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The COVID-19 outbreak has blurred the boundaries between work and personal life, making the concept of work-life balance (WLB) even more important. Based on a three-source (employees, family members, and supervisors) sample (n = 436) of working professionals, we investigated the importance of enriched job design for employee WLB. In addition, on the basis of the job demand-control (JD-C) model, we examined whether organizationally imposed formalization and employees' individual adaptive personality traits (proactive personality and resilience) act as boundary conditions that strengthen this positive relationship. First, we conducted a supplementary analysis to investigate further which of the enriched job design characteristics play the most important role in our three-way interaction models predicting WLB. Then we discuss implications for theory and practice.
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PurposeThis study aims to identify an effective work design for telework practices in Thailand by investigating the influence on employee work engagement and job stress of job demands and resources in three domains of work characteristics – task, social and contextual.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 1,052 high-intensity teleworkers participated in our online survey. Nested model comparisons and chi-square difference tests were used to test the significance of the three domains of work characteristics by comparing changes in model fit associated with the removal of the parameters associated with each domain. The best fit model was then used to examine the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe results revealed that each domain of work characteristics provides additional and meaningful insights on employee outcomes. For telework practices in Thailand, supervisor support and work autonomy, the job resources specified respectively in the social and task domain can enhance work engagement. In contrast, supervisor surveillance and communication overload, the job demands in these respective domains can lead to job stress. Additionally, telework contextual demands of blurred work–life boundaries reduce employee work engagement. Communication overload has paradoxical outcomes of increased job stress and improved work engagement.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the work design and telework literature by applying an integrative work–design approach to demonstrate that organizations should consider both job demands and resources in a wider context of work design. This study also provides insights in respect of Thai cultural values to explain the effective design of telework practices in Thailand, a country where telework is relatively new and the work–design literature is very limited. This study is useful for international business managers wishing to adopt telework practices in Thailand to localize how telework is organized and ensure a smooth transition to the new world of work more successfully in the post-pandemic period.
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BACKGROUND: Improving employee performance has been crucial in different organizations for it reflects the company's product and service quality. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting employee performance in the engineering and technology department in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The effects of these factors such as communication, empathy, encouragement, growth and rewards to employee performance were analyzed. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that among the five factors, the encouragement, growth, and rewards were found to have a significant effect on employee performance in the engineering and technology department. Surprisingly, communication and empathy were found to have no significant effect to employee performance. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study that investigated the factors affecting employee performance in the engineering and technology department in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results could serve as a guideline for the management under this type of department. The framework could also be helpful for sustaining the elevated performance of the employees in the engineering and technology department.
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The rail industry, as with all sectors worldwide, has faced disruptions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This commentary considers how rail organizations in Australia have engaged within the early stages of the crisis, outlining the challenges faced and how they were addressed. Relying on our observations, and anecdotes obtained from others across the Australian rail industry, we identified a range of impacts including determining service delivery levels (and the associated running of "ghost trains"), implementing hygiene measures and social distancing, managing training and medical assessments, and changes in the behavior of passengers and members of the public (including aggression toward staff and increased instances of trespass). Within rail organizations, we saw changes to communication and control structures, new challenges related to balancing priorities (managing risk of rail accidents vs. virus transmission risk), and negative impacts on job design offset by increased informal support for frontline workers. Importantly, from the crisis, we gained new insights about culture. Finally, we provide recommendations regarding how the Human Factors and Ergonomics discipline can support safe and effective rail operations in the context of both widespread crises such as pandemics as well as the less dramatic, but ever present, shifts in the physical, social, economic, and political environments in which rail organizations operate.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, a sizable proportion of employees conducted home-based telework to contain virus spreading. This situation made it possible to investigate the relationship between telework and job characteristics. Many positive and negative associations between telework and job characteristics have been proposed in the literature, but most studies relied on cross-sectional data as well as narrow samples (e.g. employees voluntarily choosing to telework). Repeated measures designs investigating the association between telework intensity and job characteristics using less selective samples are currently rare. To address this research gap, we collected data at two time points in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 479) and investigated if change in telework intensity was associated with change in 19 job characteristics using structural equation modeling. Our analyses showed that—in contrast to several prior cross-sectional studies—telework intensity had a small to moderate association with only two out of the 19 job characteristics: Work scheduling and decision-making autonomy. Hence, the study challenges the previously assumed manifold positive and negative associations between telework intensity and job characteristics and adds to the debate about the role of telework intensity as an antecedent of work design. Future studies should investigate the generalizability of the findings to non-pandemic work contexts. © 2023 The Authors. Applied Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association of Applied Psychology.
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In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many cancer centers and clinics deployed remote work options for their employees. Due to the rapid response needed during this crisis, little to no feedback was obtained from dosimetrists. This study aimed to assess the productivity level and job satisfaction of medical dosimetrists in response to changes in working conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the assistance from the medical dosimetrists certification board (MDCB), critical data was gathered via an original instrument conducted and distributed by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center-School of Health Professions to all current practicing certified medical dosimetrists registered with the MDCB. Data were collected using Qualtrics and analyzed with IBM's SPSS. Most (326, 77.7%) participants indicated they transitioned to a version of remote work due to COVID-19. Almost half of the participants (208, 49.5%) reported increased job satisfaction due to the option to work remotely. The participants reported being extremely satisfied with the individual (247, 58.8%) and department (201, 47.9%) productivity levels even after implementing remote work options. Most participants (225, 53.6%), independent of age and years of experience, would prefer to stay in a hybrid role even after COVID-19 abates. These findings suggest that most dosimetrists prefer to perform their job remotely or asynchronously. A one size fits all job model design may make it difficult for organizations to attract, retain, and grow top dosimetrists. Industry leaders and employers may benefit by embracing this change as dosimetrists may value work-set-up flexibility over other employer-based benefits. Further research is needed to assess the unintended consequences of remote work environments in this profession.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are required to respond to changes and conform to stringent safety laws and regulations. This study aimed to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organizational commitment among employees in the semiconductor industry. A total of 272 employees working in the semiconductor industry answered a self-administered questionnaire that considered 51 questions, distributed online. Utilizing Structural equation modeling (SEM), the results showed that the COVID-19 was found to have a significant direct effect on employees' perceived job outcomes (PO) and a negative direct effect on job demands (JD). Moreover, PO had a positive effect on job motivation (JM) and job satisfaction (JS). Subsequently, JM presented a significant positive direct effect on JS, while JD showed a negative effect on JS. Lastly, JS showed a significant positive direct effect on organizational commitment (OC). Intriguingly, an indirect effect of PO on JS was seen. This study is one of the first studies that analyzed the organization commitment among semiconductor workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper could be utilized as a foundation to enhance organizational commitment, particularly in the semiconductor industry worldwide. © 2022 IEEE.
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The practice of telework, remote work, and working from home has grown significantly across the pandemic era (2020+). These practices offer new ways of working but come with a lack of clarity as to the role it plays in supporting the wellbeing of staff. (1) Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the current literature on wellbeing outcomes and effects of telework;(2) Methods: This study adopts a systematic literature review from 2000–2022 using the PRISMA approach and thematic analysis guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Wellbeing, Decent Work, Gender Equality, and Inclusive Production);(3) Results: It was evident that there is a lack of clarity on the actual effects of telework on employee wellbeing, but it appeared that it had a generally positive effect on the short-term wellbeing of staff, and created more flexible and proactive work design opportunities;(4) Conclusions: There is a need for more targeted research into work designs that support wellbeing and productivity of staff, and consider the environmental sustainability changes from reduced office and onsite work and increased working from home.
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Purpose: This paper aims to overview Bahrain’s various H.R. and organisational behavior elements. It will help participants develop effective strategies to improve their organization’s competitive position. Due to the continuous changes in the economy and society, the importance of Human Resource Management has become more significant. It is widely believed that effective H.R. practices can improve an organization’s competitive advantage. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the various factors that affect the human resource management practices of an oil sector company in Bahrain. Method: Due to the Covid 19 situation, the study collected data from around 300 (271 valid cases) employees through a random sampling method. The data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS software. Results: The study revealed that the recruitment process and other factors greatly affected its competitive advantage. Analysis showed recruitment and selection are positively and significantly related to organizational competitiveness. Also, Job design is positively and significantly related to organizational competitiveness. The overall model was highly significant with a coefficient of determination over 0.76. Conclusion: The objective of this study was to identify the various strategies and programs that H.R. leaders can implement to help their firms gain long-term competitive advantages. The study focused on the H.R. strategies of Bahrain’s oil and gas industry. It revealed that employees should be encouraged to behave more intelligent. The researchers noted that the H.R. professionals of large companies could gain this benefit by performing their duties effectively. © 2021, Arabian Gulf University. All rights reserved.
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This study is drawn from the psychology of sustainability exploring meaningful job characteristics for Generation Z and their influence on employee retention. We hypothesised that intrinsic qualities of job characteristics foster experienced meaningfulness which, in turn, enhances employees’ intention to stay. An online survey targeted to Generation Z was adopted for the study. We received 746 usable responses for the analysis. Nested model comparisons with a structural equation approach and chi-square difference tests were used to assess the mediating role of work meaningfulness in the hypothesised relationships. The best-fit model to data was then used for hypotheses testing. We found that skill variety, autonomy and task significance engender experienced meaningfulness for Generation Z. Work meaningfulness was the mechanism underpinning the relationships between these job characteristics and intention to stay. Task feedback was not significant for either meaningfulness or intention to stay, whereas task identity affected only intention to stay but not meaningfulness. This research contributes to the literature on work meaningfulness and generations by examining the work behaviours of Generation Z. Because experienced meaningfulness can enhance Generation Z’s willingness to stay and support organisational sustainability, an organisation can retain its generational cohort by providing selective work design strategies to fit the generation’s characteristics.
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Purpose>The paper examines the compatibility of two UK policy priorities – extending working life (EWL) and the promotion of national economic performance through high performance work practices (HPWP).Design/methodology/approach>Empirical analysis has been conducted using data from WERS2011 to test hypotheses on whether age moderates the link between HPWP and employee well-being outcomes.Findings>Development-oriented human resource strategies are found to compromise the wellbeing of older workers relative to younger ones, while some dimensions of HPWP lead to more favourable wellbeing outcomes for older workers relative to their younger counterparts (flexible working, performance-related pay and appraisal systems).Research limitations/implications>At older ages those still in the workforce may be over-represented by happier and psychologically more robust individuals who have settled into jobs they find fulfilling, matching their personal characteristics and abilities. If so, the adverse well-being influence of development-oriented strategies may be understated, while favourable well-being outcomes for older workers may be overstated.Practical implications>HRM strategies may need to be more age sensitive to support the EWL agenda better.Originality/value>While many studies have examined the link between HPWP and a range of individual-level outcomes, less widely researched is whether responses vary by age, which the paper addresses.