Job stressors, work tension and job satisfaction of academics at a university in South Africa

Orientation: Stress in the workplace is a common phenomenon that is classified in different ways and which also impacts academics. Previous research highlighted that job stressors in the workplace have been considered an important contributor towards low levels of job satisfaction (JS) for academics. This perspective aids the study of the influence of job stress on JS. Research purpose: The aim of this research was to establish the influence of role conflict (RC), role ambiguity (RA), role overload (RO) and time pressure (TP) on work tension (WT) and the influence of WT on JS among academics at a university of technology. Motivation for the study: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the reduction of government and associated agency funding changed the scenario of academic life from being considered idyllic, autonomous and well protected. Congruent to these constraints, changes in the diversity of students and advances in technology, blended learning and the introduction of learning platforms created further challenges in the way students learn and how modules were offered. Research approach/design and method: The researchers used a postpositivist quantitative paradigm with a convenience sample (n = 250) of academics in a university of technology in Gauteng. A structured questionnaire encompassing the study constructs was used. Main findings: Results showed positive associations between RC, RA, RO and TP on WT. Further, WT and JS showed negative yet significant predictive relationships with JS. Practical/managerial implication: It is pivotal for universities to understand the effects of job stressors on job satisfaction to improve the working conditions for academics. Contribution/value-add: This research provides findings to the present body of knowledge among academics on the influence of job stressors on WT and WT on JS at HEIs. Research on job stress and JS has been of interest in many HEIs. The research makes a valuable contribution to the university management, especially the human resource division, on the effect of levels of job stressors (RC, RA, RO and TP) on WT among academics. © 2023. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS.

COVID-19 and sustainable environment: understanding higher education students' willingness to pay more for food delivery containers

Purpose: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the use of food delivery containers in the food and beverage industry. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the aim of this paper is twofold: Firstly, it examines the influence of three elements of TPB (attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norm) and time pressure on the intention to reuse reusable food delivery containers (ITR). Secondly, it examines ITR as an antecedent to the willingness to pay more for reusable food delivery containers (WTPM). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 401 higher education institution (HEI) students and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings: The study found that the three elements of TPB influenced ITR. Furthermore, the results revealed that ITR directly influenced WTPM. Surprisingly, time pressure did not influence ITR. Originality/value: The research is one of the earliest studies to investigate HEI students' intention to reuse food delivery containers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to TPB by presenting a novel, integrated model to explain the independent roles of time pressure and ITR on ITR and WTPM, respectively. Finally, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge on pro-environmental behavior among HEI students and advances methodologically by establishing the PLS-SEM approach. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Can innovative work behaviour spur creativity while working remotely? The role of work–home conflict and social isolation

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, huge numbers of employees shifted to remote working, with various consequences for their family and working lives. This study aims to focus on the factors that affect their creativity while working from home. As individual creativity is shaped by context, the authors investigate the moderating role of the domestic environment on employees' creative contributions while working remotely. Design/methodology/approachThe authors base the arguments on the complexity perspective on innovative work behaviour (IWB) and consider innovation a recursive process in which innovative behaviour can inform, and not simply follow, subsequent creative acts. The sudden spur of the pandemic interrupted the natural recursiveness of the creativity-innovation process and allowed them to empirically investigate the direct and indirect effects that levels of pre-pandemic IWB had on individuals' creative behaviour. The authors hypothesise that this relationship is moderated by two resource-conserving contextual factors: work-home conflict and a feeling of social isolation. The participants were 803 employees from several Italian corporations. The data were collected during the first lockdown period (April-May 2020). FindingsThe findings support the existence of a three-way interaction, suggesting that IWB affects further creative behaviours when both work-home conflict and social isolation are low. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigates what happened to employees' creativity during the COVID-19 massive remote working situation. The results should be interpreted beyond the unique context because remote working will continue.

Who said there is no place like home? Extending the link between quantitative job demands and life satisfaction: a moderated mediation model

Purpose: Based on the job demands and resources (JD-R) model and conservation of resources (COR) theory, this paper aims to develop and test a model that examines the moderating role of daily remote work hours and the mediating role of work–family conflict on the effects of excessive workload and time pressure on life satisfaction due to mandatory remote work arrangements. Design/methodology/approach: Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze data from 400 professionals working in the IT sector in Turkey. Scales developed by previous researchers were used to measure excessive workload, time pressure, work–family conflict and life satisfaction. While these four variables were measured with 19 statements, daily remote work hours were determined with a single question. The collected data were validated using confirmatory factor analysis, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Furthermore, the reliability and validity of the data were confirmed. Finally, PROCESS was applied to examine moderated mediation. Findings: According to the analysis results obtained from the above sample data, daily remote work hours moderate the mediating role of work–family conflict in the relationships between (1) excessive workload and life satisfaction and (2) time pressure and life satisfaction. In other words, the findings show that job-related demands arising from workload, time pressure and remote work hours prevent employees from meeting their family obligations, thereby increasing work–family conflict and ultimately affecting life satisfaction. Practical implications: The study can help employers, managers, human resource professionals, policymakers and researchers increase employees' life satisfaction due to the changes in job demands experienced by employees in companies that have transitioned to remote work practices. It can provide new approaches for dealing with dissatisfaction arising from work-related conflicts in Turkey's changing environment. The results can greatly facilitate the Turkish companies' efforts to create more innovative work arrangements and make an outstanding contribution to improving employee performance in Turkey's transition to remote work practices by focusing on reducing workload, time pressure and long working hours and creating employee-centered remote work models. Originality/value: As per World Health Organization, the world will face frequent pandemic in the coming years, and thus organizations should be aware of remote work practices that will become widespread. This study provides a new perspective on the impact of employees' changing job demands on work–family conflict and life satisfaction during organizations' transition to new work arrangements in the face of the social crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also contributes to closing the research gap between job demands, work–family conflict and life satisfaction. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Factors Affecting the Infection Control Practices of Nurses at University Hospitals.

This study was conducted to check the extent of nursing professionalism, time pressure, infection control, organizational culture, and the infection control practices of nurses, and to assess the factors that impart an influence on their infection control practices. This is a descriptive survey study aimed at the assessment of factors that impart an influence on the infection control practice of nurses by using a structuralized questionnaire. As the result of this study, the infection control practices of nurses have a positive correlation with the time pressure (r = 0.16, p = 0.034) and the organizational culture for infection control (r = 0.29, p < 0.001). Factors that affect the infection control practices included the organizational culture for infection control (ß = 0.29, p < 0.001) and time pressure (ß = 0.16, p = 0.024), with the explanation power of 10%. It was possible to confirm that the affirmative organizational culture for infection control plays an important role in enhancing the infection control practices of nurses. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide administrative and financial support from the organization, including support by the management and administrators of clinical practices, as well as the provision of required commodities in order for nurses to execute infection control in accordance with the prescribed regulations.

Teacher well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: Demands and resources for tackling psychological distress

The COVID-19 pandemic left more than three-quarters of the world's children and young people unable to physically attend school. The crisis is putting pressure on educators and teachers to change the way they give lessons, which might be creating more stressful situations for teachers. Based on an online questionnaire administered nationwide to 6,064 Chilean teachers-enrolled through a non-probability sampling strategy during the pandemic in 2020-, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and linear regressions were performed, using structural equation modeling, to determine the participants' psychological distress level and how it relates to resources and demands of their educational environment as well as to sociodemographic and contextual factors. Overall, results show that the toll on psychological well-being has been heavier for female teachers, those who take care of minors and adults, and those who work in non-subsidized private schools. In addition, having more time to plan lessons and being able to balance work and home duties was found to reduce teachers' psychological distress index. Contrary to expectations, having more resources to facilitate remote work is associated with an increase in teacher psychological distress. These findings lead to reflection on the need for interventions and policies focused on teacher well-being within the context of the ongoing pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) La pandemia por COVID-19 dejo a mas de tres cuartas partes de los ninos y jovenes en el mundo sin poder asistir presencialmente a las escuelas durante el ano 2020. La crisis esta presionando a los educadores y docentes para que cambien su forma de hacer clases, lo que podria estar generando situaciones de mayor estres para los profesores. Utilizando un cuestionario aplicado online a 6.064 profesores a nivel nacional, por medio de una muestra no probabilistica realizada en contexto de pandemia en 2020, se realizaron analisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios y regresiones lineales, usando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, para analizar el nivel de angustia psicologica de los docentes y su relacion con recursos y demandas del entorno del trabajo y factores sociodemograficos y contextuales. Los resultados muestran que principalmente las docentes mujeres, los docentes que estan a cargo del cuidado de menores y adultos y los que trabajan en establecimientos particulares pagados son los que se han visto mas afectados en su bienestar psicologico. Ademas, se observa que tener mas tiempo disponible para preparar las clases y el poder compatibilizar los tiempos de trabajo y el hogar mejoran el indice de angustia psicologica. Contrario a lo esperado, el contar con mas recursos que permita el trabajo a distancia se asocia a un aumento en la angustia psicologica de los docentes. Esto lleva a reflexionar acerca de la necesidad de contar con intervenciones y politicas que se enfoquen en el bienestar docente en el contexto de pandemia que se esta viviendo. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Associations of Work-Family Conflict with Family-Specific, Work-Specific, and Well-Being-Related Variables in a Sample of Polish and Ukrainian Adults during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The conflict between work and family demands increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in lifestyle related to the lockdown. This study examines the associations between work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) with work-specific, family-specific, and well-being-related variables during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results may be used in practice to improve the well-being of employees by adjusting home-based work and family areas of life to dynamic changes during the pandemic. The sample of 736 adults from Poland (53.26%) and Ukraine (46.74%), aged between 19 and 72 (M = 39.40; SD = 10.80), participated in the study. The cross-sectional study was performed using an online survey, including sociodemographic variables, measures of WFC, time pressure, remote work assessment (RWAS), physical health (GSRH), life satisfaction (SWLS), perceived stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). This study showed numerous inter-group differences in all variables across the country, gender, relationship status, parenthood, caring for children under 12, and remote working status. A high WFC is more likely among Polish workers (than Ukrainian workers), people with a low level of self-perceived time pressure, and high symptoms of stress. Caring for children under 12, low self-perceived time pressure, and high stress can predict FWC. Various paths lead from perceived stress via WFC and FWC, physical health, anxiety, and depression to life satisfaction, as suggested by the structural equation modeling analysis. Parents of children under 12 and women are the most vulnerable groups for increased WFC, FWC, and worse mental health and well-being. Prevention programs should focus on reducing stress, anxiety, and work demands in these adult populations. A unique contribution to the existing knowledge revealed patterns of associations between WFC and FWC in relation to well-being dimensions in a cross-cultural context during the pandemic.

First-Year College Students' Mental Health in the Post-COVID-19 Era in Guangxi, China: A Study Demands-Resources Model Perspective.

The post-COVID-19 era means that the COVID-19 is basically under control; however, the risk of the pandemic still affects people's work, study, and life, physically and psychologically. In this era, due to the more challenges first-year college students face, more attention should be paid to their mental health. An emerging study demands-resources (SD-R) model can explain the influencing mechanism of college students' mental health. This model suggests that study demands increase the risk of student burnout, which results in mental health problems; meanwhile, study resources reduce student burnout and increase student engagement, thus improving mental health. Based on the SD-R model, this study explores the impacts of time pressure, emotional exhaustion, perceived social support, and student engagement on mental health and provides adequate measures to reduce the risk of mental health problems among first-year students. Time pressure, perceived social support, emotional exhaustion, student engagement, and mental health scales were used to investigate 537 first-year students at three universities in Guangxi, China, of whom 290 (54%) were female, and 247 (46%) were male, and the average age was 18.97 ± 1.01. Results indicated that: (1) Moderate scores on time pressure and emotional exhaustion and slightly-above-the-median scores on perceived social support, student engagement, and mental health were found among first-year students in the post-COVID-19 era. (2) Time pressure had a positive relationship with emotional exhaustion and a negative relationship with mental health. (3) Perceived social support was negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion but positively correlated with student engagement, and thus improved mental health. Results of this study with a sample of first-year college students in China support the hypotheses based on the SD-R model. These findings suggest that increasing perceived social support and student engagement while decreasing time pressure and emotional exhaustion may promote mental health among first-year college students.

Mechanism of Interaction and Entertainment Impact on Impulse Purchase Intention in Shopping Livestream

During Covid-19, offline business faces cheerless performance, however online e-commerce is booming along with more and more consumer building online shopping behavior considering safety. With the development of e-commerce, shopping livestream become a key driver for online sales. Previous studies found that vivid visibility, interaction, KOL shopping guide etc which are the key characters of shopping livestream will effectively impact purchase behavior through mediating variable-Immersion (Flow). But some studies show opposite result that the mediating effect of immersion is not obvious. Most of studies just focus on the influence to purchase and mediating mechanism of immersion but less studies pay attention the reverse result. That is the meaning and focus of this study. We found that the reason is there is moderating variable-time pressure to impact the mediating effect. We developed a model with four hypotheses. Two independent variable- interaction and entertainment impact impulse purchase intention through mediating variable - Immersion, while time pressure as moderating variable. Result showed that all the hypotheses were successfully established. The main effect of interaction and entertainment on impulse purchase intention was significant, which mediated by immersion. While time pressure as moderating variable effectively adjusted mediating effect. The result and insight can be applied to future business operation. © 2022 ACM.

Job insecurity as a barrier to thriving during COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model of knowledge hiding and benevolent leadership

Purpose Drawing upon the conservation of resource (COR) theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of knowledge hiding in the relationship between job insecurity and two dimensions of thriving at work, i.e. learning and vitality. The study further aims to investigate the moderating role of benevolent leadership in the aforementioned mediating relationship by applying the moderated mediation framework. Design/methodology/approach The sample for the study consisted of employees working in service sector in India. The hypotheses were tested with two wave survey data collected from 365 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Indian Government was lifting phase wise restrictions. Data was analyzed using mediation and moderated mediation analyses on PROCESS v 3.0 macro. Findings Results showed that knowledge hiding mediated the relationship between job insecurity and both dimensions of thriving at work. Further, benevolent leadership was seen to moderate the mediated relationship providing support for the moderated mediation framework. Practical implications The results highlight the significance of providing benevolent leadership training to the managers to help them cope with the anxiety arising out of job insecurity. Further, employees need to be cautioned regarding the deleterious effects of knowledge hiding, which can impede their own learning and vitality. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the mediating role of knowledge hiding in the relationship between job insecurity and thriving. Further, the role played by benevolent leadership in mitigating the harmful effects of job insecurity especially during COVID-19 pandemic is a unique contribution of the study.

Teacher Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile: Demands and Resources for Tackling Psychological Distress

The COVID-19 pandemic left more than three-quarters of the world's children and young people unable to physically attend school. The crisis is putting pressure on educators and teachers to change the way they give lessons, which might be creating more stressful situations for teachers. Based on an online questionnaire administered nationwide to 6,064 Chilean teachers—enrolled through a non-probability sampling strategy during the pandemic in 2020—, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and linear regressions were performed, using structural equation modeling, to determine the participants' psychological distress level and how it relates to resources and demands of their educational environment as well as to sociodemographic and contextual factors. Overall, results show that the toll on psychological well-being has been heavier for female teachers, those who take care of minors and adults, and those who work in non-subsidized private schools. In addition, having more time to plan lessons and being able to balance work and home duties was found to reduce teachers' psychological distress index. Contrary to expectations, having more resources to facilitate remote work is associated with an increase in teacher psychological distress. These findings lead to reflection on the need for interventions and policies focused on teacher well-being within the context of the ongoing pandemic © Copyright 2021 by Psykhe

The impacts of electronic versus waiter ordering on consumer's healthy food choice

With the advancement of technology and the widespread of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, catering operators have favored electronic ordering due to its convenience and safety. However, little research has examined whether the change from traditional waiter ordering to electronic device ordering would affect consumers' healthy eating. Based on previous research of self-control, this article explores whether ordering by electronic device or waiter prompts healthier food choices. Through four experimental studies conducted in China, our findings demonstrated that whether ordering by electronic device or waiter is also one determinant of healthy eating. Compared to waiter ordering, consumers would make healthier food choices through electronic ordering, because it relives the time pressure brought on by the interpersonal waiter interaction. Whereas electronic ordering may be effective only if there is no waiting line or only for consumers who have a relatively low degree of trait self-control. The findings advance the understanding of determinants of healthy eating, as well as enrich the literature that explores the difference between human and electronic service. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

University lecturers acceptance of moodle platform in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This study aimed at determining factors which affect university lecturers’ adoption of the Moodle platform under the conditions of COVID-19. In considering the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model was applied and extended by adding two additional variables of learning demand and time pressure to assess their influence on Moodle platform adoption. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from the 226 participants through an online structured questionnaire. The covariance-based approach of structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed model. The structural model was tested using the maximum likelihood method of analysis of a moment structures to analyze the study’s hypotheses. Findings: Results suggest that performance expectations have a substantial influence on behavioral intent. The effort expectancy, social effect and facilitative factors have no effects on behavioral intentions. Facilitating conditions directly and significantly affect the actual use of Moodle. The results also reveal that learning demands, which is a salient predictor of perceived time pressure, in turn directly and significantly affects the actual use of Moodle. Finally, the behavioral intention has a strong influence on Moodle’s actual usage. Originality/value: Although the UTAUT 2 model is considered to be a new and updated version of UTAUT, it has not been used since newly added variables, namely, price, habit and hedonic motivations, are less related to the context and to avoid respondents’ paradox. Moreover, using the Moodle platform in the researched context is compulsory for both students and instructors. Discussion, insights, limitations and recommendations for future studies are suggested. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Crisis management

Design:This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Purpose:This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Findings:Crises are rare, but are certain to happen at some point in the lifecycle of most organizations. Whilst they may vary in severity, how they are responded to is critical for the longevity of any organization.Originality:The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.