Purpose Despite the extensive evidence of the positive influence of work flow experience on personal and organizational development, the dark side of such experience has been largely ignored. Drawing on the resource perspective and the approach-inhibition theory of power, we build and test a model to address this concern. Design/methodology/approach We test our model through two studies, namely, (1) a time-lagged questionnaire study (N = 956) and (2) a diary study (N = 189), which largely support our theories. Findings Work flow experience increases employees' sense of power, which weakens their need for social contact with others and further reduces social exchange behaviors (i.e. helping and help-seeking behaviors). We also observe that the effects of flow on helping behaviors may be harmful only in the short term but remain positive in the long term. However, in both the long and short terms, flow inhibits an individual's help-seeking behaviors, and the proposed power-centered mechanism always exists. Originality/value We provide a more balanced picture of the impact of flow experience at work, thereby contributing to positive psychology and management practices.

Purpose Drawing upon expectancy theory and social exchange theory, our study examines the dual mediating mechanisms that explain how the impact of individual pay for performance (PFP) on job performance manifests positively by enhancing work effort and negatively by damaging team member exchange (TMX). Furthermore, we investigate the moderating role of interactional justice in strengthening PFP's positive effect and weakening its negative effect. Design/methodology/approach To test our research model, we designed a quantitative field study. Our data were collected by surveying 197 employees across six companies. These participants represented a diverse range of job types, including administration, sales, research and development, and engineering departments. Findings Indirect relationship between individual PFP and job performance mediated by enhanced work effort was positive and statistically significant, while the indirect impact of individual PFP on job performance mediated by decreased TMX was positive but non-significant. Furthermore, interactional justice played a crucial moderating role: it amplified the positive effect of individual PFP on work effort and mitigated the negative effect on TMX. Moreover, the overall positive indirect impact of individual PFP on job performance (through work effort as well as TMX) was more pronounced when interactional justice was high. Originality/value Our research provides a more nuanced understanding of the individual PFP effect on job performance by considering its dual nature – both positive and negative aspects – with interactional justice serving as the key moderator.

Purpose Since employees' suffering has become a pervasive and unavoidable phenomenon in the workplace, this study aims to propose a new concept called compassionate human resource management practices (CHRMP) and to develop a scale to measure it. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 employed grounded theory to explore the connotations and structure of compassionate human resource management practices (CHRMP) and developed an initial scale comprising 5 factors and 40 items. Study 2 employed exploratory factor analysis to confirm the structure of CHRMP and developed a formal scale consisting of 5 factors (occupational growth support, family needs assurance, health care services, lean process improvement, and fair ecological maintenance) and 17 items. Study 3 confirmed the factor structure of the CHRMP scale through confirmatory factor analysis and assessed its reliability and validity. Study 4 selected perceived organizational support and job burnout as criteria to test the criterion-related validity of the scale. Findings The results indicated that the CHRMP scale possesses good psychometric properties, and that the CHRMP of the organization can effectively predict employees' perceived organizational support and job burnout. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on human resource management practices by providing a new concept called CHRMP and developing a scale to measure it within the Chinese context. It also emphasizes the importance of CHRMP in improving employees' perceived organizational support and job burnout.

Purpose The integration of AI in HRM practices is increasing and will be inevitable in the coming years. The successful implementation of AI-enabled management in organizations requires stakeholders' trust. This systematic literature review identifies factors influencing trust in AI-enabled HRM systems and their consequences across three stages of AI implementation (ex-ante, in-ante, and post-ante). Design/methodology/approach This study reviews and synthesizes the past literature on AI in HRM to develop a conceptual model. Findings This study identifies the factors that enable organizational justice while implementing AI-enabled HRMS. We explain the positive relationship between organizational justice and employees' trust and moderators of this relationship. Further, this study suggests positive and unintended implications (for employees, teams, and organizations) of trust in AI-enabled HRMS. Originality/value This paper contributes theoretically to the organizational justice framework by expanding it to the domain of AI-enabled HRMS. This paper examines the gap in understanding trust in AI-enabled HRMS across the adoption process of AI in organizations. We also suggest future research directions. The study also outlines practical and societal implications for the responsible implementation of AI-enabled HRMS and identifies directions for future research.

Purpose This study examines how ambivalent leader–member exchange (LMX ambivalence) – characterized by the simultaneous presence of positive and negative relational experiences – shapes employees’ presenteeism. Drawing on sociometer theory, we theorize that LMX ambivalence undermines organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), thereby influencing employees’ health-related attendance decisions. We further propose supervisor's organizational embodiment (SOE), or the extent to which supervisors are perceived as representing the organization, as a key boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach We tested the proposed model across two multi-wave field studies conducted in China. Study 1 surveyed 370 finance employees across three time points. Study 2 replicated and extended the model in a sample of 345 employees, controlling for alternative antecedents and mechanisms. Findings LMX ambivalence was negatively associated with OBSE, which in turn was positively related to presenteeism. Moreover, the indirect effect of LMX ambivalence on presenteeism via OBSE emerged only when SOE was high. These relationships remained robust after accounting for theoretical predictors and mechanisms. Originality/value This research advances presenteeism theory by identifying LMX ambivalence as a novel social antecedent and by elucidating OBSE as a core psychological mechanism grounded in sociometer theory. By highlighting SOE as a critical contextual moderator, the study demonstrates when and why ambivalent leader relationships are most consequential for employee self-worth and health-related work behavior. Together, the findings underscore the fundamentally social nature of presenteeism and offer actionable insights for leadership practices and organizational health.

Purpose Using the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, our study aimed to examine the resources and demands of digital content creation (DCC), a growing occupation that remains underexplored from JD-R perspective. We focus on Indian YouTubers to offer contextually grounded insights into this emerging form of work. Design/methodology/approach Based on 21 semi-structured telephonic interviews with Indian YouTubers, this study examines the job demands and resources that define DCC, with a specific focus on the Indian context. Findings Drawing on JD-R theory, we identified the job resources and demands of the DCC occupation, which occurred at occupational, social, and digital ecosystem levels. The data analysis revealed several occupational, social, and digital ecosystem level resources and demands unique to this occupation (e.g. audience response uncertainty, and online hostility and trolling). The digital ecosystem level came up as a unique aspect of DCC, distinguishing it from other self-employed occupations. Under this level are resources such as “Digital platform capabilities” and demands such as “Navigating platform dynamics.” The findings show that the job resources and demands are interrelated and vary in their centrality. Research limitations/implications The grayscale diagram provides a nuanced understanding of the sources of the job resources and demands and their centrality, enabling both research and practice to accurately identify the areas to focus on for future research and effective interventions. Originality/value This study examines the job resources and demands of a growing but understudied occupational group. It extends the JD-R framework by developing a multi-level JD-R Grayscale Centrality Diagram, categorizing resources and demands into occupational, social, and digital ecosystem levels. The diagram reflects their centrality based on frequency and emphasis in participant accounts and captures their complex interrelations across levels, which are often oversimplified in existing research.

Purpose The current study aims to investigate whether, how and when supervisor developmental feedback influences hospitality employees' proactive customer service performance. Drawing on social exchange theory, we specifically examine the mediating role of felt obligation and the moderating role of positive reciprocity beliefs. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 326 hospitality employees at five hotels in Nanjing and Qingdao, China. Statistical analysis was performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro methodology. Findings Our results demonstrate that supervisor developmental feedback is positively related to hospitality employees' proactive customer service performance, with felt obligation mediating this relationship. Additionally, positive reciprocity beliefs strengthen the positive effect of supervisor developmental feedback on felt obligation. Practical implications These findings provide valuable insights for hotel managers on how to leverage supervisor developmental feedback to cultivate employees' proactive customer service performance. Originality/value Moving beyond the existing hospitality literature's focus on leadership styles, this study explores the antecedents of proactive customer service performance through the lens of leader behaviors. Additionally, this study introduces an employee-organization relationship perspective, providing new insights into the social exchange effect of supervisor developmental feedback.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal structural relationships among top management's support for employee development, the perceived strength of the HR department's strategic role and organizational commitment in the context of South Korean business. In particular, this study focuses on the mediating role of the perceived strength of the HR department's strategic role in bridging the relationship between top management's support for employee development and organizational commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when external uncertainty was prevalent. Design/methodology/approach Multivariate Latent Growth Modeling was applied to analyze three-wave longitudinal data collected from 2020 to 2022. Findings Significant and positive relationships were found among top management's support for employee development, the perceived strength of the HR department's strategic role and organizational commitment over time. This study confirms the mediating effect of the perceived strength of the HR department's strategic role in the relationship between top management's support for employee development and organizational commitment over time. Originality/value The results of this study extend the concept of HR system strength by highlighting the importance of consistency in implementing HR practices, particularly during environmental disruptions.

Purpose Healthcare online feedback is widely used to improve service quality. This study aims to explore the determinants and evolving dynamics of healthcare employee satisfaction as reflected in employee-generated content. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes structured (numerical ratings) and unstructured (textual feedback) data from over 300,000 online employee reviews of 9,103 US healthcare organizations. Using topic modeling, it identifies key satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors and examines their variations across job roles and tenure lengths, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Our analysis reveals that job satisfaction determinants vary by role and tenure. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, satisfaction temporarily increased due to a heightened sense of purpose and strong peer relationships. However, as the crisis persisted, satisfaction declined due to mounting stress, staff shortages, irregular shifts, and inadequate compensation. Practical implications These findings can guide healthcare organizations in developing targeted management strategies to enhance employee satisfaction and retention. Originality/value This study offers a novel perspective on healthcare online feedback by analyzing large-scale employee reviews from the service provider's standpoint, providing valuable insights into workplace experiences. Additionally, it contributes to employee satisfaction research by examining its dynamic changes across different phases and role-specific variations.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the intersection of leadership and goal-setting research, focusing on the impact of paradoxical leadership (PL) on employees’ work goal progress (WGP). Drawing on social information processing theory and goal-setting theory, our research elucidates how PL influences employees’ WGP through subordinates’ perceptions of leader goal clarity and their clear self-set goals (CSG). Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses of the study were empirically tested using a 4-wave, 2-source survey methodology involving 387 supervisor-subordinate pairs from a large Chinese tourism company. Findings The study reveals that PL negatively impacts perceived leader goal clarity and CSG, thereby impeding WGP. Additionally, it is found that clear organization-set goals (COG) can reduce the reliance on leader goal clarity and mitigate the adverse effects of PL on WGP. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by demonstrating the potential negative consequences of PL on WGP and highlighting the importance of COG as a boundary condition. It integrates leadership and goal-setting research to provide a comprehensive understanding of the psychological processes through which leaders influence subordinates’ WGP.