The impact on the job of working from home teleworkers: a report on the Asian context of COVID-19

Working from home is a potentially powerful alternative method of work arrangement recently in order to maintain essential business operations in response to pandemic disruptions, thanks to the advancement of technologies that have shifted the traditional working way that requires a physical presence to a virtual environment. With the purpose of validating a theoretical model that forecasts the turnover possibility of teleworking employees during an ongoing challenge as the COVID-19 airborne disease spreads, the present research proposes a new and improved theoretical model by incorporating: 1) the stress-strain-outcome model;2) the relevance between professional remoteness and turnover motivation. The present study reveals that professional isolation is no longer relevant to worker's turnover intentions in the presence of limited job opportunities due to the global economic threats of downturns. It also offers perspectives and potential lessons for managers and organisations to develop strategies to optimise the values of teleworking and improve the rate of job retention. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Job Satisfaction Goes a Long Way: The Mediating Role of Teaching Satisfaction in the Relationship between Role Stress and Indices of Psychological Well-Being in the Time of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures has resulted in drastic changes in the educational landscape. Teachers had to rapidly adapt to shifts in their work-related roles and responsibilities. This situation likely led to role stress and affected the levels of job satisfaction, mental health and general life satisfaction. In this study, we examined the role of teachers' job satisfaction in the relationship between role stress and indices of psychological well-being. The participants were South African school teachers (N = 355) who completed the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Teaching Satisfaction Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. In addition to descriptive statistics and correlations, path analysis was performed to determine the mediating role of teaching satisfaction. Increased levels of teaching satisfaction were associated with decreased levels of depression and anxiety and increased levels of life satisfaction. Teaching satisfaction also mediated the relationship between role conflict, as well as role ambiguity and anxiety. The results indicated that teaching satisfaction is a critical protective factor for teachers. Thus, improving task significance and enhancing the meaning associated with the teaching profession may help promote the adaptive functioning of teachers.

Personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence as predictors for teacher subjective wellbeing.

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly reshaped the way teaching activities are carried out, thus intensifying the stress felt by teachers. The teacher-student relationship has also changed under the influence of social constraints. Together, these have affected teachers' work efficiency and redefined their connection with the school. The present study aims to examine the extent to which personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence predict teacher subjective wellbeing. The study sample consisted of 105 university teachers. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for each of the three criterion variables used in this research: teaching efficacy, school connectedness, and teacher subjective wellbeing. The results indicated that the personality traits emotionality, extraversion, and conscientiousness are significant predictors for all three variables, while honesty-humility, agreeableness, and openness to experience are not predictors for any of the variables. However, in the third step of the regression analysis, conscientiousness was found to lose its predictive quality for the variables school connectedness and teacher subjective wellbeing, its place being taken by emotionality. Both role ambiguity and relational competence are significant predictors for teaching efficacy, for school connectedness, and for teacher subjective wellbeing. Based on these results, universities can design some measures to reduce role ambiguity of teachers and can identify areas of training needed to increase their relational competence, while simultaneously reducing the costs associated with wellbeing and productivity problems. Several training modules and courses are proposed to be designed and included in the curriculum of initial and in-service teacher training programs, in order to contribute to increasing teachers' performance.

The Relationship between Role Ambiguity and Workers' Creativity during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China.

Job role ambiguity is becoming more and more common due to the increase in telecommuting caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. In order to understand the internal mechanism of the association between role ambiguity and creativity, this study examined it in the context of the Demands-Resources-Individual Effects (DRIVE) model. Participants were employees from all walks of life in mainland China, with a total of 437 valid data. The results showed that role ambiguity had no significant direct effect on creativity but exerted a negative effect on creativity through the chain mediating effect of affective rumination and perceived stress. A good relationship with a supervisor helped employees reduce their affective rumination when faced with the pressure of role ambiguity. The results show that how employees perceive role ambiguity plays an essential role in determining the potency of the after-effect of role ambiguity. Resources from supervisors can help reduce the negative perception of ambiguous roles.

Job Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic amongst Social Workers: A Comparison between Chinese Mainland and Macao

The COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in front line social workers experiencing job stress, burnout and other psychological distress. Little is known about the work-related stress experienced by Chinese social workers during the pandemic. This study focused on the job stress of social workers from Mainland and Macao. The research aims of this study included: (1) testing whether there is a difference in job stress between social workers from Mainland and Macao during the pandemic and (2) identifying mediating factors that helped explain such regional differences. An online survey collected data from 292 social workers in Mainland China and 108 from Macao in 2020. Mainland participants reported significantly higher job stress than Macao participants. Regional differences in job stress amongst Mainland and Macao social workers were partially attributed to their age and professional role identity. More attention needs to be paid to social workers in Mainland China as they experience higher job stress than their counterparts from Macao. Future research is needed to examine other factors (e.g. job demand and financial compensation) that may contribute to such regional differences. This article studied the job stress of social workers, during COVID-19, in two different Chinese regions. A survey collected data from 292 social workers in Mainland China and 108 social workers in Macao in 2020. The findings showed that the Mainland social workers reported higher job stress than their Macao counterparts. Regional differences in job stress were partially attributed to their age and professional role identity. Future research is needed to examine other factors (e.g. job demand and financial compensation) that may contribute to such regional differences.

The Beneficial Effects of Professional Identity: The Mediating Role of Teaching Identification in the Relationship between Role Stress and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and students rapidly transitioned to remote teaching and learning. In South Africa, this initial transition was followed by periods of reopening and closing of schools during the various waves of the pandemic. When schools were reopened, rotational schooling was implemented, with students attending in shifts. All this change created a climate of uncertainty for teachers. The current study investigates the relationship between role stress and indices of psychological distress, as well as the potential mediating role of teaching identification in this relationship, using a cross-sectional survey design. Participants (n = 355) were school teachers in South Africa who completed the Role Stress Questionnaire, the Professional Identification Scale, the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale during the second wave of the pandemic (May-July 2021). The results of a structural equation analysis indicate significant positive direct effects of role conflict and ambiguity on anxiety and hopelessness, as well as significant negative direct effects of teaching identification on anxiety and hopelessness. In addition, teaching identification was found to mediate the effect of role conflict and ambiguity on anxiety and hopelessness. The demonstrated role of teaching identification has implications that suggest the importance of leadership and supervisory support, as well as enhancing the societal value of teaching as a profession.

How does COVID-19 fear affect job insecurity and stress for hospitality employees? A moderated mediation model for age and financial status

This study aims to understand the integrated effect of COVID-19 fear, age, financial situation, and job insecurity on the perceived stress of employees of five-star hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic by proposing a moderated mediation model. A survey was administered to 631 hotel employees working in 22 different five-star hotels in Alanya, Turkey. Moderator, mediation, and moderated mediation relationships were tested with the SPSS macro PROCESS. It was found that COVID-19 fear has both direct and interactive effects on stress and job insecurity, and the indirect effect of COVID-19 fear on stress through job insecurity varies according to the age of the employees and their financial status. The results, which contribute to a better understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on hospitality employees, point out the importance of financial support (organisational and governmental) and transparent communication between the management and employees in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also suggested that hotels should review their unpaid leave policies. The limitations of the study are discussed at the end.

Perceived Vulnerability to Disease and the Relationship with Teacher Satisfaction in South Africa during COVID-19: The Serial Role of Burnout, Role Conflict, and Ambiguity.

Teachers' work roles and responsibilities have changed dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These unprecedented changes have the potential to generate role stress and burnout and reduce teachers' job satisfaction. This study investigated the serial relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, role stress, burnout, and teaching satisfaction. It was hypothesised that individuals who perceive themselves to be at high risk of contracting COVID-19 would report high role conflict and ambiguity in the workplace, which would in turn lead to high levels of burnout and low satisfaction with teaching. Participants were schoolteachers (N = 355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Teaching Satisfaction Scale. Path analysis confirmed that perceived vulnerability to disease was associated with role conflict and ambiguity, which was in turn associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low teaching satisfaction. Teachers who appraised themselves as being more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 experienced greater role stress, which was associated with high levels of burnout and low teaching satisfaction. This study highlights that threat appraisals related to contracting COVID-19 represent an additional job demand and this needs to be matched by job resources that can facilitate coping.

Effects of Role Ambiguity on Work Stress with Islamic Coping as Mediation among Nurses during a Covid-19 Pandemic at the General Hospital in Aceh-Indonesia

The nursing work environment has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its presence has impacted work stress among nurses in addition to other stressors including role ambiguity. Nurses with good stress coping can mitigate environmental stressors to minimize the work stress to the lowest level. This study intends to measure and analyze the direct effect of role ambiguity and Islamic coping on work stress. It also attempts to measure the indirect effect of role ambiguity on work stress through Islamic coping among nurses at the General Hospital dr. Zainoel Abidin (Rumah Sakit Umum dr. Zainoel Abidin - RSUDZA), Banda Aceh, Indonesia. A number of 206 nurses in inpatient rooms at the hospital were selected as the study's sample using a stratified random sampling method. The primary data were collected using the questionnaires and analyzed using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The study found that role ambiguity has positively influenced work stress, while Islamic coping has negatively impacted work stress. In addition, Islamic coping has mediated the effect of role ambiguity on work stress. These results have implications for reducing work stress of the nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic. The clarification of the roles and responsibilities and improvement of Islamic coping skills could mitigate the nurses' work stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.

Linking Safety-Specific Leader Reward and Punishment Omission to Safety Compliance Behavior: The Role of Distributive Justice and Role Ambiguity.

Background: Although positive safety leadership has attracted increasingly academic and practical attention due to its critical effects on followers' safety compliance behavior, far fewer steps have been taken to study the safety impact of laissez-faire leadership. Objective: This study examines the relationships between safety-specific leader reward and punishment omission (laissez-faire leadership) and followers' safety compliance, and the mediations of safety-specific distributive justice and role ambiguity. Methods: On a two-wave online survey of 307 workers from high-risk enterprises in China, these relationships were tested by structural equations modeling and bootstrapping procedures. Results: Findings show that safety-specific leader reward omission was negatively associated with followers' safety compliance through the mediating effects of safety-specific distributive justice and role ambiguity. Safety-specific leader punishment omission was also negatively associated with followers' safety compliance through the mediating effect of safety-specific role ambiguity, while safety-specific distributive justice was an insignificant mediator. Originality: The study addresses and closes more gaps by explaining how two contextualized laissez-faire leadership measures relate to followers' safety behaviors, following the contextualization and matching principles between predictors, mediators and criteria, and by revealing two mechanisms behind the detrimental effects of laissez-faire leadership on safety outcomes.

Work-Related Stressors among the Healthcare Professionals in the Fever Clinic Centers for Individuals with Symptoms of COVID-19.

Work-related stress can affect the quality of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the relationship between selected work-related stressors and stress levels among healthcare professionals providing preventive and curative services to people with COVID-19 symptoms in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia. A systematic random sampling using an online questionnaire approach was used to select healthcare professionals in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia during September 2020. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire including data on their sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, role conflict and ambiguity, social support, and stress. The results showed that role conflict and ambiguity were significant risk factors for stress, and social support was negatively associated with stress levels. Additionally, younger and non-Saudi healthcare professionals exhibited higher stress levels than their older and Saudi counterparts. In conclusion, role conflict, ambiguity, and social support can predict the risk of stress among healthcare professionals in the Fever Clinics in Saudi Arabia.

Work-Related Challenges among Primary Health Centers Workers during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

This study aimed to identify certain occupational risk factors for stress among healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a multistage random sampling approach, an online questionnaire was applied to collect data on role conflict and ambiguity, self-esteem and social support from 1378 HCWs working in primary health centers (regular and fever clinics; clinics specialized in managing patients with COVID-19 symptoms) across Saudi Arabia. The results showed that stress correlated positively with role conflict and ambiguity and negatively with social support. HCWs in fever clinics exhibited significantly more stress and role conflict and ambiguity than those who were working in regular primary healthcare centers. In conclusion, role conflict and ambiguity and social support were determinants for stress among HCWs, especially those working in fever clinics.