Workplace Interactions Research Articles

Workers’ experiences of pregnancy loss: qualitative insights from a mixed-methods study

Abstract Background Pregnancy loss affects approximately one in four pregnancies. The workplace is an important context to consider in pregnancy loss experiences as most women of reproductive age are in paid employment. Currently in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) there are no statutory leave entitlements if a pregnancy ends <24 weeks. Given the lack of research in this area internationally, we aimed to explore workplace experiences of early pregnancy loss. Methods In 2023, we conducted an online mixed-methods survey study (Mar-Apr), followed by qualitative interviews (Jun-Sept). People who experienced a pregnancy loss <24 weeks-whilst working and living in ROI in the preceding five years-were eligible to participate. The survey was distributed through professional/social networks and contained quantitative and qualitative questions-addressing pregnancy loss, experiences of workplace supports, and desired supports. Survey participants were asked to indicate their willingness to participate in a follow-up interview and were purposively sampled. The interview topic guide focused on specific aspects of workplace experiences which required further exploration following preliminary analysis of survey responses. Qualitative data were analysed in NVivo using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Most survey participants (N = 913) were female (74%), employed full-time (86%) and experienced a first-trimester miscarriage (75%). We conducted interviews with 13 people, across a range of demographics. Three initial themes were identified: (1) Personal experiences of pregnancy loss and dealing with emotional and physical impacts at work; (2) Challenges with the social side of pregnancy loss-disclosure and workplace interactions; (3) Workplace supports (4) Public policy and awareness. Conclusions Our analysis highlights the need for statutory leave, appropriate workplace policies and procedures, and education and training to better support workers who experience pregnancy loss. Key messages • There is a gap between workers’ needs and workplace supports regarding pregnancy loss <24 weeks gestation. Statutory leave, workplace policies and procedures, and education and training, are needed. • There is a need to discuss pregnancy loss in workplaces and society, to raise awareness and reduce the stigma/taboo on the topic. Recognition from Government is crucial to promote this.

Help! I Have Been Thinking to Do It Lately: Workplace Mistreatment and Suicidal Ideation Among Internship Students in Klang Valley

Workplace mistreatment, such as bullying, abusive supervision, and interpersonal conflict, is increasingly conceded as a critical issue affecting the mental health of junior professionals, particularly interns. Due to their momentary status, high expectations, and lack of support, interns are highly susceptible to negative workplace interactions that can lead to severe psychological outcomes such as including suicidal ideation. Drawing on the Fluid Vulnerability Theory, this study aims to examine the prevalence and impact of various forms of workplace mistreatment on suicidal ideation among internship students in Malaysia, providing insights for effective intervention strategies. The study used a cross-sectional research design and involved 247 internship students from the Faculty of Business and Management at UiTM Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire assessing experiences of workplace bullying, abusive supervision, interpersonal conflict, and suicidal ideation. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis, were employed to examine the relationships between the variables. The analysis revealed significant correlations between workplace bullying, abusive supervision, and interpersonal conflict with suicidal ideation. Regression models indicated that workplace bullying and interpersonal conflict were significant predictors of suicidal ideation, accentuating the critical need for targeted interventions in educational and professional environments. The findings suggest that workplace mistreatment significantly contributes to suicidal ideation among interns, highlighting the importance of developing supportive interventions and policies. Addressing workplace mistreatment through targeted programs can improve mental health outcomes for young professionals and foster healthier work environments.

Physician development through interprofessional workplace interactions: A critical review.

Increasingly, medical training aims to develop physicians who are competent collaborators. Although interprofessional interactions are inevitable elements of medical trainees' workplace learning experiences, the existing literature lacks a cohesive model to conceptualise the learning potential residing in these interactions. We conducted a critical review of the health professions and related educational literatures to generate an empirically and theoretically informed description of medical trainees' workplace interactions with other health professionals, including learning mechanisms and outcomes. Informed by Teunissen's conceptualisation of workplace learning, we highlight the individual, social and situated dimensions of learning from interprofessional workplace interactions. Workplace interactions between medical trainees and other health professionals tend to be brief, spontaneous, informal and often implicit without the predefined educational goals and roles that structure trainees' relationships with physician supervisors. Yet they hold potential for developing trainees' knowledge and skills germane to the work of a physician as well as building their capacity for collaboration. Our review identified a spectrum of learning theories helpful for examining what and how trainees learn from these interactions. Self-regulated learning theories focus attention on how learning depends on trainees interpreting and judging the cues offered by other health professionals. Sociocultural frameworks including the zone of proximal development and legitimate peripheral participation emphasise the ways other health professionals support trainees in performing tasks at the border of their abilities and facilitate trainees' participation in clinical work. Both the landscapes of practice theory and cultural historical activity theory highlight the influence of surrounding social, cultural and material environments. These theories are unified into cohesive model and demonstrated through an illustrative example. Interprofessional workplace interactions harbour a range of learning opportunities for medical trainees. Capitalising on their potential can contribute to training collaborative practice-ready physicians alongside traditional intra-professional interactions between physicians and merits future research.

Identity work responses to workplace stigmatization: Power positions, authenticity, religious coping and religious accommodation for skilled practising Muslim professionals

AbstractDespite the challenges Muslims face because of their stigmatized religious identity, little is known about how they navigate that identity in the workplace. Adopting an interpretivist perspective of identity work, this study investigates this issue by building on two‐round in‐depth interviews (35 in round‐one and 21 in round‐two) with skilled practising British Muslim professionals. It extends work on power positions to show the privileges those in senior managerial positions have, including assertiveness and control over workplace interactions and outcomes. It further advances understanding of authenticity, revealing that, despite their experiences of stigmatization, these professionals tend to remain true to their religious identity, openly practising their religion in the workplace. They perceive identity re‐interpretation to be part of authenticity, and a responsibility to contest religious stigma. Importantly, this study conceptualizes proactive religious coping as an identity work response to workplace stigmatization, theorized in this organizational context as turning to God and religious rituals for meaning, comfort, resilience and reconciliation, whilst also being proactive and fighting to challenge experiences of stigmatization. However, unlike for other stigmatized groups, inclusive organizational practices, particularly religious accommodation, are not a driver for authenticity, but rather a signal for environment‐fit and authenticity is instead driven by religious identity.

The potential dark side of remote work transformation: a social vulnerability and relational perspective

The global COVID-19 pandemic led many organizations and employees to abruptly adopt remote work. This remote work transformation has broadly encompassed individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds (e.g. ethnicity, gender) and job roles. A multi-level, conceptual model is developed that explores its potential dark side, particularly for women and ethnic minorities. Drawing on social vulnerability theory and the relational framework of diversity, this manuscript explores how disproportionate exposure to remote work, surveillance and disciplinary mechanisms, along with adverse job and wage loss, job insecurity, and psychological health impacts for women and ethnic minorities may potentially permeate their workplace interactions and stimulate interpersonal conflict. Moreover, this model incorporates these relationships within their broader social context, shaped by the legislative framework and shared cultural beliefs such as social difference codes. Nevertheless, this model elucidates how certain organizational approaches to diversity management can potentially alleviate these disproportionate outcomes. Theoretical implications, future research directions, and recommendations for policy and practice are highlighted.

Modeling Organizations’ Responses to Employee Disclosure at Work: An Organizational Economics Approach

Employee disclosure refers to the process of revealing personal information about oneself with others in a workplace setting. This type of disclosure also greatly influences organizational culture, policies, and workplace interactions. Modeling such disclosure scenarios using an organizational economics approach addresses communication challenges faced by businesses dealing with the respective disclosure(s). Further, it allows for uncovering the most effective ways to communicate disclosure procedures and policies to employees and employers. This, in turn, will lead to (a) improved corporate training practices for employee disclosure in business communication settings and (b) increased overall productivity measures for organizational members.

The framing of Sikh Americans: White Christonormativity, discursive hyper(in)visibilities, and racialization of religion

ABSTRACT We use discourse tracing analysis to examine Sikh media representations across four U.S. newspapers in the last two decades. Guided by the theory of hyper(in)visibility, our study focuses on how representations are othered and erased through various types of discursive hyperinvisibilities, such as myopic, faulty, hazy, and selective visibilities deployed within White Christonormative structures of interpretation. Such othering and erasure then result in the looping of media reports emphasizing stereotypes, misidentification, homogenization, and simplification over 18 years, reinforcing the racialization of religious minorities in a unidimensional way that perpetuates minoritization through discursive tactics of hyper(in)visibility of multiple marginalized groups. These representations have implications that trickle down into real-world intercultural interactions across various spheres of life, including multicultural community settings and workplace interactions, and extend to policy implications such as surveillance architectures. The practical consequences result in intercultural communication outcomes involving hate speech, violence, stereotyping, and microaggressions.

Self-translations in multilingual workplace interaction

Self-translations in multilingual workplace interaction

The impact of national culture in predicting informal learning behaviors

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of Hofstede’s six national cultural dimensions on informal learning behaviors (ILBs) and how they moderate the prediction of these behaviors by workplace interaction (WI), autonomy (WA) and readiness to learn (RtL). Design/methodology/approach Cultural scores were extracted from The Culture Factor Group in 2023. Data on ILBs and their antecedents were selected from a Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies sample of 59,103 workers – 33 Countries. The authors applied hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyze data. Findings None of those cultural dimensions had significant direct relationships with ILBs. The moderations were significant for power distance (ILBs with WA and RtL), individualism (ILBs with WI) and motivation toward achievement and success (ILBs with WA). Research limitations/implications The cultural dimensions were limited to Hofstede’s model, and scores at the country level did not consider individual perceptions of them. The results provide empirical evidence for solid theoretical development on the impact of national culture on informal learning and the development of public policies to promote it. Originality/value The authors are unaware of other studies that have quantitatively investigated relationships between ILBs and their antecedents and the cultural dimensions using HLM. Findings from different countries allow for better generalization and may provide directions for research and the expansion of the nomological network on the impact of national culture on ILBs.

You are Under Arrest: Language Use for Social Power Construction in Institutional Discourse

This article investigates the ways in which language is employed in the construction of social power in selected institutional discourses. Speech acts theory and Fairclough’s concept of language and power serve as the study’s theoretical anchor. Data were generated through (non)participant observations in a five-year fieldwork to examine the peculiarities in instantiating social power using specific terms in workplace interactions involving participants with unequal power derived from the social roles they perform within the scope of this study. During the period, institutional discourses that demonstrate the enactment of social power in medical, religious, political, legal, academic and security domains in Calabar Metropolis, South-south Nigeria, were closely observed and documented. The linguistic choices show institutional and power differentials in the rehearsal of social power among discourse participants where one wields more than the other(s). Social power, as demonstrated, is dynamic and excised using the domain’s registers and enacted towards the punishment, reward, confinement, reformation, freedom or general wellbeing of the recipient. The study enriches the understanding of how social power holders rely on inferred authority and certification from their professional affiliations and work conventions to construct and maintain social power.

유아교사의 직장 내 사회적지지가 교사-유아 상호작용에 미치는 영향에서 놀이교수효능감의 매개효과

Objectives This study examined the mediating effect of play teaching efficacy in the relationship between early childhood teachers’ social support within the workplace and teacher-child interactions. Methods The data were collected from 123 teachers in preschooler classes at daycare centers and 119 homeroom teachers in kindergartens in the Seoul metropolitan area to find out social support in the workplace, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. Results Firstly, there were significant positive correlations among early childhood teachers’ social support within the workplace, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-child interactions. Secondly, play teaching efficacy partially mediated the relationship between early childhood teachers’ social support and teacher-child interactions. Conclusions These results demand that the efforts of the educational settings to enhance positive support for the teachers’ social support. Moreover, the results stressed the need to develop education programs for teachers to encourage play teaching efficacy in order to enhance teacher-child interactions.

Konstruksi Realitas Sosial Tafsir Al-Qur’an pada Unggahan @peachyfraise dalam Media Sosial X

Al-Qur’an is a text that teaches equality and justice between men and women, but the interpretations made by clerics and scholars throughout history are often considered to be influenced by their social and cultural context, which can create gender bias. This bias can occur in various aspects of life, including in the workplace, education, media, and everyday social interactions. In a media context, there was an interesting upload made by the @peachyfraise account on social media X which then received a debate response. This research aims to identify the social construction that occurs in one of the posts about the interpretation of the Al-Qur'an. This research uses a qualitative methodology by applying the social construction theory proposed by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luchkmann. The findings of this research focus on how ready and able individuals are to face the modern world, where they must be able to make decisions regarding their attitudes based on their skills and abilities.

The Complexities of Managing a Multigenerational Academic Workforce in the South African Higher Education Sector

This study examined the human resource management challenges faced by heads of departments in managing a multigenerational academic workforce in the South African higher education sector. A qualitative research approach was followed, and a multiple case study research design was applied. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 16 participants. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and it was analysed thematically with the aid of Atlas.ti. The study revealed several challenges related to the management of a multigenerational academic workforce, namely, differences in career expectations, skills, and experience among generations; conflict management; implementation of plans and strategies; succession planning; and teamwork. The findings have implications for higher education institutions as different generations have varying expectations for career development. Human resource departments should establish clear and transparent career pathways to meet these expectations. The study also provides supporting evidence for the dimensions outlined in the framework for understanding generational identities in organisations. Exploring generational diversity in workplace relationships and interactions within the education context complements the existing research focused on pedagogical aspects and cultural characteristics in academic settings.

Acting authentically: Using play to cultivate authentic interrelating in role performance

SummaryResearch is increasingly demonstrating that authenticity and human connection are fundamental and interrelated human needs. However, organizational roles often constrain authenticity and connection in workplace interactions, especially roles that are highly scripted. People want to feel authentic and connected at work, but they also need to adhere to role expectations. Organizational role scholars have long explored how roles cause feelings of inauthenticity, and more recently, the conditions that promote authenticity. We have limited understanding of how people approach being authentic in their roles without compromising or deviating from rigid role demands. To explore this, I conducted an inductive, qualitative study of six community theater productions, a context where roles are rigidly scripted, yet where actors strive to “live truthfully” within their fictional roles. I find that actors and directors work together to cultivate authentic interrelating in their roles, characterized by the combination of personal engagement and interpersonal attunement. This process involves engaging in different forms of play to move from mechanically learning their roles, to crafting personalized intentions, to ultimately transcending their roles, gradually increasing in vulnerability and responsiveness until they are able to experience authentic interrelating in their roles.

The Post Pandemic Impact Towards Employee Engagement: A Study to Investigate the Influence of Rewards and Working Environment of Employees in Klang Valley, Selangor

In the wake of the global pandemic, the landscape of employee engagement has undergone a profound transformation, leaving a lasting impact on organizations worldwide. The pandemic forced organizations to reassess and recalibrate the approaches to employee well-being, and reward systems to boost motivation, working environment, and overall engagement. As businesses adapted to remote work and embraced hybrid models, the traditional dynamics of workplace interaction evolved, presenting both challenges and opportunities. The aim of conducting this research is to study the post-pandemic impact on employee engagement: A study to investigate the influence of rewards and the working environment of employees in Klang Valley, Selangor. The issue of engagement level among employees after the pandemic if rewards and working environment has brought an impact and played an important role in the motivation level among employee engagement. The researcher intends to investigate the gaps in depth if reward and working environment are the same in the post-pandemic era. The researcher supports literature, past studies, and framework by emphasizing the quantitative approach.

Learning to read patient notes in the workplace: How reading aloud and reading alongside can help students for whom English is an additional language

Much of the recent research in English for nursing has focused on the specialised spoken discourses rather than the written documentation that nursing students need for patient care. However, patient documentation can be challenging to learn, particularly for some students for whom English is an additional language. This study investigated how novice English as an additional language students learned to read patient documentation during their work placements, and the role that their workplace supervisors played in helping them learn. An ethnographic approach and discourse analysis of workplace interactions with three supervisors and 16 students in three Australian hospitals showed that most nursing students observed required explicit guidance from their supervisors to read the documentation and to understand the linguistic and rhetorical functions of those notes. The findings suggest that developing reading skills in the workplace should involve explicit guidance in learning to read the requisite documentation. It is recommended that English for Specific Purposes courses for nursing students pay attention to written as well as spoken discourses and that language specialists work with nursing educators to provide professional development for workplace supervisors and to ensure that guidelines and expectations for reading documentation are clear for supervisors and students.

Strategic Authenticity: Signaling Authenticity Without Undermining Professional Image in Workplace Interactions

Increasing demands to be seen as authentic at work have created a paradox of self-presentation for employees: the desire to be seen as simultaneously true to self and professionally appropriate in workplace interactions. The present paper introduces one way in which individuals may navigate this tension: strategic authenticity, a self-presentational approach that involves enacting behaviors intended to increase colleagues’ perceptions of one’s authenticity while accounting for individual and contextual factors that influence one’s professional image. I propose that the behavioral signals of social deviations (nonconformity and spontaneity) and self-expressions (transparency and vulnerability) increase colleagues’ perceptions of a worker’s authenticity but pose a threat to their professional image. Next, I highlight how felt authenticity and the degree of perceived violation of social expectations (i.e., benign versus taboo signal content and aligning with communal versus agentic norms) moderate the impact of signals on perceptions of authenticity and professional image, suggesting that strategic authenticity can be achieved via a careful selection of behaviors based on individual and contextual factors. Last, I consider how the enactment of strategic authenticity leads to high-quality connections at work, which over time, may lead to the formation of positive relationships (enhanced by an actor’s felt authenticity). This paper extends prior scholarship on authenticity, professional image construction, and high-quality connections by highlighting how to balance interpersonal goals to appear authentic and at the same time, maintain a desirable professional image in workplace interactions.

The LGBTQ+ Employee Mental Load Dilemma: Captive Identity and Adaptive Responses

Conceptualizations of mental load argue that marginalized employees may experience heightened mental load demands in the workplace (Sanders, 1979). Using the theories of facework, frontstage, and backstage performance (Goffman, 1978), we examine how workplace interactions may constrain or enable the performance of an LGBTQ+ identity in the workplace. We interviewed 35 U.S.-based LGBTQ+ employees to understand how mental load pressures shape identity presentation choices. Data were thematically analyzed using an iterative process based on principles of grounded theory. Two themes emerged: the Captive, or negative face threats, that LGBTQ+ employees described (including subthemes of professionalism and feelings of inescapability) and Adaptive strategies promoting negative face (including subthemes of making choices where possible, identity artifacts selections, and use of strategic ambiguity). Both captive and adaptive aspects of facework are considered for potential impact on increasing employee mental load.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Black and Hispanic Workers’ Perceptions of their Workplace

This study provides insight into how having COVID-19 shifted Black and older Hispanic adults’ organizational perceptions and experiences. We used data from 30 Black and Hispanic full-time men and women over the age of 45 who have had COVID-19, and most have co-occurring physical and mental chronic illness, to examine how having COVID-19 shapes their perceptions of their workplace and organizational interactions. We examine how older Black and Hispanic adults’ intersectional identities further shape their work experiences. Further, we illuminate how COVID-19-related enhanced safety protocols impacted these workers’ emotional and interpersonal experiences by increasing feelings of safety and support, while simultaneously widening relational gaps among coworkers and increasing mental health concerns. We end with workplace practice recommendations, centering an intersectional and Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach, to reduce work-related health and safety hazards with efforts to promote and improve the well-being of older Black and Hispanic workers.

The Ledger Does Not Balance for All: Experiences of Underrepresented Individuals in Accounting Academia

ABSTRACT Despite implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives in accounting academia, we lack a deep understanding of the experiences of historically underrepresented individuals (HUIs), including females, racial minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Applying an intersectional view, our study links social identity and social closure theories to understand how workplace interactions shape the experiences and perceptions of HUIs in accounting academia. Analyzing semistructured interviews with 16 HUI accounting faculty members identified five major themes: inequity among colleagues, pressure from expectations, lack of representation of HUIs in accounting academia, initiatives that promote inclusion, and academia’s current environment for HUIs. Specific quotes interwoven with the findings provide insight into the current state of diversity and inclusion in accounting schools and departments. These reveal that, although there have been some improvements in HUIs’ experiences with diversity and inclusion, biases and exclusionary practices remain firmly grounded.