The Influence of Work-Family Conflict on Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effect of Teleworking Overload

The protective role of resilience and social support against burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on a range of stressors in homes and workplaces. With no sign of ending after one year, burnout was a concern. Resilience has been known to shield against the effects of stress. While often thought of as an individual trait, previous studies have shown social support to improve resilience. The study aimed to examine the extent of burnout in the Singapore population and whether social support and resilience cushioned the impact of COVID-19 related stressors a year into the pandemic.

Methods

Participants were 858 Singapore residents who participated in a larger study between October 2021 and September 2022. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory provided Work-and Personal-related burnout scores. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify demographic variables associated with burnout. Path analysis revealed the associations between COVID-19 stressors, social support, resilience and burnout.

Results

22 and 19% of the sample reported work and personal burnout respectively, with younger adults being more burnt out than older adults. Higher stress was associated with higher burnout and higher social support was associated with lower burnout. Path analysis revealed that the relationship between social support and burnout was partially accounted for by increased resilience.

Conclusion

Managing altered work arrangements, career expectations, and increased responsibilities at home may contribute to greater levels of burnout in the younger adults. Increased employer support and targeted interventions could mitigate the impact of these stressors. The study also highlighted the importance of maintaining social connections even while physically distancing.

Work stress, work-family conflict, and psychological distress among resort employees: a JD-R model and spillover theory perspectives

The hospitality industry is well-known for its challenging and high-pressure work settings. In this context, employees commonly face a multitude of stressors originating from their roles and job responsibilities, which can significantly impact their psychological wellbeing. Hence, based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and the spillover theory, this study aims to empirically explore the direct and indirect effect of work stress (assessed by role overload, ambiguity, and conflict) on psychological distress among frontline employees in 3- and 4-star Egyptian resorts while considering the mediating influence of work-family conflict (WFC). Four hypotheses were put to the test through the application of the PLS-SEM 4.0 version (4.0.9.9). Based on the findings from 563 frontline employees who participated in this research, the study supports the four hypotheses affirming that work-related stressors significantly contributed to employees' psychological distress. Further, the findings highlighted that these stressors significantly spill over into employees' family lives, generating conflicts between work and family roles. In addition, the results emphasized the significance of WFC as a contributing factor to employees' psychological distress. Finally, the study concluded that WFC partially mediates the link between work stress and employees' psychological distress. Based on these findings, some theoretical and practical implications for hospitality scholars, resort management, and policymakers were suggested to enhance the employees' wellbeing and mitigate psychological distress in this vital sector.

The Art of Designing Work: Work/Family Interface as a Mediator in the Relationship between Work Design, Burnout, and Performance

Because of the massive changes experienced within work contexts over the last decades, work design has received renewed attention both from scholars and practitioners interested in carefully balancing job demands with employees' needs, aiming to boost performance. Hence, work design, meant as a strategic human resource management tool to craft job context and content, has been proven to impact on work performance and burnout. However, despite this evidence, the literature clearly explaining the paths through which work design might lead to positive or negative organizational outcomes is still scarce. To address this gap, the present study investigated the contribution of work-family interface aspects (i.e., work-family conflict and work-family enrichment) as mediators in this relationship. The participants were 160 white-collar employees, invited to fill in an online survey encompassing socio-demographical information (e.g., age, gender, education, and professional role) and individual self-report responses on the study variables (i.e., work design, work/family conflict, work/family enrichment, burnout, and work performance). The path analyses were conducted to investigate the direct and indirect relationships among constructs. The results showed that work-family conflict mediated the relationships between some work design characteristics and burnout, whereas work-family enrichment had a mediating role in the paths leading both to burnout and to work performance. The implications for research and practice were discussed with respect to an evidence-based human resource management perspective.

The role of employee assistance programs under COVID-19-induced work-family conflict: Effects on service employees' work engagement and burnout

The COVID-19 pandemic places substantial stress on service employees' work and home lives. Little research has explored the negative effects of perceived stress from COVID-19 on work and home domains in terms of employees' attitudes toward work. We adopt a job demands-resources perspective to examine how perceived stress from COVID-19 affects employees' work (i.e., work engagement and burnout) and home life (i.e., work-family conflict and family-work conflict). In particular, we address whether organizational employee assistance programs can buffer these negative effects. We sampled service employees (n = 248), and results show that perceived stress from COVID-19 increases work engagement and burnout through work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Furthermore, employee assistance programs mean that employees are less likely to experience work-family conflict and family-work conflict when faced with perceived stress from COVID-19. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and propose directions for future research.

Work fatigue during COVID-19 lockdown teleworking: the role of psychosocial, environmental, and social working conditions

Background

During national lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, previously office-based workers who transitioned to home-based teleworking faced additional demands (e.g., childcare, inadequate homeworking spaces) likely resulting in poor work privacy fit. Previous office research suggests poor work privacy fit is associated with lower wellbeing and higher work fatigue. Emerging evidence suggests a relationship between childcare duties during pandemic teleworking and work fatigue. In addition to psychosocial working conditions (job demand, job control, and job change management), which are acknowledged predictors of work fatigue, this poses a significant threat to occupational health during pandemic teleworking. However, the relative effects of aspects of the psychosocial environment (job demands and resources), the home office environment (including privacy fit), and the social environment (childcare) on work fatigue as well as their interactions are under-explored.

Objective

This study examined the relationships between the psychosocial, environmental, and social working conditions of teleworking during the first COVID-19 lockdown and work fatigue. Specifically, the study examined teleworkers' physical work environment (e.g., if and how home office space is shared, crowding, and noise perceptions) as predictors of privacy fit and the relationship between privacy fit, childcare, psychosocial working conditions (job demand, job control, and job change management), and work fatigue. Work privacy fit was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between childcare and work fatigue.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with teleworkers (n = 300) during the first COVID-19 lockdown in April and May 2020; most participants were in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Results

Path analysis was used to examine the hypothesized relationships. Privacy fit was lower for those reporting greater levels of noise in home-working spaces and those feeling crowded at home. Work fatigue was lower amongst those with greater privacy fit and higher amongst those with high levels of job demand. An indirect relationship was observed between childcare and work fatigue with privacy fit mediating this relationship.

Conclusion

The influence of privacy fit has so far been largely neglected in research on teleworking, especially during the pandemic. However, its contribution to workers' wellbeing should be acknowledged in occupational health strategies.

COVID-19 Disruption and Meaningful Work: The Mediating Role of Family–Work Conflict

Work overload and the alteration in family dynamics caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis may be increasing family–work conflict, leading to the consequent decrease in meaningful work. Using the structural equation modeling of covariance, this research determines the impact of the pandemic disruption on meaningful work as mediated through family–work conflict. The sample comes from 534 men and 257 women that are full-time employees of seven public manufacturing companies in Bolivia; they were surveyed by filling out a self-report questionnaire at the companies’ locations. Although no significant direct effects were found between COVID-19 disruption and meaningful work (standardized beta = 0.038, Z = 0.756, p = 0.450), there is an indirect effect when the relationship is measured through the family–work life conflict variable (standardized beta = −0.138, Z = −6.119, p < 0.001). Implications for business management are discussed.

The Role of Family Resilience and Pandemic Burnout on Mental Health: A Two-Wave Study in China

Family resilience refers to the processes through which a family adapts to and bounces back from adversities. Pandemic burnout refers to feeling emotionally exhausted, cynical, and lack of accomplishment during the pandemic and/or toward various preventive polices and measures. This two-wave, region-wide, longitudinal study included 796 adult participants residing in mainland China. Participants completed online surveys at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time 1 (T1) survey was conducted when the number of new infected cases in China stabilized, while Time 2 (T2) was conducted 5 months later when there was a sudden surge of new infected cases. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the interaction and main effects of pandemic burnout and family resilience at T2 showed significant incremental prediction of depression and anxiety at T2, after controlling for demographic as well as individual and family resilience at T1. These results supported the hypotheses that current family resilience functions as a protective factor, whereas pandemic burnout functions as a risk factor of mental health during successive waves of pandemic outbreaks. In particular, family resilience at T2 mitigated the negative impact of high pandemic burnout on anxiety and depression at T2.

Machine-learning prediction of BMI change among doctors and nurses in North China during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major public health concern over the past 3 years, leading to adverse effects on front-line healthcare workers. This study aimed to develop a Body Mass Index (BMI) change prediction model among doctors and nurses in North China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and further identified the predicting effects of lifestyles, sleep quality, work-related conditions, and personality traits on BMI change.

Methods

The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in North China, during May-August 2022. A total of 5,400 doctors and nurses were randomly recruited from 39 COVID-19 designated hospitals and 5,271 participants provided valid responses. Participants' data related to social-demographics, dietary behavior, lifestyle, sleep, personality, and work-related conflicts were collected with questionnaires. Deep Neural Network (DNN) was applied to develop a BMI change prediction model among doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Of participants, only 2,216 (42.0%) individuals kept a stable BMI. Results showed that personality traits, dietary behaviors, lifestyles, sleep quality, burnout, and work-related conditions had effects on the BMI change among doctors and nurses. The prediction model for BMI change was developed with a 33-26-20-1 network framework. The DNN model achieved high prediction efficacy, and values of R ², MAE, MSE, and RMSE for the model were 0.940, 0.027, 0.002, and 0.038, respectively. Among doctors and nurses, the top five predictors in the BMI change prediction model were unbalanced nutritional diet, poor sleep quality, work-family conflict, lack of exercise, and soft drinks consumption.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, BMI change was highly prevalent among doctors and nurses in North China. Machine learning models can provide an automated identification mechanism for the prediction of BMI change. Personality traits, dietary behaviors, lifestyles, sleep quality, burnout, and work-related conditions have contributed to the BMI change prediction. Integrated treatment measures should be taken in the management of weight and BMI by policymakers, hospital administrators, and healthcare workers.

Four serially mediating mechanisms in the relationship between COVID-19 fear and employee performance

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers were forced to work remotely, although having no prior experience, and as a result, they were exposed to new job-related stressors.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the mediating role of job stress, work-family conflict and job satisfaction between fear of COVID-19 and job performance.

METHOD

An online questionnaire was conducted a survey of remote workers in Turkey. Responses were obtained from 351 subjects. Related scales were used to measure work-life balance, job stress, job satisfaction, and employee performance as well as fear of COVID-19. Because all hypothesis constructs can be analyzed simultaneously, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The results showed that fear of COVID-19 affects job stress (p = .001; β= .264). There was a significant relationship between job stress and job satisfaction (p = .001; β= .619). Also, work-family conflict was affected employee job stress (p = .001; β= .516). Job stress had a mediator role fear of COVID-19 on job satisfaction and work-family conflict on job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study provide a useful measurement model that can be used to evaluate and improve job performance and job satisfaction through work stress and work-family conflict in times of crisis such as COVID-19.

How Work-Nonwork Conflict Affects Remote Workers' General Health in China: A Self-Regulation Theory Perspective

Difficulty in balancing the demands of work and nonwork has been shown to be associated with lower physical and psychological health. Grounded on the self-regulation theory, we examined the effect of work-nonwork conflict on general health among employees who transitioned to remote work (remote workers), and we tested whether this association was mediated by impaired self-control capacity. The study further examined the perceived boundary control as a moderator of these associations. We collected two waves of questionnaire data with a one-month interval from 461 remote workers, and the results of regression-based analyses revealed that work-nonwork conflict was negatively related to remote workers' general health through increased self-control capacity impairment. In addition, this indirect effect was weaker for remote workers with higher perceived boundary control than those with lower perceived boundary control. These findings expand our understanding of remote workers' work-nonwork conflict and have practical implications for promoting the general health of remote workers who are experiencing work-nonwork conflict.

The Effects of Role Differentiation Among Clergy: Impact on Pastoral Burnout and Job Satisfaction

The present study investigated the impact of differentiation of self as an emotion regulation strategy on work and family conflict, ministerial job satisfaction, and burnout for pastors. Specifically, does differentiation of self provide a psychological resource for pastors coping with the experience of burnout as emotional exhaustion, given the unique social context of the pastor's family and the role emotional labor has in causing burnout in social service professions? A unique aspect of the pastorate is the pastor's family's social context of living with the congregation. Due to this unique social context, work and family conflict were investigated as predictors of pastoral burnout. A sample of pastors (N = 164) was surveyed to investigate the impact of differentiation and job satisfaction on personal and work-related burnout. Findings suggest that differentiation of self provides a resource against the personal experience of burnout, while ministerial job satisfaction buffers pastors against work-related burnout.

Internal Structure of the Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (WFCQ) in Teacher Teleworking

The interference between family and work roles has led to the development of scales for their measurement. However, instrumental studies of work-family conflict have not been conducted in the context of teacher teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the objectives of this study were set to obtain evidence of the internal structure and fairness of the Blanch and Aluja Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire, as well as its association with job satisfaction and other sociodemographic variables. A total of 235 Peruvian school teachers between the ages of 24 and 72 years (M = 43.79 and SD = 9.67) responded to the scale using the online form. The analysis employed the non-parametric item response theory modeling (Mokken scaling analysis). The structure of two correlated factors was confirmed: work conflict in the family (WCF) and family conflict in the work (FCW). Both dimensions were invariant with respect to sex group and educational level. The association of both dimensions with job satisfaction was theoretically convergent, and the gender of the teachers slightly moderated this relationship. The reliability was adequate for group research. Finally, the instrument can be useful in the organizational context of teachers who telework.

Linking Passion for Work and Emotional Exhaustion in Indonesian Firefighters: The Role of Work-Family Conflict

This study employs a theoretical and comprehensive framework for investigating the relationship between passion for work, work-family conflict, and emotional exhaustion. Drawing from the dualistic model of passion, we posited that passion could provoke negative feelings, leading to strict determination and inhibiting the attainment of an effective, balanced life. However, there is little empirical evidence to support the dualistic model of passion's notion that passion either can assist employees in balancing their various life responsibilities or impede such a balance. The purposes of this study are threefold: first, to investigate the impact of passion for work on work-family conflict; second, to examine the relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion; and third, to clarify the mediating process of work-family conflict in the relationship between passion for work and emotional exhaustion. A cross-sectional survey was employed to gather data from Indonesian firefighters (n = 398). PLS-SEM was utilized to test the proposed hypotheses. Our results revealed that obsessive passion negatively affects emotional exhaustion. The underlying reason for this result is due to self-conceptions based on community expectations, receiving help from others to solve problems, and improving well-being even when problems arise. Our results suggest that organizations encourage employees' harmonious development, providing employees with skills necessary to deal with challenging situations and providing a family-supportive policy.

A Comparison of Working Conditions and Workers' Perceptions among On-Site, Telework, and Hybrid Workers in Ecuador during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to adopt different work modalities to ensure their operation during this period. In this study, we described and compared working conditions and perceptions among face-to-face workers, teleworkers, and hybrid workers in Ecuador. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 542 participants, using a self-report survey to assess sociodemographic data, working conditions, and workers' perceptions. Variables were described and then compared by the Chi-square test, ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The results indicated a higher proportion of on-site workers without higher education and in the public sector compared to the other modalities. At the same time, there was evidence of increased perceived productivity. People in the hybrid modality tended to have more than one job, earning a higher monthly salary, perceiving a decrease in productivity, an increase in daily working hours, and a lower capacity for time management. In addition, most teleworkers reported fair working conditions, a dedicated workspace, and easy adaptation to this work mode. This study builds a more in-depth understanding of how workers perceived their working conditions among work modalities for organizational decision-making because the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is modifying the ways of working permanently.

Work schedule flexibility and teleworking were not good together during COVID-19 when testing their effects on work overload and mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven organizations to implement various flexible work arrangements. Due to a lack of longitudinal studies, there is currently no consensus in specialized literature regarding the consequences of flexible work arrangements on employee mental health, as well any long term potential impacts. Using the Job Demand-Resource Model, this study documents consequences of the implementation of two types of flexible work arrangement: work schedule flexibility and teleworking on employee mental health over time, and the mediating role played by work overload during the accelerated implementation of flexible work arrangements in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a longitudinal design and probabilistic sampling, 209 workers participated in this study, twice answering a flexible work arrangement and mental health questionnaire during the pandemic. Findings of this moderated-mediation suggest that work schedule flexibility generates positive effects on mental health over time due to decreased work overload, but only for employees not working from home. These results offer theoretical and practical implications applicable to organizations considering implementation of flexible work arrangements, particularly with regard to how these flexible practices could support a balance between demand and resources, their impact on work overload, and employee mental health over time.

A Telecommuting Experience Service Design Decision Model Based on BP Neural Network

Introduction

The telecommuting experience and job performance have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and job performance stability of telecommuting employees has become a critical concern.

Objective

A decision model for telecommuting experience service design was constructed based on a backpropagation (BP) neural network to provide a theoretical basis for enterprises to evaluate telework performance and the psychological health of employees.

Methods

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to determine the core stakeholders. The grey relational analysis (GRA) method and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scale were used to measure the factors affecting employees' telecommuting experience and job performance. A BP neural network relationship model of employees' telecommuting experience was established to predict its impact on employees' job performance.

Results

Based on the model prediction results, a service system map was created, and the potential to enhance the telework performance of employees was evaluated.

Discussion

It was concluded that the factors affecting the telecommuting experience were diverse, but emotions had the dominant influence. Significant positive correlations were found between emotional impact and temporal perception, execution difficulty, and communication barriers.

Conclusion

The proposed decision model for telecommuting experience service design accurately predicted the impact of telecommuting efficiency, providing an effective approach for innovative remote management.

Associations of Work-Family Conflict with Family-Specific, Work-Specific, and Well-Being-Related Variables in a Sample of Polish and Ukrainian Adults during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

The conflict between work and family demands increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in lifestyle related to the lockdown. This study examines the associations between work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) with work-specific, family-specific, and well-being-related variables during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results may be used in practice to improve the well-being of employees by adjusting home-based work and family areas of life to dynamic changes during the pandemic. The sample of 736 adults from Poland (53.26%) and Ukraine (46.74%), aged between 19 and 72 (M = 39.40; SD = 10.80), participated in the study. The cross-sectional study was performed using an online survey, including sociodemographic variables, measures of WFC, time pressure, remote work assessment (RWAS), physical health (GSRH), life satisfaction (SWLS), perceived stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). This study showed numerous inter-group differences in all variables across the country, gender, relationship status, parenthood, caring for children under 12, and remote working status. A high WFC is more likely among Polish workers (than Ukrainian workers), people with a low level of self-perceived time pressure, and high symptoms of stress. Caring for children under 12, low self-perceived time pressure, and high stress can predict FWC. Various paths lead from perceived stress via WFC and FWC, physical health, anxiety, and depression to life satisfaction, as suggested by the structural equation modeling analysis. Parents of children under 12 and women are the most vulnerable groups for increased WFC, FWC, and worse mental health and well-being. Prevention programs should focus on reducing stress, anxiety, and work demands in these adult populations. A unique contribution to the existing knowledge revealed patterns of associations between WFC and FWC in relation to well-being dimensions in a cross-cultural context during the pandemic.

Job Motivation, Burnout and Turnover Intention during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are There Differences between Female and Male Workers?

The working conditions during COVID-19 highlight the relevance of workers and their occupational health and well-being. The pandemic has caused adverse effects on workers and sharpened social and economic problems, such as a gender gap. In this study, with a multisector sample of 1044 Ecuadorian workers, we present a gender analysis where we evaluate how burnout can mediate the relationship between motivation and workers' intention to leave their jobs in the COVID-19 context. To test the proposed hypothesis, structural equation model (SEM) was used. In the proposed conceptual model, turnover intention was considered as the dependent variable, the two dimensions of motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) were the independent variables and burnout was tested as a mediating variable. Consistent with pre-COVID-19 research, our findings confirm the incidence of job motivation on burnout and turnover intention. Additionally, through Sobel's criteria, we determine that burnout has a mediating effect between job motivation and turnover intention. In terms of gender, we find different results for female and male workers through critical ratios. Our study indicates that female and male workers' burnout and turnover intentions levels are different when intrinsic motivation is present. In contrast to pre-COVID-19 studies that indicated no gender differences on these variables, we associate these results to gender roles in lockdown conditions during the pandemic.

The work-family interface and the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

In an unprecedented fashion, COVID-19 has impacted the work-family interface since March 2020. As one of the COVID-19 pandemic consequences, remote work became widely adopted. Furthermore, it is expected that other pandemics will occur in the future. Hence, this context represents a chance to gain deeper insight into telecommuters' work and family spheres. Following PRISMA guidelines, the present narrative review aims to synthesise the COVID-19 impact on the work-family interface. Out of 121 screened references, 32 articles that measure at least one of the following variables-work-family conflict (25), work-family enrichment (3), work-family balance (8), and boundary management (21) were included. A thematic analysis using NVIVO12 was conducted, from which eight topics emerged: "paid workload, unpaid workload, and gender"; "well-being and gender"; "job resources, job demands, and gender"; "couples and gender"; "parenting and gender"; "occurrence of work-family enrichment with work-family conflict and gender"; "enforced blurred boundaries, its management, and gender"; "boundary management impact on work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, and work-family balance." Overall, studies point out that COVID-19 had a complex effect on both work-family conflict and work-family balance, making it difficult to state whether these variables were mitigated or augmented. Findings demonstrated that COVID-19 produced little changes in work-family enrichment. As for the COVID-19 impact on work-family boundary management, individuals had to create new tactics to manage them due to the absence of boundaries between both systems. Besides, due to traditional gendered roles, the COVID-19 health crisis seems to have brought additional hurdles to couples and women.

Systematic Review Registration

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021278254], identifier [CRD42021278254].

COVID-19 Fear, Health Behaviors, and Subjective Health Status of Call Center Workers

Background: Fear may be critical in explaining individual and social behaviors. This study investigates the association between COVID-19 fear and health behavior and subjective health status changes of call center workers in the COVID-19 era. Methods: This cross-sectional study uses an online survey with 339 call center workers. We measured COVID-19 fear, health behaviors, and subjective health, and analyzed with the Macnemar or paired t-test, ANOVA or χ² test, Scheffe’s test, and multiple linear regression. Results: COVID-19 fear was associated with poor stress management, shorter sleep hours, and binge eating. Moreover, COVID-19 fear and time pressure at work were negatively associated with subjective health status. Conclusion: Strengthening the support system for call center workers to manage the COVID-19 fear might be essential. Moreover, there is a need to improve dense environments and reduce time pressure by ensuring adequate rest time and increasing physical activity.

Work Engagement, Work Environment, and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ecuador

Work environments can interfere with the mental health of workers as generators or reducers of psychological distress. Work engagement is a concept related to quality of life and efficiency at work. The aim of this study was to find the relationship between work environment factors and work engagement among the Ecuadorian general population during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess their levels of psychological distress. For this purpose, a cross-sectional, descriptive study using a set of questionnaires was performed. Sociodemographic and work environment data, work engagement (UWES-9 scale) scores, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) scores were collected. The variables that predicted 70.2% of psychological distress during the first phase of the pandemic were being female, with a low level of vigour (work engagement dimension), being stressed at work, and low job satisfaction. The sample showed an intermediate level of engagement in both the global assessment and the three dimensions, being higher in those without psychological distress. With effective actions on work environment factors, mental health effects may be efficiently prevented, and work engagement may be benefited. Companies can reduce workers’ psychological distress by providing safe and effective means to prevent the risk of contagion; reducing the levels of work conflict, work stress, or workload; and supporting their employees with psychological measures in order to maintain ideal working conditions.

The Impact of Hospitality Work Environment on Employees' Turnover Intentions During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Work-Family Conflict

Employees' turnover intentions and work-family conflict as a result of the hospitality work environment are considered the major global challenges confronted by hospitality organizations, especially in the era of COVID-19. This study aims at identifying the impact of the hospitality work environment on work-family conflict (WFC), as well as turnover intentions and examining the potential mediating role of WFC in the relationship between work environment and turnover intentions, during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of three- and four-star resorts in Egypt. A total of 413 resorts employees from Egyptian destinations (Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada) participated in the study. The findings of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed that the hospitality work environment significantly and positively affects employees' turnover intentions and WFC. In the context of the mediating role of WFC, results illustrated that WFC significantly partially mediates the relationship between the hospitality work environment and turnover intentions. Upon these findings, the study suggests that to prevent WFC and eliminate turnover intentions among resorts' employees, an urgent need to create a better work environment is vitally important. limitations and future research directions have been discussed.

Work From Home or Bring Home the Work? Burnout and Procrastination in Brazilian Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To investigate burnout and procrastination in a sample of Brazilian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic according to their current work mode.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from an online survey conducted in 2020: 435 workers were included. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the Irrational Procrastination Scale were used to access burnout and procrastination respectively.

RESULTS

There was no difference between workers working from home (WFH) and at face-to-face work regarding burnout symptoms. However, the WFH group had higher levels of procrastination. Clinically significant levels of burnout were associated with being female, increased childcare load and living with children under 12years old.

CONCLUSIONS

WFH may have more advantages than disadvantages in ideal conditions. However, work-life imbalances seem to be a key aspect regarding distress among workers WFH, especially in women with small children.

The Role of Self-Efficacy, Work-Related Autonomy and Work-Family Conflict on Employee's Stress Level during Home-Based Remote Work in Germany

Home-based remote work becomes increasingly popular. The facets of remote work, especially working from home, are multifaceted and can become stressors that affect a person’s health. At the same time, self-efficacy is an important personal resource to deal with health-related stressors. The objective of this study is therefore to explore the relationship between self-efficacy (SE), work-related stress (WRS), health outcomes (health and anxiety), contributing factors (autonomy and experience) and work-family conflict (WFC) in a remote work setting. Using a PLS-model (partial least square) with a sample of n = 5163 responses, we found that SE significantly reduces WRS (β = −0.164; p < 0.001). Moreover, WFC increases WRS and anxiety, while SE reduces WFC and mediates health outcomes (anxiety: β = −0.065; p < 0.001; health: β = −0.048; p < 0.001). At the same time, autonomy (β = 0.260; p < 0.001) and experience (β = 0.215; p < 0.001) increase SE. Our results have high practical implications for employers and employees, underlining the importance of self-efficacy as a personal resource to buffer WRS and WFC while promoting overall health at the same time.

Influencing factors of burnout and its dimensions among mental health workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Aim

To examine the demographic and work characteristics of mental health workers associated with burnout during the COVID‐19 epidemic and to examine the relationship between burnout and humanistic care ability.

Design

Online cross‐sectional design.

Methods

270 mental health workers in Chongqing, China, were recruited via WeChat from 1 to 31 December 2020. Online self‐administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed by t‐tests and one‐way analyses of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, mental health workers had a high prevalence of burnout and a low level of humanistic care ability. Work factors including profession, work shift, work pressure, work‐family conflict, practice environment satisfaction, salary satisfaction, and humanistic care ability were significantly associated with burnout and its subdimension.

Returning to Work after the COVID-19 Pandemic Earthquake: A Systematic Review

Background: The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has disrupted life and work habits and has produced landmark changes worldwide. This systematic review aimed to analyse the management of Return to Work (RTW) by work organisations following the virus spread. Methods: A selection of 2477 papers, using string research on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus from January 2020 to October 2021, were analysed. Results: Fifty-one articles were finally included, and the results obtained were discussed from three different points of view. Twenty articles concerning ‘Remodelling of Work Organization’ proposed some model strategies for resumption to work. Twenty-one papers, including ‘Clinical Evaluation of Workers’, mostly explored the psychosocial impact of returned workers. Finally, twelve articles explored the best ‘Testing Strategies related to RTW’. Despite the heterogeneity of included articles, several interesting approaches have emerged in managing RTW. Conclusions: The reported experiences could help to develop an RTW model for COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Telework and Face-to-Face Work during COVID-19 Confinement: The Predictive Factors of Work-Related Stress from a Holistic Point of View

This article explores the socio-labor conditions in which people worked during confinement, analyzing the predictors of work-related stress, according to work modality (face-to-face or teleworking), from a holistic and quantitative (n = 328) point of view. To identify predictors of stress, correlational analyses and multiple hierarchical regressions were conducted with individual, organizational, and societal variables. Furthermore, to analyze the possible modulating role of gender, caregiving, and the level of responsibility in organizations in the relationship between predictor variables and work stress, the macro process of Hayes was used. Our results show that work-family conflict and ruminative thoughts predict stress in both modalities. In teleworking modality, the hours dedicated to work predicted stress, and in face-to-face modality, safety measures and perceived economic threat (tendentially). Being in charge of persons moderated the relationship between ruminative thoughts and economic threat, and stress in face-to-face. Results are discussed by identifying good practices that can improve workplace risk prevention strategies.

COVID-19 and Stressful Adjustment to Work: A Long-Term Prospective Study About Homeworking for Bank Employees in Italy

The COVID-19 evolution has forced the massive introduction of homeworking (HW) for most employees in the initial stages of the pandemic and then return to work, mainly due to the vaccination campaign. These multiple abrupt adjustment demands in work may be a source of intense stress for office workers with consequences on wellbeing and the quality of life. This long-term prospective study aimed at investigating the effect of adaptation demands on a broad population of employees of a large Italian banking group in the job-related stress framework. We administered a web-based survey to 1,264 participants in Reopening after the first lockdown, from June to October 2020, at 841 subjects in Second Wave, corresponding to the rise of contagions from November 2020 to January 2021, and to 491 individuals in Vaccination Round, which ranged from February to June 2021. We assessed workaholism by using the Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS-10), work-family conflicting overlap by using the Work and Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS), and concern for back to work (BW) and for HW by specific questions. Higher WAFCS scores characterized Reopening and Vaccination Round while Second Wave had the highest level of concern for HW. Women and younger individuals showed the highest concern for BW, WAFCS, and DUWAS-10 scores regardless of the pandemic stage. HW days per week were related to more heightened concern for BW and lower concern for HW, DUWAS, and WAFCS scores. The number of children was related to lower Concern for BW and higher WAFCS scores in Reopening and Second Wave. Our data showed that massive adjustment demands in work and family routine represented a significant source of stress for employees, regardless of the different pandemic stages. The highest level of fatigue emerged in women and younger subjects. These results shed light on the need for a road map to promote a gradual and structured adjustment for workers and encourage organizations to consider homeworking as a valid stable alternative.

Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement

A growing body of empirical evidence shows that occupational health is now more relevant than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This review focuses on burnout, an occupational phenomenon that results from chronic stress in the workplace. After analyzing how burnout occurs and its different dimensions, the following aspects are discussed: (1) Description of the factors that can trigger burnout and the individual factors that have been proposed to modulate it, (2) identification of the effects that burnout generates at both individual and organizational levels, (3) presentation of the main actions that can be used to prevent and/or reduce burnout, and (4) recapitulation of the main tools that have been developed so far to measure burnout, both from a generic perspective or applied to specific occupations. Furthermore, this review summarizes the main contributions of the papers that comprise the Special Issue on "Occupational Stress and Health: Psychological Burden and Burnout", which represent an advance in the theoretical and practical understanding of burnout.