Return to Work during the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Study on the Role of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Personal Resources upon the Administrative Staff of Italian Public Universities

First validation of the technical and administrative staff quality of life at work tool (TASQ@work) in academia

Introduction

Based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the present study aimed to validate "The Technical and Administrative Staff Quality of Life At Work" (TASQ@work), a new tool to assess the quality of life at work in academia focused on technical and administrative staff.

Methods

This tool was developed by the QoL@Work research team, a group of expert academics in the field of work and organizational psychology affiliated with the Italian Association of Psychologists. The TASQ@work was elaborated in different steps. The first phase was aimed at the identification of the dimensions of the tool. The second phase was aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the tool. The validation process involved confirmatory analysis and measurement invariance of the various constructs selected. The analyses were performed in a convenience sample of two Italian universities in different regions (one in the Northwest and the second in Central Italy).

Results

The sample was composed of 1820 Administrative Staff, comprising 69.4% from University 1 (N = 1,263) and 30.6% from University 2 (N = 557). The TASQ@work presented satisfactory psychometric properties (normality of the items, reliability and content, construct and nomological validity) and measurement invariance across gender, seniority, and Athenaeum.

Discussion

The results indicate that the tool can be considered a reliable and valid instrument to assess job demands, job resources, and outcomes in the working life of technical and administrative academic staff. In this perspective, the present study represents the first contribution to the debate on the psychosocial risks in academic contexts by presenting a new tool, the TASQ@work, aimed at contextualizing the JD-R model to understand the role played by psychosocial aspects in affecting the well-being of the academic employees.

The great pretenders? Individuals' responses to threats to their remote worker identities

Introduction

This study aims to understand (a) how remote workers respond to threats to their identity and (b) the conditions in which each coping response tends to occur more frequently.

Methods

To this end, we pursued a grounded theory approach, conducting interviews with 71 individuals who chose to work remotely.

Results

Our model and theoretical propositions create insights into how remote workers respond to negative stigma from a range of origins. While some responses lead to restructuring the remote workers' identity (identity restructuring responses), others involve keeping the enactment of such identity (identity-preserving responses) or maintaining a paradoxical relationship between restructuring and preserving the identity (paradoxical identity work responses). We also theorise on the conditions under which each response is more likely to occur.

Discussion

We expand the predominant focus on the meso and macro aspects of this type of work to the micro-interactions in which these individuals engage, thus highlighting how identity is made, performed, created, and enacted, within specific boundary conditions. In addition, by reflecting upon remote workers' identity threats in light of the wider macro context. We also explore the conditions under which specific kinds of responses tend to emerge.

Analysis of influencing factors of job demands of healthcare workers working in mobile cabin hospitals in China

AIM

To explore the job demands of healthcare workers (HCWs) working in mobile cabin hospitals in Shanghai and identify the influencing factors.

DESIGN

The study had a cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Using the convenience sampling method, we selected 1223 HCWs (medical team members) working in these mobile cabin hospitals during April-May 2022. The findings of the general information questionnaire and the hierarchy scale of job demands of HCWs working in mobile cabin hospitals were used for the investigation.

RESULTS

The total score of job demands of the included HCWs was 132.26 ± 9.53; the average score of the items was 4.73 ± 0.34. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the following HCWs had significantly higher job demands: female HCWs and HCWs who received psychological training or intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic, were satisfied with the doctor/nurse-patient relationship, received support from family members/friends/colleagues, believed that the risk of working in mobile cabin hospitals was high, had adapted to the working environment of mobile cabin hospitals and had college/undergraduate level of education. They would benefit from increased social support and better training in terms of psychological coping mechanisms(both theoretical knowledge and applicable skills) and COVID-19 prevention,control and treatment abilities.

Latent class analysis of healthcare workers' perceptions of workers' job demands in mobile cabin hospitals in China

BACKGROUND

Owing to the outbreak of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Shanghai, China, partitioned dynamic closure and control management plans were implemented on March 28, 2022. This created huge emergency pressure on Shanghai's medical and healthcare systems. However, the perceptions of job demands of healthcare workers (HCWs) and classification of frontline HCWs in mobile cabin hospitals are unknown.

METHODS

In this study, we investigated the job demands of 1223 frontline HCWs working in mobile cabin hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic April 2022 to May 2022. We performed latent class analysis to identify classification features of job demands. A binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the influencing factors of latent class.

RESULTS

The total mean job demand score was 132.26 (SD = 9.53), indicating a high level of job demand. A two-class model provided the best fit. The two classes were titled "middle-demand group" (17.66%) and "high-demand group" (82.34%). A regression analysis suggested that female HCWs, HCWs satisfied with the doctor/nurse-patient relationship, HCWs who believed that the risk of working in mobile cabin hospitals was high, and HCWs without physical discomfort during the pandemic were more likely to be in the "high-demand group".

CONCLUSION

Characteristics of the "high-demand group" subtype suggest that attention should be paid to the physical condition of frontline HCWs and the job demands of female HCWs. Managers should strengthen the training of HCWs in terms of their communication skills as well as their knowledge and technical skills to aid epidemic prevention and control.

Administrative professionals' quality of life in educational institutions: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Indicators of administrative professionals' quality of life (QoL) in educational institutions are essential for planning improvements in their daily lives. QoL is a recurring topic in academic research, particularly in the healthcare sector. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the perceptions of administrative professionals in educational institutions regarding their QoL and the implications of remote and in-person work. Additionally, we aim to compare the QoL before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Five electronic databases will be searched for this systematic review: CINAHL, LILACS, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Original, peer-reviewed articles published in any language, without time limitations, will be included in this study. Two researchers will screen the articles and extract the data. The included articles will be evaluated for the quality of their evidence using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and the Downs and Black scale. A third reviewer will resolve any discrepancies.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The systematic review results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a relevant conference. The data will not include individual patient data; therefore, ethical approval is not required.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022365862.

Too much may be a bad thing: the difference between challenge and hindrance job demands

Job demands and employee motivations are studied through a challenging-disruptive needs framework. However, studies on challenging demands show mixed results due to the difference in the level of demand and effect of moderating variables. In this study, based on the Yerkes-Dodson law and conservation of resources theory, the non-linear relationship between challenging demand and work engagement, linear relationship between hindrance demand and work engagement, and moderating effect of stress were verified. A total of 3914 people were surveyed. The results showed that hindrance demand had a negative linear relationship with work engagement. Moreover, challenging demand had a positive effect on work engagement till a certain level, but had an inverted-U relationship with a negative influence thereafter. Stress mindset moderated these relationships and the negative effects of challenging and hindrance demands weakened for a stress-enhancing-mindset. Based on these results, theoretical and practical implications and future research directions were proposed.

The impact of leadership on employee well-being: on-site compared to working from home

BACKGROUND

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the way people work and there are several reasons to believe that working from home will become more common in the future. Yet more knowledge is needed on whether the effectiveness of leadership differs if the work is performed remotely compared to on-site work.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to examine the place of work as a moderator for the effectiveness of leadership on employee well-being.

METHOD

A survey was answered by 364 white-collar workers, employed by a larger Swedish municipality, who because of the covid-19-pandemic were offered to work from home.

RESULTS

The employees working in their regular office perceived having more sufficient work equipment. No other differences were found in the investigated variables. Supportive leadership was associated with all investigated well-being variables in the hypothesised directions. Place of work did not moderate the relationship between Support leadership and the investigated well-being outcomes (Job satisfaction, Stress, General well-being).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that there are few differences between employees working from home or working on-site during the Covid-19 pandemic. The supportive leadership of the closest manager seem to be important for well-being regardless of the worksite.

Perceived Risk of COVID-19 and Employee Decision-Making: How Psychological Distress during the Pandemic Increases Negative Performance Outcomes among Healthcare Workers

In this research, we examined how COVID-19 impacts employee decision-making and performance, knowing that this virus has negatively affected public health, crippled economies, and transformed social and business environments across the globe. To quantitatively test our specific hypotheses regarding the effects of employees’ perceived risk of COVID-19 and psychological distress on negative performance outcomes, we surveyed 443 healthcare workers who were employed by a group of private hospitals in Zimbabwe. These essential workers were delivering day-to-day frontline services with high exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic. We find that employees’ perceived risk of COVID-19 increases their disengagement, turnover intention, burnout, and low morale at a p < 0.05 significance level. These latter relationships are mediated by employees’ psychological distress at a p < 0.05 significance level. Our findings shed light on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the cognitions and behaviors of the frontline workers who are vulnerable to this contagious disease. Turnover intentions are amplified among healthcare employees, due to their perceived risk of COVID-19 and the resulting psychological distress. Similarly, burnout becomes predominant as these workers worry about contracting the coronavirus due to the poor working conditions they face. As such, our research confirms that the pandemic has intensified the precariousness of work and challenge of managing employee performance, especially for frontline healthcare workers.

Safety Management and Wellbeing during COVID-19: A Pilot Study in the Manufactory Sector

Background: The rapid spread of COVID-19 has generated anxiety and concerns among the whole population, by also affecting people’s working life quality. Although several studies underlined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the healthcare sector, very few studies investigated the consequences in the occupational sectors with low risk of contagion. Method: 220 full-time in-presence workers of the manufacturing sector agreed to participate in a study of cross-sectional design during September and October 2020. Data were collected by means of a self-reported questionnaire conceived to investigate the constructs of the COVID-19 concerns, both the personal contribution and the supervisor support to workplace safety, the organizational commitment to safety, and finally, the level of workers’ exhaustion. Results: This study highlights that COVID-19 concerns represent a significant source of stress since it is significantly associated to higher levels of exhaustion among workers. Furthermore, the findings show the relevance of resources related to employee’s personal contribution to safety management as well as the role of climate variables. Conclusions: These results promote knowledge on the role of COVID-19 concerns in affecting psychological wellbeing at work, as well as the impact of both individual and job-related resources that may prevent exhaustion at work. Finally, the present findings also have implications for organizations and the maintenance of their commitment to safety.

Mental Well-Being and Job Satisfaction of Hospital Physicians during COVID-19: Relationships with Efficacy Beliefs, Organizational Support, and Organizational Non-Technical Skills

The COVID-19 outbreak has led worldwide governments to take preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus and its extraordinary demands upon healthcare workers. Consequently, healthcare workers have been under high pressures, putting them at risk of developing adverse outcomes. The present study aims to investigate the psychological and organizational factors that contributed to physicians’ well-being during the pandemic. A total of 78 Italian physicians participated in the study. They completed a self-report questionnaire measuring efficacy beliefs, orientation towards patient engagement, job satisfaction, non-technical skills, organizational support, sense of belonging to the hospital, job satisfaction, and mental well-being. Physicians’ sense of belonging to their hospital, efficacy beliefs about their organizations and communication with patients, as well as non-technical skills related to communication and risk awareness were positively associated with job satisfaction. In addition, the latter and sense of belonging to own hospital were positively associated with mental well-being. These findings may guide policymakers and healthcare organizations managers to consider the potential psychosocial factors related to physicians’ well-being and the required preventive measures that can help in enhancing their human and organizational resources to cope with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.