School principals’ perceptions of task clarity, job resources, job demands and support in Estonian municipal schools

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the extent to which several workplace factors are implicated in school principals' well-being. Two job resources (i.e. participatory climate and collegial climate) and two job demands (i.e. barriers to professional learning and staff shortages) were investigated, along with two well-being outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and occupational commitment). Interaction effects between the job resource and job demand variables were also tested.Design/methodology/approachData were from 5,951 principals in 22 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries that participated in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013. Path analysis of direct and interaction effects was tested, along with multigroup path analysis to determine any differences in results across nations.FindingsThe results showed that staff shortages and collegial climate predicted job satisfaction. All of the job resources and demands predicted occupational commitment. In addition, one interaction effect was significant showing that a participatory climate was especially important for occupational commitment under conditions of high staff shortages. The findings were similar across the 22 countries.Originality/valueThe study yields important knowledge about the cross-national salience of four job resources and demands that are associated with principals' well-being at work.

Many teachers report high levels of occupational stress. Teachers’ basic need satisfaction is essential for teachers’ well-being at work. Social support from school principals is assumed to play an important role for teachers’ basic need satisfaction. However, the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between social support from school principals and teachers’ basic need satisfaction are mostly unknown. Previous research suggests that job demands and job resources may play an important mediating role. Therefore, we examine whether teachers’ perceived job demands and job resources serve as mediators between social support from the school principal and teachers’ basic need satisfaction. Using longitudinal data of N = 1071 teachers over the course of one school year, we applied structural equation modelling to test the hypothesised mediation model. Results showed that the relationship between social support from the school principal and teachers’ basic need satisfaction was mediated by teachers’ perceived job demands and job resources. Particularly, the job demand ‘unclear organisational conditions’ and job resource ‘social support from colleagues’ indicated the strongest effects on teachers’ basic need satisfaction. These findings emphasise the responsibility of school principals to provide social support to their teachers and create a well-structured and supportive workplace. In doing so, school principals contribute to a work environment in which teachers can thrive.

How the work environment contributes to employees' overall subjective well-being remains inadequately explored. Building upon the seminal Job Demands-Resources model, this study aims to test a complex model that combines leadership, job demands, and job resources, as factors contributing either indirectly (via job satisfaction) or directly to employees' subjective well-being (SWB). The cross-sectional data (N = 1,859) of the Belgian National happiness study (2020) were used. Leadership (satisfaction with leadership; perceived supervisor support), job demands (role conflict; job insecurity; work-private conflict; perceived working conditions), job resources (autonomy; relatedness; competence; skill utilization; personal growth), job satisfaction and subjective well-being (life evaluation; positive affect; negative affect) were assessed via self-report questionnaires. The proposed model investigates the direct impact of job demands and resources on SWB, as well as the indirect impact with job satisfaction as mediating factor, and was tested using the Structural Equation Modeling technique. Findings supported the proposed model. Both job demands and job resources have a direct relationship with SWB. Job resources are positively related to overall SWB, whereas job demands negatively affected SWB. Moreover, job resources are more strongly related to SWB compared to job demands. The demands and resources also indirectly contribute to employee's SWB via job satisfaction as job satisfaction appeared to mediate these relationships. The current study shows that both job demands and resources directly and indirectly contribute to employees' SWB. Creating a supportive and healthy work environment is thus of paramount importance in order to foster employees' SWB. In particular, investing in improving job resources may be a fruitful approach to promote employees' overall subjective well-being.

Job demands, job resources, and self-regulatory behavior : exploring the issue of match

Purpose The purpose of this study is to shed light on the job resources and demands of employees working in virtual teams and the impact of these job factors on their work engagement levels. Specifically, the authors focus on identifying the differing significance of employee job resources and demands on their virtual work engagement levels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach grounded on abductive analysis is used to arrive at the findings. The methods for data collection include participant observation and semistructured interviews of 27 software engineers in the Indian information technology sector, working with virtual teams. Findings The authors identified the virtual-work-induced job demands and resources. Primarily, the authors found 14 job factors related to high and low levels of individual virtual work engagement, and classified them under eight aggregate dimensions: psychosocial hurdles, collaboration challenges, leadership and operational issues, dehumanization under job demands, supportive leadership, personal resources, alternate sources of income and learning goal orientation under job resources. Consequently, the authors built an importance–frequency work engagement map based on how these job factors are related to low and high levels of work engagement. Research limitations/implications This study’s qualitative nature limits the generalizability of the findings. Hence, further studies are encouraged to corroborate the findings. There is also a possibility of the social desirability bias that could have affected the results as participants may have perceived an element of risk in sharing all their honest feelings and perceptions. This may have especially been the case for those with higher status or positions in the company. Practical implications The findings suggest practical measures either to engage employees in their free time or to improve loyalty. There is a clear potential for the organization and virtual leader to communicate effectively about the expected goals, arrange informal interactions and reduce scrutiny of monitoring, thereby increasing the remote workers’ resources. Originality/value The originality of this study comes from multiple factors. First, the authors highlight ta contextual adaptation of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model into a virtual team context. By extension, the authors examine “how much” does both the job resources and demands contribute to the wellbeing of the employees working in virtual teams. Second, the authors construct an importance–frequency work engagement map (specifically for the virtual work context) based on the findings, which categorizes the observed resources and demands into four quadrants. The authors propose that this map could be a possible extension to the JD-R model, highlighting the differing significance of each resource and demand to employee work engagement.

Orientation: Mining companies are major sources of employment in South Africa. Withstanding the challenges that the mining industry faces, maintaining work engagement of employees is essential to success in this context.Research purpose: To investigate the mediating effect of job and personal resources (in parallel and serial) in the relationship between the job demands and work engagement of employees at two iron-ore mines in a remote South African locale.Motivation for the study: Most South African research on work engagement in the mining industry focuses on the role of job resources. There is a lack of research investigating the influence of both job and personal resources in the relationship between job demands and mineworkers’ work engagement.Research approach/design and method: Data were collected using questionnaires from 238 employees working for two open-pit iron-ore mines. Three mediating relationships were investigated using variance-based structural equation modelling.Main findings: The results indicate that job and personal resources (in parallel) partially mediated the relationship between job demands and work engagement, with personal resources having a stronger effect than job resources. In addition, job and personal resources (in serial) partially mediated the relationship between job demands and work engagement but not as strongly as personal resources (in parallel).Practical/managerial implications: Despite job demands, mineworkers’ work engagement can be increased by investing in interventions and a work environment that enhances job and personal resources (such as mindfulness and psychological capital).Contribution/value add: The study bridges a specific gap in the literature by exploring the role of both job and personal resources (i.e., mindfulness and psychological capital) in the relationship between mineworkers’ job demands and work engagement. No previous studies explored these variables in combination in the South African mining industry.

This cross-sectional study sought to investigate job demands and resources as predictors of teacher well-being. Participants were 319 portuguese teachers in grades 1–11 (elementary up to secondary level). Data were analysed through confirmatory factorial analysis, structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. Main findings revealed that job demand variables are negative predictors of teacher well-being, whereas job resources variables predict positively teacher well-being. Additionally, the results showed two indirect mediation effects: job resources buffered the job demands and well-being relationship. In particular, support from colleagues and autonomy were identified as the main mediators of the relation between job demands and teacher well-being. Overall, the main results are consistent with the Job Demands-Resources model and contribute to the understanding of interplay between job resources and demands and their influence over teacher well-being.

Nurses demonstrate high burnout prevalence. Moreover, destructive leadership, as well as job demands and resources, are associated with burnout. However, these associations, particularly in the context of nursing, warrant further investigation. To explore the associations of destructive leadership, as well as job demands and resources, with burnout in registered nurses. A cross-sectional survey. Participants. 2115 registered nurses in Finland. The self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed nationwide to 106,000 members of the Finnish trade union for health and social care professionals via an online newsletter in February 2023. Nurses' burnout was measured with the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT). The data were analysed through descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis. Destructive leadership and job demands were positively associated with burnout (β = 0.39 and 0.32, respectively; both p < 0.001), whereas job resources and burnout were negatively associated (β = -0.41, p < 0.001). The associations of destructive leadership and job demands with burnout became less positive when job resources were added to the regression model (β = 0.21 and 0.14, respectively; both p < 0.001). Job resources led to the greatest reduction in burnout among registered nurses. Moreover, job resources reduced burnout by diminishing the negative effects of destructive leadership and job demands. Providing a sufficient amount of job resources might reduce burnout and diminish the negative effects of destructive leadership and job demands among nurses. These relationships warrant examination in other cultural settings.

Summary This paper reports on a systematic thematic synthesis of literature focusing on encouraging and discouraging factors for social workers to train and practise as Approved Mental Health Professionals in England. These professionals have legal authority to authorise the detention for assessment/treatment of people with a ‘mental disorder’ under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other statutory responsibilities. The review included 23 papers, which reported on 14 research studies and is presented using the job demands and resources model. Findings The review identified a lack of quantitative studies and specific gaps in evidence about social workers’ motivations or reasons why they do not want to become Approved Mental Health Professionals. It identified job resources and demands relating to the intrinsic nature of Approved Mental Health Professional work and extrinsic factors such as fit with social work values and the shortage of inpatient beds. Some job resources and demands overlapped and interacted. Applications The review suggests that a national survey of Approved Mental Health Professionals might be timely, to examine the relative importance of the job resources and demands; to assess their impact on levels of stress and burnout and on Approved Mental Health Professionals’ motivations to continue or cease working in the role. The findings of the review support the need for increasing the number of inpatient mental health beds and community resources and establishing requirements for the availability of doctors (who may make the medical recommendation to detain) and local agreements about the role of the police and ambulance services in Mental Health Act assessments.

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.

FinalidadeEste artigo compara a satisfação profissional nos sectores público e privado e o papel mediador de várias exigências e recursos de emprego na relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.Concepção/metodologia/abordagemCom base no modelo Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), defendemos que as diferenças na satisfação no emprego eram em grande parte explicadas pelas características do emprego fornecidas em cada sector. Os dados provêm do Inquérito à Qualidade da Vida Profissional (QWLS), uma amostra representativa de 6.024 funcionários públicos e privados espanhóis.ConclusõesO estudo revelou que os funcionários públicos estavam mais satisfeitos do que os privados. Esta relação foi parcialmente mediada por exigências e recursos de emprego, o que significa que os sectores público e privado de emprego proporcionavam condições de trabalho diferentes. Os funcionários públicos, em geral, tinham menos exigências e mais recursos de emprego do que os privados, o que resultou em diferentes níveis de satisfação no emprego. Além disso, a mediação parcial indicou que os funcionários públicos estão mais satisfeitos do que os privados, apesar de contabilizarem várias exigências de emprego e recursos laborais.Limitações/implicações da investigaçãoEmbora os resultados deste estudo tenham salientado a importância relativa das exigências e dos recursos do emprego para a satisfação dos trabalhadores públicos e privados, a generalização dos resultados para outros países deve ser limitada, uma vez que o estudo apenas utilizou dados de um único país.Implicações práticasUma parte significativa do efeito positivo na satisfação profissional dos funcionários públicos é canalizada através dos níveis mais baixos de trabalho de rotina e do menor número de horas de trabalho necessárias e através de melhores recursos laborais, tais como salários mais elevados, mais teletrabalho, maiores perspectivas no trabalho, e mais utilidade na formação. Para melhorar a satisfação profissional, é evidente que os gestores devem prestar especial atenção a coisas como o trabalho de rotina, horas de trabalho, formação, e teletrabalho.Originalidade/valorEste artigo contribui para a compreensão de como várias exigências e recursos laborais desempenham simultaneamente um papel de mediação na explicação da relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.

Our purpose in this 1-year, 3-wave longitudinal study was to investigate the relationships among job demands, job resources, personal resources, and job burnout in a group of 263 Chinese employees. Specifically, we examined the mediating role of personal resources in the relationships between job resources and job burnout, and between job demands and job burnout, as well as the reversed effect of job burnout on job demands and job resources. The results showed that job demands positively affected job burnout, whereas job and personal resources negatively affected job burnout over a 6-month period. Further, personal resources mediated the relationship between job resources and job burnout, but not that between job demands and job burnout. In addition, job burnout had a reversed effect on job demands and job resources. Implications are discussed in relation to balancing job demands and resources, and avoiding job burnout by utilizing personal resources.

The present study among 158 primary school teachers in C roatia integrated the challenge‐hindrance stressor framework in job demands–resources ( JD – R ) theory. We hypothesized that hindrance job demands would be negatively related to well‐being and that job resources could buffer this relationship. In addition, we hypothesized that challenge job demands would be positively related to well‐being and that job resources would boost this relationship. The study employed a quantitative daily diary methodology. Teachers filled out a background questionnaire and a daily diary booklet for three to five consecutive workdays ( N = 438 occasions). Results of multilevel analyses showed that daily hindrance job demands had a negative relationship with daily positive affect and work engagement. Daily job resources buffered this relationship. In contrast, daily challenge job demands had a positive relationship with positive affect and work engagement. Daily job resources boosted this relationship. We discuss the implications of these findings for JD – R theory and practice. Practitioner points High daily job resources foster employee's daily work engagement and positive affect at work particularly when daily challenge demands are high. High daily job resources buffer the negative impact of high daily hindrance demands on daily work engagement and positive affect at work. Guidelines are proposed to enhance teachers' and school principals' education and training, as well to contribute to the more optimal workplace design for teachers.

PurposeThis paper sets out to examine proactive personality in relation to job demands, job resources and engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe current study employed a two‐wave complete panel study among 794 Dutch government employees. Based upon the Job Demands‐Resources (JD‐R) model, previous studies, job crafting theories, and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, hypotheses on the associations of proactive personality with job demands, resources, and engagement were developed.FindingsAnalyses revealed that proactive personality was associated with an increase in engagement 18 months later. Moreover, proactive employees perceiving high social support reported the highest levels of engagement over time.Research limitations/implicationsA first shortcoming is that proactive personality was only measured at one point in time, which restricted the testing of causal relationships of proactive personality with engagement. Second, this study only measured engagement as outcome measure and third variables may have affected the associations of proactive personality with job demands and resources and engagement. Third, only small effect sizes of proactive personality (and job demands and resources) on engagement over time were found. With regard to theoretical implications, this study suggests a refinement of the JD‐R model by perceiving proactive personality as a personal resource which coincides with job resources such as social support and/or is triggered by (low) external job demands in increasing engagement.Practical implicationsSince this study's findings suggest that proactive personality is a personal resource with beneficial effects on employees' levels of work‐related engagement, employers are advised to promote the behavior expressed by proactive employees. When employees are under challenged due to a low level of quantitative job demands or when they want to optimize their work environment in case of high job demands, proactive personality may have a positive impact on their engagement over time, in particular when combined with high levels of support from their colleagues and supervisor.Originality/valueThis study's value consists of its innovative effort to relate proactive personality to engagement 18 months later. In addition, the longitudinal design of this study made it possible to examine the associations of proactive personality, job demands and resources with engagement over time.

ObjectiveTo investigate to what extent work engagement mediates the relationships of job resources with work ability, and to what extent burnout mediates the relationships of job demands and resources with...