Fostering employee work engagement and sustainable employment during COVID-19 crisis through HR practices, employee psychological well-being and psychological empowerment

Purpose: This study aims to investigate employee behavior toward work engagement with an integrative research framework that combines human resource practices, employee psychological empowerment and well-being. Moreover, the moderating effect of transformational leadership is tested between employee engagement at workplace during crisis such as COVID-19 and sustainable employment. Design/methodology/approach: This study empirically investigates research framework with 353 responses retrieved from employees working in private sector organizations. The data were collected through structured, closed-ended questionnaires. For inferential analysis, structural equation modeling approach has been used. To test the predictive power of the research framework, blindfolding procedure Q2 is incorporated. Findings: Statistical findings indicate that HR compensation, HR training, opportunity enhancing, motivation enhancing, psychological well-being and empowerment have explained substantial variance (R2 = 67.5%) in employee work engagement during crisis. Concerning with sustainable employment, the transformational leadership and work engagement have shown significant variance (R2 = 20.6%) in determining sustainable employment. Moving further psychological empowerment has revealed maximum effect size (f2) to determine employee engagement behavior at work place during pandemic crisis. The blindfolding procedure Q2 has exhibited substantial power to predict employee work engagement and sustainable employment during crisis such as COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications: This study has several contributions to theory and practice. Theoretically, this study develops an integrative research framework with the help of human resource practices and employee psychological factors such as employee well-being and empowerment. Therefore, practically, this research suggests that factors such as opportunity enhancing, transformational leadership and employee psychological empowerment need managerial attention to increase employee engagement at workplace and sustainable employment during pandemic crisis. Social implications: With the growing concerns of layoff during pandemic crisis, employees have shown lack of interest at workplace because of psychological fears. Nevertheless, this study has established that policymakers could enhance employee engagement at workplace and sustainable employment during crisis by redesigning HR practices and improving employee psychological well-being and empowerment. In addition to that, employee psychological well-being and empowerment are considered healthy factors for human beings and nurture society at large. Originality/value: This research is original as it establishes an integrative research framework grounded in HR practices, employee psychological empowerment and employee psychological well-being to investigate employee behavior at work place during crisis such as pandemic. In addition to that, this study has enriched leadership literature by examining the moderating effect of transformational leadership between employee work engagement and sustainable employment. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The Relationship of SEDS, Food Intake and Work Engagement among Telecommuting Employees of the Education Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Method Study

Due to COVID-19, the shift to telecommuting became a widely used work set-up to maintain economic balance. This work set up is associated with risks to employees' wellness. As prevention to the risks, employees must be provided with ways to understand the telecommuting attributes. In relation, this study targets in understanding the links between the socio-economic demographic status, work engagement, and food intake of the education sector's tele-employees. The 110 samples are gathered from the Senior High school Department using convenience sampling, an online survey, and the mixed method. ANOVA and multi-linear regression are used as statistical treatments. The study found that the older generation with higher Income is more likely linked with higher work engagement. The younger generation, low-income earners, and males are inclined more toward unhealthy foods as compared to their counterparts. Low-income earners perceived that their work engagement falls under the category that energy to work is at a bare minimum level. The participants' education attainment revealed significance with energy-giving or carbohydrate-source foods. The qualitative data highlighted job position was perceived with a link to food intake and work engagement. Unhealthy food consumption is perceived with a beneficial association with work engagement, although it is suggested for further investigation. With these findings, the education sector's stakeholders, nutrition, mental health professionals, and future researchers would mainly benefit from this study for intervention generation. © 2023 ACM.

How Do Social Media Literacy, Psychological Capital and Work Engagement Influence the Employee Morale of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry?

This study aims to assess the employee morale (EM) in the hospitality and tourism industry through social media literacy (SML), psychological capital (PsC), and work engagement (WE). The study followed the deductive reasoning approach to examine the hypothesized associations. The structural equation modeling via SmartPLS3 was used to analyse the cross-sectional data which were collected through the convenience sampling method. Results showed that SML and PsC positively influenced WE, and WE predicted EM. WE partially mediates the influence of SML and PsC on EM. The moderating effect of age showed that young adults' social media literacy on WE significantly differs from old adults. However, no significant age difference between young and old is observed between PsC and WE. The study intends to develop a better comprehension of practitioners' insights of SML, PsC that may influence employees' WE and morale who have been working in hospitality and tourism industries. The strengths and limitations of the study are also documented for policymakers, academics, and future researchers. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Hybrid and virtual work settings, the interaction between technostress, perceived organisational support, work-family conflict and the impact on work engagement

PurposeThe study assessed the impact of technostress creators, work–family conflict and perceived organisational support (POS) on work engagement for employees operating within the virtual and hybrid work settings. The idea is to redefine the antecedents of work engagement in work settings that are characterised by excessive technology and work–family conflict.Design/methodology/approachData gathered from 302 academics and support staff employees at a selected university in South Africa were utilised to assess the abovementioned relationships via variance-based structural equation modelling.FindingsThe combined effect of technostress, work–family conflict and POS on work engagement indicates that work–family conflict is a critical component in the relationship between technostress and work engagement. Although POS is seen as a job resource that lessens stress, the study found that the influence of work–family conflict is stronger than that of POS;hence, a negative influence is reported on work engagement. Despite the presence of support, overwhelming technostress creators and work–family conflict issues increase demands and influence work engagement negatively.Research limitations/implicationsThe results noted that, in hybrid and virtual work settings, managers can drive employee engagement by focussing on designing more favourable work–life balance (WLB) policies, providing adequate information communication technology (ICT) support, fostering aspects of positive technology and defining the boundaries between work life and family time.Practical implicationsThe managers need to realise the detrimental effects of both technostress and work–family conflict on work engagement in virtual and hybrid work settings. Expanding the personal and job resources of individuals in hybrid and virtual settings is critical to enable them to meet the additional work demands and to manage the strain imposed by technostress. Instituting relevant organisation support has proved to be inadequate to address the challenges relating to technostress and work–family conflict. Therefore, introducing WLB policies that assist employees to set clear boundaries between work and family time to avoid burn out and spillover is critical. This is especially important when dealing with technostress creators in the remote work setting. Additionally, providing adequate ICT support as well as training related to use of different devices and software should be part of the organisational culture.Social implicationsA manageable and reasonable workload should be maintained bearing in mind the complexity and ambiguity associated with the hybrid work setting. Managers should make allowances for employees to adjust managers' schedules to accommodate personal obligations, as well as adjust employees' workloads to accommodate family responsibilities. As for the coping strategy of technostress and work–family conflict, considering the positive effects of the supportive work environment is important.Originality/valueThis study provides a model on the interaction of the redefined antecedents (technostress and work–family conflict) of work engagement in high-tech environments such as virtual and hybrid work settings.

Stress and resilience in the workers of three health authorities of Emilia-Romagna during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aims: The aim of the present study was to study the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic symptoms in Health-Care Workers (HCWs) of three Health Authorities of Emilia-Romagna, Italy during the COVID pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): An online questionnaire was spread to the staff of the University Hospital of Modena and the Local Health Agencies of Modena and Romagna, including the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale - Short Version (UWES-9). The scores at DASS-21 and IES-R were used as dependent variables in multivariate logistic regression models. Result(s): A total of 5868 HCWs were reached (response rate of 22.4%), 76.1% of which were women, mostly aged between 45 and 54 years. Rates of positive scores were: 27.9% DASS-21 Depression;28.4% DASS-21 Anxiety;34.7% DASS-21 Stress;21.9% IES-R. At the multivariate logistic regression, the following were statistically significant risk factors for positive scores: female sex, young age, and working at the front line. An increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption and worsening of eating habits were also strongly associated with symptoms. At UWES-9, the three samples reported lower vigor than dedication and absorption, which are at a medium-high level. Conclusion(s): HCWs have experienced high levels of emotional distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant improvements are needed not only in terms of organization and distribution of resources, but also in provision of dedicated psycho-social interventions.Copyright © 2023

Factors predicting proactive work behaviors among nurses: A descriptive predictive study.

AIM: This study examined the level of proactive work behavior and predictability of education level, work engagement, transformational leadership of nurse managers, and organizational support on proactive work behaviors among nurses. BACKGROUND: Nurses face many challenges to provide quality nursing care as numbers of patients increase in particular as a result of COVID-19 and human resource shortages worldwide, this includes Myanmar. Proactive work behavior is a critical factor in providing quality nursing care. METHODS: We collected data from 183 registered nurses in four university-affiliated general hospitals in Myanmar by using stratified random sampling. Instruments included the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Global Transformational Leadership Scale, the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, and the Proactive Work Behavior Scale. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used to analyze data. Findings are reported according to the STROBE checklist. RESULTS: The overall level of proactive work behavior was perceived as moderate. Transformational leadership and work engagement were significant predictors of proactive work behaviors of nurses, explaining 33.0% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: Findings provide that both transformational leadership and work engagement are significant predictors of proactive work behaviors which are important for improving the quality of patient care and organizational outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Nurse administrators and hospital directors should encourage nurses to voice ideas for improving the standard of work, provide opportunities for generating ideas, support resources for taking charge and preventing problems whilst also supporting the promotion of nurse managers' transformational leadership and nurses' work engagement.

Change in women's work burden and gender norms of unpaid care work after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown has increased the burden of unpaid care work. Hence it is essential to evaluate the crisis response in change of women's work burden and gender norms of their unpaid care work and social status. OBJECTIVE: To investigate change in women's job roles after second the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on physical and psychological burden of work along with identification of common contributors of gendering of care work. METHOD: Using a structured questionnaire and simple random sampling technique, the study was conducted on married women (n = 691) in West Bengal, India after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Significant job loss (p = 0.014) occurred during COVID-19. Unpaid care work increased (p = 0.04) with reduction in rest hours (p = 0.002). 62.3% women felt increased burden of work. Work burden score increased with age (p = 0.003), reduction of rest (p < 0.001) and increased care work (p = 0.022). Gendering occurred due to male partner's less contribution to care work and respondents' cognitive agreement with expected gender role. Gendering of work is less in urban areas (OR = 0.379, p = 0.008) and higher income group (OR = 5.37, p = 0.026). Women faced more gendering in case of job loss (OR = 9.27, p = 0.001) or if burdened with work (OR = 3.92, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The impact of employability of women on their work role during the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted both theoretical and practical significance that opens up the scope of further studies at national and larger ethno-geographic levels.

The Model of Organizational Performance Based on Employees' Dynamic Capabilities-Verification During Crisis Caused by Black Swan Event

The article concerns the potential influence of employees' dynamic capabilities on the performance of entire organization, which operates in crisis caused by Black Swan event. It is the expansion of job performance model based on employees' dynamic capabilities, proposing the possibility of translating the positive influence of those capabilities onto entire organization and underlining the importance of employees' dynamic capabilities during crisis within organization. Based on literature analysis, the shape of the amended model is proposed, in which employees' dynamic capabilities influence organizational performance through elements of the original model (person-job fit, work motivation, job satisfaction, work engagement and job performance), and additional ones: person-organization fit, person-supervisor fit. The proposed model is empirically verified based on the sample of 1160 organization operating in Poland, Italy and USA during an active wave of COVID-19 pandemic (which is an example of Black Swan event). The results obtained using path analysis confirmed that employees' dynamic capabilities indeed influence organizational performance of organizations operating in crisis caused by Black Swan event through elements proposed in the model.

High-involvement work practices, work engagement and their effects on bank employees' turnover intentions: the moderating role of functional competence

PurposeThis study aims to propose and examine a research model where work engagement mediates the impacts of high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) on bank employees' turnover intentions. Specifically, the paper assesses: (a) the effects of empowerment, information sharing, rewards and training on work engagement and turnover intention, (b) work engagement as a mediator of the effects of these HIWPs on turnover intention (c) and functional competence as a moderator of the effects of these HIWPs on work engagement.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was employed to gather data from 343 employees working in commercial banks in Bangladesh. The authors applied partial least squares structural equation modeling to assess the aforesaid linkages.FindingsEmpowerment and information sharing increase bank employees' work engagement, while training and rewards reduce their proclivity to leave. Work engagement partly mediates the relationships of empowerment and information sharing to turnover intention. Functional competence moderates the relationship between three HIWPs (empowerment, information sharing and rewards) on work engagement.Originality/valueThe paper examines the association between HIWPs and turnover intention, which has been subjected to little empirical inquiry among bank employees during a crisis (e.g. Covid-19 pandemic). The paper provides new insights into the underlying mechanism linking HIWPs and turnover intention and highlights the moderating effect of functional competence. Additionally, the study offers new knowledge on the impact of the pandemic on bank employees' HIWPs. Finally, this paper used data gathered from bank employees in Bangladesh, which is an underrepresented Asian country in the extant service research.

Nurturing Employee Engagement at Workplace and Organizational Innovation in Time of Crisis With Moderating Effect of Servant Leadership

The current study strives to examine the impact of HR practices, working condition, intergroup relations, goal congruence, passion for work and organizational learning culture toward employee engagement and organizational innovation. In addition to that the moderating effect of servant leadership is tested between employee engagement and organizational innovation. The research design of this study is grounded in quantitative research approach. Data were retrieved from employees working in Saudi manufacturing organizations. Overall, 241 respondents have participated in this voluntarily research survey. Research framework was tested with structural equation modeling technique. Results revealed that human resource prac-tices, working condition, intergroup relations, passion for work, goal congruence and organizational learning culture have explained large variance R-2 52.8% in measuring employee work engagement. Similarly, organizational innovation is measured with employee work engagement and servant leadership and explained substantial 55% variance in organizational innovation. Likewise, the results of the blindfolding analysis revealed substantial predictive power Q(2) 41.4 to predict organizational inno-vation. Therefore, in determining employee work engagement at workplace goal congruence has shown substantial effect size f(2) when compared with other exogenous constructs. Practically, this research suggests that goal congruence, human resource practices, and servant leadership are core factors which enhance employee engagement at workplace and organiza-tional innovation in time of crisis and therefore need managerial attention. This study is unique as it examines employee engagement behavior with an integrative research framework. In addition to that the role of servant leadership has been studied as moderator between the relationship of employee engagement and organizational innovation.

Crisis-induced HR practices and employee resilience during COVID-19: evidence from hotels

One of the wretch effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the laying off of millions of employees in the hotel industry due to travel restrictions and lockdowns. Such a scenario prompted star hotels to implement crisis-induced HR practices (CHRP) to run their hotels effectively. Our article exploits and investigates a model that recommends that psychological well-being (PWB) indirectly influences the CHRP-employee resilience (ER) relationship, the conditional indirect effect of servant leadership (SEL). Data were collected from 265 star-rated hotel employees in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, who are the full-time frontline. The hypothesized linkages were assessed through PROCESS analysis. We find a significant indirect effect of CHRP on ER via PWB. Moreover, the conditional indirect effect of CHRP on ER via PWB is high at higher and mediums levels of SEL. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed further.

The Impact of Work Stress on Doctor's Performance through Employee Engagement and Moderation of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Study on Primary Health Care)

BACKGROUND: Doctors at primary health care are prone to have work stress and it can affect their performance. Employee engagement may have close relationship with the doctor's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: This study aims to determine the relationship between work stress and the doctor's performance at primary health care using employee engagement mediation and COVID-19 pandemic moderation. METHOD(S): This research is a descriptive study using a quantitative approach which was conducted on 354 doctors at Malang primary health care. The questionnaire was analyzed using partial least square. RESULT(S): The work stress had a significant positive effect on the doctor's performances (beta = 0.257, t-stat = 3.324). Work stress has a significant positive effect on employee engagement (beta = 0.726, t-stat = 22,967). Employee engagement does not significantly affect the doctor's performance (beta = 0.044, t-stat 0.105). Employee engagement does not mediate the work stress effect on doctor's performance (beta = 0.032, t-stat = 0.105). The COVID-19 pandemic did not moderate the work stress effect on doctors' performance (beta = -0.222, t-stat = 0.981). CONCLUSION(S): Primary health care leaders still need to pay attention to factors that can reduce the doctor's performance and employee engagement, include factors that can increase the work stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Copyright © 2023 Fida Rahmayanti, Noermijati Noermijati, Armanu Armanu, Fatchur Rohman.

Effects of Covid 19 on Health status and Quality of life among Software Professionals in a Home based work setting - A Questionnaire based Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan city, China. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, to restrict the spread of virus, the Government has imposed strict measures with subsequent lockdowns as a result the home environment has become a workplace for many. Of all sectors the software domain is the most affected. Limited resource facility, work - engagement, work-life balance, family conflicts, stress management have been the challenges faced by these IT professionals working from home Aim: To analyze the impact of Covid 19 on health status and quality of life among software professionals in Covid pandemic through validated online questionnaires using google forms. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional e-survey was conducted using validated questionnaires through google forms following approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee. The questionnaire consisted of 4 open ended and 21 close ended questions.Job-stress, physical and mental well-being, work life balance, work engagement was assessed.The google form was posted in social media channel groups of software professionals for a period of 2 weeks following which the data was collected.Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 22.0. Results: A total of 154 software professionals participated in the study. Of which 80 were females and belonged to the 26-30 years age group. 83% software professionals preferred working in hybrid mode. This study shows that working hours increased with increased work pressure in a home-based work setting (61%). Both work life balance and work engagement were fair in a home-based work setting (p-0.0001). Anxiety, depression and emotional problems affected work engagement and work life balance. Some professionals developed physical ailments such as hair fall, vision problems and back ache in a home-based work set up. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggests that emotional well-being, sleep quality,decision latitude,limited resource facilities and job stress affected work engagement and work life balance. Hence undertaking appropriate measures proactively to enhance these factors under crisis conditions may mitigate the negative consequences of home-based work setting and improve the quality of life of software developers in the covid pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results is the property of ResearchTrentz and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

WORK ENGAGEMENT AND HUMAN CAPITAL: THE ROLE OF THE MANAGER IN EMPLOYEE WORK ENGAGEMENT

Any organization's management highly depends on its human capital. The efficient use of an organization's resources – material, financial, informational, or human – is essential to its smooth operation. Therefore, it is also important to focus on employee and employee engagement. Employee or work engagement is a widely accepted topic. Companies are interested in this subject and work with agencies or attempt to independently assess the level of employee work engagement in order to determine the causes of high or low engagement rates and develop ways to raise it. Employees who work in retail were questioned for this study. The goal of the study is to determine the impact of managers on retail employees' level of work engagement based on their age, gender, and work status (manager or non-manager), A few questions were chosen from a variety of employee engagement measuring tools to assess the manager's influence. On a five-point Likert scale, respondents responded to 11 items in the survey (1 strongly disagree – 5 strongly agree), In order to compare the results after a year, the survey was done twice in Austria, once in May 2021 (during the active Covid-19 epidemic) and once in May 2022. Employees in the retail industry (N = 3047 in 2022 and N = 2535 in 2021) responded to an online survey sent to their company e-mail addresses. The findings indicate a little increase in employee work engagement between 2021 and 2022 of 1.2 per cent. The comparison reveals no significant variations between years and just marginally better or worse answers to a few questionnaire questions. Work engagement grew as a result of the manager's influence by 4.9 per cent in 2021 to an even 79 and by 5.6 per cent in 2022 to 80.9. © Vilnius University, 2002-2023.

Antecedents of Nurse Managers' Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The responsibilities of nurse managers are complex. Their actions are crucial to providing the best possible care to patients and to the success of health care organizations. Thus, nurse managers' work engagement is essential. However, understanding of the antecedents of nurse managers' work engagement is lacking. The job demands-resources theory posits that work engagement is contingent upon job resources and demands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore which job demands and resources exert a major influence on nurse managers' work engagement. Considering the literature, job resources and demands potentially relevant to nurse managers' work engagement were identified. To investigate the associations between these potential antecedents and nurse managers' work engagement, the study employed a cross-sectional survey. The dataset for analyses comprised 408 nurse managers in Germany and was analyzed by multiple linear regression. The study variables accounted for 26% of the variance in nurse managers' work engagement. Positive associations were detected between the job resource of empowering leadership and nurse managers' work engagement. Regarding job demands, lack of formal rewards and work-life interferences had negative effects on work engagement. The findings suggest that the job demands-resources theory can explain nurse managers' work engagement. However, not all job resources and demands considered were determined to be influential. In conclusion, empowering leadership should be promoted in the work environment of nurse managers. Nurse managers should be provided engaging financial and nonfinancial rewards. Work-life interferences should be systematically mitigated.

Employee engagement: systematization of approaches to the definition and measurement

The popularity of the concept of employee engagement in the scientific community has grown significantly over the past few decades, many large companies have implemented it in practice, conducting regular engagement surveys. However, there is still no common understanding of the essence of this phenomenon, what it consists of, what factors influence its formation and how to measure it. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to systematize the approaches to defining and measuring employee engagement, proposed in scientific and professional publications, as well as to discuss methodological challenges and prospects in connection with the transformation of the context of work. Method. The first part of the article examines the most famous scientific approaches to the definition of engagement at work and related constructs, factors, and models of involvement, including applied ones, used by consulting companies. The second part focuses on the measurement of engagement. The third part discusses the new challenges facing employee engagement researchers and practitioners in the face of changing working conditions, most notably the widespread use of digital technology and remote working accelerated by COVID-19 pandemic. The article is based on a review of scientific and professional literature and contains several elements of novelty. Findings. For the first time, a detailed analysis of the main theoretical approaches to interpreting and measuring the "employee engagement" construct presented in foreign and domestic literature was carried out;the characteristics of the employee engagement models of consulting companies, which are used by practitioners in the field of organizational psychology, and human resource management, are given;the challenges in the field of conceptualization and methodology for measuring the employee engagement in the new conditions of doing business and organizing work were described. Value of results. The scientific significance of the article lies in the systematization of various areas of theoretical and empirical studies in foreign and domestic literature on employee engagement. HR managers can get from the article valuable information about the specific approaches of consulting companies involved in conducting employee engagement surveys, which can be used to interpret their results, and to design their own engagement surveys taking into account the company's characteristics.

The Effects of Workaholism on Employee Burnout and Turnover Intent at Deluxe Hotels during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence across Generations

The coronavirus has caused unprecedented damage to the hospitality industry that cannot be compared to those caused by previous global crises. This study hypothesized that employee burnout and turnover intent can vary depending on their perceptions of workaholism, with the assumption that workaholism's negative impact differs across generations. This study demonstrated that workaholism among hotel employees tends to increase their burnout and turnover intent. The examination of the intergenerational moderating role in the relationship between the influence of workaholism on burnout and turnover intent revealed that compared to Generations X and Y, Generation Z has a stronger negative relationship with workaholism.

The COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives on work engagement and work-from-home in a higher education institution

Orientation: Globally, the repercussions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrated many areas within societies. Like all other institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) had to migrate to online and blended activities, and work-from-home (WFH) became characteristic of the ‘new normal'. Research purpose: The main purpose of the study was to determine the perspectives on work engagement and WFH among employees of an HEI in South Africa during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Motivation for the study: There is limited published research reporting on WFH and work engagement in HEIs. Research approach/design and method: The study employed a quantitative-based cross-sectional design. The target population of this study included all employees an HEI in South Africa who worked from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. A web-based survey was used to collect the data. In total, 399 respondents participated in the research. Main results: The results of the study revealed that the employees were to a great extent engaged in their work because of the organisational support received from the institution. It was also evident that some employees experienced difficulties with establishing a work routine, a lack of sufficient equipment and resources to function at home, work–home interference, increased workload and working hours, isolation and work–life balance issues. Practical/managerial implications: The results of the study are important to inform business decisions regarding the WFH model as an alternative working arrangement to be considered in HEIs. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding work engagement and WFH in HEIs in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Sailing through the pandemic: role of authentic leadership and horizontal collectivism in unlocking work engagement in Indian startups

Purpose: Responding to the radical changes in work practices and extensive virtual forms of interaction brought by COVID-19, this study aims to investigate the role played by authentic leadership and horizontal collectivism in helping the Indian startups sail through the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Data was gathered through standardized questionnaires from 300 leaders and 300 employees from Indian startups during the second phase of lockdown. Statistical analysis using AMOS 23.0 checks for the direct effect of authentic leadership on work engagement and the moderating effect of horizontal collectivism on the relationship between the two. This study also compares the results between self-ascribed and perceived authentic leadership. Findings: Statistical analysis using AMOS 23.0 was done to check for the direct effect of authentic leadership on work engagement and the moderating effect of horizontal collectivism on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. This study also compared the results between self-ascribed and perceived authentic leadership. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that explores the role of authentic leadership in unlocking work engagement among employees serving in Indian startups during the pandemic. The lesson learned from this is when employees perceived their leaders to be authentic, the work culture to be nonhierarchical and felt collective responsibility toward work, it unlocked their high potential and made them soulfully engaged in their work. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The impact of job crafting and work engagement on academic librarians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

The changes employees make to everyday tasks, relationships, and perceptions within work boundaries can be described as job crafting. Job crafting provides a mechanism to help employees focus on job redesign from the bottom-up, where the power rests with individual workers. This research employed a mixed methods approach using a convergent parallel design to examine job crafting behavior among academic librarians in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, work engagement was also examined as a potential moderating variable. Respondents self-selected participation (n = 1330) in completing an online survey that included questions from two established instruments (Job Crafting Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9) and open-ended questions developed by the researcher. The study found that many academic librarians embodied crafting behaviors, especially task crafting. Moreover, overall job crafting and work engagement resulted in a strong positive relationship. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.