The effect of breaches of the psychological contract on the job satisfaction and wellbeing of doctors in Ireland: a quantitative study

Can compassionate leadership of senior hospital leaders help retain trainee doctors?

BACKGROUND

High burnout and low retention rates among trainee doctors threaten the future viability of the UK medical workforce. This study empirically examined factors that can sustain trainee doctors.

METHOD

A total of 323 trainee doctors from 25 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England and Wales completed an online survey on their training and employment experiences. A mixed method approach was employed.

RESULTS

Structural equation modelling revealed that perceived compassionate leadership of hospital senior leaders (CLSL) (i.e., doctors in senior clinical and management positions, and senior managers) is directly and negatively associated with trainee doctors' burnout and intention to quit. We propose the associations may be indirectly strengthened through two mediating pathways: increased psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) of training/organisational support and reduced worry about the state of the NHS; however, only the former is supported. The model can explain a substantial 37% of the variance in reported burnout and 28% of intention to quit among trainee doctors. Being a Foundation Year (FY) trainee was significantly associated with poor PCF and burnout. Rich qualitative data further elaborated on their experiences in terms of senior leaders' awareness of their training/working experiences, listening to and acting on.

CONCLUSIONS

Active and demonstrable CLSL plays a vital role in trainee doctors' retention. It has both direct (through support) and indirect effects through improving trainee doctors' PCF to reduce burnout and intention to quit. This seems particularly valuable among FY doctors. Implications for the development and management of the medical workforce are discussed.

Relationship Between Psychological Contract Violation and Physicians’ Destructive and Constructive Behaviors in Tertiary Public Hospitals: An Empirical Evidence in Beijing

Background

In China, physicians have long faced long working hours, high stress levels, and tensions between physicians and patients, which can lead to negative behaviors. Understanding physicians' expectations and requirements of the hospital and increasing satisfaction with their psychological contract can help improve physician motivation and stabilize the hospital team.

Aim

The study aims to analyze the relationship between physicians' psychological contract violations and different behavioral choices, encourage hospitals to conclude a balanced psychological contract with physicians, and provide governance and intervention strategies for hospital human resource management.

Methods

Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 321 physicians from four public hospitals in Beijing for questionnaire surveys. Descriptive statistical analysis, t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and regression models were performed using Stata 15.0 and SPSS 26.0 to analyze the relationship between psychological contract violations, physicians' EVLN behaviors and organizational justice.

Results

Psychological contract violation had a positive effect on exit behavior and neglect behavior, and a negative effect on voice behavior and loyalty behavior. Organizational justice plays a mediating role between psychological contract violation and physicians' exit, voice and loyalty behaviors.

Conclusion

Psychological contract violation can drive negative behavior among physicians, and organizational justice can play a mediating role in this. Public hospitals should establish a healthy psychological contract with physicians and place a premium on organizational justice to promote constructive behaviors and prevent destructive behaviors. This study constructs a more complete theoretical framework to explain physicians' behavior, and further dynamic tracking investigations are necessary because the evolution of physicians' behavior is a dynamic and long-term process.

The relationship between psychological contract and occupational wellbeing of mother-infant care helpers in Zhejiang Province

BACKGROUND

Mother-infant care (MIC) helpers have become an indispensable part in hospital services. In order to stabilize the MIC workforce, it is essential for administrators to have a solid understanding of what may influence occupational wellbeing. This article aims to explore how demographic characteristics and psychological contract affect occupational wellbeing among MIC helpers in Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODS

This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study with MIC helpers in obstetrics from 20 hospitals in Zhejiang Province. A questionnaire including demographic data, a psychological contract scale and an occupational wellbeing scale was used in this study. Multiple linear regression was conducted to investigate the relationships between demographic characteristics, psychological contract and occupational wellbeing.

RESULTS

This study surveyed 260 MIC helpers and found out the mean score of the psychological contract was 4.38 and the mean score of the occupational wellbeing was 4.01. Monthly income and psychological contract were significant predictors of occupational wellbeing (F = 142.167, p < 0.001), which explained 62.1% of the total amount of variance in occupational wellbeing. Psychological contract was the most important predictor of occupational wellbeing.

CONCLUSIONS

Administrators should pay attention to the effect of psychological contract on occupational wellbeing of the MIC helpers in China. Focusing on the inner needs should be considered as a strategy for stabilizing the team.

Psychological fortitude model for digitally mindset working adults

Introduction

The inception of Industry 4.0 (which includes smart digital technologies and intelligence), as well as the rapidly enforced adoption of the technological revolution due to the lockdown regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, brought new situational demands, challenges and opportunities for both employees and organizations across the globe. Individuals are required to develop personal enablers (both intrapersonal and intradigital attributes) to optimize their psychological fortitude. Research on the intrapersonal resources needed by employees to have the fortitude to adapt to remote working conditions as a result of the digital era, is currently lacking. The igital era brought about the question of how individuals' career adaptability and career wellbeing (as a set of agile adaptable attributes) relate to their perceptions of the value-oriented psychological contract, and whether these intrapersonal resources can contribute to a psychological fortitude model for remote working employees.

Method

This study utilized a survey method to investigate the correlations between agile adaptable attributes and the valueoriented psychological contract of global digital-mindset human resource and financial service organizations. Based on further canonical correlations, structural equation modeling was conducted to develop and recommend a psychological fortitude model for remote working adults in the digital age.

Results

Close theoretical and empirical associations were found between career adaptability and career wellbeing (as agile adaptable variables) and the perceived value-orientated psychological contract.

Discussion

This study proposed a psychological fortitude model (consisting of intrapersonal resources) that organizations and career practitioners can use as a basis to enhance employees' psychological fortitude in the digital age, as well as for further career research.

Satisfaction of outpatient oncologists with their work

Job satisfaction is a fundamental ingredient in the life quality of a modern person; for a health care worker, it determines to a large extent the quality and accessibility of health care services they provide. Our aim is identification of key reasons for low job satisfaction among outpatient oncologists at cancer care centres (CCC) and identification of the best ways to address them. 110 oncologists working in outpatient CCC in Moscow, Moscow region and Ivanovo region participated in this research. Respondents' job satisfaction was assessed using V.A. Rozanova's Job Satisfaction Assessment Questionnaire. Virtually a quarter (23.6%) of oncologists were dissatisfied with their work; male respondents and surgical employees reported significantly higher levels of dissatisfaction. Wage levels and equity, working hours, teamwork and coordination in carrying out collective tasks and managerial style were the main areas of dissatisfaction. Measures to improve the work process included enhancing the resource outfit, fair consideration of each employee's achievements when distributing incentives, clear allocation of responsibility for collective project tasks, creating opportunities for paid part-time work and arranging regular meals at the expense of the health care organisation. Raising managers' awareness of the results can contribute to improvements in oncologists' performance, work process satisfaction, productivity and performance, quality of care and access to it, as well as public satisfaction and confidence in the health-care system as a whole.

Job satisfaction among medical officers working in Delhi

Background:

Satisfied human resource is an essential asset for high productivity, efficiency, and quality of care in a healthcare organization. Job satisfaction among healthcare professionals assumes further significance for the purpose of maximization of human resource potential in the context of the shortage of manpower in the health sector in India.

Objectives:

The objective of the study was to assess the job satisfaction among medical officers (MOs) working in Delhi and to study the factors influencing the satisfaction level amongst them.

Material and Methods:

It was a cross-sectional study conducted amongst selected MOs (by convenience) in all the districts of Delhi. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants.

Results:

A total of 115 MOs completed the questionnaire. There were 61 (53%) female doctors and 54 (47%) male doctors. The mean age of the study participants was 38.28 ± 7.37 years. The experience of the study group ranged between 1 and 28 years (9.59 ± 6.47 years). Of the total, 59.1% of participants were found to be satisfied with their job. The most common reason given for satisfaction with job was the timing of their job that suits them. The reason given for not being satisfied with job was salary not at par with work pressure. A significantly higher proportion of male participants considered “lack of accommodation” (P < 0.03) and “frequent detailment” (P < 0.031) are big problems faced in their jobs as compared with the female participants. Only 37 (32.2%) participants felt that the MO is able to give enough time to patients for clinical assessment in Out Patient Department.

Conclusions:

Although majority (59%) of the study group was satisfied with their job, there were numerous problems faced by the doctors at their workplace. Low pay was one of the important reasons cited for being dissatisfied. There is an urgent need to address all the factors affecting job satisfaction through proper planning and implementing relevant human resource policies for improvement in the work environment at public health institutions.

Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction and Teacher Well-Being in the K-12 Educational System

Teacher job satisfaction and well-being have a significant impact on educational outcomes, considering that teaching is the main objective of the educational process. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and four main categories of determinants: self-efficacy, relational aspects (colleague collaboration, student behavior, school management), work-related aspects (administrative workload, teaching tasks), and working conditions, in order to identify various implications for teachers’ well-being. The study employs a survey delivered to 658 K-12 (pre-university) teachers, from the North-West region of Romania. We used factorial analysis and a structural equation model to test eight proposed hypotheses. The results showed that self-efficacy, promotion, positive student behavior, and working conditions have significant effects on job satisfaction. These factors influence job satisfaction and well-being in the teaching profession because they ensure a positive work environment in which teachers and students thrive, thus leading to higher levels of involvement from teachers, students, and parents alike. An efficient work environment decreases attrition, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and teacher turnover, while increasing job satisfaction, well-being, and teacher retention.