also has a palliative negative effect of job stress on psychological well-being; (5) however, avoidance is not an effective strategy for stress relief in the context of hotel employees’ job stress and well-being due to the COVID-19 and job insecurity.

Tough Love: Impact of High-Performance Work System on Employee Innovation Behavior

Based on the social exchange theory, this paper discusses the impact of high-performance work system (HPWS) on employee innovation behavior, constructs the mediating model of challenge stress and the moderated mediation model, and explores the influence mechanism of HPWS on employee innovation behavior under the management mode of combining strictness and love formed by “strictness” under the effect of challenge stress and “love” given by perceived organizational support. Through hierarchical regression analysis of 227 employees’ survey data, the results show that HPWS positively influences employee innovation behavior. Challenge stress partially mediates the above relationship, and perceived organizational support positively moderates the mediating effect of challenge stress between HPWS and employee innovation behavior.

Long-term improvement of psychological well-being in the workplace: What and how

OBJECTIVE

The World Health Organization states that by 2030, mental illness will become the leading global disease burden. Thus, investigations of job stress might require more heterogeneous and innovative solutions. Existing literature demonstrates that good workplace environments have favorable effects on employees' psychological well-being. However, studies on long-term effects are scarce. This study examined the long-term impact of comprehensive workplace characteristics and employee responses to stress (coping strategies) on job stress in Japan.

METHODS

Under a large-scale 3-year longitudinal study, 1,021,178 observations collected from employees in 390 companies from 2017 to 2019 were used. Employee job stress trends were confirmed based on company-fixed-effects linear regression. The relationship between one-year or two-year lagged comprehensive workplace characteristics or coping strategies, and employee job stress was estimated using linear regression. Favorable effects of the work environment and coping strategy improvement were illustrated based on the regression results simulation.

RESULTS

First, job stress appeared to be steadily worsening among the employees of Japanese companies from 2017 to 2019. Second, low job and psychological demand, high job control, a high level of support from the people around, balanced effort-reward, strong job security, and strong interpersonal relationship have favorable long-term effects on employee job stress. Third, employees' coping strategies, such as positive thinking, changing mood, requiring help from other people, reduced negative thinking, and avoiding inappropriate emotional divergence have long-term effects on mitigating job stress. Particularly, thinking positively, changing mood, and avoiding directing feelings of anger and frustration toward others reduce high stress in 46% of respondent employees.

CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive well-organized workplace environment and appropriate responses to stress have a long-term favorable effect on employee job stress. These results provide policy measures for improving the workplace environment and for employees to adopt coping strategies to enhance their psychological well-being in the long term.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance activities with employee psychological well-being improvement

Background

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) engagement is expected to benefit corporations in terms of their efficiency and sustainability. The transformative change in management practices would not only provide support for employees but also bring about additional workload, which may affect employee psychological well-being. However, the examination of the relationship between corporate ESG activities and occupational stress is scarce; hence, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap.

Methods

In total, 110,351 observations were collected from 41,998 employees regarding occupational stress to reflect employee psychological well-being. The data were derived from 11 corporations in Japan from 2017 to 2019. Data on ESG activities were collected from the MSCI ESG database from 2015 to 2017. The effect of 1-year lagged corporate ESG activities on employee psychological well-being was investigated using a lagged variable linear regression model.

Results

Positive and negative relationships were found between corporate environmental activities and occupational stress. Activities that reduce water stress during operation and adopt clean technology were found to benefit employees’ psychological well-being. On the contrary, the program for reducing toxic emissions and waste lowered employees’ occupational stress levels significantly. Regarding corporate social activities, the improvement of job satisfaction or work-life balance was associated with occupational stress. However, corporate governance activities were found to have unfavorable effects on employees’ psychological well-being.

Conclusion

The effects of corporate ESG activities on employees’ psychological well-being are found. The managerial implications suggest that caring for employees’ occupational stress during the implementation of environmental activities is necessary, and the adoption of social activities could enhance employees’ psychological well-being. Notably, corporate governance activities are a stressor for employees; top management teams should pay attention to it.

Significance of the Dominant Psychological and Physiological Aspects of the Occupational Stress Models

The importance of the dominant psychological and physiological aspects of occupational stress models is a significant topic for researchers working in the field of medicine. Modern society faces significant problems in the detection and management of stress due to its growing impact on the functional state of working individuals. Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions is necessary to deal with the adverse effects of occupational stress on health. Controlling and reducing stress is possible by revealing the causal psychophysiological links in the mechanisms of work-related stress. Scientifically based stress management is based on the categories and concepts underlying occupational stress models. Modern work-related models of stress describe and study not only the adverse characteristics of the work process, but also the factors that stimulate the health and well-being of the individual. Monitoring occupational stress is part of the process of neutralizing and eliminating it. In today’s dynamic world, it is not enough to expect only quality performance of the professional duties of employees, but the commitment of managers working in the field of health care is needed to analyse and manage the dominant psychological and physiological aspects of occupational stress models and prevent adverse aspects of models of this type of stress at work.

The nurses' occupational stress components and outcomes, findings from an integrative review

AIM

To identify, evaluate and summarize the components, factors and outcomes of nurses' occupational stress published between 2009-2019.

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases for articles published in English, between 2009-2019.

RESULTS

The review included 132 studies. Most studies were conducted in the Confucian Asia and Anglo countries, but a growing number of studies were done in other countries. Almost all studies used a quantitative design, and changes in the use of scales indicated an increasing attention to career-related components. Factors were categorized into sociodemographic, work environment and personal resources. Sociodemographic factors were inconsistent across countries. Outcomes were categorized into health status, capability, affective and behavioural responses to work, and organizational performance with generally consistent results. Model validation studies showed the non-linear or non-direct associations between stress and outcomes.

The effect of the employee perceived training on job satisfaction: the mediating role of workplace stress

Purpose

This study aims to mediate the impact of workplace stress and job satisfaction on nurses’ perception of training. It sheds light on the links between job satisfaction, Certified Nursing Assistants’ perception of training and workplace stress in nursing homes.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed in 12 different elderly home care centres in Northern Cyprus during September to October 2017. The sampling frame consists of 317 full-time Certified Nursing Assistants who completed measures of perception of training, job satisfaction and workplace stress. This paper used structural equation modelling to test a theoretical model and hypothesis.

Findings

The findings emphasize that Certified Nursing Assistants’ perception of training has a positive impact on their job satisfaction and negative impact on workplace stress while workplace stress mediates the relationship between their perception of training and job satisfaction. The results indicate that while the motivation for training and support for training have an effect on job satisfaction, access to training and benefits for training do not yield any significant impact on it and workplace stress plays a mediating role.

Originality/value

This study confirms that the CNAs’ perception of training and job stress affect the emergence of job satisfaction, and workplace stress mediated the relation between training and satisfaction posited by social exchange theory.

A Threat of Customer Incivility and Job Stress to Hotel Employee Retention: Do Supervisor and Co-Worker Supports Reduce Turnover Rates?

The study investigates the impact of customer incivility, job stress, perceived supervisor support, and perceived co-worker support on the turnover intention of frontline employees. A survey-questionnaire approach was used to collect the point of view of frontline employees that work in five-star hotels in a metropolitan city of Korea. Four independent variables that were extracted from valid theoretical backgrounds along with four demographic variables were used in the study. The regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses, which revealed that job stress directly affected the employees' desires to leave their organization. It also showed that perceived supervisor support mitigates employee turnover, and there were significant correlations between turnover intention with the employees' marital status and job position. Gender and years of service did not affect the employees' thinking of quitting their job. Our findings help hotel entrepreneurs better understand how to deal with customer incivility and employee job stress, and better comprehend the factors that minimize employees' negative behaviors for the organization.

Iranian superwomen's career experiences: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Superwoman refers to the identity of a woman who performs several important roles simultaneously and full-time, such as being a wife, mother, and homemaker while holding a job. This study aims to examine the career experiences of Iranian superwomen who maintained their mental health while holding multiple roles.

METHODS

Data for this qualitative study were collected via semi-structured interview and analyzed using conventional content analysis. The study participants were 12 multi-role women from different occupations in Tabriz, North West of Iran selected through purposive and theoretical sampling. The women's mental health status was assessed using Mental Health Continuum-Short Form questionnaire before participating in the research.

RESULTS

The results were classified into three main categories. The first category included Underlying Factors of Job Experience with six subcategories, including Limited job opportunities for women, Educational context (mindset shaped in the parental home), Commitment or freedom in obtaining a job and its continuation, Personality traits, and Non-cognitive skills (emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence); the second category included the adopted strategies to solve career problems with two subcategories: effective strategies, including the benefits of having a mindset of abundance and having a vision and strategic planning, and ineffective strategies, including the benefits of having a mindset of scarcity; and the third category included Perceived Consequences of employment with two subcategories: psychological consequences and social consequences, with both subcategories including some positive and negative further subcategories. Moreover, a conceptual relationship between the main categories and the subcategories was evident.

CONCLUSIONS

The content obtained not only supports the findings about the experiences of multi-role women in cultures outside Iran, but also points to the unique aspects of Iranian superwomen's life experiences and narratives. The findings of this study can help us perceive the real career experiences from the perspective of Iranian professional women with multiple roles.

Impacts of Digital Technostress and Digital Technology Self-Efficacy on Fintech Usage Intention of Chinese Gen Z Consumers

The role of digital technostress and self-efficacy in digital marketing research is seldom discussed and even more rarely examined among Gen Z consumers. This study investigates the relationships between four sub-dimensions of technostress (complexity, overload, invasion, and uncertainty), digital technology self-efficacy, and fintech usage intention. Data from a total of 266 Chinese Gen Z consumers were used in multiple regression analysis. The results of the study generally support that all sub-dimensions of technostress were negatively related to fintech usage intention. Related to the moderating effects of digital technology self-efficacy on the relationship between the four sub-dimensions of technostress and fintech usage intention, significant interaction effects with complexity and overload were found. Finally, the study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the research findings.

Does Person Organization Fit and Person-Job Fit Mediate the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and Work Stress among U.S. Federal Employees?

A plethora of research has extolled the benefits of public service motivation (PSM) in public organizations. However, much less empirical attention has focused on its relationship to work stress. Even though it has been theorized that high levels of PSM causes individuals to be more resilient in stressful public service work environments, empirical research has failed to provide support. Only one study has been conducted which has revealed that high levels of PSM is directly associated with high levels of job stress among public employees, but that its beneficial effects are partially mediated by person-organization (PO) fit. That is, employees with high levels of PSM and high levels of fit to their organizations did not appear to suffer from high stress. This study sought to add to this limited body of research and explore the extent to which person-job (PJ) improves the field’s understanding of the relationships among PSM, PO fit, and work stress. Based on a sample of federal employees in the United States, this study challenged and confirmed the findings of existing research. For instance, PSM had no direct relationship to work stress. However, PSM maintained an indirect relationship to stress through PO fit. The respondents with high levels of PSM reported that they had high levels of fit to their organizations which was associated with significantly lower levels of work stress. Similarly, PSM was not directly related to PJ fit, but was indirectly related through its association with PO fit. PSM was associated with high levels of fit between employees and public organizations, which was subsequently associated with high levels of fit with public service jobs and lower work stress. Above all, this research clarifies the process of how PSM influences work stress among public employees, through PO fit and PJ fit.

Psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal pain among senior workers from nine occupational groups: Cross-sectional findings from the SeniorWorkingLife study

INTRODUCTION

Maintaining good health with advancing age is increasingly important as most European countries experience an increase in retirement age. In order to decrease the risk of premature departure from the workforce, identifying groups at increased risk of musculoskeletal pain and psychosocial stress is essential in designing workplace policies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational groups differing in terms of physical demands and skill requirement, and the outcomes of stress and pain.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study reports associations of nine different occupational groups with stress and pain among 11 474 senior workers; stratified by occupational group and based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). A large-scale questionnaire survey was dispatched to Danish workers; drawn as a probability sample and merged with national registers. Representative estimates were produced using logistic regression controlling for various confounders, combined with model-assisted weights.

RESULTS

The prevalence of daily pain and high stress among occupational groups ranged between 20.0%-50.5% and 3.9%-10.0%, respectively. Compared with occupations characterised by being mostly sedentary (ISCO group 1-4), those with primarily physical demanding work (ISCO group 5-9) had higher odds of daily pain (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.70) and a tendency towards higher stress scores (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.46). Lastly, female workers experience increased odds of daily pain (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.66) and high stress (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.89) compared with male workers.

CONCLUSIONS

Occupational settings characterised by mainly physical work and low skill requirements are more likely to experience daily pain compared with those entailing mainly sedentary work. Likewise, in this sample of senior workers, women are more likely to experience pain and stress. These results highlights the need for improving occupation-specific and sex-specific guidelines in the prevention of musculoskeletal pain and psychological stress in workplaces.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials identifier: NCT03634410.

Working in lockdown: the relationship between COVID-19 induced work stressors, job performance, distress, and life satisfaction

Background & aim

In the wake of COVID-19, organizations all over India have closed their premises and shifted to work from home policy to curb the further spread of the virus. This has led to increased stress and anxiety among employees, which explicably affects their satisfaction with life. Thus, the present study analyses the effect of COVID-19 induced stressors (role overload, lifestyle choices, family distraction, and occupational discomfort) on employees’ distress levels and job performance. Subsequently, the impact of such distress and job performance on the employees’ life satisfaction is analyzed during the lockdown period.

Methodology

Data was collected from 433 working professionals of private and public organizations in the Delhi and NCR region of India during India’s third and fourth phase of lockdown via a survey, which was distributed online. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was applied first to establish the validity of this study’s model (measurement model validity) and subsequently test the hypothesized relationships in the model (structural model).

Results

The COVID-19 induced stressors, i.e., role overload, lifestyle choices, and occupational discomfort, were significant predictors of distress during the lockdown. It has been found that role overload and change in lifestyle choice did not significantly affect job performance. Family distraction, occupational discomfort, and distress were significant in impacting job performance, with distress being the most significant one. During the COVID-19 pandemic, life satisfaction has reduced due to a significant increase in distress levels and lowered job performances.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-01567-0.

The Impact of Self-Management Practices on Entrepreneurial Psychological States

It is well-known that entrepreneurs lead extremely busy lives. While research literature reports the stressors of entrepreneurial careers, few empirical studies have examined the actual management of the demands that entrepreneurs face in their daily lives. In this paper, we conducted a study of 472 small business owners and tested hypotheses on the roles of three self-management practices—exercise, work overload, and attention to detail—on stress, security, and job satisfaction. Exercise, work overload, and attention to detail serve as three important self-management practices that are largely under the decision-making of the individual entrepreneur.

Stress on Frontline Employees from Customer Aggression in the Restaurant Industry: The Moderating Effect of Empowerment

In service industries such as restaurants, abusive customer (jay-customer) behaviors may evoke emotional exhaustion and burnout in frontline employees, threatening job satisfaction as well as sustainable management in the hospitality industry. Therefore, there is a need to identify whether (and to what degree) such customer behaviors stress frontline employees enough to affect their mental health, which may lead to employee turnover. To understand jay-customer behaviors in a restaurant setting, this study investigated the factors of jay-customer behaviors that induce job stress and decrease job satisfaction. Additionally, the moderating effect of empowerment was tested to see whether employee empowerment decreases the stress caused by jay-customer behaviors. Data collected from 302 restaurant employees from several cities in South Korea were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The study results demonstrate that three types of jay-customer behaviors (verbal abuse, physical abuse, and sexual harassment) are directly related to frontline employees’ job stress, which in turn, reduces job satisfaction. A moderating effect of empowerment on the relationship between verbal abuse and job stress is found. The results of this study suggest a conceptual model for understanding the process in which jay-customers negatively influence the frontline employees, threatening employee well-being, and they provide valuable implications for the restaurant industry, which can help develop strategies to improve employee welfare and provide better customer management.

The Impact of Challenge and Hindrance Stressors on Thriving at Work Double Mediation Based on Affect and Motivation

Although the relationship between stressors and thriving at work has been established, the linkage between them is still in the early stages of theory development. This study proposed a two-path model, based on Lepine's stressors-performance model, to analyze the effects of the stressors on the thriving at work. Two complementary mediating paths were proposed, i.e., affective strain (positive affect) and motivation (self-efficacy), which were explained using affective events theory and expectancy theory, respectively. Based on the empirical data from 233 employees, the results show that challenge stressors could enhance employees' positive affect and self-efficacy, thus leading to thriving at work; on the contrary, hindrance stressors would result in negative influences. In addition, it is also found that the effect of affective path tend to be greater than that of motivation path, which could provide a practical guide for organizations to effectively apply stress management and to promote employees thriving at work.

The Moderating Effect of Managerial Roles on Job Stress and Satisfaction by Employees' Employment Type

The roles of managers affect job stress and satisfaction. As irregular employees increase globally, more research is needed on the effects of managerial roles. This study analyzed job stress (subfactors: job autonomy and demand), job satisfaction, and managerial roles by employment type. Data comprised 33,420 cases from the fifth Korean Working Condition Survey. Regular employees had higher job autonomy and satisfaction fewer lower demands than irregular employees. For both, job autonomy positively and job demand negatively affected job satisfaction; the interaction of job autonomy and managerial roles negatively affected the relationship between job autonomy and satisfaction. In the relationship between job demand and satisfaction, the interaction of job demand and managerial roles had positive and negative effects for regular and irregular employees, respectively. The moderating effect of the interaction between job stress and managerial roles differed by employment type. Thus, managerial roles should differ by employment type. Guaranteed autonomy and minimal managerial intervention positively affect job satisfaction regardless of employment type. Appropriate managerial intervention relieves job stress and increases satisfaction for regular employees; managerial intervention negatively impacts irregular employees' satisfaction. Irregular employees should be provided with clear job expectations from the start, with minimal managerial intervention.

Influence of Challenge–Hindrance Stressors on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: Mediating Role of Emotions

Unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), which threatens the sustainable development of enterprises, has become important research content in organizational management in recent years. Based on the framework of challenge–hindrance stressors, we explored the effect of stress on UPB from an emotional perspective. Multi-mediation models were constructed to reveal the relationship between stressors (challenge and hindrance stressors) and UPB, and the mediating roles of individual anxiety, attentiveness, and anger. The results of 375 questionnaires indicated that challenge stressors had no significant relationship with UPB due to the presence of the suppression effect. Challenge stressors had a positive effect on UPB through anxiety and a negative effect on UPB through attentiveness. Hindrance stressors had a positive effect on UPB through the mediation of anxiety and anger. Managers can benefit from the findings to correctly cope with employees’ emotional reactions and unethical behaviors caused by work stress, and take appropriate management measures to reduce and prevent employees’ UPB.

The Dark and the Light Side of the Expatriate’s Cross-Cultural Adjustment: A Novel Framework Including Perceived Organizational Support, Work Related Stress and Innovation

The new context of the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development has reached the attention of the scientific community in recent years, due to its comprehensive approach aimed at enhancing the sustainability of interpersonal and intrapersonal talent, as well as of groups and communities. In this scenario, research on employee cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) is considered a key theme in human resource management. It is known that psychological support in the host country may alleviate distress and facilitate the integration of the expatriate workers. However, there is a lack of research investigating expatriate adjustment as an antecedent of the perceived organizational support. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship among cross-cultural adjustment (CCA), perception of organizational support (POS), work-related stress (WRS), and innovation, considering these factors as a part of a unique innovative framework. A cross sectional study was performed using a sample of 234 expatriate workers of a multinational organization. Data were collected through a monitoring survey for the assessment of work-related stress risk factors of their expatriate staff. The results showed a positive correlation between CCA, POS, and innovation. On the other hand, a negative correlational effect of CCA and WRS, CCA and POS on WRS, and POS and WRS was found. Finally, POS was found to be a significant antecedent of CCA. These findings have implications for both international human resource management researchers and practitioners.

Role Stress and Turnover Intention of Front-Line Hotel Employees: The Roles of Burnout and Service Climate

High turnover rate represents one of the most significant challenges the hotel industry faces. High turnover rates mean labor shortages, resulting in high costs of recruiting, staffing and training. Turnover also has a negative impact on service quality. Scholars continue to search for the root causes of turnover and propose solutions. To further understand employees' turnover intention, this study reveals the role of stress on hotel front-line employees' turnover intention through the mediation of burnout. Moreover, the study examines the moderating effect of service climate on the underlying mechanism that links role stress with turnover intention. Using a sample of 583 questionnaires from front-line hotel employees in South China, this study reveals that role stress as a four-dimensional construct (i.e., conflict, ambiguity, qualitative overload and quantitative overload) has a statistically significant impact on burnout, which leads to turnover intention. Burnout completely mediates the relationship between role stress and turnover intention, that is, employees under role stress do not resign immediately unless they experience high levels of burnout. In addition, service climate moderates the influence of role stress on burnout, suggesting a moderated mediation relationship. The study contributes to the organizational management literature by confirming the four dimensions of role stress and demonstrating how role stress impacts employees' turnover intention. Furthermore, the critical effect of service climate is further investigated. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed based on the findings. the study also investigates the moderating effect of service climate on role stress (challenge-hindrance stressors) and burnout.

Job stress and organizational commitment in hospitals

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of job stress on perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational commitment in hospitals in Amman, Jordan. It also investigated the mediating role of POS on the relationship between job stress and organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a cross-sectional, quantitative survey design to collect data from 500 employees in six hospitals in Amman, Jordan. An Arabic version of a reliable and valid measurement instrument was used. A convenience sample was selected from employees in the targeted hospitals. Mediating effect was tested using the approach proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986). Validity and reliability tests were applied, and regression analyses were used to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed a significant negative effect of job stress on POS and organizational commitment. The results also indicated full negative mediating effect of POS on the relationship between job stress and organizational commitment.

Practical implications

This research promotes hospitals to implement strategies that reduce employees’ job stress, increase levels of POS among employees working at hospitals, which, in turn, will enhance employees’ commitment to their hospitals.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to investigate the proposed effects in Jordan in particular, and the Middle East in general. In addition, it contributes to the literature by examining the mediating effect of POS on the relationship between job stress and organizational commitment. Recommendations are provided to practitioners in hospitals based on the study results.

Effect of Workplace Violence on Turnover Intention: The Mediating Roles of Job Control, Psychological Demands, and Social Support

Exposing nursing staff to workplace violence workplace violence (WV) affects their psychological, emotional, and physical health; engenders increased workload; affects the medical reciprocity between nurses and patients; and ultimately leads to staff turnover intention. To preventing WV, development of intervention strategies and WV prevention measures are crucial. This study discusses the mediating effect of job control, psychological needs, and social support on WV and turnover intention. Through this discussion, this study aims to aid medical institutions in reducing their nursing staff turnover rate and to provide a reference for hospital management and decision making. A cross-sectional research method was adopted and conducted quantitative research to prove the complexity of the relationship between WV and turnover intention. Participants comprised clinical nurses working in 2 regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan. A total of 268 questionnaires were distributed, and 213 completed questionnaires were returned. Of the returned questionnaires, 198 contained valid responses, yielding a response rate of 73.9%. Our results demonstrated the mechanisms through which psychological demands and social support mediate the relationship between WV and turnover intention. This study determined the mediating effects of psychological demands and social support. The results expand the findings of previous research and demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between WV and turnover intention. Hospitals should formulate effective mechanisms for preventing and addressing incidents of WV, improve their ability to address and regulate violent incidents in clinics, reduce the psychological pressure exerted on employees, and establish communication channels for social support.

Does Academic Publishing Lead to Work-Related Stress or Happiness?

The topic of work-related stress and happiness has recently been of interest to science as well as in practice. Work-related stress has negative effects on workers, organizations, and the whole of society, whereas happiness has positive effects. It is therefore important to monitor the wellbeing of workers. This article deals with stress and happiness as related to academic publishing. To answer the research question of whether academic publishing leads to stress or happiness, a narrative analysis was conducted. Narratives from ten Czech academics were collected and analyzed with the use of a categorical-content approach. The categories used are the general causes of work-related stress and happiness as identified in the literature: work overload, ambiguity, conflict, the sense of meaningful work, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment. It was found that academic publishing leads to both work-related stress and happiness. However, stress is more prevalent. Not only do academics experience all the general causes of work-related stress, unfortunately they often lack the sources of happiness. Many specific causes of stress and happiness, as well as unhappiness, were discovered in the narratives. Several ways to improve the situation have been suggested. Refining policies in human resources is particularly important if universities wish to retain their academics.

A Study of Role Stressors and Job Satisfaction: The Case of MNCs in Collectivist Context

Job stressors in organizational studies are commonly known as role stressors. These include role overload (RO), role conflict (RC), role ambiguity (RA) and job insecurity (JI). We explored the predicting role of these stressors on the overall level of job stress (JS) and job satisfaction (JSF). Moreover, we tested the role of JS as a mediator between the relationship of role stressors and JSF in a multinational corporation (MNC) in a non-western collectivist context (Pakistan). We obtained data through field surveys from 173 engineering employees from the electrical, mechanical, safety and chemical divisions. Role stressors significantly predicted overall level of JS and JSF. JS was also found to partially mediate the relationship between role stressors and JSF. The study findings suggest that foreign ownership needs to focus not only on the economic value, but also the organizational and job design to mitigate the detrimental role of selected stressors. The results of this study have important implications for MNCs in general, and in developing countries in particular. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed with recommendations.

The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Abusive Supervision on Subordinates' Innovative Behavior

Existing studies on the relationship between abusive supervision and innovative behavior do not present a united picture. Drawing up the antecedent-benefit-cost framework and social cognitive theory, we tried to explain the contradictory relationships between them based on the mediating mechanism. Results showed that abusive supervision discouraged subordinates’ innovative behavior through reducing subordinates’ psychological safety but promoted subordinates’ innovative behavior through enhancing challenge-related stress.

The Effect of Emotional Labor of College Administrative Service Workers on Job Attitudes: Mediating Effect of Emotional Labor on Trust and Organizational Commitment

Service providers working for a service organization are asked to express such positive emotions as joy, pleasure, and politeness required at the organizational level rather than their natural emotions they are experiencing at the moment. They cannot express their emotion they are actually going through and accordingly, their level of emotional labor and emotional dissonance influence on their job commitment and trust toward their organization. This study thus set out to investigate the effects of leading variables of emotional labor on the level of emotional labor and the impact of emotional labor on organizational trust and organizational commitment with a subject group of college administrative staffs. Three underlying factors such as job stress, intimacy, and professionalism were identified as the determinants of emotional labor. Based on the conceptual background and our research questions, five research hypotheses and the proposed research model regarding the effects of emotional labor on organizational commitment and trust were developed. We also tried to include the moderating effects of work environment and gender of service providers on the research model. Given those findings, this study offers theoretical implication that confirms the negative results of emotional labor. Unlike many different studies on emotional labor from the traditional perspective of service, this study offers a practical implication by expanding and applying it to the field of college administrative service, which is an area where service providers are in the different working environment from the traditional company work environment. Finally, the managerial implications and the limitations of the study were also discussed.

The influence of time on employee engagement in the SA business environment

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the influence of time on the results of the dimensions of employee engagement; and second, to determine whether there are any significant differences between the levels of engagement of the different demographic groups, so as to determine specific future interventions to improve employee engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quantitative approach employing a survey which used a questionnaire to collect data from the same convenience sample, over a three-year period. The differences were tested by measuring change through an analysis of variance.

Findings

Three dimensions, namely, team commitment, team orientation and organisational strategy and implementation were significantly higher in the third than first period. Africans and respondents on lower job grades reported significantly lower levels of engagement than white respondents and top management.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the study is the low participation rate of some groups.

Practical implications

Top management can foster engagement in addition to introducing effective interventions, based on sound measurement, to improve employees’ engagement levels.

Social implications

Engaged employees are happy/healthy, which can be expected to spill over to their lives outside of the workplace and thus favourably influence society.

Originality/value

Limited longitudinal research in connection with employee engagement is published. This study provides evidence of a valid barometer for a multicultural, developing economy, against which employee engagement can be measured.

Work-family spillover and metabolic syndrome indicators: Findings from a national sample

This study examines the link between negative work-family spillover and metabolic risk factors over a 9-year period. Data from two waves of the Midlife in the United States Survey were used to explore relationships between negative work-family spillover and four indicators of metabolic syndrome-blood pressure, triglycerides, body mass index, and glucose levels. In a sample of full-time working men and women (N = 630), increased negative spillover at baseline significantly predicted higher body mass index nearly a decade later, with a marginally significant effect for triglyceride levels. Increases in spillover also body mass index and glucose levels at follow-up. This study extends research tying work-life spillover to health and suggests that further investigation is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of work stress.

Job strain in nursing homes-Exploring the impact of leadership

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between nursing home managers' leadership, job strain and social support as perceived by direct care staff in nursing homes.

BACKGROUND

It is well known that aged care staff experience high levels of job strain, and that aged care staff experiencing job strain are exposed to increased risk for adverse health effects. Leadership styles have been associated with job strain in the literature; however, the impact of perceived leadership on staff job strain and social support has not been clarified within nursing home contexts.

DESIGN

This study had a cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Participating staff (n = 3,605) completed surveys which included questions about staff characteristics, valid and reliable measures of nursing home managers' leadership, perceived job strain and social support. Statistical analyses of correlations and multiple regression analysis with interaction terms were conducted.

RESULTS

Nursing home managers' leadership were significantly associated with lower level of job strain and higher level of social support among direct care staff. A multiple regression analysis including an interaction term indicated individual and joint effects of nursing home managers' leadership and social support on job strain.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing home managers' leadership and social support were both individually and in combination associated with staff perception of lesser job strain. Thus, nursing home managers' leadership are beneficial for the working situation and strain of staff.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Promoting a supporting work environment through leadership is an important implication for nursing home managers as it can influence staff perception of job strain and social support within the unit. By providing leadership, offering support and strategies towards a healthy work environment, nursing home managers can buffer adverse health effects among staff.

Autonomy, workload, work-life balance and job performance among teachers

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of autonomy, workload, and work-life balance on job performance among teachers. A survey was carried out among teachers in public schools in the Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a quantitative approach to address the research objectives. A total of 302 teachers reported on their level of autonomy, workload, and work-life balance as well as job performance. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17.0 and Partial Least Square (Smart PLS) version 2.0.

Findings

Based on the statistical analyses conducted, the findings reported that autonomy and work-life balance had a significant impact on respondents’ job performance. Workload, on the other hand, had no substantial bearing on job performance among school teachers in this study.

Practical implications

In terms of practical ramifications, the management of schools need to focus on measures to enhance autonomy and work-life balance in improving job performance among teachers. Finally, directions for future research and conclusion of the study are also presented.

Originality/value

Discussions emphasized on the importance of work-life balance and autonomy in elevating job performance among teachers. This study also provided partial support to the Border and Boundary Theory.