Workplace Bullying and Burnout: The Moderating Effects of Social Support

This study aims to investigate the moderating effects of social support on the link between workplace bullying and burnout. This correlational study includes 222 employees recruited from various industry sectors. Participants completed the Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Social Support Scale. Colleague and supervisor support moderated the relationship between both work- and person-related bullying with burnout, whereas family and senior management support moderated the links between burnout and person-related and physically intimidating bullying, respectively. High levels of emotional support were associated with greater emotional exhaustion in work-related and overall bullying. Different forms of social support moderated the links between different forms of workplace bullying and different components of burnout. The present findings may inform anti-bullying prevention programs and interventions supporting bullying victims.     

Measuring gratitude at work

ABSTRACT

The role of gratitude in the workplace is understudied, despite its potential for promoting well-being and achievement in organizational contexts. We developed and evaluated a measure of workplace-specific gratitude called the Gratitude at Work Scale (GAWS). In Study 1 (N = 207), we used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify a two-factor structure. The two subscales (Gratitude for Supportive Work Environment, Gratitude for Meaningful Work) had good estimated internal consistency and incrementally predicted burnout after controlling for trait gratitude and workplace satisfaction. In Study 2 (N = 269), we replicated the GAWS two-factor structure, found further evidence for construct validity, and uncovered strong two-week temporal stability. In Study 3 (N = 161), the GAWS was sensitive to manipulations of workplace attitudes following a writing task. The GAWS has initial psychometric support and may be useful when studying workplace functioning and well-being.

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Peer Interaction: What Causes What?

Peer interaction is examined as a source of behavior change in children and adolescents. The dynamics of peer influence are discussed in terms of six issues: characteristics of the influence source; characteristics of the child or adolescent being influenced; the relationship existing between influence source and the individual being influenced; developmental change; processes underlying peer influence; and constraints deriving from the behavior domain being examined. Research shows that contact with peers has complex effects on individual behavior, and numerous moderators and mediators must be considered in order to account for them. The discussion is linked to the papers included in this special issue.     

Lifelong Education: From Conflict to Consensus?

The concept of lifelong education received wide criticism and rejection in many educational circles in the 1970s. Recent developments in educational research and the increasing influence of postmodernist thought, the paper argues, are major factors in the return to favour of lifelong education. While a postmodern society is one characterised more by conflict than by consensus, the paper suggests that consensus on the importance of lifelong education might be one precondition for such a society.     

For whom and why organizational dehumanization is linked to deviant behaviours

‘We are humans not robots!’ This protest slogan denounces a working reality in which employees perceive that they are reduced to a mere tool or instrument at the service of the organization. Such an experience refers to organizational dehumanization. Researchers have recently indicated that organizational dehumanization may shape employee work behaviours. However, why, and for whom, organizational dehumanization leads to maladaptive work behaviours remains unclear in this literature. Drawing upon social exchange theory, we first propose that employees who experience organizational dehumanization engage in a reciprocity process by first developing thoughts of revenge that, in turn, materialize into more organizational deviance. We further argue that compliance buffers the indirect effect of organizational dehumanization on deviant behaviours via thoughts of revenge. Overall, the combined results of two experimental studies, a cross-sectional study and two three-wave studies provide strong evidence for our hypothesized relationships. Our research suggests that when experiencing organizational dehumanization, compliant employees are less likely to engage in a homeomorphic reciprocity in the exchange relationship with their organization.     

Examining personality—Job characteristic interactions in explaining work outcomes

Although research suggests personality traits and job characteristics are each important drivers of work outcomes, there has been little focus on potential interactions between the two. In the current studies, we integrate the theory of purposeful work behavior with the job demands-resources model to examine how five-factor model personality traits interact with job resources and challenging job demands in explaining employee motivation and performance. We tested our hypotheses in two studies with different sample types and utilized item response theory scoring. Results across the studies were mixed, but generally support that there are important interactive effects between certain traits and contextual factors in explaining work behavior. Implications for theory and practice and future directions are discussed.     

社会自我效能感与工作幸福感和工作绩效的关系：职场排斥的中介作用

从资源保存理论出发,分析社会自我效能感与工作幸福感及工作绩效之间的关系,并检验职场排斥的中介作用。对188名员工及其上司进行问卷调查,结果显示员工的社会自我效能感与其感受到的职场排斥有显著负向关系;职场排斥与工作幸福感和工作绩效有显著负向关系;职场排斥在社会自我效能感与工作幸福感和工作绩效之间发挥中介作用。这表明高社会自我效能感的员工能够削弱受到的职场排斥,进而体验到更高的工作幸福感,并获得更好的工作表现。     

Effects of textual prompts and feedback on social niceties of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in a simulated workplace

Previous research demonstrates the efficacy of behavioral skills training with a textual prompt to establish greetings and conversational skills. This study examined the efficacy of a brief intervention of textual prompts with performance feedback for increasing social niceties of adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder in a simulated workplace. Target social niceties included “Do you have a minute?” when a participant initiated an interaction and “Thank you for your time” when a participant ended the interaction. Results revealed this intervention was effective for 7 of 9 participants. This study expands upon previous studies by showing the efficacy of a resource-efficient training on acquisition and generalization of social niceties by people with autism spectrum disorder.     

When Breaking the Rules Relates to Creativity: The Role of Creative Problem-Solving Demands and Organizational Constraints

Drawing on theoretical views of creative deviance, the present study hypothesized that employees with a tendency to break rules are more creative at their jobs (Hypothesis 1). Furthermore, we expected that this is particularly the case when employees face high problem-solving demands (i.e., they are expected to be creative) but at the same time they face high organizational constraints (e.g., they are not given the resources they need in order to be creative; Hypothesis 2). To test these expectations, we conducted a cross-sectional survey study (Study 1) and a daily diary survey study (Study 2) among employees from different occupational groups. Study 1 provided evidence that employee rule-breaking is related to other-rated employee creativity. Study 2 replicated this finding with a day-level measure of self-rated employee creativity. Furthermore, multilevel regression analyses revealed that the link is stronger when day-level problem-solving demands and organizational constraints are both high. Our findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical support to hardly examined propositions, namely, that non-compliant behaviors (i.e., rule-breaking) and obstacles (i.e., organizational constraints) may, in fact, boost creativity. Finally, suggestions for practice are made, recognizing the challenges posed to management in regulating employee rule-breaking.