Demand Resources Research Articles

Factors Influencing Work-Life Balance: Mediating Role of Telecommuting

This study explores the role of telecommuting on work-life balance (WLB) in the IT sector at Bank Rakyat. The objective is to examine the effects of workload (WL), work flexibility (WF), and core self-evaluation (CSE) on WLB, with telecommuting as a mediating factor. It acknowledges the challenges of increased workloads during the shift to remote work in IT and the importance of understanding the relationship between workload and WLB for effective telecommuting policies. The study highlights potential downsides of higher workloads and the need for customized telecommuting guidelines to ensure WLB. Grounded in the Job Demand Resources Model, data were collected from 181 junior IT executives at Bank Rakyat's headquarters using purposive sampling. A two-stage structural equation approach assessed the validity, reliability, and impact of variables. Results show telecommuting positively influences WLB by enhancing work flexibility and CSE, while workload does not significantly affect WLB among IT staff at Bank Rakyat. This research provides insight into the relationships between WL, WF, CSE, and WLB, and offers an understanding of how telecommuting helps junior executives at Bank Rakyat balance work and personal life.

A New Methodology for Data Assimilation Using Capacitance-Resistance Model Combined with Fractional Flow and Aquifer Modeling

Summary Data assimilation for uncertainty reduction (DAUR) using reservoir simulators demands high computational time and resources. Depending on the reservoir model, the process can take days or weeks. Therefore, it is desirable to speed up the process to increase its efficiency, keeping the quality of the result. Our aim in this paper is to present a new methodology for data assimilation (DA) using the capacitance-resistance model (CRM), integrated with fractional flow (FF) models, to reduce the computational time and resources in the process. The methodology brings novel contributions, such as (a) applying the CRM in a probabilistic manner for DA, (b) developing a new FF approach, and (c) proposing a new approach for aquifer modeling under uncertainty. The methodology was successfully applied in a real field case. To validate the CRM results, we compared the DA process using the CRM with the DA results using the reservoir simulator. This comparison showed a very good agreement between the results. Notably, the CRM approach was up to 279 times faster than the process using the reservoir simulator. We also validated the CRM results using several kinds of multidisciplinary geoengineering data from the same studied case, including (1) historical injection, (2) hydraulic communication analysis based on static well pressure, (3) water salinity measurements analysis, and (4) 4D seismic analysis. These analyses showed the consistency of the CRM results in terms of physical representativeness. After an extensive validation process, we can state that the CRM approach, combined with the novel FF proposed in this work, has great potential to be applied in DA, reservoir management, and production strategy optimization, thus contributing to the acceleration of the decision-making process.

Exploring the Relationships Among Display Rules, Emotional Job Demands, Emotional Labour and Kindergarten Teachers' Occupational Well‐Being

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the intricate relationships among display rules, emotional job demands (EJD), emotional labour and the occupational well‐being (OWB) of kindergarten teachers in China. Utilising the job demands–resources (JD‐R) model, this study specifically assesses the influence of EJD and displays rules on two dimensions of teachers' OWB (job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion), while exploring the mediating role of emotional labour strategies. Data were collected from a sample of 1220 Chinese kindergarten teachers. By employing structural equation modelling and mediation analysis, the findings reveal that positive display rules can enhance job satisfaction and alleviate emotional exhaustion. Conversely, negative display rules are linked to heightened emotional exhaustion and diminished job satisfaction. The analysis further discerns that two emotional labour strategies significantly mediate these associations. Surface acting exacerbates adverse outcomes, whereas the natural expression of emotions acts as a salient buffer, augmenting job satisfaction and reducing emotional exhaustion. In addition, EJD can positively predict job satisfaction through deep acting. These insights underscore the necessity of cultivating educational environments that advocate for natural emotional expression and reinforce positive display rules, thereby enhancing teachers' OWB. This research offers valuable implications for educational policymakers and practitioners, emphasising the need to address the emotional aspects of teaching in early childhood education.

3D Lightweight Cryptosystem Design For IoT Applications Based On Composite S-Box

The security of the Internet of Things (IoT) depends on strong cryptographic functions that require extensive computation and resources. The security of Internet of Things (IoT) relies on the use of strong cryptographic functions that demand extensive computation and resources. Therefore, the selection of a cryptographic system is influenced by the computational and communicational capabilities of IoT devices, including their energy requirements, memory constraints, and execution time. This paper aims to develop a lightweight and secure encryption algorithm for IoT applications, focusing on advancing cryptanalysis techniques. We propose a new lightweight algorithm named enhanced 3D RECTANGLE, designed to deliver robust security for IoT applications and optimized for cell phones with minimal memory usage, low power consumption, and efficient performance. The RECTANGLE block cipher was chosen for this research due to its high efficiency and speed relative to other lightweight algorithms, despite some security issues. The proposed enhanced 3D RECTANGLE algorithm improves confusion and diffusion properties through a new 3D array block rotation method for 4x4 plaintext, based on a 128-bit key and 16 rounds. Additionally, we designed a 4x4 composite S-Box with a Galois field pipelining structure, offering a more advanced solution compared to the Look-Up Table method. The cryptanalysis, avalanche effect, and bit error rate tests were conducted to verify the security strength of the proposed algorithm. The proposed algorithm was evaluated against two existing algorithms, RECTANGLE and Extended 3D RECTANGLE. The enhanced 3D RECTANGLE algorithm provides better cryptanalysis, demonstrating a 40% avalanche effect and achieving a bit error rate (BER) of 31%, indicating its greater effectiveness compared to the other two lightweight algorithms.

How do online meal delivery platforms impact restaurant employees?

ABSTRACT Labor shortages in restaurants have led to an increased reliability on technology, including expanding restaurants’ capacity by using online meal delivery platforms (OMDPs) for delivery. Yet there is an incomplete understanding as to how this decision has impacted restaurant employees, namely, is it making the labor shortage worse? To answer this question, this study surveyed 279 front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant employees to understand how attitudes toward OMPDs effect job crafting, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. The results were analyzed with PLS-SEM and a qualitative analysis was used as a sensitivity test. Drawing on conservation of resources and job demand resources theories, this study found that pre-established attitudes toward OMDPs mediated the relationship between the impact of OMPDs and workload on job crafting, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. These results fill the current gap in the literature related to OMDPs and restaurant employees as well as providing crucial evidence that managing employee attitudes toward OMDPs can mitigate the impact of an increased workload for restaurateurs during this challenging time.

Determining Novice and Expert Status in Human–Automation Interaction Through Hidden Markov Models

ABSTRACT Detecting when operators achieve expert proficiency is critical for organizations that employ human–automation interaction (HAI) in operations, particularly in safety-critical settings. Training operators for complex systems demand substantial time and resources, necessitated by safety considerations and the expansive scale of these systems. Recognizing operator expertise becomes instrumental in resource optimization and training efficiency. This study explores a modeling framework for real-time analysis of HAI operator behavior and strategies. Proposing a departure from traditional assessments, the research advocates for leveraging hidden Markov models (HMMs) to provide a comprehensive portrayal of operator performance, facilitating a nuanced comparison of expert and novice strategies. Using data from a real-time strategy game, the paper details the development of HMMs and elucidates training and interface design implications. Results affirm the hypothesis that experts formulate more efficient strategies, reflected in HMMs with fewer hidden states compared to those describing novice behavior. This aligns with prior research emphasizing the organized nature of experts’ strategies. In-depth analysis delves into specific states, frequencies, and predominant strategies, revealing distinctions between experts’ offensive focus and novices’ emphasis on initial setup aspects of gameplay.

Sustainability and software development projects: leadership, core self-evaluation and empowerment as critical success factors

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to integrate job demands–resources theory with core self-evaluation theory to examine how and when sustainable project leadership stimulates sustainable project performance. Psychological empowerment is used as a mechanism between sustainable project leadership and sustainable project performance, whereas core self-evaluation acts as a moderator between sustainable project leadership and psychological empowerment.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a time-lagged two-phase approach to collecting data from 257 software engineers working in medium-sized and large companies in the Polish financial sector.FindingsThis study reveals the direct and indirect (through psychological empowerment) effects of sustainable project leadership on sustainable project performance. It also confirms that the “sustainable project leadership–psychological empowerment” relationship strengthens with increasing level of project team members’ core self-evaluation.Originality/valueThis article explores a unique research framework. It significantly enriches the literature on sustainable project management, increasing the understanding of effective leadership practices that address the needs of software engineering teams to support sustainable project performance.

Testing the Effects of Workplace Variables on the Job Burnout Among Prison Officers in India: An Application of the Job Demands–Resources Model

The current study used the job demands–resources model and survey data from prison officers in India in order to examine how workplace variables are associated with three job burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of work accomplishment. Job demands make the job more difficult and are generally linked to negative outcomes, while job resources make the job less difficult and are generally linked to positive outcomes. The job demands for the current study were role overload, routinization, and fear of being victimized at work, and the job resources were training views, instrumental communication, and job autonomy. Based on ordinary least squares regression results of surveys from 168 officers from a prison in the Haryana State of India, this study found that role overload was associated with higher levels of all three burnout dimensions, while routinization was only associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Curiously, fear of victimization was associated with lower levels of depersonalization and reduced sense of work accomplishment. Instrumental communication was associated with lower levels of all three burnout dimensions, while training views and job autonomy had no significant effects on any burnout dimension.

Timing mowing for maximal energy gain - Managing foraging habitat of wintering geese under extreme drought conditions

The availability of high-quality food resources is a critical determinant of wildlife fitness. Over the past two decades, phenological mismatch - the temporal misalignment between animals’ peak nutrient demand and optimal resource availability - has emerged as a significant conservation challenge. This issue is particularly worrisome for migratory birds, which must accumulate energy reserves to meet the elevated metabolic demands of migration between breeding and wintering grounds. In Poyang Lake, a crucial wintering ground along the East Asian-Australasian flyway, increasing asynchrony between vegetation growth and the migration of herbivorous waterbirds significantly impedes conservation efforts and presents a major management challenge for this Ramsar wetland. This study evaluates the efficacy of mowing, a grassland management measure, in regulating plant growth processes and restoring food resources for geese. In-situ mowing experiments were conducted with varying timings in Carex wet meadows, the primary foraging habitats of geese. Optimal mowing times were identified, and the maximum goose carrying capacity was assessed by comparing Carex growth and nutritional dynamics with goose dietary requirements. The results reveal that mowing effectively slows down the aging process of Carex, and protein content is identified as a critical limiting factor for geese foraging. Different mowing timings extend the suitable foraging period by 11–25 days. Estimates suggest varying carrying capacities with different mowing timings, supporting goose populations ranging from 133 to 2,046 in Changhuchi Lake during wintering. The optimal mowing window is early October, avoiding dates before late September and after late November. Moreover, multiple-stage mowing is recommended to accommodate different wintering stages. The study highlights mowing as a potential habitat restoration approach for goose conservation, effectively mitigating the challenges imposed by phenological mismatch directly and indirectly caused by anthropogenic activities.

Enhancing water security: Statistical measurement and spatiotemporal analysis

Water security is essential for ensuring energy security, sustainable development, and human survival. However, due to a series of challenges, including rising water demand, environmental pollution, and water resource shortages, the global water security situation remains concerning and poses a threat to global sustainable development. To assess water security in China, this study uses data from 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2021. A comprehensive evaluation method was applied to determine the level of water resource security in China. The Dagum Gini coefficient, Moran index, and spatial model were used to clarify regional differentiation characteristics and the driving factors. The results indicate that while China's water resource security is relatively low, it has shown steady improvement in recent years. Significant regional disparities exist in water resource security across China, with notable spatial characteristics, and socio-economic factors are the primary causes of these differences. Based on the above research, we put forward policy recommendations from the aspects of water resources management, public participation and inter-regional water resources cooperation, to provide reference for water resources security in developing countries.

Effects of emotional demands on work outcomes: A diary study among Malaysian counsellors

IntroductionThis study examined the effects of emotional demands on psychological health among counsellors in Malaysia. Drawing from the job demands–resources (JD-R) model, the research tested the effects of counsellors’ daily emotional demands on their turnover intention, mainly via emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. ObjectivesA within-individual design was used to examine the effects of counsellors’ emotional demands on their turnover intention, especially via emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. MethodsThe study was conducted among counsellors (n=47) over a period of four days in two consecutive weeks. The diary survey was collected for two days (Monday and Friday) each week for two consecutive weeks, measuring individuals’ self-reports of emotional demands, week-level emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms and turnover intention (n=188 data points). To test all hypotheses, data were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). ResultsCounsellors’ daily emotional demands were found have a direct effect on their levels of emotional exhaustion and depressive symptoms. Emotional exhaustion, but not depressive symptoms, was found to mediate the association of daily emotional demands with turnover intention. ConclusionOverall, the study revealed that the daily level of emotional exhaustion, but not of depressive symptoms, was positively related to counsellors’ turnover intention. Emotional exhaustion was found to mediate the relationship between counsellors’ emotional demands and their turnover intention. Counsellors with a high level of emotional demands as well as emotional exhaustion tended to have a high level of turnover intention.

Staff burnout in intellectual disability services and resistance to change. Implications for leadership support.

This article aims to analyse the relationship between staff burnout and resistance to change as well as the implications for leadership. The Job Demands Resource Model, the Social Exchange Theory, and the Model of Socially Induced Burnout were used to analyse the relationship of burnout with resistance to change. Leadership support is essential in reducing the influence of job demands on staff and on overcoming burnout so that resistance to change is prevented. This lies on the development of a leadership approach based on the factors that influence burnouted staff against change.

A Systematic Review of Thriving at Work: A Bibliometric Analysis and Organizational Research Agenda

ABSTRACTThriving at work has gained considerable research attention over the past decades. This study aimed to systematically unpack the knowledge of the past, present, and future of thriving at work by using bibliometric analysis. Following the PRISMA protocol, this study assesses 281 peer‐reviewed papers published between 2005 and 2024. Results are as follows: (1) We identify the prominent authors, significant publications, top countries, leading affiliations, and journals in thriving at work. (2) Six clusters (i.e., work–family enrichment, career commitment, servant leadership, challenge stressors, job satisfaction, and psychological capital) are identified based on the keywords that map the emergent core themes via content analysis. (3) Based on the job demands–resources model, we map a detailed framework of thriving at work about its antecedents, moderators, and outcomes. (4) We propose prospective directions for future research using the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, Method) framework.

A New Look at Job Demands, Resources, and Volunteers’ Intentions to Leave: The Role of Work–Home Interference and Burnout

Volunteers’ intention to leave is a relevant issue for organizations. Thus, it is critical to advance knowledge on its determinants. This study proposes that burnout symptoms mediate the relationship of work–home interference with leaving intentions. In addition, we hypothesize that job resources, namely organizational appreciation and organizational task support, buffer the positive indirect relationship of work–home interference with volunteers’ leaving intentions through burnout symptoms. To this end, we rely on the job demands–resources theory, a theoretical framework first conceived for the paid work context that has been widely applied in volunteering settings. Consistent with our predictions, (moderated) mediation analyses on a sample of 220 Italian volunteers showed that only cynicism, and not emotional exhaustion, significantly mediated the positive relationship between work–home interference and leaving intentions and that organizational appreciation and task support weakened this indirect relationship. We discuss how these findings contribute to theory and practice for the volunteering sector.

The Impact of Firefighters’ Emotional Labor on Job Performance: The Moderating Effects of Transactional and Transformational Leadership

Our study leverages insights from the conservation of resources theory and job demands–resources theory to explore the relationship between two types of emotional labor—surface acting and deep acting—and job performance among firefighters. Furthermore, we assess the moderating roles of transactional and transformational leadership within this framework. Using hierarchical multiple regression models, we analyzed data from 1453 firefighters in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea’s most populous province. The findings reveal that surface acting adversely affects job performance, whereas deep acting exerts no significant impact. The relationships between these two types of emotional labor are contingent on transactional and transformational leadership. The policy implications of this study include the need to manage employees’ emotional labor by distinguishing between surface and deep acting as well as the need for efforts and alternatives to facilitate transactional and transformational leadership.

Prioritising nurses’ and doctors’ health at work: a scoping review of monitoring instruments

ObjectiveNurses’ and doctors’ health at work is crucial for their overall performance and the quality of care they provide. The Jobs Demands Resources (JD-R) model offers a framework for health...

Medically not yet explained symptoms in hypothyroidism.

Persistent symptoms are common in the general population and even more so in people with hypothyroidism. When symptoms are unexplained and brought to medical attention, they can be referred to as medically not yet explained symptoms (MNYES), a term preferred to other descriptors by patients, care-givers and experts. MNYES might be neglected by endocrinologists or misattributed to hypothyroidism. Awareness of MNYES could open up more effective and less harmful interventions for patients who present to endocrinologists with unexplained symptoms than costly over-investigations and over-treatment with thyroid hormones (such as levothyroxine and liothyronine). The role of the endocrinologist is to recognize and acknowledge that MNYES could be underlying a patient's presentation, to communicate effectively with the patient and others involved in the patient's care, to apply a 'two-track approach' in management by paying equal attention to physical and psychosocial contributors, and to collaborate with other relevant health professionals. Categorization of patients into levels of risk for symptom deterioration helps in selecting suitable therapies. Effective management of MNYES demands time, training, expertise and resources.

The dark side of digitalization: examining the impact of digital overload on job autonomy and job satisfaction

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of digital overload on job autonomy and job satisfaction among civil servants in the Nigerian public sector using the job demand–resources model.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted among mid-career and senior-level officers in five federal ministries in Nigeria. The collected data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling partial least squares to test the research hypotheses and necessary condition analysis to assess the necessary conditions for high satisfaction among civil servants.FindingsThe study reveals that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has a significant positive impact on digital overload. Furthermore, digital overload has a significant negative effect on job autonomy and adversely affects job satisfaction. Additionally, job autonomy partially mediates the relationship between digital overload and job satisfaction. Job autonomy and ICT use were found to be necessary conditions for high satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe study acknowledges certain limitations, such as the focus on civil servants in federal ministries in Nigeria and the reliance on self-reported data.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study have practical implications for policymakers in the Nigerian civil service. They highlight the importance of reducing digital overload and promoting job autonomy to enhance job satisfaction, as well as to improve the overall performance and efficiency of the public sector.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the detrimental effects of digital overload on civil servants’ job autonomy and satisfaction in the Nigerian public sector. It explores a relatively unexplored aspect of digitalization and emphasizes the need to address the negative implications of digital overload. Additionally, it examines the necessary conditions for high satisfaction among civil servants.

The interaction effect between role overload and skill training on older workers’ work engagement: the mediating role of job crafting

As the modern workforce is increasingly aging and age-diverse, helping older workers maintain a positive state at work is theoretically and practically imperative. Due to the heterogeneity of individuals’ aging trajectories, self-initiated job crafting may be a more effective approach for older workers to manage their roles. However, limited research has addressed this critical issue systematically. Drawing on the job demands–resources model and conservation of resources theory, we examine whether role overload, skill training, and their joint effect influence older workers’ job crafting behaviors, which, in turn, increase their work engagement. Our results from a multi-wave study provide support for the significant influence of role overload, skill training, and their joint effect. Specifically, role overload facilitated older workers’ negative crafting behaviors (i.e., reducing demands), and skill training stimulated their positive crafting behaviors (i.e., seeking resources and seeking challenges). The results of the interaction between role overload and skill training indicated that when older workers have access to adequate skill training, role overload positively influences seeking resources and seeking challenges, and negatively influences reducing demands. Furthermore, the interaction between role overload and skill training influenced older workers’ work engagement through seeking resources and seeking challenges.

Bilateral Matching Method for Business Resources Based on Synergy Effects and Incomplete Data.

On the third-party cloud platform, to help enterprises accurately obtain high-quality and valuable business resources from the massive information resources, a bilateral matching method for business resources, based on synergy effects and incomplete data, is proposed. The method first utilizes a k-nearest neighbor imputation algorithm, based on comprehensive similarity, to fill in missing values. Then, it constructs a satisfaction evaluation index system for business resource suppliers and demanders, and the weights of the satisfaction evaluation indices are determined, based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and the entropy weighting method (EWM). On this basis, a bilateral matching model is constructed with the objectives of maximizing the satisfaction of both the supplier and the demander, as well as achieving the synergy effect. Finally, the model is solved using the linear weighting method to obtain the most satisfactory business resources for both supply and demand. The effectiveness of the method is verified through a practical application and comparative experiments.