Investigating the employment motivation, job satisfaction, and dissatisfaction of international high school teachers in China: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

International education has become increasingly challenging to manage in an unpredictable world beset by pandemics, regional disputes, and evolving market practices. The last few decades have seen a huge demand for international education in China, and numerous acclaimed international brand names set up operations in China's K12 schooling sector. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exerted a noticeably negative impact on international high schools and their staff in China, and exacerbated a difficult period of management for these institutions. Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the actual operation of these educational workplaces remains under investigated in academic studies. This paper therefore attempts to examine international high schools in China by focusing on their teachers and their associated employment motivation, job satisfaction, and dissatisfaction which has been perceptibly influenced by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a qualitative, case-study approach which adopted semi-structured interviews, an acclaimed British high school, now closed, was investigated. The study found that international high school teachers were driven by diverse work motives such as the school's reputation, values, salary, environment, and chances for career development. Their job satisfaction was also multi-faceted, and their dissatisfaction in certain areas concerning. That is, they derived an early satisfaction from a range of facets, such as the students, class sizes, initial workloads, autonomy and collegiality. However, these early feelings were replaced by a sense of dissatisfaction and noticeable unhappiness resulting from leadership changes and subsequent management practices, increased workload, unmet employment package expectations and obligations, as well as limited professional development opportunities. This study highlights the importance of recruiting well, generating the right starting and longer-term conditions, retaining key staff and managing astutely. The work will be of interest to policy makers, investors, leaders, managers and staff alike. It will also extend educational research in the areas of teacher motivation, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and in particular in China in international K12 settings.

Mapping the family incivility, dissatisfaction and organizational support after the COVID-19 outbreak

BACKGROUND

Stress is a pivotal aspect of organizational psychology. Although an individual's attitude and behaviour at work have received greater investigation, scant attention has been given to family-related dynamics and their impact on work.

OBJECTIVE

This study contributes to understanding work-family dynamics by investigating the connection between family incivility and job dissatisfaction during the pandemic. Based on the conservation of resources theory, the research explores the potential moderating role of perceived organizational support.

METHODS

The investigation uses structural equation modelling (SEM) for data analysis while controlling for age, gender, and experience. Data has been collected with an adapted scale and time-lag technique in which the first wave encompassed independent variables and demographics. The second wave gathered moderator and dependent variables through a non-probability sampling of IT employees.

RESULTS

Findings reveal a significant positive link between family incivility and job dissatisfaction, implying higher family incivility is linked to increased job dissatisfaction. Moreover, the study indicates that organizational support can mitigate the negative impact of family incivility on job dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION

This research underscores the pivotal role of organizational support in enhancing employee job outcomes. Hence, organizations should prioritize employee well-being, recognizing it as an integral aspect of their functioning.

"The Stigma is what you do": Examining the Relationship Between Occupational Stigma and Worker Outcomes in the Aged Care Context

Negative social evaluations about aged-care work continue to discredit those who perform this type of work. Drawing on 'dirty work' literature from the field of management and stigma theory from the field of psychology, this study examines occupational stigma in the context of aged-care work and its relationship with negative outcomes for people who work in aged care. Findings from a path analysis revealed that aged-care workers (n = 185) who ascribe occupational taints and poor occupational conditions with aged-care work perceive aged-care work as being stigmatized, and in turn, are more likely to internalize this stigma. Through this process of perceiving and internalizing occupational stigma, aged-care workers experience greater psychological distress, job dissatisfaction, and turnover intentions. This research fills a void within the gerontology literature regarding the psychological processes underlying how occupational stigma may come to negatively impact this workforce. Findings offer practical implications for policy reform and managerial training.

Job Dissatisfaction and Its Predictors among Healthcare Workers of 'Type 2 Health Clinics' in North-Eastern Malaysia

It is crucial to comprehend factors associated to job dissatisfaction among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Malaysia’s primary health clinics, especially those working in ‘Type 2 Health Clinics’ which cater for populations of >50,000 and a daily average number of patients between 500 and 800. It is essential to ensure that effective strategies can be proposed to promote job satisfaction. A total of 314 HCWs from ‘Type 2 Health Clinics’ in north-eastern Malaysia consented to participate in this cross-sectional study, conducted between October 2020 and December 2021. The Job Satisfaction Survey was used to assess job dissatisfaction. The prevalence of job dissatisfaction was 35.7%. The significant factors associated with job dissatisfaction were younger age and those who were dissatisfied with their yearly performance mark. Targeted interventional activities for young HCWs and for those who are dissatisfied with their yearly performance mark are recommended to improve job satisfaction.

Factors related to Japanese nurses' desire to quit their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related to Japanese nurses' desire to quit their jobs during the Omicron wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We distributed an original, self-administered questionnaire to nurses at 3 facilities that accepted patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Of the 625 nurses, 152 responded (24.3%); after excluding 3 men to rule out the effects of sex, responses for 81 (53.3%) nurses were analyzed. In total, 49 (60.5%) nurses expressed a desire to quit their current job. After controlling for the effects of age and years of experience, factors related to the desire to quit the current job included having fewer than 2 years of experience (odds ratio [OR] 9.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69-48.87), feeling anxiety at work (OR 4.59, 95% CI 1.01-20.81), being afraid to go to work (OR 4.10, 95% CI 1.20-21.69), and experiencing difficulty talking to people (OR 10.26, 95% CI 1.48-70.99). Nurse managers should regularly screen nurses who have fewer than 2 years of experience, feel anxiety at work, are afraid to go to work, and find it difficult to talk to people. Early action may prevent the turnover of nurses during a public health emergency.

Intensive care nurse staffing and nurse outcomes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Intensive care units (ICU) are associated with significant work stress and exert continuous physical and emotional demand upon health care providers. The health and well-being of care providers, including ICU nurses, is a matter of great concern. However, to the researcher's knowledge, there have been no reviews synthesizing the evidence about the relationship between nurse staffing and nurse outcomes in the ICU.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine nurse staffing in the ICU and synthesize literature to examine the relationship with nurse outcomes such as job satisfaction, burnout, fatigue, and intent to leave.

METHODS

This review was reported based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Peer-reviewed articles published between January 2000 and September 2019 were identified via eight electronic bibliographic databases. Articles were included and reviewed if they were correlational studies examining the relationships between nurse staffing and nurse outcomes in the ICU, and were published in peer-reviewed journals written in either English or Korean. The Quality Assessment and Validity Tool for Correlation Studies was used for quality appraisal.

RESULTS

From 5086 articles, eight published between 2006 and 2019 were included in this review. Three studies found expected relationships between worse nurse staffing and adverse nurse outcomes (high burnout, fatigue state, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and stress). However, the relationships between nurse staffing and other adverse nurse outcomes were not significant. Perceived adequate staffing was negatively related to adverse nurse outcomes. However, a non-significant relationship also was found.

CONCLUSION

This study found limited evidence on relationships between nurse staffing and nurse outcomes in the ICU. More studies are needed to conduct to find a conclusive relationship.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Given high demands and workload in the ICU, nurse staffing levels should be closely monitored to prevent adverse nurse outcomes.

Role ambiguity as an amplifier of the association between job stressors and workers' psychological ill-being: Evidence from an occupational survey in Japan

OBJECTIVES

We aim to examine the extent to which role ambiguity modifies the association between job stressors and workers' psychological ill-being.

METHODS

We used data from 41 962 observations from 13 811 individuals (10 269 males and 3542 females) who participated in three to eight waves of an occupational survey conducted in Japan. We estimated fixed-effects models to explain psychological distress (defined by Kessler 6 score ≥13) by role ambiguity. Four types of job stressors (i.e., high job demands, low job control, high effort, and low reward), and their interactions were examined along with potential confounders. We repeated a similar analysis for job dissatisfaction.

RESULTS

The fixed-effects models showed that role ambiguity as well as the four job stressors were positively associated with psychological distress, albeit somewhat more modestly than the results of the pooled cross-sectional models. More notably, we found that role ambiguity substantially amplified the association between job stressors and psychological distress; for example, a combination of high job demands and high role ambiguity added to the risk of psychological distress by 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5%-4.5%), compared with 1.4% (95% CI: 0.4%-2.3%) for a combination of high job demands and low role ambiguity. In contrast, we did not find a modifying effect of role ambiguity on the association between low job control and psychological distress. Similar results were observed for job dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The results underscore the importance of reducing role ambiguity to mitigate the adverse impact of job stressors on workers' psychological ill-being.

Burnout in nurses working in China: A national questionnaire survey

AIM

This study aimed to assess the overall status of burnout in nurses in China on a national scale and investigate the demographic characteristics related to burnout and the relationships between demographics, job satisfaction and burnout.

METHODS

This was a national cross-sectional study conducted by the Chinese Nursing Association between July 2016 and July 2017. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 51 406 registered nurses in 311 Chinese cities completed the questionnaire. Fifty per cent of the participants suffered burnout, and 33.8% of nurses had high scores on emotional exhaustion, 66.6% had high scores on depersonalization and 93.5% had low scores on personal accomplishment; 16.2% reported a high level of job satisfaction, only 0.4% was satisfied with their jobs and 70.7% intended to leave their jobs. Marital status, educational level, income and years of working experience affected job burnout. Nurses with a high level of burnout were more likely to have a high degree of job dissatisfaction and intend to leave their jobs.

CONCLUSION

We found a high prevalence of burnout among nurses in China. Nursing managers need to pay more attention to job burnout and its influencing factors. Interventions to reduce nurse burnout should be implemented.

Employees' perceptions of their own and their supervisor's emotion recognition skills moderate emotional demands on psychological strain

This research builds on prior studies showing the role of employee emotion recognition in the stress process to be mixed and conflicting. As such, it was proposed that the extent to which employees' emotion recognition skills buffer or exacerbate emotional demands depends on the extent to which employees believe their supervisor also is skilled in emotion recognition. Two samples of Australian employees completed cross-sectional questionnaires. Sample 1 consisted of 149 employees in a medical research institution, and Sample 2 consisted of 161 government employees in an equipment supplies and logistics service. A three-way interaction among emotional demands, employee emotion recognition, and perceived supervisor emotion recognition was found on psychological strain in both samples and on job dissatisfaction in Sample 1. As predicted, when employee emotion recognition was high, those who perceived their supervisor to be high in emotion recognition were buffered from emotional demands. In contrast, stress-exacerbating effects were found when employees were high in emotion recognition, but supervisors were perceived to be low in emotion recognition. Overall, these results highlight the importance of emotion recognition in the stress process, and that the same skill set needs to be perceived in one's supervisor, an interpersonal resource, for this intrapersonal resource to be adaptive for employees.

Patient-Nurse Ratio is Related to Nurses' Intention to Leave Their Job through Mediating Factors of Burnout and Job Dissatisfaction

In healthcare settings, nurses’ workload, burnout, and job satisfaction are associated to the patient–nurse ratio. Whether this ratio also affects their intention to leave the nursing profession, along with the underlying stress pathway, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the patient–nurse ratio on nurses’ intention to leave and considering the mediating roles of burnout and job dissatisfaction. The study analyzed the data of two pooled cross-sectional surveys collected in 2013 and 2014. Measures were obtained by a structure questionnaire, which queried the average daily patient–nurse ratio (ADPNR), nurses’ personal burnout, client-related burnout, job dissatisfaction, intention to leave, and other demographics. ADPNRs were standardized according to hospital levels. Multiple regression models examined mediation hypotheses, and a percentile bootstrap confidence interval was applied to determine the significance of indirect effects. A total of 1409 full-time registered nurses in medical and surgical wards of 24 secondary or tertiary hospitals in Taiwan completed self-administered questionnaires. Most of the participants were female (97.2%), and the mean age was 29.9 years. The association between the standardized ADPNR and intention to leave their job was significantly mediated by personal burnout, client-related burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Higher standardized ADPNRs predicted higher levels of personal burnout, client-related burnout, and job dissatisfaction, each of which resulted in higher levels of intention to leave the current job. The results highlight that appropriate patient–nurse ratio standards may be further discussed by selecting personal burnout, client-related burnout, and job dissatisfaction as indicators.

Practice Organization Characteristics Related to Job Satisfaction Among General Practitioners in 11 Countries

PURPOSE

The consequences of job dissatisfaction among general practitioners (GPs) are well known; both GPs and policy makers should be interested in a better understanding of its determinants. This study aimed to investigate whether the organizational and functional features of GPs' practices were associated with job dissatisfaction in 11 countries.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2015 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians, (n = 12,049). Job dissatisfaction was measured on a 4-point Likert scale using the question: "How satisfied are you regarding your practicing of medicine?" Numerous practice organization characteristics were considered using a multilevel, mixed-effects, ordered logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Prevalence of dissatisfaction at work varied from 8.1% in Norway to 37.4% in Germany. Dissatisfaction was higher among middle-aged (aged 45-54 years) GPs (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.32 [1.17-1.49]), those practicing in urban areas (AOR = 1.12 [1.03-1.22]), and those working alone. It was associated with a high weekly workloads (AOR = 1.26 [1.12-1.42] if >50 hours), heavy administrative burdens (OR = 1.55 [1.37-1.73]), long delays in hospital discharge notices (AOR = 1.82 [1.52-2.19] if >1 month), and limited possibilities of offering same-day appointments (AOR = 1.83 [1.34-2.50]). Using electronic health records (OR = 0.82 [0.68-0.98]) and having an in-practice case manager (AOR = 0.84 [0.75-0.95]) were associated with lower dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Heavy workloads are clearly associated with job dissatisfaction among GPs. Organizational changes such as group practices, employing case managers, and using electronic health records could potentially reduce this burden. Workloads could also be relieved by diversifying GPs' activities. All health care providers should strive to improve the circulation of information.

Push and pull factors of nurses' intention to leave

AIM

To expand knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses' intention to leave their job and consequently to turnover.

BACKGROUND

Nurse turnover is costly and negatively influences quality of care. Understanding the association between intention to leave and modifiable features of hospital organisation may inform strategies to reduce turnover.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 3,667 medical and surgical nurses was conducted in Italy. Measures included intention to leave; work environment; burnout; job satisfaction; and missed care using the RN4CAST instruments. Descriptive, logistic regression analysis was used.

RESULTS

Due to job dissatisfaction, 35.5% of the nurses intended to leave their current job, and of these, 33.1%, the nursing profession. Push factors included the following: understaffing, emotional exhaustion, poor patient safety, performing non-nursing care and being male. Pull factors included the following: positive perception of quality and safety of care, and performing core nursing activities.

CONCLUSION

The present study expands knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses' intention to leave their job and consequently to turnover, which is one of today's major issues contributing to the shortage of nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurses' intention to leave their job is the consequence of a poor work environment, characterized by factors such as understaffing and performance of non-nursing activities.

Assessment of Burnout and its Factors Among Doctors Using the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory

Background Occupational burnout is an unwanted outcome of chronic workplace stressors which may be emotional or interpersonal. Chronic exposure to human suffering and long working hours have contributed to greater job stress and early burnout among healthcare providers. This study utilized the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory (aMBI) to gauge the extent of overall burnout and on three subscales - perspective taking, compassionate care, and walking in patients' shoes - among interns, postgraduate trainees, and physicians of internal medicine. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study, 71 internal medicine doctors - 40 interns, 22 postgraduate trainees, and nine physicians - completed aMBI with informed consent. It is a nine-item scale with three subscales - emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Each subscale has three items that are marked on a seven-point Likert scale. Higher scores of EE and DP indicate higher burnout, and a higher score of PA indicates lower burnout. Overall burnout was taken as the sum of EE and DP. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 22. Results  There were 23 (32.4%) male and 48 (67.5%) female doctors with a mean age of 24.25 ± 13.17 years. The mean score of overall burnout was 22.51 ± 6.07 (range: 0-36) and PA was 15.35 ± 1.82 (range: 0-18). Overall moderate to high burnout was seen in 33.8% of doctors. On an individual subscale, 47.8% had high EE, 24% had high DP, and 25.4% reported high burnout on PA. Overall burnout had a statistically significant correlation with the marital status of the doctors, their working hours per week, their average on-call days per week, and their level of expertise. Conclusion There is a high degree of burnout among internal medicine physicians. Working hours and the number of on-call days per week were significant predicting factors. Interns reported the highest frequency of burnout.

The Relationship between Workplace Incivility and Helping Behavior: Roles of Job Dissatisfaction and Political Skill

This article investigates the mediating role of job dissatisfaction in the relationship between employees' perceptions of workplace incivility and their helping behavior, as well as the buffering role of political skill in this process. Three-wave, time-lagged data collected from employees and their supervisors revealed that employees' exposure to workplace incivility diminished their helping behavior through their sense of job dissatisfaction. This mediating role of job dissatisfaction was less salient, however, to the extent that employees were equipped with political skill. For organizations, this study accordingly pinpoints a key mechanism-namely, unhappiness about their job situation-through which rude coworker treatment links to lower voluntary workplace behaviors among employees, and it reveals how this mechanism can be better contained in the presence of political skill.

Abusive Supervision and Job Dissatisfaction: The Moderating Effects of Feedback Avoidance and Critical Thinking

Although research on the antecedents of job dissatisfaction has been developed greatly, we know little about the role of abusive supervision in generating job dissatisfaction. The contingencies under which abusive supervision relates to employees’ job dissatisfaction are still unknown. The present study aimed to fill this research gap by empirically exploring the abusive supervision-job dissatisfaction relationship as well as examining the moderating roles of feedback avoidance and critical thinking on this relationship. We tested the hypotheses with data from a sample of 248 employees from a high-tech communications company in northern China and found that: (a) abusive supervision was positively related to job dissatisfaction; (b) the positive relationship was moderated by both employees’ feedback avoidance and critical thinking. We conclude by extracting the theoretical as well as practical contributions, along with a discussion of the promising directions for future research.

The relationship between attributional style and destructive responses to job dissatisfaction: an exploratory study of internal migrant workers in China

This study examines the relationship between attributional style and destructive responses to job dissatisfaction among internal migrant workers in mainland China. Contrary to previous studies conducted in the West, we found that internality of bad events was negatively related to destructive responses to job dissatisfaction. Stability and globality were positively related to destructive responses to job dissatisfaction. We suggest that the concept of interdependent self-construal may explain the unique positive meaning of internality of bad events among Chinese migrant workers. The practical significance of the findings is discussed.

Nurse burnout in China: a questionnaire survey on staffing, job satisfaction, and quality of care

AIM

The investigators examined how nurse staffing affects nurse job satisfaction and quality of care.

BACKGROUND

Inadequate nurse staffing is a worldwide issue with profound effects on nurse job satisfaction and quality of care. Few studies have examined the relationship between nurse staffing and job satisfaction and quality of care in China.

METHOD

A cross-sectional design was adopted, wherein 873 nurses were surveyed on demographics, nurse staffing, job-related burnout, job dissatisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care.

RESULT

The median patient-nurse ratio was five; 45.1% nurses reported high levels of job-related burnout, and 55.6%, job dissatisfaction. In adjusted regression models, patient-nurse ratios of four or less were related to a decrease in the odds of job dissatisfaction (odds ratio 0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.36-0.85) and increase in the odds of quality of care (odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval 1.02-2.82).

CONCLUSION

Nurse staffing is associated with job dissatisfaction and quality of care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers should maintain an adequate level of nurse staffing, referring to the patient-nurse ratio. They should create new initiatives to increase job satisfaction among nurses and to evaluate their effects.