Does work engagement increase person–job fit? The role of job crafting and job insecurity

Drawing on the expanded model of person–environment fit and job crafting theory, this study investigates the underlying processes of the relationship between work engagement and changes in person–job fit. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 246 Chinese employees of a high technology company. As hypothesized, the results show that work engagement is positively related to changes in demands–abilities fit through changes in physical job crafting and positively related to changes in needs–supplies fit through changes in relational job crafting. As predicted, the positive relationship between work engagement and changes in relational job crafting (however, not changes in physical job crafting) is strengthened under conditions of high (vs. low) job insecurity. Our findings indicate that engaged employees craft their work in physical and relational ways, which creates a better person–job fit. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Goal conflict and facilitation as predictors of work–family satisfaction and engagement

In a study of working adults (N = 131; Mean age = 43.52 yrs; 62 males) in Germany and Finland, the mean level of goal facilitation was found to be significantly higher than that of goal interference. Hence, many individuals seem to be rather successful in constructing a personal goal system that is functional in terms of supportive links. As hypothesized, goal conflict and facilitation were associated with work-related outcomes, especially with work satisfaction. The associations with family-related outcomes were less pronounced when the focus was exclusively on either supportive or interfering goal relationships. However, when the intraindividual relation between goal conflict and goal support was taken into account, we found that the relative dominance of facilitation was clearly positively associated with both work-related and family-related indicators of positive functioning.     

Antecedents of employees' mental health—The role of career and work satisfaction

It was hypothesized that individual and situational variables, as a whole, will show stronger relationships with work-related attitudes than with mental health indices. Work-related attitudes, on the other hand, were expected to contribute more strongly to mental health than the individual and situational variables. Results obtained from two groups of staff professionals and retail store managers, using primarily questionnaire data, supported these hypotheses. Career and work satisfaction emerged as the strongest contributors to mental health. Situational variables such as job characteristics, supervisory style, and pay related more strongly to the attitudinal variables than to mental health. This pattern suggests that career and work satisfaction may serve as intervening variables in the relationship between situational variables and mental health.     

Understanding the link between work engagement and job satisfaction: Do role stressors underlie this relationship?

Drawing upon Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, most research on hindrance demands has focused on the antecedent role of work engagement. However, no studies have analysed the potential effects of hindrance demands as moderators in the engagement-job satisfaction link. The objective of this study was to examine the moderator effect of role stressors (conflict and ambiguity) as hindrance demands in the relationship between work engagement and job satisfaction in a Spanish working sample. The sample was composed of 634 Spanish workers from different Southern service organizations. Hierarchical multiple regression results showed that the association between work engagement and job satisfaction decreased when role stress (particularly ambiguity) increased. These results underline the need to clarify goals, specify norms about work and member roles in organizations and determine the deleterious effect of hindrance demands even in engaged workers.     

Work–family conflict and facilitation: The combined influence of the job demand–control model and achievement striving

This study investigated the moderating effect of achievement striving (AS) on the relationship between situational variables, defined by the Job Demand–Control model (JDC), and both work–family conflict and work–family facilitation. In a sample of 224 employees in the welfare sector, the results of two hierarchical regression analyses showed that job demands were significantly positively related and job control was significantly negatively related to work–family conflict but not to work–family facilitation. For AS, a significant positive relationship was found with both work–family conflict and work–family facilitation. Interactions between situational variables and AS were insignificant although the interaction between AS and job control on work–family facilitation was close to significance in line with the expectations. Specifically, a lower level of job control did not lower the level of WFF experienced by individuals high on AS. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

What matters most? The relative role of mentoring and career capital in career success

This study used a career capital framework to compare the relative role of mentoring and three other forms of career capital (human, agentic, and developmental network capital) in predicting career success. Using a three-wave longitudinal design we found that mentoring added value, above and beyond the other forms of career capital, in predicting promotions and advancement expectations. However, although mentoring mattered for career success, it represented just a part of a constellation of career resources that are embedded within individuals and their relationships. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Trait mindfulness and work–family balance among working parents: The mediating effects of vitality and sleep quality

The present study investigates the relationship between trait mindfulness and work–family balance among a sample of working parents. Sleep quality and vitality are tested as mediators of this relationship. Results indicate that those with greater mindfulness report greater work–family balance, better sleep quality, and greater vitality. As expected, the relationship between mindfulness and work–family balance was mediated by sleep quality and vitality. Results support the usefulness of further examination of the benefits of mindfulness in the work–family context.     

The impact of job demands,climate, and optimism on well-being and distress at work: What are the mediating effects of basic psychological need satisfaction?

IntroductionPsychological health at work, a multidimensional concept grasped by the absence of negative states and by the presence of positive states, is here approximated in terms of distress and well-being.ObjectiveThis study was aimed at examining the extent to which job demands, individual resources (optimism), and organizational resources (climate) are linked to well-being and distress at work. We looked at whether these links are mediated in satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs posited in self-determination theory (competence, relatedness, and autonomy).MethodThe participants were 298 French elementary, middle, and high school teachers who were asked to answer a questionnaire. The data was analyzed using Hayes and Preacher's method for testing multiple mediations.ResultsSatisfaction of the psychological needs for competence and relatedness fully mediated the links between job climate and psychological health at work (well-being and distress). Optimism turned out to be an important factor of health, not only because it had a strong impact on well-being and distress, but also because its effects were partially mediated by satisfaction of the need for competence.ConclusionThe present results confirm the relevance of the variables used to predict psychological health (particularly optimism). Job demands directly affected well-being and distress levels. The climate — by way of satisfaction of the need for competence and for relatedness — plays a critical role in matters of occupational health.     

A multilevel job demands–resources model of work engagement: Antecedents,consequences, and boundary conditions

ABSTRACT

Grounded on the Job Demands–Resources model, the present study conducted 2 studies to test a multilevel model of work engagement. Using data from 606 leader–employee pairs taken from 40 gas stations of a petroleum company, and a 3-wave data from 145 service teams and 542 leader–employee pairs from a variety of service organizations, convergent evidence suggested that (a) the unit leaders’ autonomy-support climate and psychological capital lead to service performance through work engagement and (b) psychological capital could attenuate the positive effect of unit leaders’autonomy-support climate on work engagement. In addition, the unit leaders’ autonomy-support climate acts as a job resource for boosting work engagement when both workloads and emotional demands or job insecurity are high.     

Parent–adolescent attachment and procrastination: The mediating role of self-worth

Within the theoretical framework of attachment theory, the author examined associations between adolescents' procrastination and their attachment relationships with both mothers and fathers, and explored the potential mediation role of self-worth in these associations. Participants were 384 Chinese adolescents (49.6% boys, average age 15.13 years) from public schools in Shanghai, China. They completed self-report measures of 3 dimensions of parental attachment (i.e., trust, communication, and alienation), general self-worth, and procrastination. The results indicated that both paternal and maternal trust and paternal communication were negatively associated with higher levels of procrastination whereas both paternal and maternal alienation were positively associated with procrastination. In addition, self-worth mediated the associations among 3 dimensions of parental attachment and procrastination. The findings highlighted the importance of parental attachment-based intervention strategies to reduce procrastination among adolescents.     

General mental ability,conscientiousness, and the work–family interface: A test of mediating pathways

This study proposed a model in which employee general mental ability (GMA) and conscientiousness are linked to work–family conflict and enrichment through their relationship with occupational prestige and coping styles. We evaluated this model in a sample of 709 working adults from the National Survey of Midlife Development II in the United States. Results indicate that, through occupational prestige and subsequent psychological job demands and financial well-being, GMA was related to work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). GMA was also related to work-to-family enrichment (WFE) but not family-to-work enrichment (FWE) through occupational prestige and autonomy. In contrast, conscientiousness did not influence work–family outcomes through occupational prestige. Additionally, GMA and conscientiousness were both related to WFE/FWE through problem coping, whereas conscientiousness was related to FWC through avoidance coping. Examining the relative effects of GMA and conscientiousness, we found that the indirect effects of GMA through occupational prestige were stronger than those of conscientiousness, whereas the indirect effects of conscientiousness through problem coping were stronger than those of GMA. We discuss our findings in terms of the mechanisms through which stable individual differences may exert influences on work–family outcomes.     

Employee–supervisor political skill congruence and work outcomes: The mediating role of leader–member exchange quality

This study aims to investigate the effect of employee–supervisor political skill congruence on the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX), which in turn influences employees' job satisfaction and turnover intention. For this purpose, two survey studies were conducted. The first study examined the relationship between employee–supervisor political skill congruence and LMX using multi-source data collected from 287 employee–supervisor dyads. The second study examined the indirect effect of congruence in political skill on work outcomes through LMX by using time-lagged multi-source data collected from 142 employee–supervisor dyads. The findings indicate that compared with incongruence, congruence in political skill is associated with higher employee-rated LMX. Moreover, among dyads with congruent political skills, congruence at high levels of political skill is associated with higher employee-rated LMX compared with congruence at low levels of political skill. Moreover, in case of incongruency, low employee–high supervisor political skill combination was related to higher supervisor-rated LMX compared with high employee–low supervisor political skill combination. Lastly, employee–supervisor political skill congruency indirectly influences job satisfaction and turnover intention through employee-rated LMX. This research significantly contributes to the political skill literature by examining potential consequences of employee–supervisor congruence in political skill in the workplace.     

Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction,life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures

This study investigates the effects of work–life balance (WLB) on several individual outcomes across cultures. Using a sample of 1416 employees from seven distinct populations – Malaysian, Chinese, New Zealand Maori, New Zealand European, Spanish, French, and Italian – SEM analysis showed that WLB was positively related to job and life satisfaction and negatively related to anxiety and depression across the seven cultures. Individualism/collectivism and gender egalitarianism moderated these relationships. High levels of WLB were more positively associated with job and life satisfaction for individuals in individualistic cultures, compared with individuals in collectivistic cultures. High levels of WLB were more positively associated with job and life satisfaction and more negatively associated with anxiety for individuals in gender egalitarian cultures. Overall, we find strong support for WLB being beneficial for employees from various cultures and for culture as a moderator of these relationships.     

Regulatory focus and the family–work interface: The role of regulatory fit between cohabiting partners

The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of regulatory focus in goal pursuit and regulatory fit between marital partners on family conditions and the family–work interface. We hypothesized that when both partners are high on promotion focus (fit) they experience higher developmental possibilities at home and have an increased likelihood of family-to-work facilitation (FWF). In addition, we hypothesized that when both partners are prevention focused (fit) they experience less home demands and less family-to-work conflict (FWC). In total, 131 working couples participated in the study. Each partner provided information about his/her own regulatory focus, perceptions of home demands and home developmental possibilities, and experienced FWF and FWC. Results of moderated structural equation modelling analyses largely supported our hypotheses since the interaction between partners’ promotion focus predicted the levels of home developmental possibilities and FWF, whereas the interaction between partners’ prevention focus predicted home demands in the expected direction. In conclusion, the fit between partners’ self regulatory styles can influence family life and, consequently, the impact of family on work.     

Alexithymia in Young people’s academic career: The mediating role of anxiety and resilience

Alexithymia prevents people from understanding and adopting verbal language to describe and regulate one’s emotions. Recent studies have found that alexithymia symptoms also impact on young people’s academic achievement. Nevertheless, it is worth investigating risk and protective roles played by students’ academic anxiety and resilience, respectively. The authors expected that students’ anxiety and resilience mediated the effect of alexithymia symptoms on students’ academic burnout and performance. A sample of 257 university students answered self-report questionnaires about alexithymia, academic anxiety and resilience, and academic burnout and performance. Mediation analyses were performed by the structural equation model. Anxiety acted as a mediator between alexithymia and academic burnout and performance. Furthermore, resilience mediated the effect of alexithymia on burnout, but not on academic performance. The study provides support for preventing alexithymia consequences on young people’s academic career by reducing their anxiety and promoting academic resilience. Implications of intervention programs were discussed.     

Designing volunteers’ tasks to maximize motivation,satisfaction and performance: The impact of job characteristics on volunteer engagement

We conducted a field study to test the applicability of the job characteristics model (JCM) in volunteer organizations and examine the impact of job characteristics on volunteer motivation, satisfaction and intent to quit, as well as test a measure of volunteer performance. One hundred and twenty-four volunteers completed measures of job characteristics, motivation, satisfaction, and intent to quit. Supervisors rated volunteer task performance and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Results showed that job characteristics were related to volunteers’ autonomous motivation, satisfaction and performance. Autonomous motivation acted as a mediator in the relationship between job characteristics and satisfaction. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Job demands and work–family conflict in preschool teachers: The buffering effects of job resources and off-job recovery experiences

Current Psychology - Drawing on the job demands-resources model and effort-recovery model, this two-wave study among preschool teachers explored whether job demands (i.e., workload and surface...     

All in the name of work? Nonwork orientations as predictors of salary,career satisfaction,and life satisfaction

Career development increasingly demands a successful integration of work and nonwork domains. Based on work-nonwork conflict and enrichment theories, this study explored the relationship between nonwork orientations (i.e., family, personal life, and community) and both objective (i.e., salary) and subjective (i.e., career satisfaction) career success and life satisfaction over a period of six months among a sample of 548 employees from Germany. The results generally support the enrichment perspective. Family orientation showed a positive relationship with career satisfaction. All three nonwork orientations, especially family orientation, were positively related to life satisfaction. We also explored gender and age effects but found no differences in nonwork orientations between young employees aged 25–34 years and older workers aged 50–59 years. Men showed lower levels of personal life orientation than women, but no differences in family or community orientation based on gender were found. We also did not observe gender x age interaction effects. We discuss the study's implications for a whole-life perspective on career development, career success, and well-being.