Higher Work Satisfaction Research Articles

Human Capital Performance in Manufacturing Companies in Indonesia: Analysis of the Influence of Team Work Management and Work satisfaction

The manufacturing industry requires skilled human resources personnel who can work effectively in teams and have high work satisfaction because these factors can contribute significantly to the company's performance and competitiveness. The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of teamwork management and work satisfaction on human capital performance in manufacturing companies. The sample used was 200 respondents, as determined by the purposive sampling method. The study's results confirmed that teamwork management and work satisfaction positively and significantly affect human capital performance. Management that supports this collaboration can reduce stress levels and increase employee engagement, which strengthens the company's performance and competitiveness of human capital. In addition, work satisfaction can also reduce stress levels and employee turnover, contributing to the stability and efficiency of human capital. This study's results are expected to guide manufacturing companies in building stronger and more competitive human resources, ultimately supporting economic growth and Indonesia's position in the global supply chain

Being Active in Working Life at Age 60, 66, and 72

This study examines associations between participation in working life and sociodemographic, health, and work environment factors among people aged 60, 66, and 72 years. The agestratified logistic regression analysis used data from 2001–2003 (T1) and 2013–2015 (T2) derived from The Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care. Further, interaction variables with time*independent variables explored differences in those associations over time. We found positive associations between being active in working life and male gender (age 66 and 72), higher education (all age groups), higher professional level (age 60 and 66), better health (age 60 and 66), less negative work experiences (mainly age 60), light level of physical activity at work (age 60 and 66), higher work satisfaction (age 60 and 66), and time: that is,T2 vs.T1 (all age groups). Not only health status but also work environment factors were shown to play a significant role in being active in working life at older ages. Our findings verify that authorities need to develop reforms aiming at keeping older people active in working life from a heterogeneous perspective.

Development and validation of the Workplace Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (W-RNSS).

While inadequate relationships in the workplace pose a significant psychosocial risk, quality interpersonal relationships can contribute to positive effects and prevent negative outcomes. Erskine's model of relational needs, not yet studied in the work environment, can provide a more detailed understanding of the needs employees experience in their workplace relationships. We adapted the general Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (RNSS) for coworker relationships and examined the factor structure of relational needs in the workplace and their connections to various work aspects. The sample comprised 273 participants, including both employees and students, in a workplace setting with coworkers. The results show that the Workplace Relational Needs Satisfaction Scale (W-RNSS) is a valid and reliable instrument (α = 0.93 for the total scale and 0.77 < α < 0.89 for the subscales) for measuring relational needs in coworker relationships. A bi-factor model was the most suitable for describing the data (χ 2/df = 1.94, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, NNFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04, AIC = 13289.27, BIC = 13506.29), confirming the previously supported 5-factor structure and the general factor. Satisfaction of relational needs was associated with higher work satisfaction, increased work engagement, greater motivation and lower burnout, underscoring the importance of quality interpersonal relationships among employees. W-RNSS shows potential for researching connections with other work aspects and practical applications in prevention and intervention strategies.

The Mediating Effect of Quality of Work-Life on the Relationship Between Career Self-Management and Well-Being of Public-School Teachers

This study determined the mediating effect of quality of work-life (QWL) on the relationship between career self-management and the well-being of public-school teachers in Carmen District, Davao del Norte, Philippines. A positive work environment fosters active participation in career self-management, ultimately leading to greater teacher well-being. Employing a quantitative descriptive-correlation design, the study surveyed 300 public elementary and high school teachers. Findings revealed high levels of career self-management, well-being, and QWL among teachers. Seeking advice emerged as the strongest indicator of career self-management, highlighting a collaborative learning culture. While teachers reported high work satisfaction and a strong sense of purpose, there is room for improvement in promoting teacher visibility within the professional community. Significant positive relationships were found between all three variables. This suggests that teachers who actively manage their careers experience greater well-being and perceive a higher quality of work life. Additionally, a positive work environment contributes to teachers’ overall well-being. The study further revealed a mediating effect of QWL, indicating that teachers’ proactive career management strategies partially influence their well-being through the quality of their work environment. With this, educational leaders can cultivate a supportive work environment by promoting teacher visibility, fostering a positive organizational culture, and providing adequate resources. By addressing these factors, educational institutions can enhance teacher well-being, ultimately leading to a thriving educational community and improved outcomes for all stakeholders.

Well-being, turnover intention, and stigma attitudes of mental health transition-to-practice nurses: A cross-sectional study.

There is global recognition that mental health nursing can be stressful and have detrimental effects on nurses' well-being and retention. With substantial nursing shortages, there is an urgent need to attract and retain nurses to sustain this workforce and provide effective mental healthcare. Mental health transition programs provide vital recruitment pathways and support novice registered nurses, enrolled nurses and experienced registered generalist nurses moving into this field. There is little evidence, however, on the well-being, resilience, and retention of nurses transitioning into mental health. The primary aims for this cross-sectional study were to describe demographic characteristics, perceived stress, well-being, resilience, mental illness stigma attitudes, work satisfaction, and turnover intention of four nurse cohorts entering mental health transition programs: generalist registered nurses, graduate and post-graduate registered nurses, and enrolled nurses; to explore relationships between these variables; and explore differences between these four nurse cohorts. Findings (n = 87) included overall moderate perceived stress, moderate well-being and resilience, high work satisfaction, low stigma, and low turnover intention. Higher turnover intention was associated with lower age and work satisfaction, and higher perceived stress. Generalist RNs had significantly higher stress and stigmatizing attitudes than Enrolled Nurses. Secondary analysis of well-being scores identified 14 nurses with scores indicating depression, with significantly lower resilience and work satisfaction, and significantly higher stress than the rest of the sample. To help prevent attrition, it is vital that mental health services provide tailored well-being initiatives during transition and intervene early to provide support for nurses with mental distress.

The division of work in Senegalese conventional and alternative food networks: a contributive justice perspective

Labor conditions and rights are a key justice issue in agri-food systems, particularly in global, capitalized and industrialized food supply chains. While alternative food networks have emerged to produce and distribute food outside these logics, their ability to provide more equitable work conditions remains widely debated. We examine equity issues in the division of labor in food exchange networks in the horticultural sector of Senegal from the perspective of contributive justice. Contributive justice considers more broadly how different qualities of work are distributed and how work is perceived by the workers themselves. We performed 71 interviews of workers participating in three food exchange networks: (1) the conventional horticultural supply chain from the Niayes production area to Dakar, (2) an NGO-supported organic food network also supplying goods from Niayes to Dakar and (3) a community-supported agriculture scheme in a peri-urban coastal area. We investigated how functions and tasks are distributed along gender, ethnicity, place of origin and education characteristics of workers and how they qualify their tasks in terms of satisfaction and tediousness. We found a sharp labor division along gender, education and ethnic characteristics in the conventional network and a less sharp one in the two alternative networks. However, worker participants in alternative networks tend to belong to local elites and rarely include more disadvantaged people; they also tend to be less specialized and perform several functions, but do not necessarily express better work satisfaction. Workers who perform highly tedious tasks in the conventional network show rather surprising high work satisfaction. Based on these findings, we discuss the interplays between external and situated perceptions of work and the organization of food supply chains. This allows to critically examine the transformative potential of alternative food networks in the context of a lower-middle income country such as Senegal.

Digital transition in rural emergency medicine: Impact of job satisfaction and workload on communication and technology acceptance.

Tele-emergency physicians (TEPs) take an increasingly important role in the need-oriented provision of emergency patient care. To improve emergency medicine in rural areas, we set up the project 'Rural|Rescue', which uses TEPs to restructure professional rescue services using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to reduce the therapy-free interval. Successful implementation of ICTs relies on user acceptance and knowledge sharing behavior. We conducted a factorial design with active knowledge transfer and technology acceptance as a function of work satisfaction (high vs. low), workload (high vs. low) and point in time (prior to vs. after digitalization). Data were collected via machine readable questionnaires issued to 755 persons (411 pre, 344 post), of which 304 or 40.3% of these persons responded (194 pre, 115 post). Technology acceptance was higher after the implementation of TEP for nurses but not for other professions, and it was higher when the workload was high. Regarding active communication and knowledge sharing, employees with low work satisfaction are more likely to share their digital knowledge as compared to employees with high work satisfaction. This is an effect of previous knowledge concerning digitalization: After implementing the new technology, work satisfaction increased for the more experienced employees, but not for the less experienced ones. Our research illustrates that employees' workload has an impact on the intention of using digital applications. The higher the workload, the more people are willing to use TEPs. Regarding active knowledge sharing, we see that employees with low work satisfaction are more likely to share their digital knowledge compared to employees with high work satisfaction. This might be attributed to the Dunning-Kruger effect. Highly knowledgeable employees initially feel uncertain about the change, which translates into temporarily lower work satisfaction. They feel the urge to fill even small knowledge gaps, which in return leads to higher work satisfaction. Those responsible need to acknowledge that digital change affects their employees' workflow and work satisfaction. During such times, employees need time and support to gather information and knowledge in order to cope with digitally changed tasks.

High work satisfaction despite high workload among European organic mixed livestock farmers: a mixed-method approach

Organic mixed livestock farming offers a range of potential benefits for the environment. Due to the diversification of enterprises, this farming system can be associated with a high workload, which means that it could be socially unsustainable. The aim of this study was to understand and explain work satisfaction of farmers running an organic mixed livestock farm. Using a mixed-method approach, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 102 farmers in seven European countries during face-to-face interviews. We showed for the first time that across Europe and different animal species and category combinations, organic mixed livestock farms can provide a high work satisfaction, despite a high workload. By using a mixed-method approach and a clear framework, we aimed at better understanding work satisfaction. Underlying reasons for work satisfaction included the diversity of tasks, opportunities to learn, autonomy in the work schedule, perceived acknowledgement by consumers, and the contribution to sustainable food production. Factors contributing to work satisfaction identified in the analysis of quantitative data included workload, number of livestock units, mental complexity, proportion of work peaks per year, and the match between wanted free time and time taken off work. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data allowed a deeper understanding of farmers’ work satisfaction and revealed consistent findings. Future research should investigate the relationship between farmers’ work satisfaction and capacity for innovation, flexibility, and adaptation potential.

KEPUASAN KERJA DENGAN KOMITMEN ORGANISASI PADA PEMADAM KEBAKARAN DI KABUPATEN SIDOARJO

The purpose of this research is to know how to relate job satisfaction with the organization's commitment to firefighters in sidoarjo district. This kind of research USES quantitative research. Hypothetical testing. This research sample is sidoarjo county PMK with a total of 78 samples. Data processing is done using version 25 of the SPSS device. Research shows that working satisfaction in the NCG region's ncd-d-2 region is low, sufficient, and high, where most of the work satisfaction of the respondents is low enough (70%), while the high work satisfaction alone is 13 (17%) and the low job satisfaction of 10 respondents (13%). However, the rupiah still had a chance to strengthen to rp9,100 per dollar, he said.

Tuberculosis treatment management in primary healthcare sectors: a mixed-methods study investigating delivery status and barriers from organisational and patient perspectives

ObjectiveTuberculosis (TB) treatment management services (TTMSs) are crucial for improving patient treatment adherence. Under the TB integrated control model in China, healthcare workers (HCWs) in the primary healthcare (PHC) sectors...

Work Satisfaction Levels of Music Therapists in the United States: A Mixed Methods Analysis

This mixed methods study reports levels of work satisfaction of music therapists working in the United States. A total of 1,154 board-certified music therapists completed a 28-question survey focused on their workplace, work, and professional development experiences, along with their levels of stress, burnout, and happiness. Two open-ended questions asked respondents to reflect on their identities as music therapists. Composite work satisfaction scores were subsequently divided into quartiles, characterizing high, moderate, and low work satisfaction groups. Music therapists reporting high work satisfaction indicated significantly higher levels of positive agreement with questions regarding work satisfaction than did music therapists reporting moderate or low work satisfaction. Work satisfaction was also significantly associated with stress, burnout, and happiness. The profiles of music therapists reporting high, moderate, and low work satisfaction were further connected to their identities as music therapists, illuminating the characteristics of music therapists who are thriving, those who are moderately satisfied at work, and those who are struggling. These profiles provide insights into the occupational wellbeing of the profession.

Finding the positives from the COVID-19 pandemic: factors associated with posttraumatic growth among nurses in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Background Due to active involvement with patients for COVID-19 treatments, nurses are susceptible to adverse psychological outcomes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the distress, studies have suggested that nurses are able to experience positive changes (i.e. posttraumatic growth; PTG) during the pandemic. Research on other populations has also indicated that COVID-19-specific worries and work-related coping resources are associated with people’s positive changes during the pandemic. Objective This study examined how socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related worries, and work-related variables (satisfaction with work and workplace pandemic guidelines) were associated with PTG among nurses in Hong Kong. Methods Nurses (N = 1510) working in hospitals and community settings were recruited through nursing associations in Hong Kong between 8 August 2020 and 22 September 2020. They were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey measuring their sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 worries, and satisfaction with work and workplace pandemic-control measures. Results Results from hierarchical regressions found that those working non-full-time (β = −0.06), affiliating with a religion (β = 0.24), having higher COVID-19-related worries and psychological distress (βs ranging from 0.12–0.15), and having higher work satisfaction (β = 0.14) were associated with higher PTG (ps < .05). Moreover, a significant interaction between psychological distress and satisfaction with workplace pandemic control guidelines emerged in explaining PTG (β = 0.08, p < .05), such that guideline satisfaction was only associated with higher PTG among those with higher distress (β = 0.09, p = .03), but not those with lower distress (β = −0.05, p > .05). Conclusions Nurses in Hong Kong did report positive changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies could focus on the contributing factors of PTG to design for effective strategies to enhance resources for nurses to promote positive psychosocial outcomes.

INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE ON EMPLOYEES’ ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION

The article considers the influence of corporate socio-psychological climate on employees’ achievement motivation. Socio-psychological climate is regarded as an integral characteristic of the system of interpersonal relations within a group and an attitude toward professional activity and a component of corporate culture. Achievement motivation is associated with an individual striving to perform better and reach high outcomes which can be recognized as successful. Achievement motivation is reckoned as a combination of two motives – a motive to achieve success and a motive to avoid failure. Based on the findings of empirical research, the authors analyzed the correlation between the levels of socio-psychological climate (assessed by organization employees) and the levels of achievement motivation. It was found that surveyed company employees demonstrated an average level of psychological climate, which is characterized by higher indices of responsibility, unity, and good organization. Such indices as awareness and sociability predominated in participants with a low level of corporate SPC. It was established that respondents had medium high and average levels of motivation to achieve success. Thus, a higher level of psychological climate is followed by higher work satisfaction than at a lower level of SPC. An analysis of correlations between levels of socio-psychological climate and achievement motivation proves that respondents with average SPC have a medium high or somewhat high level of motivation to achieve success and average and somewhat low levels of motivation to avoid failure. Average and somewhat low levels of motivation to achieve success and somewhat high and average levels of motivation to avoid failure is peculiar to respondents with low SPC. A correlation between indicators of unity, responsibility, organized nature, and collectivism and motivation to achieve success was determined. As a result, one can believe that in companies with a more favorable psychological climate, employees have somewhat higher indices of motivation to achieve success.

A primer of an in-depth resilience status for German medical graduates: results of a cross-sectional survey on the status quo of resilience among graduates of human medicine in Bavaria, Germany - a necessary step in building an emotionally equipped healthcare work-force

BackgroundResilience is a widely-used catchword in the last couple of years to describe the resistance to psychological strains of life, especially for the healthcare work-force. The promises of resilience to burnout sound great and what we all would want: less health impairment despite stress, higher work satisfaction and last but not least higher work performance. There is research that shows that students and physicians have high emotional distress and low resilience, yet comparably little is known which aspects of resilience are exactly impaired in the upcoming work-force. With our study we investigated the in-depth resilience status of medical graduates from five medical schools within their first year after graduation. In this, additionally to assessing the resilience status as a whole we investigate the answers on the singular items and the relationship of the resilience status with neighboring constructs.MethodsIn 2018, 1610 human medical graduates from five Bavarian medical schools were asked to take part at cross-sectional Bavarian graduate survey (Bayerische Absolventenstudie Medizin, MediBAS). The response rate was 38,07, 60% of the participants were female. For the identification of the in-depth resilience status we included the 5-point Likert 10-Item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, German Version in a graduate survey posted to 5 medical schools and over 1610 eligible participants of whom 610 (60% female) filled out at least parts of the survey. To identify relationships to other aspects we posed further questionnaires.ResultsThe resilience status showed a mean resilience score of M = 37.1 (SD = 6.30). The score ranges from 3.22 (I am not easily discouraged by failure) to 4.26 (I am able to adapt to change). One third of the participants chose not to answer the item “I am able to handle unpleasant feeling”. Relationships to job satisfaction, scientific competence and stress are presented in the article.ConclusionsThe study shows that the overall resilience status of medical graduates one year after their graduation is rather high, but subjectively they do not feel equivalently resilient for the different aspects they face in their job. Especially, how to handle their emotions seems to be challenging for some of the young physicians. In the article we sketch ideas how to handle the specific training needs the study has identified.

Crossed effects of audio-visual environment on indoor soundscape perception for pleasant open-plan office environments

An open-plan office (OPO) layout promotes communication and teamwork among workers and provides flexibility in working; however, it also adversely affects work satisfaction, health, and worker privacy, leading to dissatisfaction and poor task performance. In this study, the subjective responses in an audio-visual OPO environment were analyzed to investigate the effects of the environment on indoor soundscape perception for designing pleasant OPOs. The outdoor environments of four OPOs with four different visual layouts were divided based on two conditions with different window views (good and bad views) to model eight visual stimuli. The auditory aspect was evaluated by computer simulation using three sound sources. For subjective assessment, virtual reality technology was employed with 24 audio-visual stimuli, and thirty-four subjects were asked to rate the perceived affective quality and overall quality. Task performance was quantified using auditory digit span tasks. The spatial preference decreased with the Loud, Variable, and Reverberant attributes and increased with the Bright, Orderly, and Wide attributes. For the same OPO soundscape, the window area ratio and floor area showed positive correlations with visual privacy, visual satisfaction, speech privacy, and sound satisfaction. However, work satisfaction and task performance exhibited contradictory relationships with the visual parameters. Furthermore, wide, open workspaces yielded high work satisfaction, whereas narrow, confined work spaces yielded high task performance. These results indicate that the relationship between work satisfaction and task performance must be considered for a balanced OPO design, providing practical guidance for designing pleasant OPO environments.

Nurse Motivation, Engagement and Well-Being before an Electronic Medical Record System Implementation: A Mixed Methods Study.

Implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) is a significant workplace event for nurses in hospitals. Understanding nurses’ key concerns can inform EMR implementation and ongoing optimisation strategies to increase the likelihood of nurses remaining in the nursing workforce. This concurrent mixed-methods study included surveys from 540 nurses (response rate 15.5%), and interviews with 63 nurses to examine their perceptions of using a new EMR prior to implementation at a single healthcare organisation. Survey findings revealed 32.2% (n = 174) of nurses reported low well-being scores and 28.7% (n = 155) were experiencing burnout symptoms. In contrast, 40.3% (n = 216) of nurses reported high work satisfaction, 62.3% (n = 334) had high intentions of staying in their role, and 34.3% (n = 185) were engaged in their work. Nearly half (n = 250, 46.3%) reported intrinsic motivation towards EMR use. Thematic analysis of focus group interviews revealed two themes, each with three subthemes: (1) Us and Them, detailed the juxtaposition between nurses’ professional role and anticipated changes imposed on them and their work with the EMR implementation; and (2) Stuck in the middle, revealed nurses’ expectations and anticipations about how the EMR may affect the quality of nurse-patient relationships. In conclusion, anticipation of the EMR implementation emerged as a stressor for nursing staff, with some groups of nurses particularly vulnerable to negative consequences to their well-being.

Associating Psychological Factors With Workplace Satisfaction and Position Duration in a Sample of International School Teachers.

To be an effective teacher, a combination of specific professional skills and psychological attributes are required. With increasingly fluid employment conditions, particularly in the international context, recruiters and schools are under considerable pressure to quickly differentiate candidates and make successful placements, which involves more than just determining if a candidate holds an appropriate qualification. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to measure theoretically and empirically valuable psychological attributes in an international sample of schoolteachers to determine the most valuable correlates of satisfaction and position duration. An international sample (N = 335) of elementary, middle and high school teachers completed an online survey to capture their workplace satisfaction, position duration and measure 15 psychological attributes using validated instruments. Linear associations were estimated using hierarchical regression with this analysis complemented and compared with follow-up non-linear neural network models. Using regression, lower agreeableness (less people-oriented) emerged as the strongest correlate of longer position duration throughout the cohort. In elementary school teachers, lower impulsivity and higher organizational commitment emerged as the strongest correlates of longer position duration. In high school teachers, better stress tolerance and higher organizational commitment emerged as the strongest correlates of longer position duration. Using neural networks to suggest predictive models, low levels of neuroticism and impulsivity were the strongest predictors of longer position duration in elementary school teachers. High stress tolerance also predicted high work satisfaction in elementary teachers, whereas it was lower impulsivity that most strongly predicted higher work satisfaction in high school teachers. Innovation tendencies, perhaps surprisingly, appeared as a consistent predictor of lower levels of workplace satisfaction across teaching levels. Honesty-humility also emerged as a predictor of shorter position duration, particularly for primary/elementary teachers scoring above the mean. Taken together the results suggest an interesting balancing act that needs to be struck between hiring people-oriented and innovative teachers who may be more effective and adaptable but also at greater risk of changing position, possibly due to an increased interest and ability to transition into new social environments.

Russian working youth: Strategies to achieve wellbeing

The article presents the results of the analysis of strategies to achieve wellbeing among Russian working youth. The analysis is based on the survey of 1121 respondents between 20 and 30 years old, living in Moscow and major cities of eight federal districts of Russia. The article describes the following five strategies. (1) “Familism” is a predominantly female strategy directed at attaining a work-life balance. It is characterized by high life satisfaction, low work and career satisfaction, as well as by low labor mobility. (2) “Rational consumerism” includes the economical use of family resources and savings activities. It reflects the predominance of materialistic values, an orientation towards a moderate and quiet life, and the absence of professional ambitions. (3) “Networking and entrepreneurship” is a pronounced achievementoriented strategy directed at the accumulation of social capital and entrepreneurial activity. The strategy is characterized by moral nihilism and by orientations towards personal responsibility and self-efficiency. (4) “Investing in professional development” is a work-centric strategy focused on increasing professional knowledge and the acquisition of new professional skills, together with increasing work efforts. This is a predominantly male strategy, more typical for respondents from Russian regions compared to Moscow. (5) “Civic activism” is a less frequently mentioned strategy directed at protecting one’s rights and participation in public and political life. It is common mainly for those living in Moscow. The analysis reveals that these five strategies are shaped by different combinations of the respondents’ individual characteristics, values and orientations, industry of employment, residency, and organizational practices. It was determined that some strategies are developed by the mechanism of accumulating advantages while others are predominantly compensatory in their nature.

Coping Mechanisms: Exploring Strategies Utilized by Japanese Healthcare Workers to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major problem affecting the mental health of millions of people, including healthcare workers. In this study, we analyzed risk factors and coping mechanisms that could reduce the risk of poor mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted for 7 days from 30 April 2020 using a web-based questionnaire. The survey assessed various outcome measures, including the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), health status, satisfaction with daily life activities, work, leisure, and new activities, and anxiety over COVID-19. Data from 661 participants were analyzed, and 440 participants (66.6%) showed poor mental health (GHQ-12 ≥ 4). Also, our result showed that female gender, lower levels of communication with friends, and high anxiety were associated with poorer mental health. In contrast, good health status, high work satisfaction, and high satisfaction from new activities were associated with buffering mental health problem. Most participants chose an escape-avoidance coping strategy, and participants with worse mental health were more likely to adopt seeking social support as a coping strategy. These results may support healthcare workers to cope with mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can high performance work practices and satisfaction predict job performance?An examination of the Malaysian private health-care sector

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the effects of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) (participation, training and compensation) on nurses’ job performance (task and contextual) through the mediating role of job satisfaction. As nurses form the bulk of health-care professionals, their performance at work is crucial in determining patient satisfaction regarding care quality. HPWPs have been recognized as having the ability to affect employees’ work attitudes and behaviours positively. Specifically, these practices foster job performance.Design/methodology/approachSelf-administered questionnaires were used to collect the survey data on 639 staff nurses working in large private hospitals in Malaysia. Data were subsequently analysed using the partial least squares method.FindingsThe findings indicate that job satisfaction serves to mediate the relationships between the three HPWPs (participation, training and compensation) and the two dimensions of job performance (task performance and contextual performance).Research limitations/implicationsFirst, as all variables were measured using self-reports, a common-method bias could exist (Podsakoffet al., 2003). Hence, future researchers may want to combine self-assessments and supervisory or peer assessment to improve the validity of the outcomes. Second, the cross-sectional nature of this study limits our ability to make causal inferences. Bias could happen because the study examined both exogenous and endogenous variables at the same time. Thus, a longitudinal approach taken in the future could cross-validate the current findings and provide additional support regarding the causality of the HPWPs-job performance relationship. Third, the data were collected from staff nurses working in large private hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia. Thus, one should be careful to generalize the findings to different health-care professional groups and organizations.Practical implicationsFrom the practical perspective, it is evident from the findings that as job satisfaction is able to enhance job performance and given the need for nurses to provide quality health-care services, private hospital authorities concerned with encouraging greater job performance among their nursing workforce need to provide adequate support to their employees. This could be achieved through the implementation of HPWPs. Perceptions of the extent of a hospital’s HPWPs in terms of participation, training and compensation, have significant and positive effects on nurses’ level of job satisfaction. Therefore, it would be worthwhile for private hospitals to encourage more opportunities for nurses to participate in decision-making regarding their work. In addition, frequent training activities will be able to enhance nurses’ knowledge, skills and abilities, resulting in greater satisfactionOriginality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the effects of HPWPs on nurses’ job performance in the Malaysian private health-care context. As studies using Eastern samples are relatively limited, the findings from this study would serve to expand the extant literature from a cross-cultural perspective.