Learning at the workplace and sustainable employability: a multi-source model moderated by age

This study, among 330 pairs of employees and their supervisors, tested whether self- versus supervisor ratings of five employability dimensions (occupational expertise, corporate sense, personal flexibility, anticipation and optimization, and balance) are associated with different learning characteristics in the workplace, and whether age moderates these relationships. Results of structural equation modelling showed that the learning value of the job positively related to both self- and supervisor ratings of corporate sense, personal flexibility, and anticipation and optimization. Applicability in the job of recently followed training and development programmes was associated with all dimensions of self-rated employability and with supervisor ratings of anticipation and optimization. Regarding the hypothesized age moderation effects, contrary to our expectations, it was found that both learning value and applicability of training and development related more strongly to self-rated anticipation and optimization for younger workers. In addition, age appeared to moderate the otherwise non-significant relationship between learning value and self-rated occupational expertise. Implications for Human Resource Development (HRD) practices are discussed. As learning characteristics are differentially related to the unique employability dimensions, tailor-made development programmes are key. Moreover, it is advocated that having a job with a high learning value is an important factor in the light of the employee’s sustainable employability.     

Do multicultural experiences facilitate global processing style?

The current research explores whether multicultural experiences facilitate global processing style. We conducted two experiments in which participants were exposed to either a multicultural experience or a monocultural experience. They were required to either perform the Navon letter task (Experiment 1) or search for similarities or differences between two videos (Experiment 2). The experimental results showed that, compared to the participants exposed to a monocultural experience, those exposed to a multicultural experience had faster reaction times to global letters (Experiment 1) and tended to search for similarities (Experiment 2). This indicates that individuals with multicultural experiences facilitate a global processing style. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd, Asian Association of Social Psychology and Beijing Normal University     

Factors influencing work readiness of graduates: An exploratory study

This study aimed to determine the factors that influenced the work readiness of graduate and post-graduate social sciences students. An ex post facto design study was undertaken with 183 participant students from Makerere University, Uganda (n=73) and the University of Venda, South Africa (n=110) (females=58%; age range 20–40 years). They completed the Genos Emotional Intelligence (EI) Inventory, a Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24), an Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) as well as a Work Readiness Scale (WRS). Regression analyses were conducted to predict work readiness, with emotional intelligence (EI), psychological capital (PsyCap) and sense of coherence (SOC). Results revealed EI and PsyCap to strongly predict work readiness.     

Understanding the shear band interaction in metallic glass

Qualitative and quantitative models were proposed to understand the shear band (SB) interaction scenario found in the compressive tests on specimen with two symmetrical semi-circular notches. The so-called ‘work-hardening’ behavior could be ascribed as the stress interaction which was caused by stress fields around the SB tips. Besides, the SB bending was observed along propagation orientation. The quantitative analysis based on traditional shear deformation mechanism could reasonably account for how the SB was bent. It is anticipated that the present work could provide a pathway to understand the deep SB deformation mechanism of metallic glass.     

Data Labours: How the Sequence Databases GenBank and EMBL-Bank Make Data

What actually happens inside genetic databases, how do they work upon data and who does this work? While they have become central tools for doing science, not much is known about the work that goes on inside these vital infrastructures. Ethnographic explorations of two of the world’s largest nucleotide sequence databases, GenBank and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s EMBL-Bank, reveal manifold goings-on. Like most infrastructural work, it is modest and invisible routines that build and maintain the vast interconnected suite of bioinformational resources. Data curators construct organisms out of sulphuric sludge, dataflow engineers as self-styled “genetic information plumbers” keep the data deluge flowing, and a data submissions support assistant manages to make room for care amidst this deluge. Taken together, these data labours render tangible the modest and processual aspects of data infrastructure while also revealing the databases to be situated and lively spaces of convergence. Inventively analysing data labours paves surprising ways for encountering and making sense of databases, data and the work they do. Here, practices of natural history, like specimen-making and curation, are continued by other means while the assembly of sludge sheds light on the absences and deletions which mystify infrastructural maintenance work.     

Potentially Traumatic Experiences,Academic Performance,and Psychological Distress: The Role of Shame

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of shame associated with previous potentially traumatic experiences, satisfaction with academic performance, and psychological distress among college students (N = 245) in Mainland China. Results indicated that previous experiences of potentially traumatic events were directly related to depressive symptoms and indirectly related through characterological shame and hopelessness. In addition, characterological shame and bodily shame were 2 distinct forms of shame that had unique associations with psychological distress.     

Working hours, job stress, work satisfaction, and accident rates among medical practitioners and allied personnel

Predictors of accident behavior among German medical staff revealed that work-related injuries/accidents experienced during a recent 12-month period were significantly related to working hours per week, distance from home to practice, number of dependent children, gender, and job-related stress. The average yearly number of car accidents was predicted by age and number of working hours. Furthermore, driving accidents going to or coming from work during the last year was determined by working climate, hours of work, length of lunchtime break, distance traveled to and from work, number of dependent children, and gender. Physicians working in excess of 48 hours per week displayed significantly more driving accidents but not work-related accidents, and they reported significantly higher levels of job-related stress than those colleagues working fewer than 48 hours per week. The implications of these results are discussed in the framework on risk management in the health services.     

Organizational response to recommendations based on a study of stress among correctional officers

A study was recently commissioned by the South Australian Government to study the nature and sources of stress among correctional (prison) officers. The paper reports on the key variables found to have significant predictive effects on strain (a composite measure comprising psychological distress, physical ill-health symptoms, job dissatisfaction, and work-home conflict). These included demographic variables (length of service, finances), personal variables (negative affectivity), work environment variables (work role ambiguity, institutional relationship concerns, inmate concerns, worktime concerns, low autonomy, and low involvement), and emotional suppression. Recommendations were formulated including: the appointment of a full-time mental health counselor, organizational and individual strategies aimed to improve supervisor support and management training, greater participation in organizational decision making, and post-shift debriefing. It was also suggested that in selecting correctional officers those displaying high levels of negative affectivity should be screened out. Finally, it was recommended that intervention should target the most vulnerable individuals, including shiftworkers, officers who had been employed in the organization the longest, officers currently on stress leave and officers, who have previously been on stress leave and have returned to work. The paper reports on the organizational response to the recommendations and the implications of the study are discussed in the context of ongoing surveillance and evaluation of the impact of intervention strategies.     

Managerial stress: Is work really the cause?

It is widely accepted that managerial work is stressful, but there has been little research into the events that contribute to this stress. The current study identifies the most stressful recent events for a sample of 572 managers from 41 organizations, and finds that the greater proportion of events are work-related. The breakdown of a marriage or relationship is described as most important and emotionally disturbing, and is associated with the greatest increase in symptoms. Generally, however, work events are considered of greater importance and emotional disturbance than nonwork events, and are associated with greater increases in symptoms. Organizational issues are particularly problematic, and provide opportunities for systemwide intervention.     

Work,stress, and well-being

Work-related stress may lead to injuries and psychological disorders. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has identified psychological disorders as one of the ten leading work-related diseases and injuries during the 1980s (Sauter, Murphy, & Hurrell, 1990). This article sets out a framework, strategy, and recommendations for enhancing stress management skills and the psychological well-being of individuals in occupational environments. Central to the strategy are attention to work design variables, such as control, uncertainty, conflict, and task demands, surveillance of psychological disorders in the workplace, education of managers and workers concerning psychological well-being and stress in the workplace, and treatment of individuals in distress.