High Levels Of Job Control Research Articles

Managerial leadership behaviors: A longitudinal investigation of the role of job demands and resources, and implications for managers' own well‐being

AbstractAlthough ample research has documented the implications, and organizational drivers, of leadership behaviors, very little research has considered these associations, and their consequences, from the perspective of managers. The present four‐wave longitudinal study addresses this limitation by focusing, using the Job Demands‐Resources model, on the work‐related drivers (job control, recognition, and workload) of transformational, transactional and laissez‐faire leadership behaviors, and the associations between these behaviors and manifestations of managers' psychological well‐being at work (job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intentions). Analyzing data from 691 high‐level managers (i.e. school principals) using novel random intercept cross‐lagged panel model analyses, our results revealed that higher levels of job control and recognition, and lower levels of workload, predicted higher levels of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. In contrast, laissez‐faire leadership behaviors were only negatively predicted by recognition. Transformational leadership was associated with the most desirable outcome levels (higher levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of turnover intentions and burnout), followed by transactional and laissez‐faire leadership. Most of these associations were limited to the between‐person‐level, reflecting stable mechanisms of influence, rather than at the within‐person level, suggesting the presence of homeostatic mechanism helping high levels managers to maintain a stable level of functioning over time.

Profiling employee psychological responses during restructuring and downsizing in the public sector: “Flourishers”, “Recoverers” and “Ambivalents”

PurposeThis study aims to examine configurations of person-centered psychological change during organizational restructuring and downsizing in a public sector setting. Drawing on a social cognitive framework of organizational change the authors explore and identify the existence of different groups of employees who demonstrate varied responses (on commitment, engagement and anxiety) to restructuring and downsizing.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were collected from employees in three longitudinal waves (Time 1 N = 253; Time 2 N = 107; Time 3 N = 93, twelve months apart) at a UK public sector organization shortly before, during and after restructuring and downsizing.FindingsThree classes of response emerged based on levels of and change in anxiety, organizational commitment and work engagement: a positive “Flourishers” profile was identified along with two relatively negative response profiles, labeled as “Recoverers” and “Ambivalents”. Higher levels of job control accounted for membership of the more positive response profile; higher structural uncertainty predicted membership of the most negative response group.Practical implicationsUsing a person-centered approach, the authors form an understanding of different types of employee responses to downsizing; along with potential factors that help explain why groups of employees may exhibit certain psychological response patterns and may need to be managed differently during change. Thus, this approach provides greater understanding to researchers and managers of the varied impact that restructuring/downsizing has on the workforce.Originality/valueTo date there has been little research exploring employee responses to organizational restructuring and downsizing that has attempted to take a person-centered approach, which assumes population heterogeneity. Unlike variable centered approaches, this unique approach helps identify different patterns of employee responses to restructuring and downsizing.

Validation of Visual Analogue Scales of job demand and job control at the workplace: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesWork-related stress is a major concern. One of the best performing models is the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) of Karasek, assessing job demand and job control using 18 items. However,...

In and Out of Control

Abstract The present study aimed to predict job control (i.e., task discretion) based on class and occupation with skill use as a (hypothesized) mechanism in four Western European countries by using the OECD adult skill survey (PIAAC). The countries were Denmark, Belgium, Italy, and the United Kingdom (UK). The study used a Bayesian approach that included multilevel models combined with measurement models. The study uses the international standard classification of occupations with two digits (clustering variable) as well as the European socioeconomic classification (ESeC) measured with three social classes. The results indicate that greater worker technical skills (computer use) and social skills (e.g., negotiate and influence) predict higher levels of job control. Social classes interact with skills to predict job control (except Belgium). Occupational computer skills predict job control (in Belgium and Italy). In conclusion, the study supports predictions by neo-Durkheimians, neo-Weberians, New Structuralists, and relational approaches to inequality.

Doctors’ working conditions, wellbeing and hospital quality of care: A multilevel analysis

IntroductionDoctors’ wellbeing is postulated to mediate the relationship between their working conditions and patient care although few studies have tested this. Even fewer have incorporated a multilevel perspective that considers the antecedents of quality of care at the hospital level. This study draws on the job demands-resource model to test the associations between hospital-level care (mortality, patient safety incidents, patient satisfaction) with hospital-level demands (e.g. emergency admissions) and self-reported doctors’ job demands, job resources and wellbeing. MethodMultilevel structural equation models were used to test the proposed associations using secondary data involving 13,239 doctors from 139 acute hospitals in England. ResultsDoctors’ work engagement was associated with higher levels of job control, better manager support, higher bed occupancy rates, and lower levels of emergency admissions. Presenteeism among doctors was linked with higher work overload and emergency admissions. Doctors’ work-related stress was associated with higher levels of work overload. Patient satisfaction with their doctor was associated with doctors’ level of work overload and job control, as well as bed occupancy rates. Work overload predicted patient safety incidents, while the number of emergency admission predicted mortality rates. Doctors’ wellbeing did not mediate any relationship. ConclusionBetter working conditions for hospital doctors were associated with high levels of work engagement and lower levels of work-related stress and presenteeism, necessitating a focus on their work environment to improve wellbeing. The relationships among doctors’ working conditions, wellbeing and patient care were not clear, highlighting the importance of considering both statistical and methodological issues in future research.

Assessment of the impact of lifestyle and psychosocial working conditions on older employees’ work ability

Objective. The purpose of this article was to assess the impact of selected elements of lifestyle, psychosocial working conditions and general mental health on older employees’ ability to work. Methods. Employees (N = 1067) aged 50–65 years (M 54.8, SD 3.95) responded to a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle characteristics, general mental health (general health questionnaire), psychosocial job characteristics (job content questionnaire) and work ability (work ability index [WAI]). A logistic regression model was used to assess the impact of the selected factors on work ability. Results. Older employees were characterized by good (44.4%) and moderate (36.4%) work ability. The average WAI scores were significantly higher among employees who did not smoke, consumed the recommended daily intake of vegetables, drank enough water, ate breakfast every morning, cut down on sweets and were on a vegetarian diet. Good physical (no sick leave) and mental health, high level of job control, low job insecurity and use of over-the-counter drugs were found to be the strongest predictors of WAI scores. Conclusions. The results of the research indicate that most of the determinants of work ability identified at work are impacted, thus giving the opportunity to conduct some occupational health and preventive programmes in the workplace.

Psychosocial Work Conditions and Mental Health: Examining Differences Across Mental Illness and Well-Being Outcomes.

Psychosocial work conditions are determinants of mental illness among worker populations. However, while the focus on negative aspects of mental health has generated important contributions to the development of workplace interventions, there is less evidence on the factors that support the positive aspects of mental well-being. This study aimed to examine the association between psychosocial work conditions and mental health outcomes among a representative sample of Canadian workers; and to assess whether the relationships are consistent across measures of mental illness versus mental well-being. Population-based data were obtained from the cross-sectional 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey. Psychosocial work conditions were measured using an abbreviated version of the Job Content Questionnaire. For mental illness, we focused on major depressive episodes, generalized anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorders in the past 12 months, as measured using Composite International Diagnostic Interview criteria. Mental well-being was defined as having flourishing mental health, based on items from the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form. Regression models provided odds ratios (ORs) and fitted probabilities for the relationship between work conditions and mental health, adjusting for covariates. Higher levels of job control, social support, and job security were associated with being free of disorders (ORs ranging from 1.08 to 1.15) as well as having flourishing mental health (ORs ranging from 1.10 to 1.14). Lower physical effort was associated with decreased odds of having flourishing mental health (OR 0.89). Psychological demands were not associated with any of the mental health outcomes in the fully-adjusted models. The overall pattern of these relationships was consistent across the two outcome models, although there was evidence of heterogeneity on the absolute probability scale. Specifically, there was a relatively stronger relationship between job control/social support/physical demands and well-being outcomes, compared with disorder outcomes. Psychosocial work conditions were associated with both negative and positive measures of mental health. However, mental illness and mental well-being may represent complementary, yet distinct, aspects in relation to psychosocial work conditions. Interventions targeting the psychosocial work environment may serve to improve both of these dimensions, although the measurement and examination of specific dimensions may be required to obtain an integrated and comprehensive understanding of mental health in the workplace.

High-involvement management practices, job control, and employee well-being in the public and private sectors. Evidence from Finland

The connection between high-involvement management (HIM), entailing heavy employee involvement, and employee well-being is a controversial and widely discussed topic. Clarifying how job satisfaction and stress are connected to HIM and job control (the control employees have over their work), this study is based on data from two Finnish sources: an employer survey investigating the extent of HIM within an organisation, and employee assessments of job control, stress and job satisfaction. Logistic regression models were used as the study method. In contrast to previous Finnish studies, our findings show that HIM seems hardly to benefit employee well-being. Especially in the public sector, the correlation between extensive HIM and employee well-being turned out to be negative. However, HIM in the private sector was positively related to job satisfaction. As expected, a high level of job control was regularly associated with greater well-being.

Sickness presenteeism as coping behaviour under conditions of high job control

Job control – denoting an employee’s decision authority regarding timing, location or method – plays a key role in occupational research and is typically viewed as a positive resource that helps to buffer negative health effects induced by work demands. Moreover, previous research has suggested that higher job control helps to reduce sickness presenteeism of employees – defined as attending work while ill. Conversely, by considering various theoretical approaches (such as the vitamin model and the ‘entreployee’ concept) it is hypothesized that very high levels of job control may increase sickness presence behaviour of employees as a coping strategy aimed at overcoming a perceived threat of productivity loss due to sickness. As a consequence, a u-shaped curvilinear association between job control and sickness presenteeism is expected – especially for vulnerable individuals. Based on survey data collected from a heterogeneous random sample of 532 employees, a curvilinear association between job control and sickness presenteeism is confirmed, which is amplified for individuals with a higher number of days with sickness. It is concluded that an increase in job control at low or moderate levels is associated with reduced sickness presenteeism, whereas very high levels of job control are related to an increased need for sickness presence.

Stuck at a workplace: What’s work control, demands and learning got to do with it? A longitudinal multilevel study on Swedish permanent employees in situations of ‘workplace locked-in’

Whilst health consequences of being locked-in at the workplace have been documented in several research studies, it is largely unknown how work characteristics and their changes over time relate to risks for becoming locked-in at a certain workplace. Accordingly, this paper studied how perceived control, learning opportunities and quantitative demands at work associate with workplace-locked-in (WPLI). The study included permanent employees who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) study in wave 3 through 5 (n = 2918 individuals; n = 7460 observations). Results from multi-level analysis show that there was significant individual variation in WPLI changes over time, even though on average, WPLI decreased slightly. Differences in work characteristics between individuals (L2) and across time (L1) associated significantly with WPLI: higher levels of job control and learning opportunities related to lower odds ratios for WPLI, whereas higher quantitative job demands associated with higher odds ratios of WPLI. Moreover, differences in quantitative job demands, number of job changes and educational achievements explained the individual variations of WPLI developments over time. The result shows that WPLI can – to some extent – be prevented or reduced through good work design, and implications for HR managers and organizations are discussed.

Task-level work engagement of self-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers

PurposeSelf-employed workers typically report higher well-being levels than employees. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanisms that lead to differences in work engagement between self-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers.Design/methodology/approachSelf-employed and organizationally employed high-skilled workers (N=167) were compared using a multigroup multilevel analysis. Participants assessed their job control (general level) and reported their work engagement during work tasks (task level) by means of the Day Reconstruction Method. Aspects of job control (autonomy, creativity, and learning opportunities) and task characteristics (social tasks and core work tasks) were contrasted for the two groups as predictors of work engagement.FindingsSelf-employed workers reported higher levels of job control and work engagement than organizationally employed workers. In both groups, job control predicted work engagement. Employees with more opportunities to be creative and autonomous were more engaged at work. Self-employed workers were more engaged when they had more learning opportunities. On the task level, the self-employed were more engaged during core work tasks and social tasks.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that self-employment is an effective way for high-skilled workers to increase the amount of job control available to them, and to improve their work engagement. From an intervention perspective, self-employed workers may benefit most from more learning opportunities, more social tasks, and more core work tasks. Organizationally employed workers may appreciate more autonomy and opportunities for creativity.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a better understanding of the role that job control and task characteristics play in predicting the work engagement of high-skilled self-employed and organizationally employed workers.

The Job Demands–Control–Support Model and Job Satisfaction Across Gender

This study examined the gender difference regarding the simultaneous impacts of Job Demands–Control–Support model variables (job demands, job control, supervisor support, and coworker support) on job satisfaction via work–family conflict using multiple group structural equation modeling. The participants were 1,092 male and 1,367 female employees from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce. Results showed that job control was only significantly associated with work–family conflict in female employees. In addition, high levels of job control, supervisor support, and coworker support were significantly associated with an increase in job satisfaction in both male and female employees. Regarding the mediating effect, work–family conflict mediated relationships between job demands, supervisor support, coworker support, and job satisfaction in both male and female employees, whereas work–family conflict only mediated the association between job control and job satisfaction in female employees. In this study, the implications considering the gender difference and work–family contexts are discussed.

Assessing the impact of different workplace flexibilities on workplace stress in the presence of varying degrees of job control

ABSTRACTWe apply probit and propensity score matching to 1667 respondents from the 2008 National Survey of the Changing Workforce to quantify how workers’ self-reported stress levels vary under two different workplace flexibilities and varying degrees of job control. The first workplace flexibility considered is the ability to easily take time off for personal and family matters; the second is the option of a compressed work week. Our findings suggest that the first flexibility correlates with lower stress reports regardless of job control level. The second flexibility, however, correlates with lower stress levels only for workers with low levels of job control. This suggests that a compressed work week does not reduce stress for workers that already have high levels of job control. The more general conclusion is that some flexibilities are substitutes for job control whereas other are not, assuming the larger goal is the reduction of workplace stress and the various maladies exacerbated by stress.

Improving well-being at work: A randomized controlled intervention based on selection, optimization, and compensation.

This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate an occupational health intervention that is based on the theoretical model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). We conducted a stratified randomized controlled intervention with 70 nurses of a community hospital in Germany (94% women; mean age 43.7 years). Altogether, the training consisted of 6 sessions (16.5 hours) over a period of 9 months. The training took place in groups of 6-8 employees. Participants were familiarized with the SOC model and developed and implemented a personal project based on SOC to cope effectively with 1 important job demand or to activate a job resource. Consistent with our hypotheses, we observed a meaningful trend that the proposed SOC training enhanced mental well-being, particularly in employees with a strong commitment to the intervention. While highly committed training participants reported higher levels of job control at follow-up, the effects were not statistical significant. Additional analyses of moderation effects showed that the training is particularly effective to enhance mental well-being when job control is low. Contrary to our assumptions, perceived work ability was not improved by the training. Our study provides first indications that SOC training might be a promising approach to occupational health and stress prevention. Moreover, it identifies critical success factors of occupational interventions based on SOC. However, additional studies are needed to corroborate the effectiveness of SOC trainings in the occupational contexts.

Effects of work demands on physical therapists in the KSA

Abstract Objectives Job stress has been associated with poor outcomes. Physical therapists have reported high levels of job stress and musculoskeletal disorders as a result of the nature of their profession. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of physical and psychological stress on physical therapists working in the KSA. Methods A validated questionnaire was distributed to 850 physical therapists for the assessment of physical and psychological work demands that could possibly lead to musculoskeletal disorders. The data were statistically analysed using the SPSS statistical package. Results A response rate of 64.7% (54.0% males and 46.0% females) was recorded. The clinical experience of the majority of participants was 12.5 ± 6.5 years. The mean values of physical and psychological work demands were 37.8 ± 8.1 and 18.6 ± 5.1, respectively. There were significant correlations between physical demands, work setting, BMI and gender (p Conclusions Physical therapists have moderate physical and psychological work demands and moderate to high levels of job control. They think that their work situations are very positive and they may require exerting maximal levels of control to perform their jobs properly and adequately. Therefore health organizations should save the different strategies, facilities and ergonomic measures for physical therapists to avoid or minimize excessive stresses and work demands.

Development of a Job-Stress Model for Construction Professionals in South Africa and Hong Kong

The construction industry is a stressful working environment. Tasks that are simultaneously high in job demand while low in job control and job support generally cause the most stress. This paper examines and compares the stress levels and the job demand, control, and support experienced by construction professionals (CPs) in South Africa (SA) and Hong Kong (HK). The construction industries of both regions are similar in terms of their practices and procedures, given their colonial roots. Using regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM), a job-stress model for CPs in both regions is developed. The results of t-tests show that CPs from SA reported greater job demands, higher levels of job control, and less job support and stress than their HK counterparts. Job control and job demand predicted the stress levels of CPs in both countries in the regression and SEM analyses. However, job support was a significant predictor of stress for only the HK and not the SA CPs. Practical recommendations are provided for managers and organizations in both countries to address the problems of stress among CPs, including organizing social gatherings, job reallocation, and the implementation of fair compensation policies. The current study investigated the difference in the stressors and stress of CPs in two geographically disparate regions with similarity in their construction practices, enhancing our understanding of stress management in the construction industry. In addition, several practical recommendations have been proposed for the management of stress for CPs in the two regions.

Too much job control? Two studies on curvilinear relations between job control and eldercare workers’ well-being

BackgroundLonger life expectancy and changes in family patterns in Western societies have increased the need for professional caregivers to the elderly. A detailed understanding of job resources, especially of job control, may help preserve eldercare workers’ work-related well-being. ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to determine optimal levels of job control for eldercare workers’ work-related well-being. DesignCross-sectional (Study 1) and longitudinal (Study 2) data were used to assess the linear and non-linear relations between job control and eldercare workers’ work-related well-being. As indicators of well-being, irritation was examined cross-sectionally, whereas burnout and engagement were used in the longitudinal study. In both studies, demographic variables and time pressure were included as controls. In Study 2, results were additionally controlled for baseline levels of the outcome variables. ParticipantsStudy participants were recruited from the nursing staff of 10 publicly financed nursing homes for the elderly (Study 1) and from 18 privately and 20 publicly financed nursing homes for the elderly (Study 2). In both studies, eldercare workers (i.e., registered nurses, orderlies, and nursing assistants) were invited to answer paper–pencil questionnaires. In Study 1, 606 persons followed this invitation (response rate: 65%). In Study 2, 591 persons provided data on both measurement points (response rate: 35% of Time 1 participants). The samples of both studies were predominantly female and between 20 and 65 years of age. MethodsHierarchical multiple regressions with linear and quadratic terms were conducted. ResultsCurvilinear effects of job control were found in both studies. In Study 1, low as well as high levels of job control were associated with higher levels of irritation compared to medium levels of job control. The longitudinal data from Study 2 supported these results. Eldercare workers with higher and lower levels of job control reported a higher tendency to depersonalize care recipients and a lower tendency to feel dedicated to, absorbed by and vigorous at work than those with medium levels of job control. ConclusionsHigher levels of job control are not necessarily advantageous for work-related well-being of eldercare workers.

Job Stress and Agentic–Communal Personality Traits Related to Serum Cortisol Levels of Male Workers in a Japanese Medium-Sized Company: A Cross-Sectional Study

Although serum cortisol is a widely accepted index of stress levels, associations between job stress and cortisol levels have been inconsistent. Individual differences in personality traits were discussed as one compelling explanation for this discrepancy. Agentic-communal personality traits have been examined as possible predictive factors for psychological stress. This study investigated correlations among agentic-communal personality traits and serum cortisol levels. It was also investigated whether job stress levels modified correlations between agentic-communal personality and cortisol levels. Participants were 198 male workers (mean age = 52.2years) employed by a shipbuilding company in Japan. Questionnaire data and blood samples were collected during an annual health checkup. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) that assesses job control as job stress levels the Communion-Agency scale (CAS) and questions regarding health behaviors. Communion positively correlated with serum cortisol levels and unmitigated agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels. Stratified by job control, communion positively correlated with serum cortisol levels and agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels in participants with low levels of job control. Unmitigated agency negatively correlated with serum cortisol levels in participants with high levels of job control. Levels of job control may modify correlations of gender-related personality with serum cortisol levels. Especially with exposure to high job stress, male workers with high femininity (i.e., high communion and low agency) were more likely to have a high stress response as measured by serum cortisol levels.

P1-313 Work-related factors of insomnia among hospital doctors

IntroductionThis study aimed to elucidate the relationship of night duty, on-call duty, average working hours and job stress to insomnia among hospital doctors.MethodsQuestionnaires including job factors and the Brief Job...

Endocrinological and psychological responses to job stressors: An experimental test of the Job Demand–Control Model

The buffer hypothesis of the Job Demand-Control Model predicts that high levels of job control compensate for the negative effects of high job demands on well-being and health. Several studies have tested this hypothesis, but the results are far from consistent. The objective of this study was to test the buffer hypothesis with respect to psychological (subjective well-being) and physiological (salivary cortisol) indicators of job strain, using an experimental study design. Seventy-seven men and women worked at a simulated computer workplace for more than two hours. Job demands and job control were manipulated in a 2 (job demands: high vs. low)×2 (job control: high vs. low)×7 (time of measurement) study design. Demands were operationalized in terms of workload, and pacing control (self-paced vs. machine-paced) was used as a job control manipulation. As dependent variables, subjective well-being and salivary cortisol were measured at seven time points during the experiment (T1-T7). In line with the buffer hypothesis, high control eliminated the impact of high demands on salivary cortisol responses. The hypothesis was supported by a predicted significant three-way interaction of demands, control and time of measurement (p<.001), qualified by the absence of significant effects of the independent variables at T1 and T2 due to lagged cortisol reactions, and significant two-way interactions of demands and control, as predicted by the model, at the five remaining times of measurement (T3-T7): high demands led to increased cortisol reactions only in the low control condition. In contrast, no main or interaction effects of the independent variables were found for subjective well-being. This discrepancy between physiological and psychological stress reactions might be due to the lack of specificity inherent in measures of subjective well-being, due to lagged psychological reactions, or due to self-report biases in the subjective measures. In sum, this study provides the first clear-cut experimental evidence for the idea that the negative impact of high job demands on endocrinological responses can be buffered by high levels of job control.