Job stress and job performance controversy: an empirical assessment

This study examined the relationship between job stress and employees' performance and withdrawal behavior among nurses (N = 440) in two hospitals in a metropolitan Canadian city on the east coast. Job stressors assessed included role ambiguity, role overload, role conflict, and resource inadequacy. Employees' performance was operationalized in terms of job performance, motivation, and patient care skill. Withdrawal behaviors assessed were absenteeism, tardiness, and anticipated turnover. Multiple regressions, curvilinear correlation coefficients, and canonical correlations were computed to test the nature of the relationship between stressors and the criterion variables of the study. In general, data were more supportive of the negative linear relationship between stress and performance than for positive linear or curvilinear relationship. However, the stressor role ambiguity did exhibit a monotonic nonlinear relationship with a number of criterion variables. Employees' professional and organizational commitment were proposed to moderate the stress-performance relationship. However, the data only partially supported the role of the moderators.     

Job characteristics: their relationship to job satisfaction,stress and depression

This study investigated the influences of job characteristics on job satisfaction, stress and depression among South African white collar workers. Participants were managers in full-time employment with large organisations. They completed the Job Diagnostic Survey, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. A regression approach was used to predict job satisfaction, stress and depression from job characteristics. Job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback) predicted job satisfaction, as well as stress and depression. Job characteristics are weak predictors of perceived stress and depression. Work related factors, such as interpersonal relations and organisational culture, may better predict mental health in work settings.     

Job burnout and job leaving in public school teachers: Implications for stress management

This study addressed the questions of whether selected teacher and organizational variables contributed to (a) significant amounts of variance in teachers' scores on three components of burnout, and (b) teachers' intentions to leave special education teaching. Study participants (N =490) included a sample of respondents to a survey of all of the 1096 special education teachers in Hawaii. Instruments used in this study included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Porter Need Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Special Education Teacher Survey. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that for the burnout components, Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization, relatively large and significant amounts of variance could be accounted for by a set of predictor variables. For the third burnout component, Personal Accomplishment, the variance accounted for by a set of predictor variables was significant but small. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was used to distinguish between teachers who stated they did or did not intend to leave special education teaching. Eight variables were identified as predictors of Intention to leave special education teaching, correctly classifying 73% of teachers into the appropriate Yes-Leaving and No-Leaving groups.This research was conducted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Doctoral dissertation by the first author.     

Fireman's job stress: Integrating work/non-work conflict with Job Demand-Control-Support model

IntroductionHeavy working load and uncontrollable schedule often lead firemen to face to conflict between work and non-work life.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the mediating role of work/non-work conflict between firemen's job stress and job demand, job control, job support and family support.MethodQuestionnaire survey was used for data collection. Four hundred and twenty-two firemen returned completed questionnaires. Structure equation modelling was employed for data analysis.ResultsWork/leisure conflict (WLC) and work/family conflict (WFC) mediate partially the relationship between job demand and job control, job support and job stress. The relationship between family support and job stress is fully mediated by WLC and WFC.ConclusionWFC and WLC are integrated into Job Demand-Control-Support model model in current research to narrow the gap of job stress theory.     

Job insecurity climate's influence on employees' job attitudes: Evidence from two European countries

An important amount of literature about job insecurity and its consequences has been developed during the past few decades (Sverke, Hellgren, & Näswall, 2002 Sverke, M., Hellgren, J. and Näswall, K. 2002. No security: A meta-analysis and review of job insecurity and its consequences. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(3): 242–264. [Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). Most of this research has focused on an individual-analysis perspective, without taking into account social context. Although job insecurity climate has not been empirically examined, several authors have implicitly assumed that job insecurity contexts exist in some organizations where layoffs have occurred. Therefore, they examined layoff survivors' reactions. From this perspective, the aim of this study was to validate the job insecurity climate concept and examine its influence on employees' job attitudes. In order to provide additional support, this objective was examined in two samples: 428 employees belonging to 20 Spanish organizations and 550 employees in 18 Belgian organizations. The results showed that job insecurity climate emerged within the organizations in both samples, and that it influenced employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment above and beyond individual perceptions of job insecurity in the Spanish sample. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.     

Job specialization,work values,and worker dissatisfaction

The recent work literature includes three contradictory propositions relating job specialization and worker dissatisfaction. The first proposition predicts an unconditional relationship between these variables; the second proposition predicts that this relationship will be higher among workers committed to middle-class work values; the third proposition predicts that the relationship will be higher among “alienated” workers. This paper reports the findings of a study of 3193 British industrial workers which suggest that, when individually measured and analyzed, task attributes relate in different ways and in varying degrees to worker dissatisfaction. The implication for the above propositions is that they may be complementary rather than competing; the validity of each may depend upon how job specialization is measured.     

Job stress and task interest: Two factors in work life quality

A study of how stressful job events and task interest are associated with quality of work life was conducted through interviews and questionnaire assessment of 56 members of the nursing staff at a psychiatric hospital. Factor analyses of work life satisfactions revealed two separable factors, one that accounted for satisfaction with the work itself and another that identified level of satisfaction with the work context. As predicted by a two-factor model, the number of stressful work events correlated with dissatisfactions with the work context but not with satisfaction with the work itself. Level of task interest was associated with higher ratings of satisfaction with the work itself and was uncorrelated with level of work context satisfaction. Turnover was predicted by both the number of stressors on the job and a lack of interest in tasks. An interaction was found between these two variables predicting turnover; employees tended to stay at work even if the job was stressful when the tasks were interesting.     

Modeling error variance in job specification ratings: the influence of rater, job, and organization-level factors

The authors modeled sources of error variance in job specification ratings collected from 3 levels of raters across 5 organizations (N=381). Variance components models were used to estimate the variance in ratings attributable to true score (variance between knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics [KSAOs]) and error (KSAO-by-rater and residual variance). Subsequent models partitioned error variance into components related to the organization, position level, and demographic characteristics of the raters. Analyses revealed that the differential ordering of KSAOs by raters was not a function of these characteristics but rather was due to unexplained rating differences among the raters. The implications of these results for job specification and validity transportability are discussed.     

Job crafting and job performance: A longitudinal study

In this three-wave study (N = 288), we examined whether job crafting intentions and work engagement led to actual job crafting behaviours and, in turn, to higher levels of prospective work engagement and job performance. We used the Job Demands-Resources model as a theoretical framework and defined job crafting as the self-initiated changes that employees make in their job demands and resources. One month after reporting their job crafting intentions, respondents rated their actual job crafting behaviours. Again one month later, they rated their levels of work engagement, in-role performance, and organizational citizenship behaviour towards individuals (OCBI). Results of structural equation modelling showed that job crafting intentions and work engagement significantly related to actual job crafting, which, in turn, related to higher levels of work engagement, while controlling for job characteristics. Results further showed that engaged employees performed better on their in-role tasks but did not perform more OCBIs. The findings suggest that employees can increase their own work engagement and job performance through job crafting.     

Why I remember that: The influence of contextual factors on beliefs about everyday memory

In the present study, we examined the role of contextual factors in beliefs about remembering personal experiences. Specifically, we examined why individuals think that they remember experiences in everyday life and whether the reasons for remembering varied as a function of recall context, memory theme, and culture. In Experiment 1, we examined young adults’ reported memories in two hypothetical contexts. In Experiment 2, memories were reported in response to cue words in European American and Chinese young adults. The results indicated that social sharing contexts appeared to favor social functions, whereas private reminiscence contexts tended to favor nonfunctional reasons for remembering and, to a lesser extent, directive functions. The European Americans reported more functional reasons for remembering, whereas the Chinese were more likely to report external cues as a reason for remembering. Finally, self functions were rarely reported. The results are interpreted in light of theories of memory functions and the role of contextual factors on remembering.     

Job involvement,machiavellianism and job performance

This study addressed the effect of job involvement on the relationship between Machiavellianism and job performance. The results showed a significant effect for managers who perceive themselves as possessing high levels of job involvement. No effect was found for managers who perceived themselves as having low levels of job involvement. Findings are discussed in the context of the research, and implications are provided for executives in the retail setting.     

Job insecurity and well-being: The moderating role of job dependence

Job insecurity has become more relevant during the last decades as more flexibility from the workforce and organizations is demanded in the labour market. It has frequently been suggested that job insecurity is a more severe stressor for those who are more dependent on their job. The present study investigates the association between job insecurity and employee well-being by focusing on how employees’ dependence on the job moderates this relationship. Two types of financial dependence (subjective financial dependence and relative contribution to the household income) were studied, along with an indicator of a more psychological dependence on work in general (work involvement). In addition to this, both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity were included. The proposed relations were tested in a sample of Swedish accountancy firm employees. The results of moderated hierarchical regression analyses showed that subjective financial dependence, household contribution, and work involvement moderated the relation between both job insecurity dimensions and job satisfaction. No moderations were found with mental well-being as an outcome. This implies that the extent to which someone depends on their job is important for how job insecurity relates to job satisfaction.     

Job stress and job performance among employees in Hong Kong: The role of Chinese work values and organizational commitment

This study investigates the direct and moderating effects of Chinese work values and organizational commitment on the stress‐job performance relationship. Chinese work values are the work‐related Confucian values of Chinese societies, and include collectivism, hardworking, endurance, and harmonious social relationships (guanxi). A three‐component (affective, continuance, and normative) conception of commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991) is used. A self‐administered questionnaire survey collected data from two samples of Hong Kong employees during 2001. These samples included 386 (197 males, 179 females, 10 unidentified) and 145 (51 males, 94 females) respondents. The purpose of recruiting two samples was to replicate the stress‐performance relationship in a Chinese setting to enhance generalization of the results. The results consistently revealed that sources of pressure and self‐rated job performance were negatively related. Furthermore, organizational commitment and Chinese work values were positively related to job performance. A series of hierarchical regressions, while controlling for age, tenure, and job level, revealed that Chinese work values and organizational commitment were significant stress moderators. Chinese work values were found to be significant moderators of the stress‐performance relationship in both samples. However, those values only safeguarded performance when work stress was low or moderately high. When work stress was very high, employees with high levels of Chinese work values reported lower job performance. Organizational commitment, in contrast, protected employees from the negative effects of stressors and moderated the stress‐performance relationship in a positive direction, but for the first sample only. The implications of the study are that it is essential to nourish work values among employees and cultivate employees' commitment to their organizations. However, in very high stress situations, it is more appropriate to alter the work environment to reduce stressors at work, in order to enhance job performance. Cette étude visait à examiner les effets directs et modérateurs des valeurs de travail chinoises et de L'engagement organisationnel sur les relations entre le stress et la performance. Dans la présente étude, les valeurs de travail chinoises impliquent les valeurs confucéennes reliées au travail, lesquelles sont communément acceptées dans les sociétés chinoises. Elles comprennent le collectivisme, L'ardeur au travail, L'endurance et les relations sociales harmonieuses (guanxi). Une conception tripartite de L'engagement (Myers et Allen, 1991) fut utilisée. Celle‐ci inclut L'affectivité, la continuité et L'engagement normatif. Les données furent recueillies auprès de deux échantillons d'employés de Hong Kong, durant un intervalle de 7 mois, en 2001. Pour chaque échantillon, 386 (197 hommes et 179 femmes) et 145 (51 hommes et 94 femmes, 10 non identifiés) répondants, respectivement, ont complété un questionnaire d'enquête autorapporté. Le but de recruter deux échantillons était d'examiner les relations stress‐performance dans deux milieux chinois afin d'augmenter la générabilité des résultats. Les résultats révèlent que les sources de pression et la performance rapportée sont négativement associées. De plus, L'engagement organisationnel et les valeurs de travail chinoises sont positivement liés à la performance. Une série de régressions hiérarchiques, en exerçant un contrôle sur L'âge, le poste et le niveau d'emploi, révèlent que les valeurs de travail chinoises et L'engagement organisationnel sont des modérateurs significatifs du stress. Les valeurs de travail chinoises sont des modérateurs significatifs des relations entre le stress et la performance pour les deux échantillons. Cependant, elles favorisent la performance seulement lorsque le stress au travail est faible ou modérément élevé. Quand le stress au travail est très élevé, les employés dont les valeurs de travail chinoises sont fortes rapportent des niveaux plus faibles de performance. Concernant L'engagement organisationnel, celui‐ci protège les employés des effets négatifs des stresseurs et il modère la relation stress‐performance dans une direction positive, pour le premier échantillon seulement. Sur le plan des implications, cette étude soulève qu'il est essentiel de nourrir les valeurs de travail chez les employés et de cultiver L'engagement dans leurs organisations. Cependant, dans des situations hautement stressantes, il serait davantage approprié de modifier L'environnement de travail pour réduire les stresseurs, afin d'améliorer la performance des employés. Este estudio se propone investigar los efectos directos y moderadores de los valores chinos hacia el trabajo y el compromiso con la organización sobre las relaciones entre estrés y rendimiento en el trabajo. En este estudio, los valores chinos hacia el trabajo se refieren a los valores de Confucio relativos al trabajo, aquéllos sobre los que existe acuerdo entre las sociedades chinas, que incluyen el colectivismo, la dedicación al trabajo, la resistencia y las relaciones sociales armoniosas (guanxi). Se empleó una concepción de compromiso formada por tres componentes (Meyer & Allen, 1991), que incluye el compromiso afectivo, continuo y normativo. Se recogieron datos de dos muestras de empleados de Hong Kong con 7 meses de intervalo entre una y otra durante el 2001, de 386 (197 hombres, 179 mujeres, 10 no identificados) y 145 (51 hombres, 94 mujeres) respectivamente, mediante el empleo de un cuestionario auto‐administrado. La razón por la que se reclutó dos muestras fue llevar al cabo una réplica de las relaciones entre estrés y rendimiento en un contexto chino, para mejorar la generalidad de los resultados. Es más, se encontró una relación positiva entre compromiso con la organización y rendimiento en el trabajo. Los resultados de una serie de regresiones jerárquicas, después de controlar la edad, definitividad y jerarquía, revelaron que los valores chinos hacia el trabajo y el compromiso con la organización moderaban de manera significativa las relaciones entre estrés y rendimiento. Se encontró que los valores chinos hacia el trabajo moderaban de manera significativa las relaciones entre estrés y rendimiento en ambas muestras. No obstante, los valores chinos hacia el trabajo salvaguardan el rendimiento sólo cuando el estrés es bajo o moderadamente alto. Cuando el estrés en el trabajo es muy alto, los empleados con niveles altos de valores chinos manifiestan bajo rendimiento. Respecto al compromiso con la organización, éste protege a los empleados de los efectos negativos de los estresores y modera la relación entre estrés y rendimiento en una dirección positiva, pero sólo para la primera muestra. Las implicaciones de este estudio son: es esencial fomentar los valores hacia el trabajo entre los empleados y cultivar su compromiso para con sus organizaciones. Sin embargo, bajo situaciones de estrés extremo, será más apropiado alterar el ambiente laboral para reducir los estresores, y así mejorar el rendimiento en el trabajo.     

Job change: A study of an acute job stressor

This paper studies the relationship between job entry and job stress. Skill uncertainty, defined as having inadequately developed job skills, was thought to be associated with the stress reaction. In a longitudinal study of 62 transferred employees, skill uncertainty was associated with both negative emotional arousal 1 month after job entry and with positive emotional arousal 3 months after job entry.     

Assessment of job stress factors in a context of organizational change

IntroductionResearch consistently showed that stress and organizational change are closely related.ObjectiveThis study was conducted to identify the psychosocial job characteristics that are responsible for psychological stress in a context of organizational change.MethodAn expanded 30-item version of the Job Content Questionnaire was used to measure psychological demands, decision latitude, supervisor support, coworker support, and organizational difficulties. Online survey responses from 973 employees from the university of Strasbourg were analyzed.ResultsConfirmatory Factor Analyses indicated a poor fit of the five-factor model based on 30 items but an acceptable to good fit of a reduced five-factor model based on 26 items. Results from a stepwise regression showed that the organizational difficulties dimension was the second most important predictor of psychological stress.ConclusionThe implications of these findings for further work on health outcomes of organizational changes closed this study.     

counselors' collective self‐esteem mediates job dissatisfaction and client relationships

Given the central role of professional identity (i.e., collective self‐esteem in this study), the authors examined whether collective self‐esteem mediated or moderated relations between job dissatisfaction and client relationships in a sample of 132 professional counselors in the United States. Results indicated that collective self‐esteem partially mediated the relationship between job dissatisfaction and client relationships. Furthermore, job dissatisfaction was negatively related to greater levels of private collective self‐esteem, and greater private collective self‐esteem was positively related to better client relationships.     

The influence of personal,relational, and contextual factors on forgiveness communication following transgressions

The way that individuals adapt to stress in their romantic relationships plays a major role in determining relational satisfaction. This study used the Vulnerability‐Stress‐Adaptation Model as a framework to examine how individuals adapt to a relational transgression in their romantic relationships. This study examined individuals' attachment dimensions and perceived relational equity as factors that influenced how they used forgiveness strategies following a relational transgression. The results revealed that both attachment dimensions and perceptions of relational equity inform our understanding of the strategies that individuals use to communicate forgiveness to a romantic relationship partner. Furthermore, the results suggest that the communication of forgiveness has important implications for relational satisfaction.