Countering the negative effects of job insecurity through participative decision making: lessons from the demand-control model

This study examined the effectiveness of increased organizational participative decision making in attenuating the negative consequences of job insecurity. Data were collected from 807 employees in 6 different companies. Analyses suggest that job insecurity is related to lower coworker, work, and supervisor satisfaction and higher turnover intentions and work withdrawal behaviors. However, employees with greater participative decision-making opportunities reported fewer negative consequences of job insecurity compared with employees with fewer participative decision-making opportunities. Results are interpreted using the demand-control model and suggest that organizations that allow greater employee participative decision making may experience fewer negative side effects from today's rising levels of employee job insecurity.     

A comparison of the stress-strain process for business owners and nonowners: differences in job demands, emotional exhaustion, satisfaction, and social support

One hundred sixty licensed morticians were surveyed to examine differences among business owners, managers, and employees on the relations proposed by G. F. Koeske and R. D. Koeske's (1993) stressor-strain-outcome model. Forty-eight percent of the morticians were owners, 16% were managers, and 36% were employees. Owners had less social support from work-related sources and perceived lower levels of role ambiguity and role conflict, less emotional exhaustion, and higher levels of job satisfaction and professional satisfaction than did nonowners. Social support from work-related sources and ownership each moderated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction but not between emotional exhaustion and professional satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion partially mediated the effect of stressors on job satisfaction and professional satisfaction.     

Verbal abuse from outsiders versus insiders: comparing frequency, impact on emotional exhaustion, and the role of emotional labor

Research on aggression from organizational outsiders (customers, clients or patients) has ignored insider-instigated aggression, and has been limited to employees in emotional labor jobs (e.g., social work and customer services). The authors argue that customer-employee interactions have distinct characteristics from organizational insider interactions, and provide two studies to compare the frequency and strain of verbal abuse from customers, supervisors and coworkers. Furthermore, they assess whether customer verbal abuse is only a critical issue for employees in jobs requiring emotional labor, measured with both O*NET job codes and self-reported display rules. With a national random sample of U.S. employees (n = 2446) and a convenience sample of U.S. employees who have customer contact (n = 121), the authors find that verbal abuse from outsiders (1) occurs more frequently than insider verbal abuse, particularly for those with higher emotional labor requirements, and (2) predicts emotional exhaustion over and above insider verbal abuse, regardless of emotional labor requirements. The authors conclude that better integration of customer aggression and insider aggression research is needed.     

Wedded to the job: moderating effects of job involvement on the consequences of job insecurity

Two hundred eighty-three public-sector employees experiencing a workplace reorganization completed surveys assessing the relationships between job involvement and job insecurity on self-report measures of psychological, behavioral, and physical outcomes. Using C. L. Hulin's (1991) job adaptation theory, differential predictions were made regarding the specific outcomes of job insecurity for high job involvement versus low job involvement employees. Results indicate that employees who were highly invested in their jobs were most adversely affected by job insecurity. Specifically, they reported more negative job attitudes, more health problems, and a higher level of psychological distress than their less involved counterparts when they perceived their jobs to be threatened.     

Gendered work conditions, health, and work outcomes

This cross-sectional study of nonfaculty university employees examined associations among gendered work conditions (e.g., sexism and discrimination), job demands, and employee job satisfaction and health. Organizational responsiveness and social support were examined as effect modifiers. Comparisons were made by gender and by the male-female ratio in each job category. The relationship of gendered conditions of work to outcomes differed on the basis of respondents' sex and the job sex ratio. Although the same predictors were hypothesized for job satisfaction, physical health, and psychological distress, there were some differing results. The strongest correlate of job satisfaction was social support; perceived sexism in the workplace also contributed for both men and women. Organizational factors associated with psychological distress differed between female- and male-dominated jobs.     

The impact of working life on health behavior: the effect of job strain on the cognitive predictors of exercise

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and R. A. Karasek's (1979) job strain model were used to investigate the predictors of exercise in a group of employees. A total of 241 employees completed an initial questionnaire; 1 week later 213 employees responded to a questionnaire measuring behavior. Employees in high-strain jobs did significantly less exercise than those in low-strain jobs, although they did not intend to do less, suggesting that work may impede the intention implementation. Intenders who failed to exercise had significantly higher work demands and lower exercise self-efficacy than intenders who succeeded in exercising. Work also affected exercise indirectly through self-efficacy. Thus, work may be a target for behavior change intervention because of its impact at 2 stages of the TPB.     

Job strain or healthy work: a question of task design

Objectively evaluated task requirements were used to classify jobs causing high strain, low strain, and jobs conducive to personal development. Effects of these job characteristics on psychophysiological outcomes were tested in 241 employees by using 24-hr ambulatory assessment of blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and mood. Self-reports about job characteristics showed that employees working in jobs conducive to personal development perceived the highest job demands and decision latitude. They also showed a healthy cardiovascular behavior with increased diastolic BP at work and its strong unwinding at night. Although self-reports about job characteristics did not differ between low- and high-strain jobs, employees exposed to high-strain jobs had higher systolic and diastolic BP during work and more often a disturbed relaxation ability.     

银行职员的工作倦怠与身心健康、工作满意度的探讨

目的:探讨银行职员的工作倦怠与身心健康、工作满意度的关系.方法:采用Maslach 倦怠量表和职业压力指标问卷中的身体健康、心理健康和工作满意度分量表对135名银行职员进行了调查.结果:(1)情绪疲惫(耗竭)与身体健康(r=0.607,P＜.001)、心理健康(r=0.599,P＜.001)呈显著正相关,与工作满意度(r=-0.267,P＜.01)呈显著负相关;消极怠慢与身体健康(r=0.188,P＜.05)、心理健康(r=0.412 ,P＜.001)呈显著正相关,与工作满意度(r=-0.541,P＜.001)呈显著负相关;职业效能与心理健康(r=-0.198,P＜.05)呈显著负相关,与工作满意度(r=0.242,P＜.01)呈显著正相关,而职业效能与身体健康之间相关不显著(r=-0.002,P＞.05).(2)逐步回归分析的结果表明,员工身体健康与情绪疲惫有关,心理健康与情绪疲惫、消极怠工有关.结论:工作倦怠影响员工的身心健康和工作满意度.     

Using the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale (JAWS) to investigate affective responses to work stressors

Prior research linking job stressors to psychological strains has been limited to a small number of emotional reactions. This article describes research linking job stressors to a wide range of affective states at work. In Study 1, a multidimensional scaling procedure was used on a matrix of similarity judgments by 51 employees of 56 job-related affective statements to support a 2-dimensional view of affective well-being. In Study 2, ratings of the affect statements by 100 employees further supported the contention that the dimensions were pleasure-displeasure and degree of arousal. In Study 3, 114 full-time university employees responded to the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale, which was found to be related to measures of job stressors as well as job satisfaction and physical symptoms.     

情绪智力、组织公平感与工作满意度关系的研究

目的:考察情绪智力、组织公平感与工作满意度之间的关系。方法:采用明尼苏达工作满意度问卷,组织公平感问卷和情绪智力量表对264名中国企业员工进行问卷调查。结果:情绪智力,组织公平感与工作满意度都显著正相关,情绪智力通过组织公平感间接影响外部工作满意度,情绪智力对内部工作满意度有直接影响,也可以通过组织公平感间接影响内部工作满意度。结论:在情绪智力影响内部工作满意度的过程中组织公平感具有部分中介作用,而组织公平感在情绪智力影响外部工作满意度的过程中具有完全中介作用。     

企业员工人格态度对工作满意度的影响

目的调查国有企业员工的工作满意度情况,探讨人格态度因素对工作满意度的影响。方法采用马基雅维里主义量表、竞争态度量表、心理控制源量表以及明尼苏达工作满意度短式量表,对国有企业员工进行调查。结果1过度竞争者的工作满意度低,良性竞争者工作满意度高;2内控倾向较强,对工作的满意感高,外控倾向较强,对工作的满意感低;3马基雅维里主义量表得分高者,工作满意度低。结论人格态度因素对企业员工的工作满意度有不同程度的影响和预测作用。     

Let's talk: patterns and correlates of social support among temporary employees

The authors explored how temporary employees exchanged communications with supervisor, peers, and family and friends regarding positively job-related, negatively job-related, and non-job-related contents. The authors also examined roles of communication in coping with insecure job experiences. Survey results from 112 temporary employees working in various organizations provided evidence that communication contents were differentially related to work anxiety and life satisfaction for temporary employees. It was found that work anxiety increased when employees engaged in communication pertaining to negative job-related contents. Furthermore, the positive relationship between life satisfaction and positive communication with coworkers was observed only for the temporary employees who also had a permanent job. Implications for staffing temporary employees and suggestions for studying communication effects are discussed.     

Sleep complaints in middle‐aged women and men: the contribution of working conditions and work–family conflicts

This study aimed to examine how physical working conditions, psychosocial working conditions and work–family conflicts are associated with sleep complaints, and whether health behaviours explain these associations. We used pooled postal questionnaire surveys collected in 2001–2002 among 40–60‐year‐old employees of the City of Helsinki (n = 5819, response rate 66%). Participants were classified as having sleep complaints if they reported sleep complaints at least once a week on average (24% of women and 20% of men). Independent variables included environmental work exposures, physical workload, computer work, Karasek’s job strain and work–family conflicts. Age, marital status, occupational class, work arrangements, health behaviours and obesity were adjusted for. Most working conditions were associated strongly with sleep complaints after adjustment for age only. After adjustment for work–family conflicts, the associations somewhat attenuated. Work–family conflicts were also associated strongly with women’s [odds ratio (OR) 5.90; confidence interval (CI) 4.16–8.38] and men’s sleep (OR 2.56; CI 1.34–4.87). The associations remained robust even after controlling for unhealthy behaviours, obesity, health status, depression and medications. Physically strenuous working conditions, psychosocial job strain and work–family conflicts may increase sleep complaints. Efforts to support employees to cope with psychosocial stress and reach a better balance between paid work and family life might reduce sleep complaints. Sleep complaints need to be taken into account in worksite health promotion and occupational health care in order to reduce the burden of poor sleep.     

Musculoskeletal capacity of employees aged 44 to 58 years in physical,mental and mixed types of work

Summary The musculoskeletal capacity of 60 women and 69 men, average age 52.3±3.7 years was determined, including measurements of anthropometry, maximal isometric trunk flexion and extension, sit-ups, isometric hand grip strength and back mobility. According to the job and to cluster analysis, the subjects were divided into three dominating work groups; physical, mental, and mixed groups. The results showed significant differences in right hand grip strength of the women and in the number of sit-ups by men among the three work groups (p<0.05). The differences between the other tests were not significant, although the physical group in the women and either the physical or the mixed group in the men had systematically the lowest mean values in almost all tests. It is concluded that jobs with mainly physical demands do not guarantee superior musculoskeletal capacity in older employees.     

The impact of job strain on the predictive validity of the theory of planned behaviour: An investigation of exercise and healthy eating

Objectives. This study examined the impact of the job strain model on exercise and healthy eating within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Design. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring the components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the job strain model. A follow‐up questionnaire a week later measured behaviour. Method. The questionnaires were completed by e‐mail. The initial questionnaire was completed by 331 employees, and 286 follow‐up questionnaires were returned. Results. Job demands affected exercise indirectly by lowering perceptions of behavioural control over exercise. However, variables from the job strain model were not related to exercise intentions or behaviour. In contrast, employees in passive jobs intended to eat more sweets and snack foods and employees in low strain jobs were more likely to realize their intentions to eat more sweets and snack foods. However, variables from the job strain model did not influence consumption of fruit and vegetables. Conclusions. While people may consider the impact of job strain on exercise whilst making decisions about whether or not to exercise, job strain has a more direct impact on healthy eating. However, job strain may only affect consumption of so‐called ‘high density’ foods, rather than foods such as fruit and vegetables.     

Job strain and smoking cessation among Japanese male employees: a two-year follow-up study

The purpose of the present study was to assess the association between job strain and smoking cessation among Japanese male employees. In 1997, a baseline questionnaire was given to 2,625 (2,113 males and 512 females) employees of an electronics firm in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The self-administered questionnaire was a set of questions on smoking habits and consisted of items on socio-demographic variables and smoking habits, including the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). The JCQ consists of scales of job control, job demand, supervisory support, coworker support, job insecurity, physical demands, and isometric load. A total of 733 male smokers were then followed for 2 years, with 446 completing a follow-up questionnaire in 1999 (follow-up rate, 61%). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between job strain and smoking cessation. Among the 446 participants, 38 had quit smoking. After adjusting for age ((odds ratio: OR) = 0.38, 95% (contidence interval: CI) = 0.15-0.94), men with a high level of physical demands at baseline showed a lower smoking cessation rate at follow-up than did those with a low level. However, when adjustments were made for age and other socio-demographic variables, the odds ratio of smoking cessation showed marginal significance (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.16-1.29). There was no significant association between other job strain variables and smoking cessation at the 2-year follow-up. No significant association was found between job strain and change in the number of smoked cigarettes per day. The present study did not support the hypothesis that higher levels of job stressors are associated with a lower rate of smoking cessation among men.     

国企员工压力和工作满意度的对比研究

目的探讨国有企业中管理者与一般员工、男性员工与女性员工两对人群的挑战性压力。妨碍性压力和工作满意度的差异。方法对河北省沧州市的3家大型国企的600名员工进行了问卷调查。结果管理者的挑战性压力高于一般员工．但是差异并不显著;管理者的组织压力和人际压力都显著低于一般员工;管理者的工作满意度显著高于一般员工。男性员工的挑战性压力显著高于女性员工。男性员工的人际压力明显高于女性员工。男性与女性员工的工作满意度没有显著差异。结论国企应改变现有的人力资源管理方式,多关注一般员工和女性员工。     

The Effect of Social Support and the Work Environment upon Burnout among Nurses

Abstract

Burnout among hospital-based nurses appears to be a serious problem affecting the delivery of health care. Findings from previous empirical research indicate that burnout among these nurses results from reactions to adversities inherent in the hospital work environment, and that burnout can lead nurses to change jobs and/or abandon the practice of nursing. This paper presents and discusses research findings on the effects of various aspects of the hospital work environment on burnout among nurses, and, in addition, evaluates the effects of social support in reducing and/or mitigating the relationship between negative aspects of the work environment and burnout. A multiple regression approach is employed to test the hypothesized model. The data were collected from a sample of nurses (n = 310) employed at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (FAMC), Aurora, Colorado. The major determinants of burnout were found to be low job enhancement (autonomy, task orientation, clarity, innovation, and physical comfort); work pressure; and lack of supervisor support, along with the interaction term involving the combined effects of job enhancement and supervisor support. These predictors, in conjunction with demographic and job-related variables explained 53% of the variance in emotional exhaustion, a central component of the burnout syndrome.     

Physical activity and self‐rated health: Interactive effects of activity in work and leisure domains

Objectives. This longitudinal study examined the effects of physical activity on self‐rated health (SRH); specifically, predicted interactions between leisure activity and job activity, and between leisure activity and age, were evaluated in relation to SRH. Methods. Survey data on age and leisure activity together with relevant covariates (education, body mass index, smoking and negative affectivity) were collected from oil industry employees. Three job activity levels were identified (sedentary, active and strenuous). At 5‐year follow‐up, SRH, body mass index and smoking were reassessed. Hierarchical regression was used to analyse the longitudinal data (N = 314). Results. The job activity ×leisure activity interaction (controlled for baseline SRH and covariates) predicted follow‐up SRH (p <.025). Individuals in sedentary jobs benefited disproportionately from leisure activity; active and strenuous jobs were associated with lower SRH, irrespective of leisure activity. The age ×leisure activity interaction was also significant (p <.025); leisure activity was significantly and positively associated with SRH only among younger individuals. Changes in body mass index and smoking contributed additively to the model, but did not mediate physical activity effects. Conclusions. These findings highlight the importance of leisure physical activity for employees in sedentary jobs, but suggest that other factors (such as adverse environmental conditions) may underlie the lower SRH associated with physically demanding work. The results also indicate that, irrespective of job activity level, younger individuals benefit more from leisure physical activity than older ones. Thus, the study informs interventions designed to improve the health of employees through increased physical activity.     

Organizational characteristics, occupational stress, and mental health in nurses

A model of occupational stress in hospital nurses was developed and tested. The model used measures of organizational climate, supervisor behavior, and work group relations as predictors of the quantity of role ambiguity perceived by nurses. Data were collected on 232 hospital nurses working in a rural community hospital affiliated with a medical school. Results confirmed the hypothesized structural model. Organizational climate, supervisor behavior, and work group relations directly influenced role perception. Increased role ambiguity led to decreased job satisfaction and increased perceived stress. The organizational environment directly influenced job stress. Occupational stress exerted a strong direct influence on the development of depressive symptoms in nurses.