The influence of working time characteristics on employee perceptions of physical and mental health: The moderating role of value orientations

Abstract

Employee health problems including depression, burnout, and even “karoshi” (i.e., occupational sudden mortality), as a result of overtime work, are becoming increasingly severe, which should cause concern among the general public and current organizational management practices. Employees who have different value orientations differ in terms of their perceptions of physical and mental health. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of working time characteristics on employees’ perceptions of physical and mental health and the role of value orientation. This paper explored the characteristics of working time, and for the first time, developed a four-dimensional structure of the employee working time characteristics based on qualitative analysis. A questionnaire-based investigation was conducted with 448 employees located in the eastern region of China, and a descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis were employed. The results showed that: (1) at present, employee working time is generally characterized by frequent overtime, insufficient flexibility, and poor work-life boundaries, (2) employee working time characteristics are significantly correlated with employee perceptions of physical and mental health, (3)the relationship between working time characteristics and the perception of physical and mental health is moderated, to a varying degree, by three types of value orientations, which are primarily influenced by “job orientation”, “calling orientation”, and finally, “career orientation”. This study clarified the relationship between working time characteristics and employees’ perceptions of physical and mental health, and confirmed the moderating role of value orientation, which provided a reference for improving occupational health.