Corporate flexibility in a time of crisis

We use the COVID shock to study the direct and interactive effects of several forms of corporate flexibility on short- and long-term real business plans. We find that i) workplace flexibility, namely the ability for employees to work remotely, plays a central role in determining firms' employment plans during the health crisis;ii) investment flexibility allows firms to increase or decrease capital spending based on their business prospects in the crisis, with effects shaped by workplace flexibility;and iii) financial flexibility contributes to stronger employment and investment, in particular when fixed costs are high. While the role of workplace flexibility is new to the COVID crisis, CFOs expect lasting effects for years to come: high workplace flexibility firms foresee continuation of remote work, stronger employment recovery, and shifting away from traditional capital investment, whereas low workplace flexibility firms rely more on automation to replace labor.

Editors' Introduction Neoliberalism in Higher Education: Practices, Policies, and Issues

While the working and middle classes have faced the challenges brought about by job layoffs resulting from corporate mergers and the lack of an economic support system to provide a survivable quality of life, the top one percent has enjoyed the benefits of increasing monetary gains from tax cuts and stock market investments. Reduced state funding and the infusion of marketplace principles and practices have resulted in the treatment of students as a revenue stream for raising tuition, which, in turn, increases student dependence on loans benefiting primarily Wall Street private lenders. [...]higher education has become the victim of a hostile takeover by neoliberal principles that utilize higher education as a laboratory for economic practices and redesign work roles to monetize the value of higher education. [...]they argue that for the last fifty years, neoliberalism has penetrated the academy and intercollegiate athletics and has been speeding toward a separation of the university and athletics by prioritizing business and profit interests as well as private and corporate sponsorships, and by increasing reliance on governance by the NCAA rather than universities (including academic standards and compliance).

Covid-19 and women

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, women did nearly threequarters of the world's unpaid work. As institutional supports, including inperson school and community-based care for children, the elderly, and the disabled vanished early in the pandemic, many women's caregiving responsibilities increased. In some cases, opportunities for paid employment disappeared due to layoffs and furloughs, while in others, paid work was no longer possible without access to the missing institutional supports. Either way, access to needed supports-financial, practical, and social-was diminished. The lapse of needed supports also had severe impacts on subgroups of women, including pregnant and post-partum women. A range of considerations-vaccine safety, social interaction and infection risk, disease severity-have posed serious challenges for pregnant and post-partum women. Across the board, women's need for continuous access to better social, financial, and practical supports at home, in the community, and in the workplace was made even more evident by the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 The authors.

The moderating role of resonant leadership and workplace spirituality on the relationship between psychological distress and organizational commitment

The ongoing pandemic has brought the world into a paralytical scenario except for the health care workers, which turned their ‘nights into nightmares'. The pervasiveness of stress, anxiety, and depression among the frontline healthcare fraternity is a significant concern for the stakeholders in the healthcare sector. The physical, mental, and emotional well-being of these COVID warriors are at stake due to the protracted period of exposure to the pandemic. This study explores the moderating roles of resonant leadership (RL) and workplace spirituality (WPS) on the constructs, psychological distress (PD), and organizational commitment (OC). Current research employs an exploratory research design. It used the purposive sampling technique and obtained data from various hospitals of four states in India, which experienced the biggest impact from COVID-19. Researchers analyzed the responses from 415 nurses and tested the hypothesis using structural equation modeling AMOS;moderating effects are tested using interaction term and slope test methods. Results show that psychological distress is inversely correlated to organizational commitment, but the impact of the moderating effect of resonant leadership and workplace spirituality decrease psychological distress and increase organizational commitment. The results suggest specific performance implications for HR theory and practice, especially within healthcare organizations.

Labor Inclusion with a Gender Perspective in Complex Environments: Firm Steps for the Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the possible correlation between commitment to labor inclusion and actions to promote organizational equity during the economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of Latin American countries and their main trading partners. A cluster analysis was conducted to generate blocks of Latin American countries and their main trading partners. Subsequently, a Student's t-test analysis was performed to identify whether there was a significant difference in terms of the labor equity and inclusion variable using data from the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2020, as well as from the Labor Inclusion Index of the United Nations Development Program's Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021. No statistically significant information was found to validate the correlation between the results of the two blocks of countries, although it was possible to identify concrete efforts by some Latin American nations that have allowed them to reposition themselves in terms of equity despite the economic crisis. This contrasted with some trading partners that, despite their economic strength, have not been able to maintain a stable labor market for their citizens. The study yields very significant results that shed light on the post-pandemic reality of the labor market and the inclusion of women in the economic sphere of their countries. This provides a better understanding of how the gendered division of labor and the domestic and care role can be a determining factor for women to drop out, retrain, or reenter the labor market.

The route to well-being at workplace: examining the role of job insecurity and its antecedents

PurposeThe current study focuses on the role of antecedents to prevent perceived job insecurity and mitigate its negative impacts on work-related well-being. The study examined variables of the resourceful environment (effective organizational communication and involvement), conserved resources (perceived employability and emotional exhaustion) and resource loss (job insecurity) by drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory for predicting the work-related well-being adding the moderating role of boundaryless career orientation.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 306 salespersons of pharmaceutical companies working in Pakistan was obtained. The hypothesized relationships were tested through structural equation modeling in SmartPLS.FindingsThe results confirmed showed that the organizational communication, employee involvement and perceived employability reduce the perceived job insecurity;however, the emotional exhaustion was positively related. It also confirmed the moderating effect of boundaryless career orientation on relationship of job insecurity and well-being.Practical implicationsTo make employees engaged, the organizations are required to involve employees by sharing knowledge, information and power to make decisions, value their opinion and ensuring the employability. Further, salespersons having a preference of a boundaryless career proved to mitigate negative impact of job insecurity on work-related well-being.Originality/valueMany empirical studies have identified that the perceived job insecurity is one of the major concerns affecting employee's well-being. However, few studies simultaneously have sought to prevent the perceived job insecurity among employees. The findings are important in developing the understanding that how salespersons perceive their capabilities and the work environment of the organization, this perception;resultantly, can influence their behaviors particularly the work engagement dimension of well-being.

Construct validity and internal consistency of the Home and Family Work Roles Questionnaires: a cross-sectional study with exploratory factor analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) measures the underlying relationships between questionnaire items and the factors ("constructs") measured by a questionnaire. The Home and Family Work Roles Questionnaire has not been assessed using EFA; therefore, our objective was to identify the factors measured by this questionnaire. METHODS: We recruited 314 persons to complete the questionnaire and to answer several demographic questions. We determined if the data was factorable by performing Bartlett's test of sphericity and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy. We used the Factor package in Jamovi statistical software to perform EFA. We employed an Oblimin rotation and a Principal Axis extraction method. We also calculated the internal consistency of the questionnaire as a whole as well as each individual question. RESULTS: Our sample consisted of 265 (85%) women, 45 (14%) men, and 3 (1%) non-binary or other genders. The mean age of our participants was 34.65 (SD = 11.57, range = 18-65) years. EFA suggested a three-factor model. Questions 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16 measured one factor (we interpreted this as "Caregiving Roles"), questions 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 18, and 19 measured a different factor ("Traditionally Feminine Roles"), and questions 2, 5, 6, and 12 measured the "Traditionally Masculine Roles". The questionnaire and each individual question demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.90). CONCLUSION: The Home and Family Work Roles Questionnaire may measure three distinct factors, which we have named Caregiving, Traditionally Feminine, and Traditionally Masculine Roles. This aligns with the theory used in developing the questionnaire. Separation of the Home and Family Work Roles Questionnaire into three sub-scales with distinct scores is recommended to measure each of the recommended constructs.

Video connecting families and social robots: from ideas to practices putting technology to work.

Technology use is a socially embedded process, especially when it comes to older adults and care. However, the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have limited social contact to protect vulnerable groups in care homes, and even if technology use has increased in other areas, there is little known about the potential uptake of communication technology and changes in social interaction in the care context during a lasting crisis. This paper explores changes in communication technology use triggered by the pandemic at two care homes, using a qualitative diary study, online interviews and observations, and in-situ interviews within the care home with residents and workers. Our findings point to increasing use of tablets and video conference software triggered by COVID-related experiences, with implications for living and working in care homes. We also characterise the isolation experience of the residents, the workers' concerns about the residents and changes in social interaction. We observed new areas of technology usage, associated changing work practices, technical affinity issues and context-specific attitudes towards future technologies. While the pandemic has triggered the use of communication technology in care homes on a small scale, this has also caused increasing workload and in particular articulation work, which requires support structures and the re-definition of work roles.

An industrial psychology perspective of workplace counselling in the changing world of work

Orientation: Regulations for the industrial psychology profession state that short-term counselling may be provided to employees in the workplace. It is therefore necessary to be equipped with the required skills to assist employees especially to cope in the changing world of work. Research purpose: The general objective of this research study was to explore the role of industrial psychologists as workplace counsellors in the changing world of work. Motivation for the study: In light of recent changes in the world due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there seems to be a strong motivation to explore the importance of workplace counselling with regard to the changing nature of work. Research approach/design and method: A qualitative descriptive research strategy was utilised, with homogeneous sampling of 22 industrial psychology practitioners ( n = 22). Main findings: The results showed that workplace counselling as an intervention provides the support employees need to adapt to changes in the workplace. Technological advances have a major impact on the manner in which people work, and therefore employees need the support to cope with these changes. Counselling from an industrial psychology practitioner could provide this type of support. Practical/managerial implications: Industrial psychology practitioners in the role of counsellors in an organisation play a major part in helping employees with accepting and coping with the changes and challenges presented by the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Contribution/value-add: This study could contribute by providing organisations with valuable feedback on how to address challenges presented by the changing nature of work, specifically the importance of the role of workplace counselling provided by industrial psychology practitioners.

Staying isolated in order to stay safe: Exploring experiences of the MIT AgeLab 85+ lifestyle leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic

This reprinted chapter originally appeared in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2020, 63[6-7], 694-695. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2021-00510-028.) Comments on an article by N. Kusmaul et al. (see record 2018-49264-004). Kusmaul et al. explained that one role of gerontological social workers in disaster preparedness and response is to identify unique needs, risk factors, and strengths possessed by older adults during periods of disaster. We would like to describe how a developing study of ours strives to understand these characteristics as they pertain to the "oldest old"-that is, adults ages 85 and over-in the midst of the disaster spurred by the current global spread of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Social work, Parkinson's disease care, and COVID-19.

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disease affecting over 10 million people worldwide. Interdisciplinary teams provide integrated care to people with Parkinson's Disease, including care for non-motor symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and many of these teams include social workers. This study sought to learn more about (a) clinical social work utilization across the continuum of care of PWP and their family care partners and (b) how patterns in utilization and service provision have shifted during the pandemic. This mixed method study identifies the breadth of roles performed by social workers in the comprehensive care of people with Parkinson's Disease (PWP). Findings underscore the important roles social workers play in providing comprehensive care for PWP and their families and their contributions to interdisciplinary teams providing holistic, integrated care, particularly during COVID-19 and into the future.

Developing a brief acceptance and commitment therapy model for industrial psychologists

Orientation: Mental health distress is on the rise, which has significant implications for labour productivity. Industrial psychologists, who are equipped to offer work-based counselling, can play a vital role in alleviating this burden. Research purpose: This study was an investigation of current literature on industrial psychologists as counsellors, with a focus on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as a framework to deliver brief work-based counselling. The aim was to offer a practical model of counselling, derived from the literature, for industrial psychologists to perform work-based counselling. Motivation for the study: There is a paucity of literature pertaining to evidence-based guidelines that industrial psychologists can follow to provide counselling. This study attempts to expand industrial psychologists’ counselling skill set by proposing an ACT intervention that can be applied as a brief counselling process in the workplace. Research approach/design and method: A systematic literature review of three separate literature streams yielded 1297 publications. After further analysis, 25 publications that met the criteria for relevance and quality were considered to create a model for workplace counselling. Main findings: Attention to the role of industrial psychologists as counsellors dwindled after the 1960s but has recently been given renewed attention by South African scholars. The literature review of experimental ACT designs revealed evidence-based guidelines that were combined to create the ACT for Work Well-being Model. Practical/managerial implications: The ACT for Work Well-being Model is a brief counselling protocol to offer systematic steps that industrial psychologists can implement during brief work-based counselling to address anxiety and depressive symptoms. Contribution/value-add: The proposed model is designed to stimulate further empirical validation and ensure evidence-based practice.

Health literacy and mental health of school principals. Results from a German cross-sectional survey

Purpose>School principals are generally seen as key facilitators for the delivery and long-term implementation of activities on school health promotion, including health literacy. However, there is little evidence on the health literacy and health status of this occupational group. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health literacy of school principals and its association with mental health indicators.Design/methodology/approach>A cross-sectional online survey with German school principals and members of the management board (vice principals) was conducted (n = 680, 68.3% female). Demographic (gender, age) and work characteristics (type of school, professional role) as well as health literacy served as independent variables. Mental health as a dependent variable included well-being, emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Next to uni- and bivariate analysis, a series of binary logistic regression models was performed.Findings>Of the respondents, 29.2% showed a limited health literacy with significant differences to the disadvantage of male principals. With regard to mental health, respondents aged over 60 years and those from schools for children with special educational needs were less often affected by low well-being as well as frequent emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Taking into account demographic and work characteristics, regression models revealed significant associations between a low level of health literacy and poor mental health across all indicators.Research limitations/implications>The cross-sectional nature of this study does not allow to draw conclusions about the causal pathways between health literacy and mental health. Although the sample has been weighted, the results cannot be generalized to the whole population of school principals. There is a need for evidence-based interventions aiming at promoting health literacy and mental health tailored to the needs of school principals.Originality/value>This is the first study to investigate health literacy and its association with health indicators among school principals.

Effects of health-promoting leadership, employee health on employee engagement: employability as moderating variable

PurposeEmployee health is a major challenge for enterprises. Fostering a healthy work environment and promoting employee engagement are key to addressing this challenge. Health-promoting leadership and employee health are the driving forces of corporate development;at the same time, employability is the core element of employee relations. Based on self-determination theory, this study aims to explore the effects of health-promoting leadership and employee health on employee engagement in light of employee employability.Design/methodology/approachThe data of this study encompass 723 valid questionnaires from employees of MSME in China. This study focuses on health-promoting leadership and employee health, engagement relationship and the above relationship moderating by employability.FindingsHealth-promoting leadership plays a key role in the workplace, results show that health-promoting leadership has a positive impact on employee health and employee engagement, while employee health did not have a positive effect on employee engagement. Employability negatively moderated the relationship between employee health and employee engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on cross-sectional survey data collected at the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic rapidly and continuously changed the organizational responses to employee health. Future studies could utilize longitudinal methods or focus on measurement instruments of the culture of health, to create additional insights about health promoting.Originality/valueThis study adds important knowledge regarding health-promoting leadership and employee health in Chinese MSMEs, an area for which limited research exists. The findings provide insights and knowledge about health-promoting leadership how to affect employee health and to improve engagement outcomes. The findings also identify the moderating role of employability.