Spillover and crossover of exhaustion and life satisfaction among dual-earner parents

This study integrates spillover research of stress transferring from work to home and crossover research of strains transferring from one spouse to another. A spillover and crossover model was tested among 191 (couples of) dual-earner parents. For both males and females, it was hypothesized that (self-reported and partners’ rating of) work-to-family interference (WFI) partially mediates the job demands-job exhaustion relationship, and fully mediates the job demands-life satisfaction relationship. Further, we hypothesized reciprocal crossover effects between both partners’ job exhaustion and life satisfaction. The results of structural equation modeling analyses offered support for the mediating role of WFI although there were genders differences. In addition, we found a crossover path from females’ exhaustion to males’ exhaustion and from males’ life satisfaction to their partners’ life satisfaction. This implies that not only job-related strain, but also positive, context-free well-being may crossover among partners.     

Job characteristics and burnout: The moderating roles of emotional intelligence,motivation and pay among bank employees

This study investigated the prediction of burnout from job characteristics, emotional intelligence, motivation and pay among bank employees. It also examined the interactions of emotional intelligence, motivation, pay and job characteristics in the prediction of burnout. Data obtained from 230 (Males = 127, Females = 103) bank employees were analysed using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that theses variables jointly and separately negatively predicted burnout components. The results further indicated that emotional intelligence, motivation and pay separately interacted with some job characteristic components to negatively predict some burnout components. The findings imply that emotional intelligence, motivation and pay could be considered by counsellors when designing interventions to reduce burnout among bank employees.     

Sound escapes: images of spirituality from music teachers and students

This on-going piece of research seeks to identify what music teachers, performers and students from high school through to university understand by the word spirituality in relation to music. From this it is hoped to be able to look at the relevance of the term spirituality in the music classroom. In this paper, data are presented from qualitative research gained in the form of interviews with 37 respondents and four focus groups of children, and quantitative research from questionnaires completed by 38 trainee music teachers. From these data, we identified five themes relating to the respondents’ understanding of the term ‘spirituality’ in relation to music. These were: to what extent spirituality is seen as a religious concept; whether spirituality is an inner or outer experience; to what extent words are relevant to spiritual experiences; the role that knowledge and emotion play and whether musicians experience a sense of spirituality more when listening or performing. From these data we go on to identify implications for the music classroom.     

Job skill discretion and emotion control strategies as antecedents of recovery from work

Recovery from work protects employees’ health and well-being, and therefore it is important to understand its antecedents. The aim of this study conducted among 183 middle-aged participants drawn from the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development was to examine whether job skill discretion and emotion control strategies (emotional rumination and emotional inhibition) are related to psychological aspects of recovery from work (subjective recovery evaluation, psychological detachment and relaxation). The results of hierarchical general linear models confirmed the hypothesis that job skill discretion is positively associated with subjective recovery evaluation and relaxation. As expected, high emotional rumination predicted difficulties in psychological detachment and relaxation. Emotional inhibition moderated the relationship between job skill discretion and psychological detachment: where emotional inhibition was at a moderate level, job skill discretion was positively related to psychological detachment. The findings suggest that not only job characteristics but also individual factors contribute to recovery, revealing practical implications for employees, employers and occupational health care professionals seeking to promote employees’ work ability, health and well-being.     

The work-related flow inventory: Construction and initial validation of the WOLF

The WOrk-reLated Flow inventory (WOLF) measures flow at work, defined as a short-term peak experience characterized by absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation. Results of Study 1 among 7 samples of employees (total N = 1346) from different occupational groups offer support for the factorial validity and reliability of the WOLF. Study 2 examined the validity of the WOLF in more detail among some of the samples. Positive correlations between a general flow index and the three flow dimensions confirm the convergent validity of the WOLF. In addition, the findings of Study 2 provide evidence for the construct and predictive validity of the WOLF using five job characteristics as predictors of flow, and other-ratings of performance as outcomes.     

What's mine is yours: The crossover of day-specific self-esteem

This diary study examines the daily crossover of self-esteem within working couples. By integrating self-esteem research into the crossover framework, we hypothesized that the day-specific self-esteem experienced by one partner after work crosses over to the other partner. Furthermore, we proposed that this daily crossover process is moderated by the other partner's general level of self-esteem and empathic concern. We conducted a diary study over five consecutive working days among 102 working couples. Multilevel analyses using the actor-partner interdependence model supported our hypotheses. Day-specific self-esteem experienced by one partner after work crossed over to the other partner in the evening, particularly when this partner had a generally low level of self-esteem and a generally high level of empathic concern.     

Emotional resources link work demands and experiences to family functioning and employee well-being: the emotional resource possession scale (ERPS)

ABSTRACT

Work-family research predominantly focused on role incompatibilities with theorizing often rooted in resource depletion mechanisms derived from Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. However, researchers have largely neglected resource accumulation processes also part of COR, due to the lack of appropriate conceptualization and operationalization of resource possession. To address this deficiency, we propose that emotional resource accumulation, as a COR mechanism, is distinct from emotional resource depletion in explaining work-family linkages; to enable empirical tests of this mechanism, we develop the Emotional Resource Possession Scale (ERPS), at both state and trait levels. We describe four studies demonstrating that the ERPS has discriminant validity against emotional exhaustion and emotional energy, and differential relationships with positive and negative affect. Our results show that resource-generating (work engagement and co-worker support) and resource-depleting (quantitative job demands and emotional labour) constructs have differential associations with the ERPS (and also with emotional exhaustion). Finally, our findings show that the ERPS has incremental validity, over and above emotional exhaustion, in predicting family performance and life satisfaction. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of considering resource depletion and accumulation as distinct processes, and assessing them as such, for theory on work and family and on employee well-being.     

Applying the job demands–resources model to the work–home interface: A study among medical residents and their partners

Work–home interference (WHI) is a prevalent problem because most employees have substantial family responsibilities on top of their work demands. The present study hypothesized that high job demands in combination with low job resources contribute to WHI. The job demands–resources (JD-R) model was used as a theoretical framework. Using a sample of 230 medical residents and their partners, our results show that the combination of high job demands (i.e., work overload, emotional and cognitive demands) and low job resources (i.e., participation in decision making, supervisory coaching, feedback, and opportunities for development) was positively related to partner ratings of the employee's WHI. When job resources were high, most job demands were not related to WHI. These findings show that the JD-R model is a conceptual framework that can be fruitfully applied to the work–family interface, adding to our understanding of which particular job designs facilitate or prevent work–home interference.     

情绪劳动与心理健康的关系:工作倦怠的中介作用

主要探讨情绪劳动与心理健康的关系以及工作倦怠对二者关系的中介作用。采用情绪劳动量表、心理健康量表和工作倦怠量表对山东省5家医院的200名护士进行问卷调查。结果表明,情绪劳动与心理健康呈显著负相关,对心理健康具有显著的负向预测作用,具体表现为对躯体化、焦虑、妄想和精神病性有负向预测作用;情绪劳动与工作倦怠呈显著正相关,对工作倦怠具有显著的正向预测作用,表现在情绪衰竭和去人格化两个方面。工作倦怠是情绪劳动与心理健康关系的中介变量,工作倦怠对情绪劳动与心理健康之间的关系具有完全中介作用,情绪劳动通过工作倦怠间接影响心理健康。     

Work happiness among teachers: A day reconstruction study on the role of self-concordance

Self-concordant work motivation arises from one's authentic choices, personal values, and interests. In the present study, we investigated whether self-concordant motivation may fluctuate from one work-related task to the next. On the basis of self-determination theory, we hypothesized that momentary self-concordance buffers the negative impact of momentary work demands on momentary happiness. We developed a modified version of the day reconstruction method to investigate self-concordance, work demands, and happiness during specific work-related tasks on a within-person and within-day level. In total, 132 teachers completed a daily diary on three consecutive work days as well as a background questionnaire. The daily diary resulted in 792 reported work activities and activity-related work demands, self-concordance, and happiness scores. Multilevel analysis showed that—for most work activities—state self-concordant motivation buffered the negative association of work demands with happiness. These findings add to the literature on motivation and well-being by showing that the levels of self-concordance and happiness experienced by employees vary significantly on a within-day level and show a predictable pattern. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings to increase employees' well-being.     

The effect of job stress on self-reported safety behaviour in container terminal operations: The moderating role of emotional intelligence

This study empirically examined the moderating effects of emotional intelligence on job stress and self-reported safety behaviour in the context of container terminal operations using survey data collected from 430 respondents who worked in the container terminals in Taiwan. A hierarchical regression analysis was used for data analysis. The research findings indicate that job stress negatively affects safety behaviour in terms of safety compliance, as well as emotional intelligence positively affects safety behaviour in terms of safety participation and safety compliance. Results also indicated that emotional intelligence plays a moderating role on the relationships between job stress and safety compliance. The theoretical and practical implications from the research findings are discussed.     

Job demands and resources as antecedents of work engagement: A longitudinal study

By utilizing a 2-year longitudinal design, the present study investigated the experience of work engagement and its antecedents among Finnish health care personnel (n = 409). The data were collected by questionnaires in 2003 (Time 1) and in 2005 (Time 2). The study showed that work engagement—especially vigor and dedication—was relatively frequently experienced among the participants, and its average level did not change across the follow-up period. In addition, the experience of work engagement turned out to be reasonably stable during the 2-year period. Job resources predicted work engagement better than job demands. Job control and organization-based self-esteem proved to be the best lagged predictors of the three dimensions of work engagement. However, only the positive effect of job control on dedication remained statistically significant after controlling for the baseline level of work engagement (Time 1).     

A Swedish adaptation of the Emotional Contagion Scale: factor structure and psychometric properties

The Emotional Contagion Scale (ECS) is a self-report scale used to measure individual differences in susceptibility to converge towards the emotions expressed by others. The original American ECS (Doherty, 1997), translated into Swedish, was completed by 665 undergraduate students in two independent samples (N = 233 and N = 432, respectively). To investigate the factor structure of the ECS, confirmatory factor analyses of alternative models derived from previous research in emotion and emotional contagion were conducted. The results showed that the proposed one-dimensional structure of the ECS was not tenable. Instead a multi-facet model based on a differential emotions model and a hierarchal valence/differential emotions model was supported. Cross-validation on the second independent sample demonstrated and confirmed the multi-faceted property of the ECS and the equality of the factor structure across samples and genders. With regard to homogeneity and test-retest reliability, the Swedish version showed acceptable results and was in concordance with the original version.     

Pathways to flourishing among pharmacy students: The role of study demands and lecturer support

This study investigated possible pathways to flourishing among pharmacy students attending a South African university (N = 799; females = 81.6%; Afrikaans-speakers = 84.7%, mean age = 20.42 years, SD = 2.25 years). The students completed the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (MHC-SF) and an Overload and Lecturer Support Survey. Of the 779 pharmacy students, 40.3% self-reported as flourishing, with high mean scores on workload and lecturer support. The level of emotional well-being of year group 2 was the highest. Following structural equation modelling, overload and lecturer support explained between 18% and 31% of the variance in the flourishing of the different year groups. From the second to the third year, the predictive value of overload and lecturer support for flourishing decreased by 8.8%. Lecturer support and low overload appear to play a positive role in the flourishing of higher education students.     

Organizational justice and job insecurity as mediators of the effect of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction: A study from China

The current study aimed to explore how individual difference in emotional intelligence influenced job satisfaction, and mainly focused on the confirmation of the mediator roles of organizational justice and job insecurity. A total of 420 staffs from a large-scale IT enterprise in China completed the self-reported emotional intelligence scale, the organizational justice scale, the job insecurity scale and Minnesota job satisfaction questionnaire. The results revealed that emotional intelligence, organizational justice, job insecurity and job satisfaction were significantly correlated with each other. Structural equation modeling indicated that emotional intelligence can significantly influence job satisfaction and the relationship between EI and satisfaction was partially mediated by organizational justice and job insecurity.     

The mediating role of self-efficacy between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of primary school teachers

IntroductionIn this study, it was analyzed whether self-efficacy has a mediating role between the emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of primary school teachers.ObjectiveIt is to test the relationships between primary school teachers job satisfaction, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence levels.MethodA path analysis was performed on a sample of 252 primary school teachers.ResultsIt was found that self-efficacy mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction.ConclusionBased on the findings of the study, the relationships between emotional intelligence, job satisfaction and self-efficacy were discussed in the literature and various suggestions were made to concerned future researchers and practitioners.     

The role of personal resources in explaining well-being and performance: A study among young veterinary professionals

This study examines the role of three personal resources (i.e., proactive behaviour, reflective behaviour, and self-efficacy) in the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model in order to predict self and other ratings of performance. The sample consisted of 860 Dutch veterinary professionals and 170 colleagues. We hypothesized and found that work engagement mediates the relationship between job as well as personal resources and extrarole performance and the relationship between job resources and work engagement. Although hypothesized, we found no support for the mediating role of exhaustion in the relationship between job demands as well as personal resources and inrole performance. Moreover personal resources were directly related to in- and extrarole performance. In conclusion, the study expands the JD-R model by integrating personal resources at a behavioural level and performance measures in the model, and shows that personal resources have a mediating and initiating role in explaining work engagement and performance in young veterinary professionals.     

The role of political skill in the stressor–outcome relationship: Differential predictions for self- and other-reports of political skill

The beneficial role of political skill in stress reactions and performance evaluations has been demonstrated in a substantial amount of empirical research. Most of the research, however, has focused on self-perceptions of political skill. This study examines the differential moderating effects of self- vs. other-rated political skill in the conflict – emotional burnout and performance relationships, using two samples including non-academic staff employees of a large university (N = 839) and a variety of office and retail employees from an automotive organization (N = 142). We argue that self-reported political skill moderates the relationship between conflict and a self-reported strain-related outcome that is important to the individual (i.e., emotional burnout), but that supervisor-rated political skill does not moderate this relationship. Further, we argue that supervisor-rated political skill moderates the relationship between conflict and an outcome important to the supervisor and the organization (i.e., job performance), but that self-reported political skill does not moderate this relationship. Findings partially support our hypotheses as both self and supervisor-rated political skill neutralized the negative effects of conflict on burnout, but only supervisor-rated political skill neutralized the negative effects of conflict on performance. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.     

Virtual HR: The impact of information technology on the human resource professional

Accelerated investment and innovation in information technology (IT) offers prospects for conducting business in ways that are radically different from the past. Despite the growing presence of IT within organizations, however, we do not have a clear understanding of how IT impacts the role of professionals. We address this issue by investigating how jobs in one professional occupational segment, human resources (HR) professionals are influenced by extensive use of IT within the human resource department. Specifically, we examine how HR professionals handle HR information as well as the expectations placed on them resulting from an increased reliance on IT. Our findings suggest that IT enables HR professionals to more efficiently access and disseminate information while it also influences what is expected of them. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

Flow experiences in everyday activities of Japanese college students: Autotelic people and time management1

Abstract: This study examines the characteristics of flow activities, executive skills of time management and goal directedness related to autotelic personality styles. Japanese college students (155 men and 168 women) completed the Flow Experience Checklist, Evaluation after Everyday Life Activities Scale, Time Management Skill Scale, Experiential Time Perspective Scale, and Multiple Mood Scale with reference to five everyday activities. The results suggest that flow activities are related to the process of personal growth and self‐advancement, and also provide pleasure and motivation for subsequent activity. Autotelic people reported the highest amount of flow experience in everyday activities, and the highest scores on time management and goal directedness.