Not Able to Lead a Healthy Life When You Need It the Most: Dual Role of Lifestyle Behaviors in the Association of Blurred Work-Life Boundaries With Well-Being

How do question-answer exchanges among generations matter for children's happiness?

Intergenerational exchange plays an increasing role in realizing sustainable societies. Question-answer exchanges are the trigger for individuals to initiate some intergenerational relations, and the literature has established that inquisitiveness (curiosity about something and someone different) contributes to people's generativity and happiness. However, little is known about how children's inquisitiveness influences their generative concern and happiness. We claim that inquisitiveness is essential for children to enhance their happiness and hypothesize that those who receive a positive response from adults tend to be inquisitive and express the signs of generativity. To empirically examine the hypothesis, we have statistically characterized inquisitiveness in relation to adult-child interaction, generativity (offering care for people and the natural environment) and happiness, using the data from a survey of 511 Japanese children between 9 and 14 years and by applying the revised generativity concern scale (GCS-R). The results show that inquisitiveness correlates with generativity and happiness, primarily that a positive response by adults to children's inquiries promotes their inquisitiveness through adult-child interactions. Our analysis shows that children's inquisitiveness, encouraged by adults' positive responses, is more significant in happiness than the generativity concern during childhood. Overall, the results suggest that adults responding positively to children's questions is essential for promoting inquisitiveness and increasing happiness.

A systematic review of social classroom climate in online and technology-enhanced learning environments in primary and secondary school

Although the significance of a positive social classroom climate in face-to-face learning has been established, its role within online and technology-enhanced learning environments is unclear. The central aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the findings of empirical studies which have examined any aspect of the social classroom climate in online and technology-enhanced learning environments in primary and secondary schools. Appropriate search terms were entered into ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC in November 2021. Articles were included if they were relevant for the aim, reported primary data, sampled primary/secondary school students and/or teachers, and were published in journals, conference proceedings, or book chapters in English. Furthermore, articles were excluded if they focused on the development/testing of measurement tools. The thematic narrative synthesis includes 29 articles, comprising of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies. A quality assessment checklist was completed for all. The findings encompass examinations of the social classroom climate in online learning before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, in blended learning environments and a comparison between them. Furthermore, associations between the online social classroom climate and academic variables is explored, as is the fostering thereof through synchronous/asynchronous discussion groups and social media. We discuss the theoretical framing of the studies, the impact of a positive classroom climate in online and technology-enhanced learning environments on students, as well as practical approaches and new opportunities in leveraging technologies. Based on the findings and the studies' limitations we outline implications and future research, such as the need to consider students' voices and diversity, technology perspectives, a transdiciplinary approach and the reconceptualization of boundaries.

Empowering leadership during the COVID-19 outbreak: Implications for work satisfaction and effectiveness in organizational teams

The COVID-19 pandemic generated unprecedented challenges for social and organizational life. We set out to explore how empowering leadership and leadership support were affected as a result of the team-based organization starting to implement flexible and remote work practices after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data in a cross-lagged design and used the two-condition MEMORE mediation procedure to analyze data on work satisfaction and team effectiveness obtained just before and immediately after the COVID-19 outbreak in 34 organizational teams. Our results show that the COVID-19 outbreak did not significantly impact perceptions of empowering leadership or perceived leadership support. However, teams that experienced changes in empowering leadership also reported proportional changes in work satisfaction and effectiveness. Finally, we show that the association between empowering leadership and leadership support, on the one hand, and work satisfaction in teams, on the other hand, is moderated by team size, such that the strength of the association is higher in small rather than large organizational teams. We conclude by arguing that the team-based organization absorbed well the impact and disruptions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. We also stress the role of empowering leadership as a driver of work satisfaction and the effectiveness of organizational teams.

Sociodemographic Aspects and Healthy Behaviors Associated With Perceived Life Satisfaction in Health Professionals

BACKGROUND

Life satisfaction is a determining factor for the improvement of mental and physical health. Health care workers are a vulnerable population to suffer alterations in the factors that affect life satisfaction. Determining the influence of these factors on quality of life is important for their proper management.

OBJECTIVE

To examine sociodemographic factors and healthy behaviors influencing life satisfaction in Peruvian professionals.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 506 health care workers, who had a mean age of 40.34 years (SD = 10.39). A sociodemographic questionnaire, sleep quality, physical activity, eating habits, and life satisfaction were used. A regression model was fitted with the life satisfaction variable as the dependent variable.

RESULTS

In multivariable analysis, age (β = -.938, P < .01) and perception of poor health status (β = -4.743, P < .001) were found to be associated with lower life satisfaction. On the other hand, higher university education level (β = 1.667, P < .001), absence of smoking (β = 3.202, P < .01), absence of depressive symptoms (β = 3.390, P < .001), interest in daily activities (β = 3.503, P < .05), good sleep quality (β = 1.027, P < .01), a high frequency of physical activity (β = 1.056, P < .01), and healthy eating are variables associated with higher life satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Sociodemographic aspects such as age and the perception of poor health are associated with lower life satisfaction. On the other hand, healthy behaviors such as absence of smoking, absence of depressive symptoms, interest in daily activities, good quality of sleep, high frequency of physical activity, and a healthy diet were associated with higher life satisfaction.

How to Alleviate Feelings of Crowding in a Working from Home Environment: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The sudden adoption of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic has required the reconfiguration of home spaces to fit space for remote work into existing spaces already filled with other domestic functions. This resulted in blurring of home and work boundaries, the potential lack of space for telecommuting from home, and telecommuters' feelings of crowding. Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of crowding feelings on workers' responses. This study focused on the issue of crowding in the residential workspace. An online survey was conducted to investigate how features of the home workspace correlate with telecommuters' feelings of crowding and how these feelings affect satisfaction, health, and productivity. As a result, we found that various environmental features of home workspaces (e.g., house size, purpose of workspace, accessible balcony, lighting, noise, etc.), as well as psychological aspects (e.g., individual control over space use), had significant effects on telecommuters' feelings of crowdedness. It was also found that feelings of crowding in the WFH environment can directly and indirectly affect teleworkers' satisfaction with work environments, well-being, and work performance. Based on the results, we offered various potential ways to alleviate overcrowding issues in the WFH context.

Health impacts with telework on workers: A scoping review before the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Telework has dramatically increased due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the health impacts related to telework have become major concerns. Some studies have shown that telework has both positive and negative impacts. However, during the pandemic, the influence of COVID-19 is too strong to estimate the health effects of telework. Therefore, this scoping review investigated a comprehensive overview of those impacts based on studies conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We searched keywords related to telework in five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, and Ichu-Shi Web. We included articles written in English and Japanese and published from January 2009 to December 2020. One author extracted data, and four authors were paired into two groups. All authors independently conducted the first and second screening and checked the results in pairs. Any disagreements were resolved by reaching a consensus among all authors. All screening and strategies were performed with the consent of all authors.

Results

Twenty-nine quantitative studies published in 12 countries were extracted. The outcomes included 10 studies on physical and lifestyle outcomes, 25 studies on stress and mental health outcomes, and 13 studies on quality-of-life and wellbeing outcomes. Telework increased sitting time in one study, and two studies showed improvement in behavior, such as reducing smoking or drinking due to telework. While six studies reported subjective stress levels improved by telework, the results for depression, anxiety, and other disorders varied across those studies, and the social or individual factors further complicated the situation.

Conclusion

Telework is potentially associated with a shift to healthier lifestyles but also the potential for inverse correlation to extend sedentary time. Mental stress indicators depend on the social and individual situations, and very few intervention studies on teleworking existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our review identified a lack of intervention and comparative research on health problems with telework and revealed a need to conduct research with clear comparisons in post-COVID-19 studies.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021203104, identifier: CRD42021203104.

Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Life Balance While Working from Home: A Review of the Research Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We present a systematic review of 48 studies conducted between March 2020 and March 2022 that examined work-life balance (WLB) among those who worked from home. We propose a conceptual framework that organizes the antecedents and outcomes of WLB based on resource loss and gain. Resource loss occurred when employees faced stressors such as perceived work intensity, workspace limitations, technostress, professional isolation, work interdependence, housework intensity, care work intensity, and emotional demands. Resource gain was likely when employees were supported by resources such as work supervisors and family members, received job autonomy, and were personally adaptable. Our findings have resonance for remote work contexts beyond the pandemic by seeking patterns across the literature that examined WLB while working from home. We contextualize antecedents and outcomes of WLB and suggest stressors and resources that impact WLB are dynamically related. Our review informs HRD practitioners as they manage the post-pandemic remote work.

Consequences of COVID-19 on Employees in Remote Working: Challenges, Risks and Opportunities An Evidence-Based Literature Review

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations across all sectors and sizes to undertake crucial changes in order to remain productive during the emergency. Among these, the shift towards remote working arrangements is still present in our workplaces, impacting employees' well-being and productivity. This systematic review aims to describe the pandemic's consequences on work organization by analyzing whether and how the shift towards remote or home-working impacted employees' productivity, performance, and well-being. Furthermore, it describes the role of individual and organizational factors in determining employees' adjustment to remote work. Sixty-seven peer-reviewed papers published from 2020 to 2022, written in English, were selected through the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Findings describe how remote working arrangements, the workplace and organizational factors, and the employees' individual traits and skills impacted employees' productivity and well-being. Furthermore, they provide a description of the organizational enforcement actions reported in the literature. Managerial and practical implications, such as enforcement actions, team management strategies, and initiatives to promote employees' physical and mental health, will be discussed in the paper.

Wellbeing during a pandemic: An empirical research examining autonomy, work-family conflict and informational support among SME employees

Individuals working in different industries were forced to change their work environments to their homes and quickly cope with technical and social changes not experienced before the occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic. This led to blurred boundaries between work and family roles, diminishing performance and wellbeing. Within the scope of the Research Topic “Workplace effects of COVID-19 on employees,” this research emphasizes on the positive impact of job autonomy provided by employers in reducing work-family conflicts. Moreover, the effect of work-family conflict on employees’ performance and wellbeing is analyzed. Furthermore, informational support is examined regarding its moderating effect to mitigate work-family conflicts and enhance wellbeing. A survey was administered among employees of small-medium enterprises in Lebanon, through purposive and convenience sampling with 198 participants. The data was analyzed using PLS-SEM, and the results show that job autonomy reduces work-family conflict. This in turn improves performance and wellbeing as individuals have more control on their tasks. Furthermore, informational support provided to the employees serves as a buffer between work-family conflict and wellbeing. These results can be beneficial for managers of small and medium enterprises, seeking to enhance the performance and wellbeing of their employees in the era of the pandemic. Similarly, scholars can benefit from theoretical premises of current study and the potential pathways for future analyses.

An Infectious Silver Lining: Is There a Positive Relationship Between Recovering From a COVID Infection and Psychological Richness of Life?

This paper draws from the recent literature on psychological richness of life (PRL), conceptualized as a third dimension of a good life which would be particularly desirable when happiness or meaning in life cannot be satisfactory attained, to investigate whether recovering from a COVID infection could be associated with PRL. We hypothesize that people who have recovered from being infected by the virus rate their PRL higher than those who have not been infected. Two cross-sectional studies (n = 937, and n = 1,012) support the hypothesis, and also found that people who recovered from a COVID infection were less prone to want to delete the pandemic time period from their life line and reported lower levels of death anxiety. The findings have implications for coping both on a societal and individual level, by changing perspectives and valuing the richness of positive as well as negative experiences, as well as counteracting repetitiveness and tedium and stimulating new experiences and reflection. The findings also have implications for future research on well-being, which could be informed by expanding the perspective from living well to a life well-lived, and future research on PRL and coping in terms of investigating causalities and interaction effects.

How does inquisitiveness matter for generativity and happiness?

Inquisitiveness (curiosity & acceptance to something and someone different) is the main engine for one person to initiate some relation, and the literature has established that maintaining nice relationships with friends, family and general others contributes to generativity and happiness. However, little is known about how generativity and happiness are characterized by inquisitiveness. We hypothesize that inquisitiveness is a fundamental determinant for generativity and happiness, empirically examining the relationships along with cognitive, noncognitive and sociodemographic factors. We conduct questionnaire surveys with 400 Japanese subjects, applying quantile regression and structural equation modeling to the data. First, the analysis identifies the importance of inquisitiveness in characterizing generativity in that people with high inquisitiveness tend to be generative. Second, people are identified to be happy as they have high generativity and inquisitiveness, demonstrating two influential roles of inquisitiveness as direct and indirect determinants through a mediator of generativity. Overall, the results suggest that inquisitiveness shall be a key element of people’s happiness through intergenerational and intragenerational communications or relations.

Development and Validation of a Short Measure of Emotional, Physical, and Behavioral Markers of Eustress and Distress (MEDS)

We report the results of three validation studies for a short measure of emotional, physical, and behavioral markers of eustress and distress as they occur when individuals encounter stressful events in academic and organizational settings. Given the importance of the distinction between “positive” and “negative” stress as well as the recent resurgence of research exploring the differences between challenge and hindrance stress and between eustress and distress, it is important to put forward a short, validated scale that evaluates these constructs. Our short measure—the MEDS—therefore has important theoretical as well as practical implications. By showing that the eustress and distress subscales have adequate internal consistency and good construct and criterion validity, we open new avenues for research that extends our knowledge and understanding of the antecedents and consequences of eustress and distress. We also discuss appropriate uses of the scale in educational and organizational settings.

COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for Corporate Sustainability and Society: A Literature Review

The paper revises the ample empirical and theoretical literature on sustainable organizational growth and strategic leadership relating to the critical aspects of the ongoing pandemic, including poverty, social responsibility, public health, and organizational and managerial innovation. Drawing from available COVID-19, management, and sustainable leadership publications released from 2020 to 2021, this paper considers influential studies exploring core business concepts, principles, philosophies, and activities for accelerating, stimulating, and nurturing social and corporate sustainability. The study analyzed the characteristics and interrelation of 133 articles through bibliometric and literature systemization techniques. We shed light on the significant influence COVID-19 has had on financial, operational, and psychological solvency and organizational health to elucidate expectations and implications for businesses worldwide concerning the long-term financial and functional impact of COVID-19. An overview of the relevant studies on the individual, organizational, and external factors relating to novel disease's relation to sustainability are provided. We emphasize the need for digital transformation following the COVID-19 upheaval and throughout the upcoming years. Some of the generally employed techniques in response to adversity entail portfolio diversification, service delivery innovation, product redesigning, new market development, partnering with competitors and/or complementary service providers, synergizing with other stakeholders, and open innovation.

For whom did telework not work during the Pandemic? understanding the factors impacting telework satisfaction in the US using a multiple indicator multiple cause (MIMIC) model

The COVID-19 pandemic required employees and businesses across the world to rapidly transition to work from home over extended periods, reaching what is likely the upper bound of telework in many sectors. Past studies have identified both advantages and disadvantages of teleworking. The pandemic experience offers a unique opportunity to examine employees' experiences and perceptions of telework given the broad participation duration and extent. While employer strategies will play a major role in defining the future forms and adoption of telework, employee preferences and constraints, such as access to appropriate technology to work from home or the home environment, are also going to be important factors. Using data from a U.S. representative sample of 318 working adults, this study uses a Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause Model (MIMIC) to understand employee satisfaction with telework. The presented model links telework satisfaction with experienced and perceived benefits and barriers related to telework, and hence provide a causal structure to our understanding of telework satisfaction. We also present an ordered probit model without latent variables that help us understand the systematic heterogeneity in telework satisfaction across various socio-demographic groups. The results suggest younger and older aged individuals experienced/perceived lower benefits and higher barriers to teleworking compared to middle aged individuals. The results also suggest a disproportionate impact on Hispanic or Latino and Black respondents as well as on those with children attending online school from home. Accordingly, this study highlights important factors impacting telework adoption that employers and policy makers should consider in planning future work arrangements and policies in a post-pandemic world.

Work from home today for a better tomorrow! How working from home influences work‐family conflict and employees' start of the next workday

Drawing on the resource (drain) perspective in work-family spillover theory and conservation of resources theory, the current paper studies the daily consequences of working from home for employees' work-home interface and well-being. We build an intraindividual model that investigates how working from home influences experiences of time pressure, work-family conflict, and work-related employee well-being on a daily basis. A total of 34 professional workers participated in our study and were asked to respond to 10 daily surveys in the morning, afternoon and evening, across two consecutive workweeks. In line with our hypotheses, results indicated that on days when employees worked from home, they experienced less time pressure and, in turn, they reported lower levels of work-family conflict on that particular day. Moreover, we found that experiences of work-family conflict predicted individuals' next morning engagement and exhaustion levels and affective states towards the organization they work for. We recommend organizations to encourage a work-from-home protocol aimed at protecting employee well-being.

Death anxiety, job satisfaction and counterproductive work behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative study of healthcare and non-healthcare professionals

Healthcare professionals are the vanguard of battling the COVID-19 pandemic and they experience major challenges associated with their jobs in the context of this pandemic. We carried out a survey of 253 healthcare professionals and 189 employees working in other domains to explore differences in how they adapted to COVID-19. Our results show that healthcare professionals perceive a higher mortality threat, lower job satisfaction and engage in fewer counterproductive work behaviors compared to respondents from other professions. Building on the tenets of the Terror Management Theory, we show that dispositional differences in death anxiety are the main drivers of perceived mortality threat in relation to COVID-19, yet this positive association is weaker for healthcare professionals, pointing to the engagement of proximal defenses specific to this work domain. Mortality threat mediates the association between death anxiety and job satisfaction only when supervisory support is low, pointing towards the crucial role of social support at work as a buffering mechanism against the deleterious effects of COVID-19 threat. Our paper presents one of the first empirical attempts to compare healthcare professionals with other workers with respect to job satisfaction and counterproductive work behaviors during the pandemic.