Service Employees Research Articles

How employment-focused social procurement tackles health inequities: an investigation of Australia’s construction industry using determinants of health theory

With public and private clients in the construction industry increasingly using social procurement to achieve their social responsibility goals, it is important to develop theory-informed approaches for understanding how and to what extent social procurement creates social value. The research presented in this article uses social determinants of health (SDOH) theory to develop a case study of an employment-focused social procurement initiative in Australia’s construction industry. The case study shows how the employment-focused social procurement initiative used cross-sector intermediation to alleviate structural barriers to employment, including siloing in the employment services sector, unsupported pathways from training into employment in construction, and negative stereotypes of people who face structural barriers to employment. Using SDOH theory, the paper frames these barriers to employment as ‘upstream’ and ‘midstream’ structural determinants of health inequities. The research finds that the initiative’s impacts on determinants of health inequities are enabled and limited by commercial factors including project location and duration, status of the principal contractor, and insider knowledge of timing and requirements of new jobs.

Human employees and service robots in the service encounter and the role of attribution of theory of mind

A frequently made assumption – supported in a large number of empirical studies – is that customer satisfaction stemming from a service encounter influences the customer's subsequent word-of-mouth activities. The present study re-examines this association with respect to both human service employees and service robots (which are expected to become more common in service encounters in the near future). First, it is assumed that the customer's attribution of theory of mind to a service agent is an important source of information for the formation of a satisfaction assessment. Indeed, it is assumed that the agent's theory of mind is a prerequisite for understanding the customer's needs. Second, in contrast to many existing studies, word-of-mouth is captured in terms of the valence of what customers actually say (as opposed to various forms of intentions to engage in word-of-mouth, which represent a dominant contemporary operationalization of word-of-mouth). A between-subjects experiment was conducted in which a service agent's identity (service robot vs. human) and service performance (poor vs. good) were the manipulated factors. The results show that both these factors influenced attribution of theory of mind to the agent, and that attribution of theory of mind enhanced customer satisfaction. The results also show that customer satisfaction affected word-of-mouth content in a valence-congruent way.

Research on Occupational Risk Assessment for Welder Occupation in Romania

The ever-increasing needs of the working population have led to the development of various branches of industry, an increase in the number of employees, and a rise in the number of work-related accidents. The welder occupation is one of the most sought after occupations in Europe, according to the EURopean Employment Services (EURES) statistics. Taking into account the work system in which welders conduct their activity (uncomfortable working positions, splashes, high temperatures, mechanical factors, gases and fumes, magnetic fields due to electric current), the paper presents the risk factors identified for the welder occupation, based on the occupational injury and illness risk assessments. Following the analysis of 25 risk assessments, carried out by the assessment team that must include qualified evaluators, process specialists, the workers’ representative, occupational health and safety responsible at various industrial economic agents, a total of 70 main risk factors of occupational accidents and diseases were identified for the welder occupation. Risk factors were classified according to four main work components: worker, workload, work environment, and means of production. To reflect the importance of the identified risk factor, the number of organizations that considered that the risk was likely to occur but also the possibility that the risk was above the acceptable limit, calculated using the National Institute for Research and Development for Labor Protection “Alexandru Darabont” (INCDPM) method, a method often used in Romania, was identified from the analyzed assessments. Finally, a prevention and protection plan was drawn up with regard to the risks identified for the welder occupation, the final aim of which was to respectively reduce the probability of occurrence with the severity of the risks identified.

Employee emotional investment: An institutional logic perspective

Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, institutional logic, and institutional arrangements, this study conceptualized and examined employee emotional investment as an important factor that influenced hospitality employee job and personal outcomes. In Study 1 (N=211), the reliability of the modified employee emotional investment scale was examined. In Study 2 (N=250), first using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) the reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the measure was confirmed. Second, partial-least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of hospitality employees revealed that their emotional investment affected their work attitudes and behaviors. Organizational service climate and employee hierarchy in the organization were identified as significant antecedents of emotional investment. Emotional investment directly influenced employee resilience, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Emotional investment indirectly affected employee subjective wellbeing, whereas organizational commitment and employee engagement showed full mediation effects. The findings extended COR theory and revealed employee emotional investment as a distinct form of employee organizational behavior. Practical implications for hospitality managers are provided.

Periscoping Electronic Governance in Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka: Has it really Reinvigorates Employee Service Delivery?

Periscoping Electronic Governance in Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka: Has it really Reinvigorates Employee Service Delivery?

The role of Bank Muamalat leadership in improving employee service excellence

The role of Bank Muamalat leadership in improving employee service excellence

How and when negative workplace gossip influences service sabotage behavior? A study among hotel frontline employees in China

Purpose Drawing upon the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to examine whether ego depletion mediates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and employees’ service sabotage behavior and whether psychological resilience moderates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and service sabotage behavior through the mediator of ego depletion among hotel frontline employees and their colleagues. Design/methodology/approach A paired sample was collected at three-time points from employees and their colleagues working in hotels in Guizhou province, China. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to examine the moderated mediation model. Findings The results showed that negative workplace gossip has a positive effect on employee service sabotage behavior, and that ego depletion mediates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and employee service sabotage behavior. Psychological resilience weakens the relationship between negative workplace gossip and ego depletion, as well as the indirect effect of negative workplace gossip on employee service sabotage behavior through ego depletion. Originality/value The present research provides a thorough understanding of when and how negative workplace gossip influences employee service sabotage behavior in the hospitality industry. The findings of this moderated mediation relationship expanded the boundary conditions of negative workplace gossip and employee service sabotage behavior.

Leveraging responsible artificial intelligence to enhance salespeople well-being and performance

ABSTRACT While artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have emerged as powerful tools for improving sales encounters and performance, the negative impacts of AI on frontline service employees are inevitable. However, research on responsible AI and its influence on frontline service employees’ well-being and performance from an ethical perspective is scarce. In this study, we draw on the ethics-of-care perspective to uncover the impact of responsible AI on frontline service employees’ well-being and sales outcomes. We designed two-stage data collection by surveying employees (N = 322) in the AI-related industry and used partial least squares structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results show that organizations’ ethics-of-care behaviors guided by responsible AI principles and values positively influence frontline service employees’ well-being, ultimately driving adaptive and customer-oriented selling activities and enhancing sales performance. This study contributes to the literature on responsible AI and frontline service employees’ well-being.

ANALYSIS OF THE LABOR COMPENSATION OF PRISONERS OF WAR IN UKRAINE

The article examines the issue of compensation of prisoners of war currently held in Ukraine. It is noted that 75 years have passed since the adoption of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and some of its provisions are now outdated or irrelevant. One of these norms is the amount of compensation for the labour of prisoners of war. Since there is some debate about the criterion of fairness today, the authors analyse the purchasing power of the Swiss franc in 1949 versus 2024 and provide a conclusion on this issue. Key words: prisoners of war, labour, labour compensation, labour relations, employment, State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine, International Committee of the Red Cross, international humanitarian law, Geneva Convention, legal status, prisoner of war camps, prisoner of war detention centres.

Don’t let them get stressed! HPWS mechanisms in improving psychological well-being in the workplace

PurposeThe growing literature does not highlight the impact of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) on employee psychological well-being. This study aimed to test this influence by exploring the mediation of psychosocial safety and the moderation of supervisor support to overcome knowledge gaps in optimizing productivity in an increasingly dynamic workplace.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved 395 service employees in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro approach.FindingsThe research findings indicate that while HPWS are perceived as organizational investments by employees, they do not directly impact employees’ psychological well-being in the service sector in Indonesia. Despite previous literature suggesting a positive relationship, this study emphasizes the importance of considering factors such as psychosocial safety and supervisor support in influencing employee perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends the existing literature on the mechanisms of HPWS in promoting psychological well-being in the workplace. Furthermore, Psychological safety has also been identified as a strategic approach to reduce workplace bullying.Practical implicationsOrganizations should prioritize creating a work environment that considers psychosocial safety and provides adequate supervisor support to enhance employees’ psychological well-being. Understanding the unique needs and perceptions of employees, including factors such as age and gender, is crucial in designing effective HPWS that foster a positive workplace culture and mitigate potential negative impacts.Originality/valueThe authors seek to explore the not yet fully understood relationship between HPWS, psychosocial safety, and supervisor support in promoting employee psychological well-being. This research also provides a broader view of how to prevent employees from feeling pressured and stressed in the workplace.

Peran Karakteristik Pekerjaan terhadap Prestasi Kerja yang Dimediasi oleh Motivasi

Mufarrohah, 2023. The Role of Job Characteristics on Work Performance Mediated by Motivation (Study of Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service Employees). Wijaya Putra University Postgraduate Program Surabaya.This type of research is explanatory research, the approach used is a quantitative approach, the research sample is 34 people. The analysis tool uses Smart PLS (Partial Least Square). Research objectives: 1) To describe the job characteristics, motivation and work performance of employees at the Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service. 2) To test and analyze the direct influence of job characteristics on employee work performance at the Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service. 3) To test and analyze the direct influence of work ability on employee motivation at the Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service. 4) To test and analyze the direct influence of motivation on employee work performance at the Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service. 5) To test and analyze the significant indirect influence of job characteristics on employee work performance at the Sampang Regency Regional Inspectorate Service which is mediated by motivation. The research results show that: 1) Job characteristics have an insignificant effect on work performance with a p value of 0.100. 2) Job characteristics have a significant effect on motivation with a p value of 0.000. 3) Motivation has a significant effect on work performance with a p value of 0.000. 4) Job characteristics have a significant effect on work performance which is mediated by motivation with a p value of 0.007.

Word-of-mouth among blood service employees who also donate blood: a qualitative investigation of advantages and challenges for dual-role donors

BackgroundDespite word-of-mouth (WOM) and electronic WOM (eWOM) influencing people’s willingness to donate blood, no research has explored this behavior among blood service employees who are also donors. This underexplored segment is highly important, as they are generally committed to both the organization and the cause and are likely more informed on the topic of blood donation than the average donor.MethodsThis study comprised six online focus groups with 26 Australian Red Cross Lifeblood employees who are also donors. Questions covered a range of blood donation and WOM topics, including when they became blood donors, if they had engaged in WOM about blood donation, what they had talked about and with whom, and what were audience reactions. Thematic analysis was then used to explore how responses related to the employees’ motivations, opportunities, and abilities to engage in WOM and eWOM about blood donation.ResultsWhile most employee-donors saw alignment in their employee and donor roles, advocating for blood donation was not considered a necessary part of either role. Educating others about blood donation was a common goal of employee-donor WOM and eWOM, and almost all employees engaged in reactive WOM, triggered by events (e.g., recent donations) or questions about their work. Employee-donors in donor-facing roles (e.g., communications and collections staff) felt more aware of the importance of encouraging others to donate blood and were also more likely to be proactive in their WOM activity. Along with these perceived advantages of having a dual role, employee-donors also identified some disadvantages, such as unrealistic expertise expectations and negative audience responses that can be difficult to navigate.ConclusionsBeing an employee-donor is a double-edged sword. For example, increased opportunities to talk about blood donation and access to more information can be offset by having to respond to more challenging questions/comments and expectations, while appropriately representing their employer. More research is needed among those in employee-donor roles within the healthcare and/or non-profit sectors, to determine whether these are issues faced more broadly, and how those in dual roles can be most effectively supported to engage in positive WOM and eWOM.

Analysis of Employee Services through a Community Approach in Increasing Customer Interests in Saving at BPRS Bhakti Sumekar

BPRS Bhakti Sumekar KC Madya Pamekasan is a sharia financial institution which is surrounded by many large banks. The existence of these banks is a big challenge for BPRS Bhakti Sumekar KC Madya Pamekasan to survive and be able to compete. This research analyzes the relationship between employe service and customers’ interest in saving at BPRS Bhakti Sumekar KC Madya Pamekasan. Data was obtained through structured interviews with branch heads and marketing managers. To ensure the level of trust in the information, data triangulation was carried out using different techniques, namely observation of the environment and forms of community services implemented at BPRS Bhakti Sumekar. All data analyzed to describe the impact of employee services oninterest in saving at BPRS Bhakti Sumekar KC Madya Pamekasan. The research method involves in-depth interviews with employees and customers, as well as direct observatiton of service interactions. The findings show that employee service quality plays an important role in shaping customeers’ interes in saving, with interpersonal aspects and trust being the main factors. The implecations of this research can help BPRS Bhakti Sumekar in designing service strategies that are more effective and focus on customer needs and preferences The findings of this research show that customers' interest in saving is increasing due to adequate bonuses and community services that customers receive. Community services are provided in the form of football pick-up and drop-off services, balance printing services, and problem solving.

Deferral of blood donors who have ever stayed in a Trypanosoma cruzi endemic area: An international survey.

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (CD), an anthropozoonosis from the American continent that progresses from an acute phase to an indeterminate phase, followed by a chronic symptomatic phase in around 30% of patients. In countries where T. cruzi is not endemic, many blood transfusion services test blood donors who have stayed in an endemic country ('at-risk stay')-even if they do not present with other risk factors. However, the efficiency of this approach has been questioned. On 18 September 2023, a worldwide survey was distributed among employees of blood transfusion services. The questions mainly pertained to CD's endemicity in the blood services' region, the current testing policy for T. cruzi and the number of confirmed positive results among donors with a prior at-risk stay alone (i.e., without other risk factors for T. cruzi infection). Twenty-six recipients completed the survey. Of the 22 (84.6%) blood services that operated in a non-endemic region, 9 (42.9%) tested donors for T. cruzi, including 8 (88.9%) that considered the travel history or the duration of the stay (alone) in their testing algorithm ('study blood services'). Over 93 years of observation among all study blood services, 2 donations from donors with an at-risk stay alone and 299 from those with other risk factors were confirmed positive for T. cruzi. The study findings question the utility of testing blood donors who have stayed in an endemic country without other risk factors.

Nursing Staff in a Large Hospital System Underutilize Insurance-Based Mental Health Services.

Nurses are at high risk of burnout and subsequent mental health concerns due to problems with overstaffing, immense workload volume, and personal health risks associated with the job. Effective mental health treatments are available but potential barriers to receiving care may prevent nurses from benefiting. The Emotional Health and Well-Being Clinic (EHWC) at Houston Methodist is an outpatient mental health clinic offering therapy and medication management services for employees and employee dependents of our institution. The EHWC is uniquely positioned to observe how nurses utilize mental health services and to address barriers to effective care for this vital group of healthcare professionals. This paper provides descriptive data on the utilization of mental health services by nurses in the EHWC and a discussion of possible challenges faced by this group when seeking care. Based on these data, we propose potential solutions to ensure that nurses can achieve maximum benefit from outpatient mental health services.

What does the customer incivility tell me about my worth? A diary study on the short-term effects of customer incivility on self-esteem and job satisfaction

ABSTRACT This study aims to clarify what are the short-term effects of customer incivility on targeted employees’ self-esteem and job satisfaction. We hypothesised that daily customer incivility reported at the end of the previous workday would predict decreases in next-day morning employees’ self-esteem. In turn, lowered self-esteem would be related to lower job satisfaction levels at the end of the same workday. Additionally, we predicted that the link between lowered self-esteem and lowered job satisfaction would be weaker for employees who engaged more in deep acting. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a daily study on 144 customer-contact employees. Participants completed online questionnaires for 31 days reporting their morning self-esteem levels, together with evening customer incivility and job satisfaction levels. The data were analysed using dynamic structural equation models that allow examining intra-person time series trends, on a day-to-day level, while estimating individual differences therein. Consistent with our predictions, the results provided evidence for the short-term detrimental effects of customer incivility on next-day job satisfaction through lowered self-esteem and for the buffering role of deep acting. Service employees could benefit from training aimed at strengthening their self-esteem and skills on how to handle misbehaving customers effectively.

Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities in Addressing Medicaid Beneficiaries' Non-Medical Risks to Health: A Qualitative Analysis.

North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) is a Medicaid 1115 Waiver program that seeks to address nonmedical risks to health for Medicaid beneficiaries through multisector collaboration. Among other stakeholders, HOP involves collaboration between human services organizations that deliver interventions, network leads, which establish and oversee the human services organizations within a region of the state. To understand how employees at human services organizations and network leads prepared to deliver HOP services. Qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews. Interviews were conducted between April and June 2022. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded thematically, and analyzed using a conceptual model derived from the consolidated framework for implementation research. Organizations within North Carolina counties participating in HOP. Employees of human services and network lead organizations across all 3 HOP regions of North Carolina. The researchers interviewed 37 participants. Overall, organizations experienced benefits from HOP participation, including capacity-building resources, flexibility in allocating resources, and creating community-wide enthusiasm for addressing nonmedical risks to health. There were also key challenges. These included the time needed to build capacity, adjustments to the work processes and regulations inherent to multisector collaboration, geographic variation in availability of services to offer, and the difficulty of addressing different needs. Finally, participants recognized substantial opportunities that HOP presented, including membership in a more extensive network, exposure to a learning community, and a more sustainable funding source. The perspectives of individuals preparing to deliver HOP services offer important lessons for those developing and implementing large-scale programs that can address nonmedical threats to health.

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS FACTOR ON RURAL ARTERIAL ROADS

In Indonesia, traffic accidents occur on 23.55% of national roads and 75.08% of rural roads. The rural roads were identified as accident-prone areas. As a result, unsafe roads hinder population mobility, disrupt daily life, and reduce access to education, employment, and essential services, thereby affecting the well-being and development of rural communities. To identify the dominant factors that influence the frequency of collisions, a more thorough analysis of the multifactorial causes of traffic accidents in accident-prone areas is necessary. This study focused on analyzing the factors that contribute to road traffic accidents. Cross-tabulation was done using chi-square analysis. The chi-square test does not assume a normal distribution of data, which is beneficial when dealing with real-world data that may not follow normal distribution patterns. This flexibility makes it a robust choice for analyzing traffic accident data, which can be highly variable and not normally distributed. The results of the chi-square analysis for significance values below 0.05 indicate that there is a correlation between accident-causing factors (the independent variable) and collision frequency (the dependent variable). The results indicate that human factors, such as carelessness and high speed, as well as road and environmental factors, such as horizontal alignment, road width, clear zone, road signs, road markings, and land use, influence traffic accidents. Infrastructure factors such as horizontal alignment, road width, clear zones, shoulders, signs, and markings influence traffic accidents because they directly impact road user safety. Non-standard road geometry (horizontal alignment, road width, shoulder width, and clear zone) combined with incomplete road safety facilities (signs and markings) have the potential to cause traffic accidents. Therefore, harmonizing road geometry and equipment is necessary to improve arterial road safety, especially in accident-prone areas. Furthermore, speed management across a variety of land uses is required to reduce traffic accidents.

English Language, An Interactive Communication Tool Among Tourism Sector Employees and Foreign Tourists

Tourism is a very important sector in Albania's economy. With the promotion of tourist attractions, the number of foreign tourists has increased significantly. Language is of great importance for the communication of foreign tourists to tourist destinations. Today English is an international language and most tourist businesses require employees to speak English except the local language of the country. In this paper we will present a theoretical discussion on the importance and necessity of the English language in the development of the tourism sector from the point of view of tourist services providers and specifically hotel businesses. To fulfill the purpose of this search, the data collection was done by a self-administered questioner with closed thematic questions, with alternatives addressed to the service employees in tourism destinations in Durres, Shëngjin and Sarandë. The overall data collection of 250 questionnaires and total of 195 questionnaires were collected. Through descriptive analysis we have taken a picture of the characteristics of the monster in study according to the data of the structured questionnaire, respectively: Part 1 (socio-demographic characteristics), Part 2 (business stuff), (location and classification), Part 3 (language knowledge and opinion on its importance for employment in tourist businesses in Albania. The data was collected in January 2023. The article aims to highlight not only the most necessary language skills for tourism sector employees but also highlight the functions of English language use by employees of this sector, the most common problems they encounter in different skills, etc. The investigation and identification of such necessities puts the help of not only the employees of this sector but also the entrepreneurs of various tourist structures who can directly contribute to the improvement of their human resources employed as the motorcycle that sets in motion and guarantees financial income to their businesses thanks to professionalism

Development of the Empathy in Design Scale: Measuring Employees’ Empathy Toward Users in Service Design

Abstract To design user-centered services, it is essential to build empathy toward users. It is hence strategic to trigger empathy for users among professionals concerned with shaping service user experiences. There is, however, a lack of quantitative tools to measure empathy in design. Through two studies, we report on the development and validation of the Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D). The tool aims to measure service employees’ empathy toward users. Grounded in theories from psychology and design, we first generated and tested a pool of items through expert inspection and cognitive interviews. In Study 1, we administered 16 items to 406 full-time service employees from various industries, including employees in customer-facing positions. In Study 2, we iterated on additional items and administered a revised scale to 305 service employees. The selected model consists of 11 items and has a three-factor structure (Emotional interest/Perspective-taking, Personal experience and Self-awareness), which showed an adequate model fit and good internal consistency. Evidence of convergent validity was provided by moderate correlations of the EMPA-D scale with empathy measures in psychology (SITES, Empathy Quotient, Interpersonal Reactivity Index), whereas discriminant validity was demonstrated by low correlations with the narcissism measure Narcissistic Personal Inventory. We outline how this self-reported empathy measure can support organizations in enhancing their services and discuss potential limitations of quantitatively measuring empathy in service teams. Research Highlights We present the development and validation of the Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D), a self-report measure of employees’ empathy toward users of a service. We report on two validation studies and document the psychometric properties of the scale. The selected model consists of 11 items and a three-factor structure (Emotional interest/Perspective-taking, Personal experience and Self-awareness). The resulting EMPA-D scale contributes to filling the gap in metrics to assess empathy in the service design context. In industry, measuring employees’ empathy support the selection of appropriate empathic interventions to foster the service user-centeredness.