Move the night way: how can physical activity facilitate adaptation to shift work?

Shift work, involving night work, leads to impaired sleep, cognition, health and wellbeing, and an increased risk of occupational incidents. Current countermeasures include circadian adaptation to phase shift circadian biomarkers. However, evidence of real-world circadian adaptation is found primarily in occupations where light exposure is readily controlled. Despite this, non-photic adaptation to shift work remains under researched. Other markers of shift work adaptation exist (e.g., improvements in cognition and wellbeing outcomes) but are relatively unexplored. Timeframes for shift work adaptation involve changes which occur over a block of shifts, or over a shift working career. We propose an additional shift work adaptation timeframe exists which encompasses acute within shift changes in markers of adaptation. We also propose that physical activity might be an accessible and cost-effective countermeasure that could influence multiple markers of adaptation across three timeframes (Within Shift, Within Block, Within Work-span). Finally, practical considerations for shift workers, shift work industries and future research are identified.

Work conflict: Another trigger to smartphone addiction of individuals with high rumination?

With the widespread use of smartphones, many people spend much time on smartphones for shopping, learning, socializing, and so on, which can affect an individual's mental health and work performance. Especially, individual perceived conflict at work may increase their social anxiety and thus raise the risk of their smartphone addiction. This study collected data from 577 corporate employees in China through convenience sampling to explain the influence mechanism of work conflict on smartphone addiction and to verify the moderating role of rumination. Statistical results show that relationship conflicts, task conflicts, and process conflicts positively affect smartphone addiction by enhancing social anxiety. Moreover, rumination positively moderates the relationship between work conflict and smartphone addiction. People with high rumination are more likely to escape reality due to conflict at work, which further enhances their smartphone addiction behaviors. Our study suggests that a relatively harmonious working atmosphere should be established within organizations, especially for employees with rumination. Work conflict is a predisposing factor for social anxiety and smartphone addiction in individuals with high rumination.

The impact of role conflict on turnover intention among faculty members: A moderated mediation model of emotional exhaustion and workplace relational conflict

This study examines the impact of emotional exhaustion on faculty role conflict as a source of stress that leads to turnover intention, which is considered to be an undesirable organizational behavior. Drawing on conservation of resources and job-demand theories, the study investigates the moderating effect of workplace relational conflict on the relationships between role conflict among faculty members and both emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 321 faculty members employed in 58 Saudi universities and institutions of higher education. Structural equation modeling revealed that emotional exhaustion mediates the significant positive relationship between faculty members' role conflict and their turnover intention and that these mediating effects are enhanced by the moderating effect of workplace relational conflict on the significant positive relationship between emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Unexpectedly, the moderating effect of workplace relational conflict on the relationship between role conflict and emotional exhaustion was not supported by the results. The study concludes by highlighting several theoretical and practical implications and providing suggestions for future research.