Job Demands Research Articles

Strengths and weaknesses of PhD training to develop alternative careers. Insights from PhD holders working beyond academia

Purpose This study aims to critically assesses how Spanish PhD holders working outside academia perceive and value their past PhD training experiences within academic PhD programs, addressing the growing need for skills applicable in various sectors. Design/methodology/approach Using a retrospective interpretative design, the authors collected qualitative data from 35 PhD holders who have transitioned to non-academic careers. Through multimodal interviews, the authors gathered in-depth perceptions to understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing PhD training in relation to non-academic employability. Findings The findings highlight a significant disconnect between academic-oriented training and the practical demands of non-academic jobs, particularly in non-research roles. While PhD training was valued in research-related non-academic positions, especially in STEM fields, it was considered insufficient for those in managerial or other non-research roles unless the training included specific industry-related projects. Participants suggested a cultural shift in PhD programs towards a more balanced academic and non-academic focus, integrating societal concerns and broader competencies like effective communication and managerial skills. These changes are seen as crucial for better-preparing PhD candidates for diverse professional environments, emphasising the need for PhD programs to evolve continually in response to the changing dynamics of the labour market and societal needs. Originality/value This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about the need for PhD programs to evolve by offering a unique perspective from within the Spanish context. It underscores the necessity for educational reforms incorporating comprehensive skill training, aligning more closely with the career opportunities available to PhD graduates.

Perceived work-related stress and associated factors among the surgical workforce in a Nigerian tertiary health facility: A cross-sectional study

Healthcare workers continue to experience high levels of work-related stress which continue to negatively affect their psychological, physical, and emotional well-being. This is even more prevalent among healthcare workers who work in surgical specialities, with the surgical operation room becoming a known stressor at hospitals. This study aims to assess work-related stress among surgical team members at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria between January 2021–2022. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistical approaches using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0. The study found an overall high prevalence of work-related stress, with 65% of participants reporting moderate levels of stress. The majority of the participants have a mean age of 39.4 ± 7.8 years, most of them being physicians (66.3%), being males (59.9%), and identified with a Hausa ethnic tribe. Notably, the multiple regression analysis found that tribe (p = 0.008), professional cadres (p = 0.001) and age/years of experience (p = 0.0035) emerged as significant predictors of work-related stress. Key determinants of work-related stress among surgical team members include workload, complexity of work, and conflicting cognitive job demands that continue to subject professionals to increasing workloads and constant decision-making about their job. Organizational factors, such as job policy and procedure, communication problems, and the nature of facilities, were identified as the highest contributors to work-related stress in organizational, interpersonal, and physical/environmental dimensions. The findings lead to the conclusion that a considerable proportion of surgical team members experience a relatively high level of work-related stress, primarily attributed to workload and cognitive demands. In light of these results, urgent efforts are recommended to improve the working conditions and environment for surgical team members. Furthermore, the integration of stress management measures into the educational programs for the surgical team is emphasized to effectively address and mitigate the impact of work-related stress.

The influence of students’ personality traits and their parents’ parenting style on Romanian students’ performance in science subjects from secondary to doctoral level

ABSTRACT With the exponential growth of technological innovation, new positions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are emerging. Employees face new job demands, requiring more technical and mathematical capabilities than before. Educating the population in science subjects is becoming increasingly important, as is making science subjects available to students and identifying factors influencing the development of logical thinking, the basis of STEM subjects. This paper focuses on identifying significant relationships between students’ personality traits, their parents’ parenting style and students’ performance in STEM subjects in high school and college, within Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework. Using a questionnaire with standardized constructs, we surveyed Romanian students from a technical university and found that certain personality traits and parenting styles are significant mainly for the student’s performance in STEM subjects in high school, and these significant relationships differ for female students, compared to male students, possibly as a result of local cultural gender views. Our society aims to increase the participation of general public and female students in STEM majors and jobs, and our study informs the audience on how a student’s microsystem can nurture or hinder the development of logical thinking, as the basis of cognitive skills and performance in STEM fields.

The Effect of Red Tape on Employability Competences of Teachers

Red tape forms a major threat to many public organizations around the world. Building on the Job Demands–Resources model, supplemented by arguments from the psychological process theory of red tape, this study explores how and when red tape affects teachers’ employability competences (i.e., balance, anticipation and optimization, and personal flexibility). Analyses ( N = 908 teachers; 92 school leaders) revealed a negative relationship between red tape, on one hand, and balance and personal flexibility, on the other hand, through perceived impact on work outcomes. Interestingly, the analyses also revealed that when organizations provide sufficient developmental rewards to their employees, the negative consequences of red tape on perceived impact are buffered, which indirectly also benefits employees’ balance and personal flexibility.

"It was really helpful for me, and at the same time it was really tough": a qualitative study among Afghan peer refugee helpers in Greece.

Aid workers with a refugee background are increasingly engaged in the humanitarian field. These individuals, known as peer refugee helpers (PRHs), contribute to providing psychosocial support for other refugees. However, few studies have focused on the mental health and wellbeing of PRHs. This study aims to investigate the experiences of PRHs of Afghan origin in the humanitarian field in Greece. Seven focus group interviews took place in a hybrid format, online or in-person. PRHs of Afghan origin (N = 18), working for various Aid/Humanitarian Organizations (AOs), participated. Data was analyzed using template analysis. The analysis identified job resources reflected in the dimensions of sense of coherence (meaningfulness, manageability, comprehensibility) and job demands associated with role overload, role conflict, and role boundaries. Gender differences were noticeable. Specifically, female PRHs experienced empowerment, through accessing new opportunities often not available within Afghan communities. Female PRHs frequently reported going against traditional gender roles and faced negative reactions from their peers. Male PRHs reported feeling empowered through their engagement as a PRH, as it helped them fulfill their personal goals, such as becoming a good example within their families or communities. Recommendations for policymakers and AOs based on the study results include: (1) Offer training, supervision, and psychosocial support for PRHs to enhance work engagement and prevent emotional exhaustion; (2) Address gender differences ensuring the protection and support of female PRHs; (3) Adopt scalable psychosocial interventions to promote agency and a concrete way of engaging with beneficiaries; (4) Formalize job roles outlining responsibilities and expectations for PRHs.

Visibility, Physical Work Environment, and Stress in ICU Nurses

OBJECTIVE Relationships among coworker and patient visibility, reactions to physical work environment, and work stress in ICU nurses are explored. BACKGROUND Millions of dollars are invested annually in the building or remodeling of ICUs, yet there is a gap in understanding relationships between the physical layout of nursing units and work stress. METHODS Using a cross-sectional, correlational, exploratory, predictive design, relationships among variables were studied in a diverse sample of ICU nurses. RESULTS Visibility had a direct effect on work stress (P < 0.01). The ViPES (Visibility, Physical Environment and Stress) model can help explain relationships among study variables. The findings from this study support the notion that high visibility is a job resource and low visibility is a job demand. CONCLUSIONS Design features supporting a sense of connection may be especially important to less experienced ICU nurses. Elements of the built environment that allow nurses to see not only patients, but also their coworkers, may help mitigate work stress.

Adaptive Digital Leadership Approaches for Self-engagement to Overcome Digital Transformation Gaps

Digital transformation, forced by a rapidly changing environment and the increasing speed of technological advancements, enables various valuable opportunities in the business context, like increased efficiency, lower costs, and thus enhanced competitiveness, and manifold, complex challenges, like fast-changing customer expectations, increasing job demands, new value creation structures, and disruptive competition from outside the traditional industry boundaries. This often leads to business process reengineering and urges the strategic realignment of management and leadership styles based on competitive positions and corporate goals. In digital transformation, value impedance defines resistances encountered when integrating new digital technologies and processes into existing systems and workflows. Similarly, digital transformation gaps such as the business model gap are discrepancies preventing organizations from fully exploiting benefits and overcoming the challenges of digital transformation. The connection of digital transformation gaps and value impedance is recommended to avoid conflicts when facing digital transformation. However, as many organizations face difficulties with that alignment, this paper introduces the topic of digital transformation gaps, specifically the business model gap, and discusses its bridging with digital leadership aspects regarding self-engagement. Self-engagement enhances employee motivation, innovative work behaviors, performance, and a positive attitude toward change. This research thus answers the following research question: what digital leadership factors contribute to the development of self-engagement of employees in organizations to bridge the business model gap in digital transformation? This qualitative research is based on the Design Science Research method and elaborates four matrices with four strategic options each to enhance the self-engagement of employees, based on validated questionnaire items from the existing literature, and iteratively evaluated and further developed through semi-structured interviews with domain experts. Consequently, these four matrices build the basis for bridges to overcome the business model gap in digital transformation. Further research is suggested, on the one hand, to validate the proposed strategic options quantitatively and, on the other hand, to extend the approach with more strategic options also for other focus areas.

The impact of practicum job demands and resources on pre-service teachers’ occupational commitment and job intent

Around the world, there is a need to understand how to support pre-service teachers through their initial teacher education (ITE). The current study applied the Job Demands-Resources Theory to examine the associations among Australian pre-service teachers’ job demands and resources. The structural equation modelling found that perceived autonomy support, and relatedness with colleagues and students, were positively related to work outcomes of occupational commitment and job intent. Conversely, factors like disruptive student behaviour and time pressure were negatively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest the relevance of providing support mechanisms for pre-service teachers to enhance their important ITE phase.

The Influence of Job Crafting on Nurses’ Intent to Stay: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: The increasing rates of nurse turnover pose significant challenges to healthcare systems, negatively impacting patient outcomes and increasing operational costs. Despite the recognized importance of retaining nursing staff, factors contributing to turnover intentions, such as job dissatisfaction and burnout, remain inadequately addressed. Developing job crafting skills among nurses can be a proactive strategy to mitigate these issues, leading to a more engaged and committed workforce. The aim of this study was to analyze nurses’ job crafting and its relationship with the intention to stay at their working hospitals or to leave the nursing profession. Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with a sample of 284 registered nurses using a self-reported online questionnaire with the standardized Spanish version of the Job Crafting Scale. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric tests were used to determine statistically significant differences between two or more different groups for the job crafting variable, respectively. The Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to explore the relationships between variables. Results: Mean scores obtained for the Job Crafting Scale indicated that nurses in the study had a high level of job crafting. Nurses with lower scores for the ‘Decreasing hindering job demands’ subscale had a significantly lower intention to stay at their workplace. Greater ‘Decreasing hindering job demands’ scores were significantly associated with a lower intention to leave the nursing profession. Lower nurses’ intention to leave the nursing profession was significantly associated with a greater intention to stay at hospitals. Conclusions: Improving ‘Decreasing hindering job demands’ job crafting skills to “decrease hindering job demands” through workload management, time management training, supportive supervision, resource availability, autonomy encouragement, promotion of team collaboration, and mental health support. It could lead to greater retention of nurses in their workplaces and in the nursing profession. Nursing managers and leaders should consider improving the job crafting skill “Decrease Hindering Job Demands” among nurses as a potential strategy for effective retention of nurses to address the challenges of the global nursing shortage.

Physical education teachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: conceptualizing outdoors as a job demand and resource for school wellbeing

ABSTRACT Education systems across the world were significantly impacted by the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. To accommodate physical distancing requirements mandated by public health authorities, many school gymnasiums were co-opted to become classrooms, consequently displacing many physical and health educators to teach in outdoor contexts. Through semi-structured interview methods, this research unpacked the perspectives of 10 Canadian physical and health educators’ experiences teaching outdoors during the pandemic. Findings indicated that: (a) physical educators struggled to navigate COVID-19 school protocols; (b) outdoor learning environments mitigated the strain of these regulations; (c) outdoor contexts benefited the wellbeing of staff and students; and (d) there were challenges associated with teaching outdoors. Utilizing the job demands-resource theoretical framework, this study illuminated a novel concepetualization of how teaching in outdoor spaces served as both a challenging job demand, but also a valuable job resource to support school wellbeing.

Burnout and Post-traumatic Stress Disorders in Police Officers: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

AbstractThe occupational environment of law enforcement officers, characterised by high-stress situations and critical societal roles, necessitates continuous monitoring of their mental health. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore the associations and impacts of burnout and PTSD among police officers, shedding light on how these conditions are influenced by evolving job demands and societal expectations. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we searched four databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from January 2000 to January 2024. Studies involving active-duty police officers that assessed burnout and PTSD using validated tools were included. A risk of bias was assessed using an eight-criteria scale, focusing on methodological strengths and weaknesses across studies. We analysed data from 10 studies comprising 4572 officers worldwide. The results indicated variable relationships between burnout, PTSD, and their impacts on occupational functioning, with significant heterogeneity across studies (I2 > 75%). Despite the variability, there was a consistent trend showing that occupational stressors are linked to both burnout and PTSD, suggesting a pervasive influence of job-related demands on officer mental health. The findings reveal a complex interaction between burnout and PTSD in police officers, influenced by both individual and occupational factors. This interplay highlights the need for interventions that are sensitive to cultural and contextual nuances of policing. Future strategies should prioritise individual, organisational, and societal dimensions to reduce the psychological burden and enhance resilience among officers.

The Impact of Motherhood on the Career Development of Female Journalists in Nigeria

Journalism has been described as a very demanding job, and this demand is heightened when marriage and motherhood are put into context. This is because the Nigerian culture has placed the burden of home and childcare majorly at the feet of women, making it very difficult to break the glass ceiling for women journalists working in the Nigerian news media. This study sought to investigate the impact of motherhood on the career progression of female journalists working in Nigerian newsrooms. The online survey research method was employed to sample 112 female journalists, who are mothers, working in Nigerian newsrooms. It was found that the majority of female journalists have more than one child and took maternity leave for up to 3 months but have declined numerous opportunities as a result of childcare responsibilities. The challenges experienced by respondents include inability to find affordable childcare services, frustration and burnout, declined access to opportunities and training, absence of flexible work options and slow career progression. The study recommends that media owners should support female journalists with children by creating space for crèche/day-care with an experienced day-care service provider so that nursing mothers can be able to access their children promptly. Employers can increase the salaries of workers such that their monthly wage is not affected as a result of childcare services. Furthermore, to foster an environment where women can thrive in their media careers, organisations must critically review existing policies and structures that disadvantage women

The Development of Intellect in Emerging Adults: Predictors of Longitudinal Trajectories

Intellect is an important personality trait, especially with regard to the prediction and explanation of intellectual performance, such as occupational or academic success. However, much less is known about the development of Intellect. I present results from a longitudinal study spanning eight years to investigate changes in Intellect during a critical period: the transition from school to vocation. The study is based on a large and heterogeneous sample with up to 1964 participants. Using a facet approach, I investigate predictors of longitudinal trajectories theoretically derived from construct definition, including subjective and objective attributes of education and profession; attitudes regarding the malleability of personality traits; as well as personality traits beyond Intellect, especially intelligence. Results reveal some support for the social investment principle according to neo-socioanalytic theory, as epistemic job demands and epistemic leisure activities predicted the increase in Intellect over time. The study contributes to our understanding of the development of personality traits related to intellectual achievement, including important internal and external predictors of longitudinal trajectories.

Energy in the workplace: job demands, job resources, and employees’ inner resources as pathways to organizational outcomes

In this study, we expanded upon the job demands–resources model to assess the role of employees’ vitality as an inner resource for their work engagement and job commitment. To assess vitality and related job resources, we developed an index of vitality outside of work and adapted measures of manager autonomy support and organizational support. For job demands, we measured work stress and predicted that each of these four variables would contribute independently to work-related outcomes. Then, in a preregistered study, we collected these measures from a sample of 5,280 American workers (primarily ages 18–34, 54% female). Results from multivariate regression analyses largely confirmed our hypotheses, showing that positive work-related outcomes, such as enthusiasm, enjoyment, and job satisfaction, were positively predicted by manager autonomy supports, organizational support, and individuals’ vitality, and negatively predicted by work stress. The reverse pattern was largely observed for the negative outcome of turnover intention. Exploratory analyses also suggested that individual vitality may buffer the negative effects of stress and low manager and organizational support. The results highlight the potential role of employee vitality outside of work and managerial support in bolstering work engagement and reducing turnover intentions, offering a basis for organizational strategies aimed at improving work culture and retaining talent.

Burnout: a comprehensive review

AbstractBurnout has been the focus of extensive scientific research. The World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon, defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that remains unmanaged and characterized by three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. Existing literature highlights limitations in current measurement instruments for diagnostic purposes. These tools often yield scores that overlap with other conditions such as fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Chronic exposure to high job demands and low job resources emerges as the primary trigger for burnout. While individual characteristics (such as neuroticism) may increase susceptibility, specific personality traits associated with higher risk remain unclear. Burnout has adverse effects on both individuals and organizations. Typical interventions focus on stress relief and coping strategies to manage high job demands, but their effectiveness diminishes over time. Evidence from organizational interventions suggests that improving employees’ working conditions can reduce burnout risk. Combined interventions offer promise by creating a healthy work environment while empowering employees to handle occasional stress. Social partners should advocate for support in researching burnout, aiming for a clear diagnosis, effective treatment, and preventive measures to mitigate psychosocial risks in the workplace.Practical Relevance: The findings of this article highlight the importance of addressing both job demands and job resources to mitigate burnout in organizational settings. Implementing interventions that improve working conditions and provide adequate support can significantly reduce burnout risk and enhance employee well-being. Organizations should prioritize creating a healthy work environment and empowering employees with the necessary resources to manage workload effectively.

Examining the dark side of quality management: analysing work overload, exhaustion and managerial support using a moderated mediation approach

PurposeIn this study, we propose a model for analysing the association between total quality management (TQM) and exhaustion, which considers work overload as a mediation variable and investigates perceptions of managerial support as a moderating condition. Through the job demands–resources model, the study sheds light on the dilemma about the negative implications of TQM for employees.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model of relationships is analysed using matched employee–organisation survey data from two R&D-intensive sectors in Spain. Structural equation models are employed to examine the proposed relationships.FindingsOnly perceptions of hard TQM trigger a health-impairment process which increases work overload and exhaustion, whereas soft TQM decreases exhaustion and does not have negative consequences for employee well-being. We also find that managerial support can alleviate the consequences of hard TQM on exhaustion due to work overload.Originality/valuePrevious research has mainly assumed that TQM is welcomed by employees. With the aim of warning of the potential negative consequences of TQM on employees, this paper goes beyond previous contributions by analysing how hard and soft TQM may have different consequences on employees’ exhaustion and how managerial support may mitigate the negative repercussions.

Sustainable Leadership for Employee Performance and the Moderating Roles of Family-Work Conflict and Work Pressure: The Job Demands–Resources Perspective

Sustainable Leadership for Employee Performance and the Moderating Roles of Family-Work Conflict and Work Pressure: The Job Demands–Resources Perspective

Service Robots in the Workplace: Fostering Sustainable Collaboration by Alleviating Perceived Burdensomeness

This study investigates the impact of job demands and perceived burdensomeness on employees’ willingness to collaborate with service robots (SRs) in the workplace, with a focus on the moderating effects of organizational support, self-esteem, and self-development. Conducted among 200 employees in South Korea, the results show that higher job demands significantly increase perceived burdensomeness, which negatively affects employees’ willingness to collaborate with SRs. Organizational support moderates the negative impact of job demands, reducing their detrimental effects, although it was less effective in buffering the reduction in social interaction. Self-esteem and self-development positively moderated the relationship between burdensomeness and collaboration. This study contributes to the understanding of sustainable workforce management by highlighting the importance of fostering personal and organizational resources to ensure that SR integration enhances both operational efficiency and employee well-being. The findings align with broader sustainability goals by promoting human–robot collaboration that optimizes resource use, enhances workforce adaptability, and maintains social and psychological balance in the workplace.

Development of a Work Systems Stress Questionnaire to predict Job Burnout: A mixed methods study based on a macroergonomics approach

Job burnout is a stress-related phenomenon that is a significant threat to the health and performance of organizations and employees. Interventions to ameliorate potentials for burnout have been limited by the lack of a comprehensive tool that considers work system stressors. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire for predicting job burnout based on the macroergonomics work system approach. The setting was a petrochemical company in South Iran. In the qualitative phase of this sequential exploratory mixed methods research, 971 meaning codes were extracted from fourteen one-to-one and seven focus group interviews (n=59). The codes were subject to Directed Content Analysis, which yielded three themes and 15 dimensions, which were used to inform the development of reliable and valid questionnaire. Items for each of the dimensions were sourced from exiting scales. To test the developed Work System Stress Questionnaire (WSSQ) in terms of its ability to predict burnout, a survey which included demographic items, the WSSQ, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory was completed by 359 employees. Hierarchical linear regression modelling of the data indicated that Task Significance, Job Demands, Work-Life Conflict, and Work Schedule predicted Emotional Exhaustion, and altogether explained 58% variance. Task Significance, Violence and Harassment, Work-Life Conflict, and Job Insecurity predicted the Depersonalization and explained 29% variance. Decision Latitude, Welfare and Financial Facilities, Task Significance, and Structural Problems predicted Personal Accomplishment and explained 26% variance. All 15 dimensions were valid (CVI range 0.73-0.90) and reliable (Cronbach’s alpha range 0.71- 0.93). The results confirm the ability of the WSSQ to explain more variance regarding job burnout than previous studies. In turn, the WSSQ will enable remedial actions to be put into place. It may also be useful for understanding the consequences associated with other organizational ergonomic variables that are related to job stress.

Productively Passionate: Managing Your Work Drive

This article explores the topic of workaholism and provides strategies for maintaining a productive and sustainable work drive. It begins by defining workaholism according to expert research as excessive work engagement driven by internal pressures rather than job demands, to the point of causing problems in other life domains. The costs of unmanaged workaholism are then reviewed, including negative impacts on psychological, physical, and relationship well-being as well as long-term career performance. To counter these harms, the article recommends specific strategies for individuals to achieve work-life balance, such as setting limits on work hours, scheduling breaks and vacations, developing non-work interests, and adopting stress-reducing practices. It also provides organizational strategies to cultivate a culture of sustainable passion through policies supporting flexibility, focus time, and disconnection from work during non-work hours. The goal is to help engaged professionals and consultants shift from compulsive workaholic patterns to a renewed model of balanced, productive passion characterized by engagement, renewal, and thriving in all areas of life.