Abstract
BackgroundEmployees in the offshore wind industry are exposed to various job demands, increasing the workers’ risk of experiencing strain reactions. However, personal and job resources might play a role in the stressor-strain context. The aim of this study was (1) to examine the link between offshore employees’ quantitative demands and stress, and (2) to study the role of personal and job resources (psychological detachment from work, social support, and influence at work) in this stressor-strain relationship.MethodsTwo hundred fifty offshore wind workers responded to an anonymous web-based survey, assessing the workers’ quantitative demands, social support, influence at work, psychological detachment from work, and stress. Descriptive statistical analyses and structural equation modelling were applied to test the hypotheses.ResultsCorrelation analyses revealed substantial associations between employees’ quantitative demands, personal and job resources, and stress. Results of structural equation modelling indicated a good fit of the hypothesized model. Quantitative demands were positively related to stress, and psychological detachment from work partially mediated this relationship. Social support was negatively related to stress, while influence at work was not. Neither social support nor influence at work moderated the stressor-strain or stressor-detachment relationship.ConclusionsThe results contribute to the current knowledge on the topic. They can be used to design health promotion interventions aimed at reducing offshore employees’ quantitative demands, fostering their ability to mentally detach from work, and enhancing social support at the offshore workplace.
Highlights
Employees in the offshore wind industry are exposed to various job demands, increasing the workers’ risk of experiencing strain reactions
The relevance of this sector is especially evident in the rising number of offshore wind parks being installed in the North and Baltic Seas [2], as well as in the increasing number of employees working in the branch [1, 3]
Mediation hypothesis Following the causal steps approach by Baron and Kenny [69], we investigated the direct effect of quantitative demands on stress without controlling for the potential mediator
Summary
Employees in the offshore wind industry are exposed to various job demands, increasing the workers’ risk of experiencing strain reactions. The offshore wind industry represents an important element of the green energy revolution in Germany [1] The relevance of this sector is especially evident in the rising number of offshore wind parks being installed in the North and Baltic Seas [2], as well as in the increasing number of employees working in the branch [1, 3]. Various job resources and coping strategies of offshore wind workers have been identified in an interview study [5, 8] They included the high personal meaning of offshore work, the wide scope of action, the strong comradeship offshore, and the regular work schedule [5]. Adopting self-determined work behaviour and seeking social support from colleagues were reported as effective coping strategies by offshore wind workers [8]
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