From Networking to Attitudinal Outcomes: Psychological Capital as a Mediator.

Building on conservation of resources (COR) theory and following recent recommendations, this study investigates the mediating role of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in the relationships between networking behaviors and attitudinal outcomes (i.e., work engagement and work satisfaction). We propose that networking, as an investment of personal resources to gain access to other resources, contributes to the prediction of attitudinal outcomes. We surveyed 254 employees from a public Belgian administrative company. We use structural equation modelling and the bootstrapping method. PsyCap totally mediates the relationships between networking and both attitudinal outcomes. This study contributes to theoretical development by integrating Networking and PsyCap literatures into COR theory literature, and demonstrates the legitimacy of COR theory to explain these complex variables and their relationships.

When high work engagement is negative for family tasks: mechanisms and boundary conditions.

Background: Typically, work engagement is positively related to beneficial job outcomes. Earlier studies, however, revealed a "dark side" of work engagement showing negative effects such as more work-family conflict. Using a resource perspective, our study seeks to better understand why and when these negative effects of work engagement occur. Specifically, we test a new model in which the relationship of work engagement with work-family conflict is mediated by organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and work rumination. Moreover, we argue that employees' resource-building strategies (i.e., job crafting) and resource levels (i.e., psychological capital) buffer resource depletion due to high work engagement. Methods: We tested our assumptions in a field study that involved data collected on three measurement points with 523 employees from Nigeria. The measures consist of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, Work Rumination Scale, Psychological Capital Scale, Job Crafting Measure, Work-family Conflict Scale, and demographic variables. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Results and discussion: Results from latent structure equation modelling confirm that work rumination mediates the positive relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Additionally, our findings suggest that behavioral engagement (i.e.,OCB) and work rumination mediate the relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Moreover, psychological capital mitigated the relationships of work engagement with work rumination, but not job crafting. Our study helps to better understand the "dark side" of work engagement and offers implications on how to mitigate its detrimental relationship with work-family conflict.

Job satisfaction and social identification among paramedics in southern Poland.

Introduction: Job satisfaction, based on professional and non-professional factors and individual characteristics of employees, is an important element influencing both the quality of care provided and employee turnover. Material and method: The study included 137 paramedics employed in field teams and hospital emergency departments. The Job Satisfaction Scale (SSP), the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and the Three Dimensional Strength of Group Identification Scale (TSIG) were used to collect the data. Results: The average job satisfaction score measured with SSP in the studied group of paramedics was 24.50 and the average job satisfaction score measured with MSQ was 74.16. The average value of the group identification in the study sample was 61.15. Of the three subscales, the highest scores were obtained in the affect toward the group subscale -22.44, and the lowest in the cognitive centrality subscale -18.78. The analysis showed that job satisfaction positively correlated with social identification (r = 0.43) and the ingroup ties (r = 0.43), cognitive centrality (r = 0.34) and ingroup affect (r = 0.37). Conclusions: The studied group of paramedics showed moderate job satisfaction (measured with SSP) and work engagement, with a simultaneous high level of job satisfaction (measured with MSQ) and social identification with the professional group. Social identification of studied paramedics varied depending on gender. Women showed higher levels of cognitive centrality, which might mean that they might have had greater need to categorize themselves as paramedics.

Corrigendum: Know and use your personal strengths! A Spanish validation of the strengths knowledge and use scales and their relationship with meaningful work and work-related well-being.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1086510.].

Pets at work: integrating pet-friendly initiatives into human resources for enhanced workplace harmony.

AIMS: The representation of companion animals, or pets, has been changing recently. Research concerning how pets influence employees' work-related well-being has also started to take its first steps. This research aimed to analyze (1) how managers perceive pet-friendly practices and their main effects at work, and (2) the impact of such practices on employees' well-being and work engagement. Relying on the social exchange perspective and the self-determination theory it was hypothesized that pet-friendly practices would positively influence employees' well-being and work engagement by satisfying their three basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). METHODOLOGY: Two studies with mixed methods were conducted. The first and exploratory study resorted to semi-structured interviews with six managers. The second was a two-wave study conducted with a large sample of workers (N = 379). RESULTS: The first study highlighted the primary advantages and disadvantages of pet-friendly practices, along with the various obstacles and limitations, and proposed managerial strategies to overcome them. Managers generally expressed interest and enthusiasm about the topic but also pointed out challenges in implementing a pet-friendly strategy due to the limited number of empirical studies demonstrating its benefits. The second study's findings indicated that pet-friendly practices positively impacted employees' work engagement and well-being by fulfilling their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. ORIGINALITY: Overall, Portugal is seen as having a conservative culture, which slows the dissemination and implementation of these measures. To overcome these challenges, several managerial recommendations have been proposed. Raising awareness and fostering discussion on the topic are crucial steps toward integrating pet-friendly policies into human resources management.

Health and Productivity Management in Hospital Organizations and Work Engagement of Nurses.

Objective: In Japan, there is an urgent need to strengthen efforts to retain nurses and prevent high turnover. The Japan Nurses Association has set the goal of creating a supportive work environment for nurses to work with peace of mind and improve outcomes throughout their lives. Against this background, we examined the relationship between nurses' health and productivity management and their work engagement (WE) in Japanese hospital organizations. Design: A cross-sectional design was used. Methods: A web-based survey was administered to full-time employed nurses working in Japanese hospitals with 100 or more beds. Results: Total WE scores were analyzed as the objective variable; WE crude odds ratios (ORs) were significantly higher in the high group than in the low group for all indicator items related to a healthy workplace culture. For adjusted ORs, propensity scores were calculated from gender, age, years of service, years of experience, job title, marital status, work shift, frequency of exercise per week, and hours worked per week and used as moderator variables. The results showed that the adjusted ORs for the high group were significantly higher than the adjusted ORs for the low group for all items except "participation of the person in charge from the planning stage of the initiative" and "reflection of the person in charge's opinion in the planning of the initiative." Conclusions: This study suggests that health and productivity management initiatives in hospital organizations may positively impact nurses' WE. Furthermore, it suggests that these initiatives may contribute to improving nurse retention and preventing turnover.

Oncologists' psychological flourishing: A driving force for positive attitudes at work.

OBJECTIVE: Oncologists' psychological health is a major challenge due to the consequential concerning the quality of the care they provide. However, only critical states of their health have been really examined by scientists. This study sought to plug this gap by investigating the mediating role of psychological flourishing in the relationship between the perception of the professional social context (i.e., perceived workplace isolation and organizational support) and positive attitudes at work among oncologists (i.e., work engagement, task adjustment and empathy). METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional, including 541 French oncologists. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that workplace isolation and organizational support perceptions were related to oncologists' work engagement, task adjustment and empathy. Additionally, psychological flourishing acted as a partial mediator between these perceptions of professional social context and oncologists' work-related attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: This research underlined the potential of enhancing the psychological flourishing of oncologists by improving organizational support and mitigating their sense of isolation, and in turn, to enhance some dimensions of their positive attitudes at work.

Crafting a Job among Chinese Employees: The Role of Empowering Leadership and the Links to Work-Related Outcomes.

The present study aims to examine the process through which empowering leadership shapes employees' work engagement and in-role performance by facilitating job-crafting behaviors, specifically seeking resources, seeking challenges, and reducing demands. Based on the extensive data from 733 Chinese employees across various organizations located predominantly in Chongqing and Xi'an, China, we carried out different types of statistical analysis such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships among empowering leadership, specific job-crafting behaviors, work engagement and in-role performance, test our hypothesis and our conceptual model. The results from structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that empowering leadership was positively related to employees' work engagement and in-role performance; empowering leadership was positively related to employees' job crafting (seeking resources, seeking challenges and reducing demands); seeking resources, seeking challenges and reducing demands were positively related to in-role performance, and seeking challenges and reducing demands were positively related to work engagement. In the relationship between empowering leadership and in-role performance, seeking resources serves as a mediating factor. Similarly, seeking challenges mediates the association between empowering leadership and both work engagement and in-role performance. Furthermore, reducing demands mediates the links between empowering leadership and both work engagement and in-role performance. The implications of these findings are subsequently discussed.

Mechanisms Explaining the Longitudinal Effect of Psychosocial Safety Climate on Work Engagement and Emotional Exhaustion among Education and Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the education and healthcare sectors were severely affected. There is a need to investigate the ways in which these workers in at-risk sectors can be protected and through what mechanisms. The aims of this research are, therefore, (1) to assess the mediating role of job demands and resources in the relationship between psychosocial safety climate (PSC) and work engagement and emotional exhaustion, and (2) to test for sector-specific differences among education and healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, which employed a longitudinal design including three measurement times, 70 education professionals and 69 healthcare professionals completed a questionnaire measuring PSC, psychological demands, social support, recognition, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion. The results show that PSC was significantly higher among education professionals than among healthcare professionals. When considering both job sectors together, mediation analyses show that social support mediates the PSC-work engagement relationship, while psychological demands mediate the PSC-emotional exhaustion relationship. Moderated mediation analyses show that job sector is a moderator: among education professionals, colleague support and recognition mediate the PSC-work engagement relationship, and psychological demands mediate the PSC-emotional exhaustion relationship. PSC is associated with more balanced job demands and resources, higher work engagement, and lower emotional exhaustion among education and healthcare professionals. The study of these two sectors, which are both vital to society but also more exposed to adverse work conditions, shows the importance that managers and executives must attach to their mental health by improving their respective working conditions.

Exploring the relationship between psychosocial factors, work engagement, and mental health: a structural equation modeling analysis among faculty in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial hazards in the workplace were identified as a considerable risk to employee mental health as well as their general well-being. Few studies were found to examine its relationship with work engagement and mental health. Thus, this study examines the relationships between psychosocial factors, work engagement, and mental health within the faculty in Saudi Arabia using structural equation modeling. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 375 faculty. Data collection was done using a self-administered online survey that included instruments such as the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). SmartPLS 3 software facilitated data analysis and included the assessment of factors. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the interplay between psychosocial factors, work engagement, and mental health. RESULTS: The robust measurement model was characterized by high loadings (0.719 to 0.970), Cronbach's alpha (0.595 to 0.933), and composite reliability (0.807 to 0.968). Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed using AVE and various criteria. The fit of the saturated model was superior. Burnout explained significant variance (0.585) with predictive relevance for all constructs. Notably, the impact of burnout on family conflict and the influence of stress on burnout were found to have significant effect sizes. CONCLUSION: The study uses structural equation modeling to examine the relationships between psychosocial factors, work engagement, and mental health among faculty in Saudi Arabia. The robust measurement model demonstrated high reliability and validity, while the saturated model demonstrated excellent fit. These findings contribute to our understanding of psychosocial dynamics, work engagement, and overall health among faculty in Saudi Arabia.

Emotional sociology applied: predictive influence of affective neuroscience personality traits on Chinese preschool teachers' performance and wellbeing.

Background: The interplay between teaching engagement and performance has garnered attention in both theoretical and empirical research, primarily due to its influence on student academic achievement, teacher well-being, and the realization of institutional goals. This is especially pertinent in the realm of preschool education, where the scope of learning extends beyond academic content to encompass the broader socialization of children. Drawing from Affective Neuroscience research, this study investigates the role of affective tendencies as mediators in the relationship between work engagement and job performance. Objective: The primary aim of this research is to examine a chain mediation model that hypothesizes the predictive role of teacher engagement. This model posits the intermediary influence of four basic emotions-CARING, SEEKING, ANGER, and FEAR-followed by the mediating effect of job satisfaction on teacher job performance. Method: The study utilized a sample of 842 Chinese preschool teachers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire, employing a time-lagged design. The analysis was conducted using Model 80 of the PROCESS Macros. Results: The findings reveal that both positive and negative emotions significantly predict teachers' job satisfaction. However, job satisfaction does not influence job performance. The analysis confirmed the direct and total effects of teacher engagement, as well as the indirect effects, particularly through the positive emotion of Caring. Implications: The results are instrumental in informing and refining interventions designed to enhance teacher engagement and performance, underscoring the importance of emotional factors in the educational environment.

[Demands, resources, and work engagement of lower and middle level nurse managers: a cross-sectional study]. / Anforderungen, Ressourcen und Arbeitsengagement von Pflegemanager_innen der unteren und mittleren Ebene.

Demands, resources, and work engagement of lower and middle level nurse managers: a cross-sectional study Abstract. Background: Given their responsibilities, lower- and middle-level nurse managers hold a key role in the health care system. Their performance and health are affected by their work engagement, which according to the Job-Demands-Resources-Model depends on job-related demands and resources. To date, there is a lack of studies on the demands, resources, and work engagement of nurse managers in Germany. Objective: First, the study aimed to describe the job demands and resources as well as the work engagement of lower and mid-level nurse managers in hospitals and geriatric care facilities in Germany. Second, the aim was to explore potential differences in these areas between different groups, particularly regarding gender, age, and management level. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected by an online survey. N = 408 cases could be evaluated. Results: Work overload is the most prominent demand, followed by emotional demands. In terms of resources, nurse managers can primarily draw on positive social relationships. The available professional resources are rated critically. Work engagement is moderate. Conclusions: The study indicates a clear need for action regarding an improvement in work engagement. In particular, work overload and professional resources need to be addressed by appropriate systemwide and organization-related measures.

Associations of clinical context-specific ambiguity tolerance with burnout and work engagement among Japanese physicians: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Ambiguity tolerance specific to the clinical context - in contrast to ambiguity tolerance as a personality trait - may vary with experience and has received considerable attention. Although this tolerance appears to be related to burnout and work engagement, few studies have examined this association among physicians. Thus, we aimed to examine the relationships between clinical context-specific ambiguity tolerance, burnout, and work engagement among physicians in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study in Japan. We invited family physicians from 14 family medicine residency programs and physicians with specialties other than family medicine from monitors of an Internet survey company to participate in the study. We measured ambiguity tolerance in the clinical context using the Japanese version of the Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors (J-TAMSAD) scale, burnout using the Japanese version of the Burnout Assessment Scale (BAT-J), and work engagement using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). We performed a multivariable linear regression analysis to determine whether the J-TAMSAD scale score was associated with the BAT-J and UWES scores. RESULTS: 383 respondents were included in the analysis. After adjustment for possible confounders, clinical context-specific ambiguity tolerance showed a dose-dependent negative association with burnout (adjusted mean difference -0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.56 to -0.22 for the highest J-TAMSAD score quartile compared with the lowest). Ambiguity tolerance in the clinical context also showed a dose-dependent positive association with work engagement (adjusted mean difference 0.83, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.16 for the highest J-TAMSAD score quartile compared with the lowest). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that tolerance for ambiguity in the clinical context was negatively associated with burnout, and positively associated with work engagement. These findings will be useful in developing interventions aimed at preventing burnout and promoting work engagement among physicians.

The relationship between burnout and work engagement levels of nurses and physiotherapists working during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all health professionals worldwide. This has also influenced their working lives, affecting burnout and work engagement. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between burnout and work engagement among nurses and physiotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with total 509 nurses and physiotherapists who were working at any of the private, public, or university hospitals from two large and one small cities. A Personal Introduction Form, the Maslach Burnout Scale, and the Work Engagement Scale were used in the study. Frequency, percentage, mean, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Necessary ethical approvals were taken for the research. RESULTS: There was a significant, moderate, negative relationship between the average scores of the nurses on the vigor and devotion dimensions and the Work Engagement Scale and their average scores on emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, depersonalization dimensions and their average score on the Maslach Burnout Scale (p <  0.05). There was a significant, moderate, negative relationship between the scores of the physiotherapists on the Work Engagement Scale and its dimensions and their average scores on the Maslach Burnout Scale and its dimensions (p <  0.05). CONCLUSION: In our study, it was found that the burnout levels of nurses and physiotherapists had an effect on their work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. During and after the COVID-19 process, managers should take measures to reduce the burnout levels of health professionals and increase their level of work engagement.

Work engagement among nurses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite nurses receiving education on how to respond during crises, the stress and demands arising from unprecedented situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may affect their work engagement. AIM: To appraise and synthesize studies examining work engagement among nurses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: It is a systematic review in which three databases were searched. Critical appraisal tools and PRISMA guidelines were used. Content analysis was performed. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethical approval was not required for this systematic review. FINDINGS: A total of 21 studies were included. The results were classified into three categories: (1) levels and meanings of work engagement, (2) the relationship of work engagement with various factors, and (3) measures to enhance work engagement. CONCLUSION: The review revealed that nurses' work engagement varied from moderate to high. Factors such as education level and work schedule flexibility influenced their engagement. Positive associations were found between work engagement and job satisfaction, intention to stay, and organizational support, while stress and workload showed negative relationships. The crucial role of health policymakers, hospital administrators, and nurse managers in acting ethically, creating favorable working conditions and fostering nurses' work engagement was emphasized.

How Does Empowering Leadership Relate to Work Engagement? The Roles of Organisational Identification and Workplace Well-Being.

Scholars tend to believe that effective leadership contributes to facilitating employee work engagement. Based on social identity theory and self-determination theory, this study explored how empowering leadership affects employee work engagement through the mediating roles of organisational identification and workplace well-being. A sample of 3645 front-line employees in China participated in this study. A structural equation model analysis was performed to examine the hypothetical model. Sex, age, degree of education, wage income per month (RMB), and subjective social class were covariables. The results indicated that (a) empowering leadership was positively related to work engagement, (b) organisational identification and workplace well-being played a partial mediating role in the relationship, and (c) organisational identification and workplace well-being had a chain mediating effect on empowering leadership and work engagement. These findings advance the understanding of the effect of empowering leadership on employees' working attitudes and behaviours. They also contribute to potential interventions that boost employee work engagement.

How does psychosocial safety climate cross-level influence work engagement and job burnout: the roles of organization-based self-esteem and psychological detachment.

BACKGROUND: Existing researches on nurses' work engagement and job burnout have mostly stayed at the individual level, and limited researches test the cross-level effects of psychosocial safety climate (PSC). The study aimed to explore the cross-level mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and the moderating effect of psychological detachment between the relationship of PSC and work engagement and job burnout in nurses. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted during November to December 2022 at a tertiary hospital in a northeastern province of China. Data was collected from 1832 nurses through an online questionnaire. Correlation analyses and hierarchical linear modeling were used to test study hypotheses. RESULTS: The results showed that PSC was positively associated with work engagement, and negatively associated with job burnout. OBSE mediated the effect of PSC on work engagement, as well as job burnout. Additionally, psychological detachment played a moderating role between PSC and work engagement, but no moderating effect was found between PSC and job burnout. CONCLUSIONS: PSC at the organizational level increases work engagement and reduces job burnout by stimulating nurses' high levels of OBSE. Psychological detachment, as a situational factor, enhances the positive influence of PSC on work engagement. The implementation of measures to improve the PSC levels of the organization, and the levels of OBSE and psychological detachment among nurses could help to promote their good work performance.

Integrating the ESM usage and work engagement for employee agility performance: based on regulatory focus theory.

This present research aims to clarify the intricate conjunction of enterprise social media (ESM) utilization and employee agility with a main focus on uncovering the underlying mechanisms that work through the mediating influence of work engagement and the moderating influence of regulatory focus. Drawing upon regularity focus theory, 353 Chinese samples of ESM users in organizational contexts are analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The empirical findings substantiate a robust and significant positive linkage between ESM usage and worker agility. Further reinforcing the model, the mediating role of work engagement is established as it channels the impact of ESM usage on worker agility. Turning to the moderating effects, the study unveils the differential impact of prevention focus and promotion focus, wherein individuals with a lower prevention focus exhibit a more pronounced positive linkage between ESM usage and worker agility. Similarly, individuals with a higher promotion focus demonstrate a heightened positive association between ESM usage and worker agility. By comprehensively inspecting the intricate dynamics of ESM usage, work engagement, and regulatory focus, this study enhances our theoretical understanding of how these factors synergistically shape employee agility, ultimately furnishing organizations with invaluable insights to foster and cultivate an agile workforce.

Factors influencing work engagement of nurses in general hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the level of work engagement and to identify the factors influencing the work engagement of nurses. BACKGROUND: Work engagement plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of outcomes and the standard of care in nursing and healthcare services. METHODS: A descriptive predictive design and stratified random sampling was used to select 206 nurses from three general hospitals in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.. Research instruments consisted of the demographic data form, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Global Transformational Leadership Scale, the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. The results were explored by applying descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Overall work engagement was at an average level. Transformational leadership and psychological capital could affect work engagement, explaining 19.34% of the total variance; however, perceived organizational support, age, and work experience did not show any impact on it. CONCLUSIONS: The findings recommend that nurse administrators should focus on transformational leadership and psychological capital in formulating strategies to increase nurses' work engagement. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: The outcomes might provide baseline information for nurse administrators and policymakers by formulating management strategies to enhance nursing leaders' awareness, knowledge, and skills about transformational leadership behaviors and to keep nurses holding self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience of psychological capital in healthcare organizations, which ultimately increase nurses' engagement at work.