Workplace characteristics,career/vocation satisfaction,and existential well-being in Episcopal clergy

This study considers the association of workplace conditions with the well-being of individuals in a profession that is highly imbued with the sacred – ordained ministry. Data from 1202 Episcopal clergy were collected on measures of workplace conditions (meaningfulness; safety; and cognitive, emotional, and physical availability) along with well-being (career/vocation satisfaction, and spiritual well-being). Hierarchical OLS regression analyses indicated that workplace conditions were strong predictors of well-being. Men reported slightly higher career/vocation satisfaction, and gender also moderated the relationships between workplace conditions and well-being. The results suggest that perceived workplace conditions, such as meaningfulness, safety, and resource availability can have strong links with career satisfaction and existential well-being, especially in those occupations where work and spirit are intertwined.     

The Impact of Changes in the Work Environment on the Place-Identity of Academics: An Exploratory Study

The study examined the impact of changes in the work environment on the construction of place-identity among university academics. Data were collected from five academics at a large distance learning university in South Africa. The institution was undergoing major structural changes at the time of the study. Unstructured questions were used for the data collection. These data were analysed using content analysis and the results suggested academics construct identities towards their place of work and changes to this place may be perceived as a threat.     

Intrinsic motivation a key enabler of African managers’ cultural intelligence

This study sought to determine manager's intrinsic motivation to engage multiculturally in the workplace as the managers varied by demographic background. Participants were a convenience sample of managers on supervisory level, middle level and senior level (n=550; Male 54.9%; Black ethnicity 64.4%). They completed the Motivational Scale of the Managerial Cultural Intelligence Measure. The data were analysed by means analysis of variance procedures to determine workforce diversity ability by managerial level and other demographics. The results showed a managerial level effect in that senior managers were significantly more motivated to get information about other cultures in the work group compared to middle managers and supervisors. Supervisors were significantly more willing to change their views of other cultures with learning as compared to senior managers and middle managers. Generally, managers with a shorter employment history are more motivated to engage with multi-cultural groups compared to those with a longer service history. Managers’ motivation to engage multi-culturally would enhance their competence in working with a diverse workforce and thereby embracing true democracy in the workplace.     

Characteristics of exiled smoking from workplaces

Abstract

This paper explores factors influencing the extent of exiled smoking from workplaces: that is leaving work so as to smoke a cigarette. Exiled smoking may be disruptive to work practices and it is a means by which smokers minimise the effects of workplace smoking bans on their daily consumption. As such it reduces possible health benefits that might have resulted from a greater decrease in consumption. Smokers (n = 145) were recruited while engaging in exiled smoking. The results indicate that among this group (of largely regular exiled smokers), indices of addiction were only loosely related to the extent of exiled smoking, and it did not appear to be primarily driven by social benefits. While most preferred taking breaks with company, the lack of company would only inhibit a minority. Perceived improvements in capacity to work was a common reason, as was the opportunity to discuss work related problems. Enjoyment of the cigarette and the opportunity to break up the day were also important. It appears exiled smoking is multiply determined. To the extent addiction is involved, it is not through strongly felt urges to smoke, but is more due to minor irritation such as reduced ability to concentrate. It is suggested that such experiences provide the extra motivation to take a break that non-smokers may think about but rarely feel sufficiently motivated to do.     

The Present State of Workplace Spirituality: A Literature Review Considering Context,Theory, and Measurement/Assessment

This article seeks to review the growing body of research in the field of workplace spirituality, extending the earlier and broader literature review work of Danna and Griffin; Miller and Gorsuch; Hill and Hood; the Fetzer Institute; Moberg, Mohamed, Hassan, and Wisnieski; Day; and Lund Dean and Fornaciari. This article also seeks to advance future psychometric scale development in the burgeoning field of workplace spirituality; by suggesting a rubric for understanding the literature (manifestation, development, and adherence), and analyzing the scale validity and reliability, the authors hope to expand conceptual imagination for new scale research.

This article argues that the previous research which has begun to address important aspects of research scale development, though it has been limited in its applicability to workplace contexts, does not address diverse religious traditions and fails to understand how and the degree to which individual or collective spirituality integrates and manifests itself in the workplace. To this end, this article will codify and extend the aforementioned work by identifying the drivers for the field, exploring the connections between spirituality/religion and organizations, reviewing existing scales and instruments, discussing the literature review findings, and identifying gaps within the research, and it will resolve by suggesting specific areas for further research.     

Personnel exposure to violence in hospital emergency wards: a routine activity approach

This study analyzes violence against personnel in the emergency wards of all 25 general hospitals in Israel using a self-report questionnaire (N=2,356). Informed by the routine activity theory, the hypotheses related to the major concepts of this approach: exposure, target suitability, guarding and proximity to offenders. A General Exposure to Violence Index (GEVI) was constructed, based on the participants' reports about type and frequency of their victimization to violence during the preceding year. The multiple regression analysis for explaining the GEVI was composed of 15 independent variables relating to participants' professional and personal characteristics as well as to structural features of hospitals. As predicted, higher exposure to violence was related to security or nursing staff and positions of authority; high weekly workload; working in a profession other than that of training; inability of coping with verbal violence; having no access to an emergency button, and working in settings restricting the number of accompanying persons to one only. Unexpectedly, previous training in coping with violence was related to higher victimization. Younger age, male gender and being of European/American origin (mainly from the former Soviet Union) was also related to higher risk of victimization. The results support the utility of the routine activities approach in explaining differences in emergency ward personnel victimization. The findings also indicate, however, the need to add domain-specific contextual analyses to this approach to reach a fuller understanding of the behaviors under discussion. Implications of the finding to coping with violence against emergency ward personnel are discussed, and suggestions are put forward for further study in this field.     

工作场所欺负的内容结构与测量

采用实证研究的方法对中国文化背景下工作场所欺负（workplace bullying）的内容结构及其测量进行了研究。通过自行研制的工作场所欺负内容问卷,对全国7个城市750名企业员工进行问卷调查,获得了436份有效问卷。探索性因素分析（N=229）表明,我国工作场所欺负内容由人身攻击、工作压制和社会排斥三个维度构成。三因素模型在验证性因素分析（N=207）中得到了较好地验证。内部一致性分析和回归分析的结果也表明,基于我国文化背景下编制的工作场所欺负问卷具有较好的信度和效度,其对员工情感承诺和离职意向等具有一定的预测作用。