Do role overload and negative emotions lead healthcare workers to cyberloafing?

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to examine the crossover effect of leader's role overload on employee's negative affect. More importantly, the stuy will identify the buffering role of self-concordance goal on the relationship between leader's role overload and employee's negative affect.Design/methodology/approachThe study builds the crossover impact of leader's role overload on employee's negative affect as well as the moderating effect of self-concordance goal. By a two-wave and paired data from 51 leaders and 225 employees, the study examines the hypothesis using cross-level analysis.FindingsResults show that leader's role overload tends to reduce negative affect for employees who pursue high-level self-concordance goal and increase negative affect for employees who pursue low-level self-concordance goal.Practical implicationsIt is important for employees to get rid of negative affect in the workplace. The study informs managers the benefits of pursuing self-concordance goals in helping employees alleviate the negative effect of leader's role overload.Originality/valueFindings of the present study can enrich the literature of the crossover process from leader to employee and offer management strategy for enterprises about how to buffer the damaging effect of leader's role overload on employees.

Building on the affective events theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examines the relationship between role overload and Chinese nurses’ satisfaction with work-family balance (SWFB), as well as the mediating role of negative emotions and the moderating role of core self-evaluations which may play in this relationship by proposing a moderated mediation model. The model was tested with two waves of data from 254 nurses at three large hospitals in Shanghai. Results indicated that role overload was negatively related to SWFB, negative emotions mediated the relationship between role overload and SWFB, and core self-evaluations moderated the relationship between role overload and negative emotions. Moreover, core self-evaluations moderated the strength of the indirect effect of role overload on SWFB (through negative emotions), and the mediated relationship was weaker for high core self-evaluations than for low core self-evaluations. The findings suggest that role overload is associated with SWFB, and negative emotions, core self-evaluations are key mechanisms in the relationship. Theoretical and practical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

Background The motivation of this study was to investigate how role overload, role conflict and role ambiguity of nurses relate to burnout and the relationship of nurses’ efficacy to these three stressors and burnout in private hospitals. Patients in private hospitals incur higher expenditure with expectations for better care. Stressors serve as impediments in nursing care and burnout has deleterious effect, high self efficacy can mediate in the effects of stressors and burnout. Methods: Study has been carried out on nurses in three large private hospitals of Kolkata through set of instruments-Organizational Role Stress (Udai Pareek) to assess role conflict, overload and ambiguity, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory to assess the disengagement and exhaustion and Nursing Role Efficacy Scale (Udai Pareek) to assess role efficacy. Data have been analyzed through correlation and regression analysis. Results: According to the nurses’ view, the findings are as follows: Increase in role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity leads to an enhancement in disengagement, exhaustion. Enhancement in self efficacy leads to a reduction in role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, and disengagement, exhaustion. Conclusion: For better patient care Health care Managers may try to reduce the stressors and enhance efficacy of the nurses, some practical suggestions have been made in these regard.

Encouraging knowledge sharing is crucial for organizational success; however, employees are reluctant to share knowledge because it decreases their strategic advantage. It is essential for us to understand the different ways in which employees share knowledge (i.e., self-interested knowledge sharing behavior). Drawing from the stressor-emotion model of Counterproductive Work Behavior, we examine the indirect effect of role overload on two self-interested knowledge-sharing behaviors (i.e., knowledge hiding and manipulation) via negative affect. In a time-separated field study (n= 161), our analysis reveals that role overload is positively related to negative affect. Also, negative affect was positively associated with both self-interested knowledge sharing behaviors (i.e., knowledge hiding and knowledge manipulation). Finally, our analysis found that negative affect fully mediates the relationship between role overload and (a) knowledge hiding and partially mediates the relationship between role overload and (c) knowledge manipulating.

Role conflict exists when two or more social roles overlap and are incompatible. Conflict occurs because the performance of one role interferes with the performance of another. Role conflict can be time‐based, strain‐based, or behavior‐based. Antecedents of work–family conflict can be within the same work or family domain or across domains. Role overload exists when an individual fulfills multiple roles simultaneously and lacks the resources to perform them. It can evolve from both excessive time demands and excessive psychological demands. Role strain is an outcome of role conflict and overload. Solutions to reducing the effects of role conflict, overload, and strain include reducing demands, increasing resources, or both. More specifically, role‐sequencing, role‐prioritizing, and role change, as well as increasing social resources and managing boundaries between work and family responsibilities, are options for reducing role conflict, overload, and strain.

Based on the stressor‐emotion model, we propose that negative affect mediates the relationship between three role stressors (i.e., role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB), while proactive personality moderates the relationships between negative affect, role stressors, and CWB. We tested our hypotheses using data from 332 employees in Mainland China. We found that negative affect mediated the relationships between the three dimensions of role stressors and CWB. Role ambiguity was most strongly associated with CWB, followed by role conflict and then role overload. Proactive personality moderated the role ambiguity‐negative affect, role conflict‐negative affect, and negative affect‐CWB relationships, but not the relationship between role overload and negative affect.

PurposeParamedics have played a critical role in the health care system response to the COVID-19 pandemic as frontline responders. However, in comparison to other health care workers (i.e. nurses), less research has been conducted on how paramedic work has been undertaken and how they manage their resources in the context of high workloads. This study examines several factors that deplete paramedic resources as well as the importance of family support in buffering the effects of low levels of resilience that can impact paramedic intention to leave and promotive voice.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 648 paramedics employed by Ambulance Victoria, Australia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine five hypotheses: (1) resilience mediates the relationship between role overload and intention to leave; (2) resilience mediates the relationship between role overload and promotive voice; (3) family support moderates the relationship between role overload and resilience; (4) family support moderates the indirect effect of role overload on intention to leave via resilience and (5) family support moderates the indirect effect of role overload on promotive voice via resilience.FindingsWe found that when family support was low, the impact of role overload on turnover intention via resilience was significant. When family support was low, the negative impact of role overload on promotive voice via resilience was significant. When family support was high, such a negative indirect effect was not significant in predicting employee promotive voice via resilience.Practical implicationsWe suggest that organisations should focus human resource management (HRM) policies and practices on family-friendly initiatives to further enhance family support resources to benefit individuals, families and organisations.Originality/valueOur findings demonstrate the importance of family support as a buffer to the negative effects of role overload on employee resilience and promotive voice. There is clear importance of the contextual elements of family support as a resource, and its absence may result in resource depletion and can act as a catalyst in a resource depletion spiral. This demonstrates the importance of organisations understanding and learning to utilise external resources to complement organisational and individual resources to reduce intention to leave and support promotive employee voice. We suggest that organisations should focus HRM policies and practices on family-friendly initiatives to further enhance family support resources to benefit individuals, families and organisations.

This study analyzes: (1) the effect of role conflict on cyberloafing behavior (2) the effect of role ambiguity on cyberloafing behavior (3) the effect of role overload on cyberloafing behavior (4) the effect of role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload simultaneously on cyberloafing behavior. This study is quantitative. The population in this study is. The population in this study were employees of PT. Semen Padang in the HR and general department, the finance department, the production planning department, and the communication department, with a total of 257 people. The sampling technique was taken using proportional clustered simple random sampling where the number of samples was 156 people. Collecting data using a questionnaire with a Likert scale. The analysis technique used is through SPSS 25.0 software. The results of data processing in this study indicate that: (1) role conflict has a positive and significant effect on cyberloafing behavior among employees of PT. Semen Padang (2) role ambiguity has a positive and significant effect on cyberloafing behavior among employees of PT. Semen Padang (3) role overload has no influence and is non-significant to cyberloafing behavior in PT employees Semen Padang (4) role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload have a positive and significant effect on cyberloafing behavior among employees of PT. Semen Padang.

ABSTRACTRole overload was rated as one of the top workplace stressors by the American Psychological Association in 2015. Drawing from the stressor‐emotion model of Counterproductive Work Behaviour, we examine the indirect effect of role overload on knowledge hiding and manipulation, via negative affect. In a 3‐wave field study (n = 161), our analysis found that negative affect fully mediates the relationship between role overload and knowledge hiding, and partially mediates the relationship between role overload and knowledge manipulation. This study extends research on the antecedents of knowledge hiding and knowledge manipulation by adopting an emotional lens, and suggests that organizations should take steps to decrease role overload in order to reduce the costs associated with knowledge hiding and knowledge manipulation.

The employee behavior literature is very much dominated by studies on “good” or “positive” behaviors, but relatively little has been researched on the negative attitudes and behaviors of people within the workplace, in particular, job dissatisfaction and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Therefore, the present study is intended to (1) investigate the influence of job stressors (i.e., role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, and organizational constraints) on job dissatisfaction among university staff and (2) examine the influence of job dissatisfaction on university staff’s CWB. Data was gathered through 266 questionnaires and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results revealed that organizational constraints, role overload, and role ambiguity are significant stressors that increase job dissatisfaction, which in turn, increase CWB. Thus, the findings highlight the vital role of specific job stressors (i.e., role overload, role ambiguity, and organizational constraints) in causing job dissatisfaction and CWB among university staff. The findings contribute to the stressor-emotion model and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to understand whether, why and when role overload predicts an organization-directed CWB: cyberloafing. To do so, we utilize the Stressor-Emotion–CWB theory and social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 506 employees working in five Information Technology (IT) firms in India using a multiwave survey design. Results revealed support for all the hypotheses. Findings This study found that negative affect partly carries the influence of role overload to cyberloafing. Secondly, the results indicate that role overload has a direct and positive relationship with cyberloafing. Third and finally, we found that narcissism moderates the positive relationship between role overload and negative affect, followed by cyberloafing. Originality/value This paper showcases that role overload can evoke cyberloafing both as a coping mechanism and a retaliatory response directed at the organization. This paper further demonstrates that employees high in narcissism are vulnerable to stressors like role overload, and as a result, they experience more negative emotions and engage in more cyberloafing.

An increasing number of married women have entered the work force during the last several decades (Blau & Ferber, 1986). One consequence of this change in employment patterns is that many married women and men combine substantial work and family obligations. Role overload and conflict resulting from increased roles and incongruent role expectations have been identified as common concerns among dual-income couples (Guelzow, Bird, & Koball, 1991). Role overload exists when the number of roles a person occupies cannot be handled adequately or comfortably because of finite amounts of time and energy (Burr, Leigh, Day, & Constantine, 1979; Seiber, 1974). Pleck, Staines, and Lang (1980) reported that one-third of their sample of dual-income respondents experienced moderate to severe role overload from combining work and family roles. Bolger, DeLongis, Kessler, and Wethington (1989) found that role overload was the most frequently experienced daily stress. Role overload can occur within one domain of life (e.g., too many demands at home) or it can involve several domains. When overload is evident in multiple domains, spillover effects often occur (Small & Riley, 1990). For example, overload at work can lead to spillover effects at home, or home demands can spill over into paid work. Thus, spillover is one aspect of role overload and a particularly salient aspect for dual-income spouses because of their heavy involvement in both paid work and family domains. Role conflict refers to the conflict that arises between the expectations of two different roles that a person adopts (Burr et al., 1979; Voydanoff, 1987). For example, the dual-income marriage may create conflicting expectations for women. At work, a professional woman often is expected to be aggressive, competitive, and committed to her work. At home, she often is expected to be nurturing to her children and compassionate and caring to her husband. These differing expectations may require a complex display of potentially incompatible personality characteristics at work and home. Although there are other aspects of well-being, the dual-income literature on role overload and conflict typically has measured well-being as physical symptomatology and emotional affect (Coverman, 1989; Tiedje et al., 1990). Guelzow et al. (1991) found that role overload and conflict place dual-income spouses at greater risk for both physical and emotional problems. Consequently, it is important to study coping mechanisms in dual-income families that may diffuse or prevent potential deleterious effects of role overload and conflict on spouses' physical symptoms and emotional affect. COPING MECHANISMS Direct Effects Individuals continually develop perceptual and/or behavioral coping strategies to prevent, reduce, divert, avoid, or control emotional stress (Folkman, 1984; Goode, 1960; McCubbin, 1979; Moos, 1984; Pearlin & Schooler, 1978). Unfortunately, only a little is known about the use and effectiveness of coping strategies among dual-income families (Bird, Bird, & Scruggs, 1983). Researchers have found that active coping mechanisms that involve others (e.g., social support and external role redefinition), as well as cognitive restructuring, appear to be the most useful coping mechanisms for dual-income couples (Amatea & Fong-Beyette, 1987; Elman & Gilbert, 1984). Guelzow et al. (1991) found that the use of cognitive restructuring was related to lower psychological stress for men and women, and limiting demands was linked to higher stress levels for men. Dual-income wives seem to use problem-focused coping (e.g., role redefinition) more frequently than emotion-focused coping (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, tension reduction) in role overload situations (Amatea & Fong-Beyette, 1987). Guinta and Compas (1993) found that husbands and wives who coped by withdrawing had high levels of psychological symptomatology. Moderating Effects Cohen and Wills (1985) proposed that, theoretically, coping mechanisms (e. …

Mindfulness, a practice spanning millennia across various cultures and religions, has garnered attention in contemporary psychology for its efficacy in stress reduction. Healthcare workers are among the most likely to experience high levels of stress, owing to the seriousness of their profession, as such this research investigates the role of trait mindfulness in mitigating the negative impacts of role overload among healthcare Professionals. The study, comprising 310 healthcare professionals employed in different hospitals located in Hail, Saudi Arabia, examines how a nurse’s mindful predisposition (Trait mindfulness) may be effective in reducing the detrimental effects of job stress created by role overload. Utilizing Reilly's Role Overload scale (5 items, Cronbach's alpha: .82), the Job Stress Scale (5 items, alpha: .85), and the MAAS scale (15 items, alpha: .79). Results show that Mindfulness significantly moderates the relationship between role overload and job stress. This means that trait mindfulness can act as a buffer against the detrimental effects of role overload on job stress experienced by healthcare professionals. These findings are particularly useful for policymakers and management associated with the healthcare sector that mindfulness-based interventions, as a potential tool to promote well-being and protect healthcare professionals from the detrimental effects of stress.

This study adopted a cross-sectional moderation analysis to examine whether religious attendance buffers the negative effects of role overload on caregivers' health. A total of 1455 family caregivers of older persons (mean age = 63.05years; 67.4% female) drawn from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC IV) in the United States in 2021 constituted the sample and were measured by the three-item Role Overload Scale, a single-item self-rated health measure, the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and a six-item physical health scale. Caregivers, on average, reported moderate to high ratings of self-rated health (M = 3.43, SD = 1.03), mental health (M = 13.99, SD = 2.39), and physical health (M = 25.18, SD = 4.55). Additionally, 54% of caregivers had attended religious services in the past month. Regression analyses demonstrated that role overload was a significant negative predictor of self-rated health (B = - 0.188, p < 0.001), mental health (B = - 0.576, p < 0.001), and physical health (B = - 1.075, p < 0.001). Religious attendance significantly moderated the associations between role overload and self-rated health (B = 0.083, p = 0.004) and mental health (B = 0.176, p = 0.009), but not physical health (B = 0.213, p = 0.097). The findings highlight that religious or spiritual engagement may contribute to buffering the health consequences of caregiving-related stress. Health professionals and religious leaders should consider working collaboratively to promote religious involvement, integrate spiritual support into caregiver services, and develop community-based interventions that address both psychological and physical health needs of family caregivers.

Emotional state in employed caregivers of frail elderly relatives