Boundary violations and university teachers' well-being during mandatory telework: Recovery's role and gender differences

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the role of psychological detachment from work in the relationship of boundary violations and flourishing, as well as gender differences among university teachers during mandatory telework. We developed and tested a moderate mediation model where psychological detachment was the explanatory mechanism of the relationship between boundary violations with flourishing and using gender as the moderating variable.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 921 Brazilian university teachers (mean age 44 years, 681 women and 240 men) during mandatory telework. Multigroup analysis and moderate mediation were performed using Mplus 7.2.

RESULTS

Psychological detachment mediated the relationship between boundary violations (in both directions) and flourishing and work-to-family violations were more harmful to women' recovery instead family-to-work violations were more harmful to men' recovery, among university teachers during mandatory telework.

CONCLUSION

By focusing on boundary violations in the context of mandatory telework, the study sheds light on the impact of blurred boundaries between work and personal life. This contributes both literature on work-life balance and literature recovery. Moreover, it helps to understand a crisis setting of remote work. Further, the study's findings regarding gender differences highlight how men and women may experience and cope with boundary violations differently during mandatory telework, supporting future specific interventions across genders.

Humane orientation, work-family conflict, and positive spillover across cultures

Although cross-national work-family research has made great strides in recent decades, knowledge accumulation on the impact of culture on the work-family interface has been hampered by a limited geographical and cultural scope that has excluded countries where cultural expectations regarding work, family, and support may differ. We advance this literature by investigating work-family relationships in a broad range of cultures, including understudied regions of the world (i.e., Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia). We focus on humane orientation (HO), an overlooked cultural dimension that is however central to the study of social support and higher in those regions. We explore its moderating effect on relationships between work and family social support, work-family conflict, and work-family positive spillover. Building on the congruence and compensation perspectives of fit theory, we test alternative hypotheses on a sample of 10,307 participants from 30 countries/territories. We find HO has mostly a compensatory role in the relationships between workplace support and work-to-family conflict. Specifically, supervisor and coworker supports were most strongly and negatively related to conflict in cultures in which support is most needed (i.e., lower HO cultures). Regarding positive spillover, HO has mostly an amplifying role. Coworker (but not supervisor) support was most strongly and positively related to work-to-family positive spillover in higher HO cultures, where providing social support at work is consistent with the societal practice of providing support to one another. Likewise, instrumental (but not emotional) family support was most strongly and positively related to family-to-work positive spillover in higher HO cultures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A Systematic Review of the Adherence to Home-Practice Meditation Exercises in Patients with Chronic Pain

Mindfulness-, compassion-, and acceptance-based (i.e., "third wave") psychotherapies are effective for treating chronic pain conditions. Many of these programs require that patients engage in the systematic home practice of meditation experiences so they can develop meditation skills. This systematic review aimed at evaluating the frequency, duration, and effects of home practice in patients with chronic pain undergoing a "third wave" psychotherapy. A comprehensive database search for quantitative studies was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Sciences Core Collection; 31 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The reviewed studies tended to indicate a pattern of moderately frequent practice (around four days/week), with very high variability in terms of time invested; most studies observed significant associations between the amount of practice and positive health outcomes. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy were the most common interventions and presented low levels of adherence to home practice (39.6% of the recommended time). Some studies were conducted on samples of adolescents, who practiced very few minutes, and a few tested eHealth interventions with heterogeneous adherence levels. In conclusion, some adaptations may be required so that patients with chronic pain can engage more easily and, thus, effectively in home meditation practices.

Transformational leadership and flourishing in Portuguese professional firefighters: The moderating role of the frequency of intervention in rural fires

Introduction

The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of transformational leadership on firefighters' well-being and understand the moderating role of the frequency of intervention in rural fires in this relationship.

Methods

A total of 90 responses of Portuguese professional firefighters were analyzed in two waves (T1 and T2) separated by a period of 3 weeks during which the frequency of intervention in rural fires were also recorded on a daily basis.

Results

There is a direct and positive effect, albeit small, of the transformational leadership dimensions on flourishing. Moreover, the frequency of intervention in rural fires amplified the effect of individual consideration on this wellbeing indicator, and it was observed that the more frequent the firefighters intervene in rural fires, the stronger the effect of this leadership dimension on their flourishing.

Discussion

These results contribute to the literature to the extent that they highlight the role of transformational leadership in promoting well-being in high-risk professions, thus supporting the assumptions of the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR). Some practical implications are presented, as well as limitations and suggestions for future studies.

Information and communication technologies-assisted after-hours work: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the relationships with work-family/life management variables

The phenomenon of information and communication technology (ICT)-assisted after-hours work has led to rising academic interest in examining its impact on workers' lives. ICT-assisted after-hours work may intrude on the home domain and contribute to higher work-family/life conflict, lower work-family/life balance, or higher work-family/life enrichment (the last one owing to the acquisition of competencies transferable to the home domain). Additionally, owing to cultural and societal differences in gender roles, the relationships between ICT-assisted after-hours work and work-family/life management variables may differ between female and male workers. To analyze the current empirical findings, this study performed a literature review with 38 articles and a meta-analysis with 37 articles. Our findings showed that ICT-assisted after-hours work was positively related to work-family/life enrichment (r = 0.335, p < 0.001; 95% CI [0.290, 0.406]), but also to work-family/life conflict (r = 0.335, p < 0.001; 95% CI [0.290, 0.406]). However, neither gender nor pre-/post-COVID significantly affect the relationship between ICT-assisted after-hours work and work-family/life conflict. Finally, future research and implications are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence and Teachers' Work Engagement: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Perceived Stress

A growing number of studies have tested the relationship between personal resources (e.g. emotional intelligence) and indicators of occupational well-being, including work engagement. However, few have examined health-related factors moderating or mediating the pathway from emotional intelligence to work engagement. A better knowledge of this area would contribute substantially to the design of effective intervention strategies. The present study's main goal was to test the mediating and moderating role of perceived stress in the association between emotional intelligence and work engagement. The participants comprised 1166 Spanish teaching professionals (744 of whom were female and 537 worked as secondary teachers; M_age = 44.28 years). The results showed that perceived stress partially mediated the link between emotional intelligence and work engagement. Moreover, the positive relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement was strengthened among individuals who scored high in perceived stress. The results suggest that multifaceted interventions targeting stress management and emotional intelligence development may facilitate engagement in emotionally demanding occupations such as teaching.

Employees Perceptions of Job Insecurity and Performance: A Qualitative Approach

The purpose of this article is to understand the experience of workers' perceptions of job insecurity and its relation to performance. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 38 workers in the retail, services, education, financial, construction, and pharmaceutical industries in Chile. Using content analysis based on workers' accounts of their own experience, we identified two main categories: (a) the experience of job insecurity viewed in relation to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and emotional aspects of job insecurity, and (b) the relation between job insecurity and performance. The possibility of job loss expresses itself in experiences and emotions that are related to the performance of workers in different ways. These findings are discussed in terms of stress theory and the motivation to preserve jobs.

Well-Being at Work: Burnout and Engagement Profiles of University Workers

The main objective of this study is to analyze well-being at work, considering burnout and engagement distributed in profiles, and to observe how they relate to well-being outside work. The data came from a representative sample of workers (n = 565) at the University of Extremadura (Spain), both teaching and research academic staff (TRAS) and service and administrative staff (SAS). We performed the data analysis by using latent profile analysis, and the results show evidence that workers from both groups were distributed across four profiles. As expected, we verified that workers in the profile with high burnout and low engagement had lower well-being outside work than workers in the profile with high engagement and low burnout. We also observed that engagement mitigated the negative effects of burnout on workers in profiles with moderate levels of burnout, who showed better well-being outside work when they had higher engagement. These differences are discussed, and their practical implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Family supportive supervisor behavior and work-family boundary control in teleworkers during a lockdown: Portugal and Pakistan comparison

The imposition of telework due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it the need for individuals to readjust their work-non-work boundaries. In this crisis situation, individuals’ needs to manage these boundaries may have been influenced by contextual factors, such as family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) and macro-structural aspects, such as the country to which the teleworkers belong. This study tests the mediating effect of boundary control on the relationship between FSSB and satisfaction with life and examines the moderating effect of the country (Pakistan vs. Portugal) in the relationship between FSSB and boundary control. With a sample of 108 Portuguese and 118 Pakistani individuals, the results were analyzed using Process tool. FSSB was found to be important for teleworkers to control their boundaries and for their satisfaction with life and this control was also seen to contribute to higher levels of life satisfaction. Differences between the two countries were observed: boundary control mediates the relationship between FSSB and satisfaction with life for Pakistani teleworkers and these workers are more dependent on FSSB to exercise boundary control than Portuguese teleworkers. This study highlights the importance of considering contextual factors when implementing telework. Practical implications are discussed.

Organizational affective commitment effects on militaries’ well-being during a deployment: A study of a peacekeeping mission

Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, this longitudinal study analyzes the contribution of organizational affective commitment during the preparation phase of a peacekeeping mission (T1) to explain the well-being of soldiers during that mission (T2). A sample of 409 Brazilian army participants in the MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) was used in two waves - preparation of the troops in Brazil, and their deployment in Haitian territory. The data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results supported organizational affective commitment during the preparation phase (T1) positively predicting the general well-being (perception of health and general satisfaction with life) of these soldiers during the deployment phase (T2). The workplace well-being (i.e. work engagement) of these peacekeepers was also found to mediate this relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.

Commitment and Wellbeing: The Relationship Dilemma in a Two-Wave Study

There has been little consensus around the sequential relationship between organizational affective commitment and workers' wellbeing. In line with the Conservation of Resources Theory, results of this two-wave study with a contact center employee sample (N = 483) showed that organizational affective commitment decreases work ill-being (i.e., burnout) and increases work wellbeing (i.e., work-engagement). Furthermore, in keeping with the loss spiral assumption of this theory, the mediating role of burnout in the affective commitment-health relationship was supported in this study. However, in accordance with the Job Demand-Resources, work engagement was found not to prevent effects on health. The findings have implications for the organizational affective commitment theory, as well as for organizational occupational health policies and interventions.

Perceived overqualification and contact center workers’ burnout: are motivations mediators?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the direct effect of the perceived overqualification on the burnout syndrome and the indirect effect through the workers’ autonomous and controlled motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested with a sample of 3,256 contact center operators from one Portuguese company and data were analyzed using the software package Mplus to conduct structural equation models.

Findings

The results revealed that workers’ perceived overqualification is positively related to burnout and that both autonomous and controlled motivation partially mediates this relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional design should be regarded as a limitation. Moreover, each variable was only assessed with self-reported measures, the sample comprised call center employees from only one company and one country (Portugal), and the workers were all employed in commercial services of telecommunications, energy, banking or insurance companies, which may constrain the generalization of these results.

Practical implications

Workers’ perceived overqualification should be avoided to prevent their burnout. Furthermore, an increase in workers’ skills and competencies, enhanced decision latitude, and the task variety and quality should be crucial for employees to develop more autonomous motivation to work in a contact center and the promotion of their well-being at work. More precisely, as overqualification concerns the employees’ perceptions of surplus education, experience and knowledge, from a practical perspective, enhancing the decision latitude, task variety and quality of these individuals’ work may contribute to decreasing individuals’ perception of overqualification and, therefore, contribute to increasing workers’ autonomous motivations and well-being.

Originality/value

This study provides evidence concerning the mediating role of both workers’ autonomous and controlled motivation to explain the relationship between perceived overqualification and burnout.

Suicidal Ideation and Mental Health: The Moderating Effect of Coping Strategies in the Police Force

The suicide rate in the police force (Fuerzas y Cuerpos de Seguridad-FFCCSS) is estimated to be greater than that of the general population. The objectives of this paper are to detect mental health problems, in particular depression and anxiety, and to analyze the moderating effect of coping strategies on the relation between mental health and suicide ideation in police officers. The Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ-R), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI), the Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Brief Cope have all been used in the study. The sample consists of 98 Spanish police officers, of whom 91.8% were male. The results indicate that depression and anxiety can predict suicidal ideation. Nevertheless, it must be said that coping strategies do not have a moderating effect in the relation between mental health and suicidal ideation in this professional group.

Is it ok to be connected outside the office? The impact on well-being at work and the mediating role of the work and family relationship

Purpose

To analyze the relationship between technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) and well-being in the workplace – burnout and engagement. Furthermore, this study aims to test the relationship between TASW and burnout, mediated by work-to-family conflict (WFC) and the relationship between TASW and engagement mediated by work-to-family enrichment (WFE).

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected from a service company operating in Portugal. A total of 338 responses from a services company in Portugal were analyzed. Two statistical programs were used for the data analysis: IBM statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS 25.0) and SPSS analysis of moment structures (AMOS 25.0).

Findings

The results highlight the positive relationship between TASW and engagement and the relationship between TASW and burnout, which only exists when WFC is present. Moreover, the relationship between TASW and engagement is stronger through WFE.

Originality/value

Using the conservation of resources theory as a framework, the results contribute to the literature by shedding further light upon the positive effects of TASW on employees’ well-being and the work and family relationship.

The Temporary Agency Worker's Motivation Profile Analysis

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) establishes that human motivations can take different forms (e.g., amotivation, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation), yet it is only recently that the theory has been advanced to explain how these different forms combine to influence temporary agency workers’ (TAWs) affective commitment and their perception over the human resources practices (HRP) applied. We tested this theory with data from seven temporary agency companies (N = 3766). Through latent profile analysis (LPA) we identified five distinct motivation profiles and found that they differed in their affective commitment to the agency and to the client-company, and in their perception of HRP. We verified that temporary agency workers in more intrinsic profiles had more positive outcomes and a better perception of the investment made by the companies, than did TAWs in more extrinsic profiles. Additionally, when TAWs were able to integrate the reasons for being in this work arrangement, the negative effect of the extrinsic motivation was attenuated, and it was possible to find moderated profiles in which TAWs also showed more positive results than TAWs with only extrinsic motives. These differences are consistent with the notion that a motivation profile provides a context that determines how the individual components are experienced. Theoretical and practical implications of this context effect are discussed.

Work-family conflict and firefighters' satisfaction with life: The autonomous motivation role

Using the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Self-Determination Theory^1-3 as theoretical frameworks, a model for this study was tested, which considers firefighters' autonomous motivation, work-family conflict, and well-being. The hypothesized model was tested using a sample of 201 firefighters from the Special Civil Protection Force in Portugal. Results revealed that autonomous work motivation was significantly related to both work-family conflict and satisfaction with life. In addition, work-family conflict was negatively related to satisfaction with life. More interestingly, the results showed that work-family conflict acted as a mechanism that helped to explain the relationship between autonomous motivation and satisfaction with life. These results underline the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which higher satisfaction with life occurs, with a view to the creation of appropriate -interventions.

Is Stress in Contact Centers Inevitable?

It is broadly acknowledged that contact center employees are subject to high levels of stress. In this profession, there is a distinction between back-office and front-office employees. In addition, employees may perform duties in various companies with different characteristics (i.e., human resources practices, job characteristics, social support, work–personal life relationship, among others). Thus, this study focuses on the analysis of the contact centers’ (CC) psychosocial work environment and employees’ levels of stress and well-being, seeking to understand whether they change due to the specific nature of the duties they perform and the characteristics of the company. This study involved 1440 participants from 15 companies. The results indicate that front-office and back-office duties influence the perception of some job characteristics and their environment and, consequently, the stress and well-being of these employees. Furthermore, the exhaustion and general well-being of employees are seemingly independent of the duties performed and common to all companies. However, the job characteristics, psychosocial environment and employees’ levels of cynicism, work engagement and general stress were found to change according to the company in which they worked, thus highlighting the need for action in the psychosocial environment of these work duties.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro: Can a Risk Profile Be Identified?

Background: Significant exposure to critical incidents characteristic of military police work has a potentially traumatic effect and multiple consequences for the mental health of these professionals, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study aims to investigate the occurrence of PTSD in this occupational group and its correlations with socio-demographic and occupational variables. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police officers (n = 3.577). Data was collected from self-reported questionnaires applied in an institutional health program. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist—Civilian version was used to assess PTSD. Results: Rates of 16.9% for full PTSD and 26.7% for partial PTSD were found. Based on logistic regression analysis, female officers and police officers in lower ranks of the military hierarchy and performing administrative duties were found to be at most risk of developing PTSD. Conclusions: These results suggest the need to further understand the predictive organizational and individual variables of PTSD correlated with the increased vulnerability of professionals in order to contribute to institutional policies for the prevention and rehabilitation of these cases.

A Person-Centered Approach to the Job Demands-Control Model: A Multifunctioning Test of Addictive and Buffer Hypotheses to Explain Burnout

This study used a cross-sectional design and a person-centered approach in order to test the addictive and interactive strain hypotheses of Job Demands-Control Model to explain burnout. A large sample (n = 6357) of Portuguese workers (nurses, bank employees, retail traders, and contact center agents) was used. Through latent profile analysis (LPA), first latent profiles of demands and control were identified and then it was examined how these profiles differed in workplace well-being (engagement and burnout) through an ANCOVA. The four hypothesized profiles (i.e., "high-strain", "low-Strain", "passive", and "active") and one more profile denominated "moderate active", emerged from LPA analysis. The hypotheses were supported in both addictive effects and interactive effects (buffer hypothesis), suggesting that the difficulty in finding consistent support for the buffer hypothesis might be related to the use of variable-centered approaches. Moreover, this reinforces that, in organizational practice, job control is a crucial characteristic to face job demands, as job control will buffer job demands' harmful effects on workplace well-being.

Influence of the Work-Family Relationship on Perceived Health 5-Years Later: The Moderating Role of Job Insecurity

Previous studies on the work-family relationship have analyzed the influence of work-family conflict and work-family enrichment on an individuals' lives, namely on their well-being and health. Besides, attempts have been made to analyze the influence of other aspects of the labor context on this relationship, such as job insecurity. However, few have analyzed this relationship and interaction from a longitudinal perspective. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the moderating role of job insecurity in the work-family relationship and the perceived health of 373 workers of a Portuguese bank, across time. The results showed a negative influence of work-family conflict on perceived health 5 years after. Also, job insecurity was found to offset the relationship between work-family enrichment and perceived health, acting as a buffer. This research allows for a better understanding of how job insecurity, a characteristic of modern-day employment, can impact workers' quality of life. This paper also refers to some practical implications, in addition to the limitations of the study, and presents suggestions for future research in this context.

Combating Burnout by Increasing Job Relational Characteristics

The current study developed and tested the indirect effect of the relational job characteristics (i.e., perceived prosocial impact and perceived social value) on the burnout syndrome through the autonomous motivation. The cross-sectional survey data analysis of 1,538 Portuguese contact center workers was analyzed using the software package Mplus to conduct structural equation models. Autonomous motivation partially explains the negative relation between the relational job characteristics and burnout. However, the direct relationship between perceived prosocial impact and burnout was not significant. To promote awareness about the perceived value and impact of work and to invest in the interactions between workers and customers are the major practical implications of this study.

Authentic leadership: unleashing employee creativity through empowerment and commitment to the supervisor

Purpose

The increasing interest of organizations to innovate and survive in the market, combined with a decreasing level of trust in their leaders, has now led thinkers and researchers to begin exploring beyond traditional leadership theories. The literature indicates that, due to the lack of a strong and explicit moral dimension, positive leadership may be incomplete. The purpose of this study is to understand the creativity mechanism that is fostered by authentic leadership through empowerment and commitment to the supervisor.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of 214 employees were collected from the strategic units (product generation, customer services, marketing and sales) of all five telecoms which are currently operating in Pakistan. The parallel mediation model was used to analyze the hypothesized model.

Findings

Results confirmed that authentic leadership leverages creativity. Mediation results further confirmed that creativity increases when employees feel empowered and are committed to an authentic leader. However, contrast analysis indicated that empowerment has a stronger role in increasing creativity.

Research limitations/implications

Not limited to theoretical debate, the present study emphasized that organizations improve creativity by adopting a management model which delivers moral values along with an efficient, transparent system and empowered culture. Managers should be trained to develop authentic traits so that they can then identify and address critical areas which will serve to nurture creative and innovative behavior in their followers.

Originality/value

Authentic leadership is an emerging concept, yet debate on authentic leadership and creativity is in the establishment phase. The present study highlights that authentic leadership is not simply a consequence of success or the development of a pool of loyal subordinates; rather, empowered leadership at all levels is at the heart of a successful organization.

Linking perceptions of organizational support to temporary agency workers’ well-being

Purpose

This research focused on agency work. Previous studies highlighted the importance of motivations to understand workers’ attitudes, behaviors and well-being. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the contribution of perceptions of support from organizations to autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment, the relationship of motivations with workers’ well-being and the mediating role of motivations between perceptions of organizational support (POS) and workers’ well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested with a sample of 3,983 temporary agency workers and using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The authors verified that POS from the agency contributed to both autonomous motivation and controlled motivation for temporary agency employment, whereas POS from the client company only contributed to autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment. Moreover, autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment was positively associated with workers’ well-being. Contrary to expectations, controlled motivation for temporary agency employment was not significantly associated with workers’ well-being. As predicted, autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment was a mediator in the relationship between POS and workers’ well-being.

Research limitations/implications

The study relies on self-reported data, and it does not have a longitudinal design.

Practical implications

An important implication of this research study is that organizations, through the support provided to the workers, may contribute positively to increase workers’ autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment, and, in turn, more autonomous motivation for temporary agency employment relates to higher levels of workers’ well-being.

Originality/value

The study innovates by including in the same model variables that may contribute to workers’ motivation for temporary agency employment as well as the outcomes that may arise from workers’ motivation for temporary agency employment.

On-boarding new employees: a three-component perspective of welcoming

Purpose

No component of the human capital management has been more overlooked by companies than the process of welcoming new recruited employees – the on-boarding phase. This paper aims to present a three-component perspective of on-boarding and a contribution to measuring the employees’ perceptions based on three dimensions of welcoming: structured corporate welcome, manager welcome and coworkers welcome.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical study based on a self-reported survey was conducted to test the model and an on-boarding employees’ perceptions proposed scale. The authors hypothesized that the three on-boarding components relate positively to some critical work outcomes (e.g. work engagement and affective organizational commitment). Analyses using a sample of 347 workers from Portuguese firms showed that the three-component on-boarding scale had adequate validity and all three components of on-boarding were positively related to the work outcomes included in this study.

Findings

Findings suggest that an effective onboarding process, based on the three-component perspective (corporate welcome, manager welcome and coworkers welcome), is a significant contribution to promote organizational affective commitment and work engagement of new employees.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the need for organizations to design on-boarding programs based on an integrated perspective, not only formal corporate activities but also preparing managers and coworkers to host effectively new employees. Strong association with work outcomes enables a better understanding on how onboard can contribute to an engaged and retained workforce.

Wellbeing among hospital nurses: A cross-sectional study of the contributions of relational job characteristics

BACKGROUND

Nursing work has indisputable relational characteristics, however there is scarce research that examines nurses' work and wellbeing using a relational job design framework.

AIM

The aim is to study the relationships between job characteristics and nurses' work-related wellbeing. More specifically, this study focuses on the unique contribution of psychological effects of relational job characteristics to nurses' work engagement and burnout, beyond the effects of other job characteristics commonly studied in association with wellbeing, namely quantitative job demands and control.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

Cross-sectional research design, in which 409 Portuguese hospital registered nurses participated.

METHOD

Data were collected using an online survey. Statistical procedures included structural equation modelling and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Data suggest that perceived social impact and perceived social worth are related to nurses' work engagement and burnout beyond the effects of quantitative job demands and control.

CONCLUSIONS

The study of the relationships between psychological effects of relational job characteristics and work-related outcomes (such as nurse work-related wellbeing) is relevant, as these relational job design variables explain variance in these outcome variables, beyond other job design constructs (specifically job demands and control).

IMPLICATIONS

Theoretical implications include the value of studying the impact of psychological effects of relational job characteristics on wellbeing outcomes among nurses. As for practical implications, hospitals may address relational job characteristics in order to increase their nurses' perceptions of their job's impact and the social worth attributed to their work, which is positively related to work engagement and negatively related to burnout.

Work-family life conflict and mental well-being

Background

The promotion and maintenance of workers' mental health is an increasingly important issue, both for employers and society. Previous research has shown that job characteristics (i.e. demands, control and support) are significantly associated with employees' mental well-being. However, changes in work characteristics have given rise to the emergence of new job demands, leading to work-family life conflict.

Aims

To investigate the association between work-family life conflict and employee mental well-being.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with two samples: one sample comprising clothes store sales employees and the other comprising call centre operators. Logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of work-family life conflict on employee well-being.

Results

After controlling for job demands, job control, supervisory support and co-workers support, work-family life conflict was associated with employee mental well-being.

Conclusions

Work-family life conflict is an important factor to explain employee well-being and productivity and should be addressed as well as work factors.

A Idade como Diferencial no Engagement dos Profissionais de Enfermagem

Resumo O engajamento no trabalho é definido pelo equilíbrio entre funções cognitiva e afetiva do profissional. O estudo objetiva identificar a relação entre o engajamento e a idade dos profissionais de enfermagem, em termos de vigor, dedicação e absorção, atuantes em diferentes organizações de saúde. Com corte transversal, nível de complexidade descritiva, abordagem quantitativa, contempla 900 profissionais da enfermagem inscritos no Coren-RS, Brasil. O instrumento de pesquisa abrange questões sociodemográficas e o questionário breve de engajamento no trabalho de Utrecht. Os resultados apontam um nível médio de engajamento, especialmente no atributo relacionado à dedicação. Níveis mais elevados de engajamento foram identificados em profissionais com até 34 anos e com mais de 40 anos de idade.

Perceived organizational support-burnout-satisfaction relationship in workers with disabilities: The moderation of family support

Our study tests the perceived organizational support-burnout-satisfaction relationship based on stressor-strain-outcome model of stress (Koeske & Koeske, ) and on the conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, ) in workers with disabilities employed in ordinary or competitive jobs (open labor market), analyzing the relationship between perceived organizational support, family support, job satisfaction and burnout. We use a sample of 246 workers with physical, motor, sensory and psychological disabilities working in ordinary jobs. To test our proposed model we used a regression-based path analysis using PROCESS software, which is a computational tool for estimating and probing interactions and the conditional indirect effects of moderated mediation models. We find that the positive relationship between organizational support and job satisfaction was partially mediated by the levels of cynicism and the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction was moderated by family support. Employees with low support from family had identical job satisfaction with high burnout or low burnout, but employees with high support from family when they had high burnout had lower job satisfaction than when they had low burnout, indicating that the support outside work could have a negative effect in workers' life. Practical implications and future research are discussed and proposed.

Emotional intelligence and health students' well-being: A two-wave study with students of medicine, physiotherapy and nursing

This study aims to analyze the role of emotional intelligence as a predictor of health students' well-being (i.e., burnout and life satisfaction) over time. A longitudinal, 1 year lagged study was conducted at 2 points in time with a sample of 303 Spanish students of Medicine, Physiotherapy and Nursing. The results indicated that others' emotion appraisals and use of emotion had a positive direct effect on satisfaction with life, and self-emotion appraisals had a positive indirect effect on burnout. This research represents a contribution within the framework of health students' well-being concerns, providing significant practical implications for future consideration by health education institutions for graduate doctors, physiotherapists and nurses, who will present higher levels of emotional intelligence and, consequently, greater well-being and better quality care for future patients.

Relational job characteristics and well-being: A study among Portuguese and Brazilian hospital nurses

Nurse well-being is a crucial factor in the quality of care given to patients and in patient safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the psychological effects of relational job characteristics (PERJCs) and indicators of well-being in hospital nurses. The data for this correlational study were collected from an online survey responded to by a sample of 620 hospital nurses (335 Portuguese and 285 Brazilian). Statistical procedures included structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. A full mediation model was supported by data analysis, in which work-related well-being (i.e., engagement and burnout) explained the relationships between hospital nurses' perceived social worth and their context-free well-being. Moreover, in the Portuguese sample, the perceived social impact on client lives and the affective commitment to clients were indirectly related to the context-free well-being of nurses, through work engagement. Practical implications are presented in order to foster the PERJCs, thus contributing to nurse well-being.

A previous trainee experience: does it matter for retention of young graduates?

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent to which participation in a previous graduate recruitment programme affects graduates’ organisational affective commitment and their desire to remain.

Design/methodology/approach

With the support of a Portuguese organisation that annually operates a trainee programme to attract the best graduates from top universities, a questionnaire with human resource management (HRM) practices, affective commitment and turnover intention scales was used, with data collected from 168 recent recruited graduates representing two groups: graduates with previous participation in the trainee programme and graduates non-trainees.

Findings

Despite the company’s expectation that graduate trainees would present higher levels of affective commitment and lower intentions to voluntarily leave than employees recruited by traditional procedures, the t-test results show no significant differences between groups. However, correlations for both groups show a significant positive association between perceived HRM practices and affective commitment and a negative relation with turnover intention. These results suggest that placing a high value on HR practices leads to reinforcement of employment relations and a decrease in the desire to voluntarily leave.

Practical implications

The findings suggest the need for organisations to rethink their recruitment strategies and raise an interesting question with regard to organisational strategy: is it useful or fair to create two groups of graduates within the same organisation, because we may be promoting the development of two micro-cultures?

Originality/value

The study with this specific group is needed because of an increased implementation of trainee programmes all over Europe as a means of attracting graduates. The literature is scarce, focusing only on trainees’ attitudes compared to those recruited through traditional procedures.

The work-to-life conflict mediation between job characteristics and well-being at work

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare part-time and full-time employees, analyzing the relationship between job characteristics and workplace well-being (i.e. burnout and engagement) and the mediating role of the work-to-life conflict with a sample of 736 employees from 14 Portuguese call center companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested with multiple group analysis on two samples: part-time and full-time employees.

Findings

The results confirm that in both the part-time and full-time subsamples employees’ perceptions of job characteristics are related to their well-being, and the work-to-life conflict partially mediates this relationship. Moreover, the study confirms that the relationship between employees’ perceptions of job demands and the work-to-life conflict and between the work-to-life conflict and workplace well-being were stronger for full-time than for part-time employees.

Research limitations/implications

The co-relational and cross-sectional design should be regarded as limitations. Moreover, each variable was only assessed with self-reported measures, and the sample comprised call center employees from only one country (Portugal), which may constrain the generalization of these results.

Practical implications

Part-time work is a good solution in order to prevent the work-to-life conflict. Furthermore, a reduced workload and time pressure, enhanced decision latitude and supervisory support appear to be crucial work characteristics for employees juggling their work with other roles and in the promotion of well-being at work.

Originality/value

This research study provides evidence that the traditional vision of the work-family conflict requires a broader conceptualization by considering the interference between life roles, particularly in the case of full-time young employees.

Psychological effects of relational job characteristics: validation of the scale for hospital nurses

AIMS

This study validates the Portuguese version of the psychological effects of the relational job characteristics scale among hospital nurses in Portugal and Brazil.

BACKGROUND

Increasing attention has been given to the social dimension of work, following the transition to a service economy. Nevertheless, and despite the unquestionable relational characteristics of nursing work, scarce research has been developed among nurses under a relational job design framework. Moreover, it is important to develop instruments that study the effects of relational job characteristics among nurses.

EVALUATION

We followed Messick's framework for scale validation, comprising the steps regarding the response process and internal structure, as well as relationships with other variables (work engagement and burnout). Statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

KEY ISSUES

The psychological effects of the relational job characteristics scale provided evidence of good psychometric properties with Portuguese and Brazilian hospital nurses. Also, the psychological effects of the relational job characteristics are associated with nurses' work-related well-being: positively with work engagement and negatively concerning burnout.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Hospitals that foster the relational characteristics of nursing work are contributing to their nurses' work-related well-being, which may be reflected in the quality of care and patient safety.

Psychometric properties of WLEIS as a measure of emotional intelligence in the Portuguese and Spanish medical students

The psychometric properties of Wong and Law's (2002) Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) were analyzed. Participants were 954 medical students: 481 from the University of Extremadura (Spain) and 473 from the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Following Messicks' validation framework, we analyzed the scale's response process, internal structure and relationship with other variables (i.e., engagement). Descriptive statistics, scale reliability, item characteristics, and exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported the distribution of the sixteen items across four factors. Convergent validity analyzed through the ρvc (η) index showed that all the factors were in the 50% criterion. The factors shared, on average, 23% of the variance showing adequate discriminant validity. Furthermore, the correlations among EI dimensions and engagement were all positive and significant. Overall, the WLEIS demonstrated good psychometric properties. Thus, this study ensures that WLEIS is a valid instrument in Portugal and Spain to evaluate EI in medical students.

Motivation and life satisfaction of temporary workers: measurement validity using Self-determination Theory

O tema das motivações é amplamente estudado no campo da psicologia e, apesar de reconhecida a sua importância, são limitadas as pesquisas especificamente relacionada ao trabalho temporário. Este estudo foi realizado com 812 trabalhadores temporários em Portugal, com o objetivo buscar evidências da validade de uma medida para acessar suas motivações de acordo com a teoria da autodeterminação (SDT). Procedimentos estatísticos foram realizados, nomeadamente análises fatoriais exploratória e confirmatória. Os resultados revelam que a estrutura proposta de dois fatores apresenta boa qualidade dos valores dos índices de ajustamento, bem como valores adequados de validade convergente e discriminante, sendo válida e permitindo sua aplicação prática e em futuras investigações. Embora instrumentos como este sejam inovadores e promissores para avaliar o contexto do trabalho temporário, sugere-se a realização de mais investigações buscando mais evidências de validade favorecendo a ampliação do conhecimento sobre suas características psicométricas, inclusivamente outras variáveis

Job insecurity, workload and job exhaustion in temporary agency workers (TAWs)

Purpose

– Different studies underline that perceived job insecurity (PJI) has negative consequences at both individual and organisational level. Some authors investigated PJI in temporary agency workers (TAWs) but these studies did not focus on specific countries and did not discuss the relationship with job exhaustion. Other researchers explored gender differences in PJI and found different results; some investigated differences in PJI perception and others its relationship with the outcome of stress or well-being. The purpose of this paper is to inquire about the effects of PJI (as a demanding condition) on job exhaustion, considering the mediation role of workload and exploring differences between male and female TAWs.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research involved 474 Portuguese TAWs (209 men, 265 women). Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire; data analyses were performed using IBM Spss Statistics 22 for descriptive statistics, correlations and t-test; Mplus7 was used to estimate a multi-group structural equation model and to test the mediation.

Findings

– The results confirmed that workload is a mediator and indicated gender differences in how PJI relates to workload and job exhaustion in TAWs. In fact, the mediation of workload in the relationship between PJI and job exhaustion was partial in men and total in women: in the women group the direct effect of PJI on job exhaustion is not significant, and the indirect effect mediated by workload is significant; in the men group both direct and indirect effects are significant.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to extend the research on job insecurity of TAWs in a specific national context and highlights gender differences in the relationship between PJI and job exhaustion.

HRM and temporary workers’ well-being: a study in Portugal and Brazil

Purpose

– Temporary agency workers (TAWs) are regarded as experiencing employment conditions that tend to facilitate high strain. In this study, the authors view this situation as not being inevitable and dependent on the opportunity of having positive experiences in the professional context. The purpose of this paper is to propose that perceptions of the human resource management (HRM) practices system are positively related to work engagement, which in turn, is positively related to context free well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

– These hypotheses were tested with two samples of TAWs, from Portugal (n=241) and Brazil (n=228), contracted by the same international agency. Data were analyzed with multiple group analyses.

Findings

– Results confirmed that in both the Portuguese and Brazilian samples the HRM practices system is positively related to TAWs’ context free well-being and their work engagement mediates this relationship. However, the authors also verified that the relationship between work engagement and satisfaction with life was stronger for the Portuguese TAWs than for their Brazilian counterparts.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is limited, due to the nature of the data (self-reported) and the lack of a longitudinal design.

Practical implications

– An important implication of this research study is that agencies should acknowledge the fact that HRM practices are an investment with a return from TAWs, since they are positively related to their well-being.

Originality/value

– The findings highlight the importance of the HRM practices system in developing positive psychological states with TAWs, not only at work, but also outside this context. This observation was confirmed in two different countries.

Gestão de Recursos Humanos nos Trabalhadores Temporários de Agência

RESUMO Neste estudo avaliamos em que medida a Teoria da Troca Social podia ser utilizada para explicar as respostas dos trabalhadores temporários de agência (TTA). Aplicamos um questionário a uma amostra de 953 TTA e utilizamos Modelos de Equações Estruturais para analisar os resultados. Verificamos que o sistema de práticas de gestão de recursos humanos se relacionava positivamente com o comprometimento afetivo (β = 0,58; p < 0,01) e com o engagement (β = 0,24; p < 0,01), explicando 40% e 30% dessas variáveis, respectivamente. O cumprimento do contrato psicológico por parte da organização mediava parcialmente a relação entre este sistema e essas respostas positivas dos trabalhadores. Uma importante implicação deste estudo é que o investimento nos TTA relaciona-se com respostas positivas da sua parte.

Perceived High-Performance Work Systems and Subjective Well-Being

Perceived high-performance work systems (HPWS) have presented mixed results related to subjective well-being. Additionally, there remains a lack of an integrative analysis of the relationship between work–family balance and these practices. To explore this relationship more fully, we developed and tested a model that proposed work–family balance and well-being at work as mediators. Data gathered from 218 participants employed in a city council with different occupations indicated a positive relationship between perceived HPWS and work-to-family enrichment and a negative relationship between perceived HPWS and work-to-family conflict. More interestingly, based on Conservation of Resources theory and on Job-Demands Resources, the results also indicated the presence of a serial mediation model where work–family balance and well-being at work act as mediators of perceived HPWS and subjective well-being.

The reciprocal relationship between work characteristics and employee burnout and engagement: a longitudinal study of firefighters

The paradigm of this study is positive occupational psychology, with the job demands-resources model as the research model and the Conservation of Resources theory as the general stress theory. The research design analyses the job demands-resources model's dynamic nature with normal and reversed causation effects between work characteristics and psychological well-being among Portuguese firefighters. In addition, we analyse a positive (engagement) dimension and a negative (burnout) dimension in the firefighters' well-being, because previously, studies have merely focused on the strain or stress of these professionals. The research questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 651 firefighters, and a two-wave full panel design was used. Cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that the causal direction of the relationship between organizational demands and burnout is reciprocal. Also, we found that the reciprocal model, including cross-lagged reciprocal relationships between organizational demands/supervisory support and burnout/engagement, respectively, is what fits the data best. Practical implications to develop organizational change programmes and suggestions for future research regarding the promotion of occupational health are discussed.