Sixth European Working Conditions Survey Research Articles

Labour market insecurity and volunteering in the European Union: policy suggestions for job security

PurposeThere is extensive literature on the determinants of job tenure insecurity. However, very little is known about the individual drivers of labour market insecurity. Additionally, while a piece of literature shows that volunteering improves workers' income, no study considers volunteering as an activity which could help workers to feel more confident about their perception of labour market insecurity if they lost or resigned their jobs. Therefore, purpose of this paper is to study whether workers who volunteer are less likely to perceive labour market insecurity.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs data from the sixth European working conditions survey which provides a great deal of information on working conditions. For the empirical investigation, probit model as well as robustness analysis have been implemented.FindingsResults show that employees who do voluntary activities have a greater likelihood of declaring perceived labour market insecurity, which is nearly 3 percentage points lower, than employees who do not volunteer. Findings suggest that governments need to improve the relationship between for-profit and non-profit sectors to encourage volunteering.Originality/valueThis is the first study which considers volunteering as an activity which could help workers to feel more confident about their perception of “labour market insecurity”. Most of the studies on “labour market insecurity” do not focus on the workers individual characteristics but mainly on the labour markets institutional characteristics and welfare regimes differences.

Job satisfaction in Europe: a gender analysis

PurposeThe main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in job satisfaction in Europe.Design/methodology/approachFor the empirical analysis, data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey were used. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a principal component analysis (PCA) aggregated variable, after unconditional quantile regressions in a multiple imputation background, was implemented.FindingsWomen report higher job satisfaction than men do. Women were significantly more satisfied than men for the middle levels of the job satisfaction distribution.Originality/valueThis study expands the evidence on the determinants of job satisfaction in the European labour market by applying a recent form of decomposition that invests in unconditional quantile regression (UQR). To the best of this study knowledge, this is the first time that the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition with a PCA aggregated variable after unconditional quantile regression has been employed to study gender-based differences in job satisfaction.

The impact of skills mismatches on occupational accidents: An analysis of the effectiveness of organizational responses

This paper analyzes the effect of worker under-skilling on occupational safety. We estimate the impact of skill deficits on the probability of suffering an accident at work and, second, on the duration of sick leave. In addition, we test whether the company's measures to control the actions of these workers reduce this effect. We propose two moderation models in a sample of 42,871 workers obtained from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS6). The results show that under-skilled workers suffer more accidents and longer periods of sick leave. Furthermore, the results suggest that on-the-job training, safety information, and teamwork weaken the relationship between under-skilling and accidents. However, the duration of sick leave is only reduced by teamwork. Our analysis shows that certain organizational and regulatory practices need to be modified to address the health effects of a lack of skills. The article includes some proposals in this regard.

Satisfaction of basic psychological needs and European entrepreneurs' well-being and health: The association with job satisfaction and entrepreneurial motivation.

We examine an integrative model associating entrepreneurial motivation and job satisfaction with basic psychological needs satisfaction and the psychological well-being (PWB) and health problems of European entrepreneurs. In contrast with previous literature that focuses mainly on hedonic well-being, this study examines well-being by using a eudaimonic perspective and the link between entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurs' PWB. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT) and using structural equation modeling, this study examines a European representative sample composed of 7,878 entrepreneurs from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (6th EWCS; Eurofound [2015] database). This study finds a positive relationship between the satisfaction of the need for autonomy and competence and opportunity motivation, which in turn is positively associated with job satisfaction. This study also finds that need satisfaction is positively associated with entrepreneurs' PWB and job satisfaction, which in turn is positively associated with entrepreneurs' PWB and health. Results highlight the relevance of SDT, opportunity motivation, and job satisfaction to understanding entrepreneurs' PWB and health. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first integrative model relating satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy and competence) and diverse individual outcomes related to work (job satisfaction, PWB, and health) of European entrepreneurs by considering entrepreneurial motivation. This study examines a large and representative European sample, in contrast with previous research focusing on the Anglosphere nations.

Homeworking and Employee Job Stress and Work Engagement: A Multilevel Analysis from 34 European Countries.

Working from home (WFH) has had both positive and negative impacts on the work conduct. To maximise the benefits of homeworking, previous literature mainly focuses on creating self-help strategies for homeworkers to reduce work stress and maintain work engagement. However, fewer studies take on the policymaker perspective and evaluate optimal working conditions in the homeworking context. Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study evaluates the effects of various work characteristics (job demands and resources) on the stress and engagement of infrequent and frequent homeworkers. Using the sixth European Working Conditions Survey 2015 which contains 5090 participants from 34 European countries, we studied 6 job demands and 5 job resources via Exploratory Factor Analysis. After testing the model's fitness using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, multiple mixed-effects models were used to test the job demands and resource effects on worker stress and engagement. Dominance Analysis was then used to identify the relative importance of each job demand and resource when explaining employee stress and engagement. We found emotional demands, time pressure, and workload to be the top three demand factors that cause work stress across the groups. Other than daily homeworkers, a positive and fair social climate is the most prominent resource able to boost job engagement across all of the other groups. By identifying the homeworkers' most influential demands and resources, this study will help managers better understand the steps to take to provide healthy job conditions for homeworkers.

Digital Stress. Effects of Different Intensities of Working From Home on Workers' Health.

Because hybrid and remote work models have exponentially expanded with digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines how different intensities of WFH impact workers' health. Drawing on the job demands-resources model, we applied two-way analysis of variance and regression models to the sixth European Working Conditions Survey to examine how the type and magnitude of WFH effects on health depend on its intensity. A key aspect in relation to remote work is the frequency with which the worker carries out this type of work, with best results among those WFH only several times a month, for women, and several times a week, for men. Reasonable intensity of WFH may have beneficial effects on health, but these positive effects are reduced when working fully home-based.

Sustainable human resource management the mediating role between work engagement and teamwork performance.

The present work aims to analyze the properties of the working conditions recorded in the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS); with it, it has being built seven independent indexes about different aspects of work’ quality in the health sector, and these constructs are used to evaluate their effects on work engagement (WE). In this sense, the originality of incorporating teamwork as a modulating variable is included. To analyze the effects of the job quality index (JQI) on the WE, a logistic regression model is proposed for a total of 3044 workers within the health sector, differentiating between those who work or not in a team; in a first stage and these estimates are compared with those obtained using an artificial neural network model, and both are used for the consideration of the research hypotheses about several causal factor. An important contributions of the study, it is related to how work commitment is mainly influenced by prospects, social environment, intensity and earnings, all of them related to job performance. Therefore, knowledge of the determinants of work commitment and the ability to modulate its effects in teamwork environments is necessary for the development of truly sustainable Human Resources policies.

Opponent or allied? An European analysis of the union presence and human resource practices.

Human Resources Practices (HRPs) and unions coexist in some organisations to manage the employment relationships of the workers. In this study, we analyse how the presence/absence of unions and HRPs are combined in private European organisations, and which of these combinations are related to higher levels of wellbeing and the quality of labor relations. Data come from 24,503 workers of private organisations, obtained from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. Latent profiles analysis and different analyses of the variance suggested four different profiles. The profile with the greatest presence of HRPs and union presence is related to the highest levels of employees' wellbeing and quality of labor relations in organisations, whereas those organisations with a low level of union presence or HRPs reached the worst levels in employees' wellbeing and quality of labor relations indicators. The results and their practical implications are discussed.

Work schedule characteristics associated with sleep disturbance among healthcare professionals in Europe and South Korea: a report from two cross-sectional surveys

BackgroundHealthcare professionals worldwide are prone to sleep disturbance. Such sleep disturbance is associated with lower patient safety and quality of care. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of sleep disturbance and determine the effect of work schedule characteristics on sleep disturbance among healthcare professionals in Europe and South Korea.MethodsWe used the sixth European Working Conditions Survey and the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey for analyses. The study included 2285 healthcare professionals aged 18–65 years. Work schedule characteristics included shift work, night work, working hours per week, long work hours (i.e., more than 10 hours per shift), quick return to work, having to come to work on short notice, and changes in work schedules. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe overall prevalence of sleep disturbance was 37.7%. The multivariate logistic regression model indicated that long work hours, quick return to, having to come to work on short notice, and changes in work schedules were significant factors associated with sleep disturbance among healthcare professionals.ConclusionThe findings revealed that several work schedule-related factors were associated with sleep disturbances in healthcare professionals in Europe and Korea. Institutions and policymakers should implement strategies and policies to reduce the unpredictability of work schedules to ensure an adequate rest period between shifts and to reduce sleep disturbances.

Self-perceived job insecurity and self-reported health: Differences between native-born and migrant workers based on evidence from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey.

This paper analyses the association between self-perceived job insecurity and self-reported health by comparing two population groups, native-born and migrant workers, in EU15 countries. The econometric analysis employs data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey that was released in 2017. The health outcome examined in this study is self-reported health, which is a subjective indicator. Self-perceived job insecurity is an individual’s subjective evaluation of the possibility of future job loss. The association between job insecurity and self-reported health was tested using standard probit models and standard ordered probit models, considering the entire population sample, only native-born workers, only migrant workers. The results show that workers who think that they might lose their jobs have a lower probability of reporting very good and good health than workers who do not worry about losing their jobs, with job insecurity reducing the probability of reporting good health more for migrant workers than for native-born workers.

Temporal Dimensions of Job Quality and Gender: Exploring Differences in the Associations of Working Time and Health between Women and Men.

Research shows strong links between working time organization and workers’ health outcomes. Working time is also known to be highly gendered, with men and women working to different schedules. This article merges these two strands of research and takes a gender-based approach to investigating the relationship between temporal job quality and self-reported health in Europe. First, the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) is used to establish the relationship between temporal dimensions of job quality and health and well-being outcomes for employed women and men. This is then corroborated using larger samples and more restricted measures of job quality drawn from micro-data from the 2019–2020 EU Labor Force Survey (LFS). The analyses show that good temporal job quality is positively associated with health and subjective well-being for both women and men, but this effect is significantly stronger for women, who are also at a greater risk of exposure to low control over working time and time under-employment. The findings highlight the importance of studying the impact of working and employment conditions on health from gender perspective, and the need for further exploration of job quality due to changes in the spatio-temporal organization of work during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work–life balance and social support: The influence on work engagement in the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey

AbstractThis study examined the influence of work–life balance and social support on work engagement using the big data of the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The data included 43,850 respondents from many countries in Europe. In this sample, work–life balance and social support are positively related to work engagement. Findings suggest that organizations should provide a resourceful work environment and consider the balance of their time at work and personal life to achieve high work engagement.

Job satisfaction: towards internalizing the feeling of inequality between men and women

ABSTRACT The more pronounced job satisfaction among women is generally observed despite their less favorable work situation compared to men. However, regression analysis alone in a sample of non-comparable men and women may be subject to model misspecification. Our work uses an innovative matching procedure, Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), to address this issue and analyze the reasons for the differential in job satisfaction between men and women with the same characteristics. Data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey are considered including five measures of satisfaction with career development prospects taken as a new measure. The results show that women are more satisfied with job security, while they seem less satisfied with their career development prospects. A similar level of satisfaction is observed between men and women with regard to social relations, overall satisfaction and salary. Exceptionally, the youngest women, or those with higher education, or employed at a higher hierarchical level, or working in male-dominated sectors, expressed levels of satisfaction that were the opposite of the other women. This is likely due to the fact that these women align their job expectations with those of their male counterparts.

Looking for meanings at work: unraveling the implications of smart working on organizational meaningfulness

PurposeThis study aims to shed light on the ambiguous effects of smart working (SW) on work meaningfulness. On the one hand, SW enables people to benefit from greater work flexibility, advancing individual control over organizational activities. On the other hand, it may impair interpersonal exchanges at work, disrupting job meaningfulness. Hence, the implications of SW on work meaningfulness are investigated through the mediating role of interpersonal exchanges at work.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate both the direct and indirect effects of SW on employees’ perceived meaningfulness at work. Secondary data come from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study encompasses a sample of 30,932 employees. A mediation model based on ordinary least square regressions and bootstrap sampling is designed to obtain evidence of SW’s implications on meaningfulness at work through the mediating role of interpersonal relationships (IR).FindingsThe research findings suggest that SW triggers a positive sense of the significance of work. However, it negatively affects IR with peers and supervisors, entailing professional and spatial isolation. Impaired IR twists the positive implications of SW on organizational meaningfulness (OM), curtailing the employees’ sense of significance at work.Practical implicationsSW is a double-edged sword. It contributes to the enrichment of OM, enhancing the individual self-determination to shape the spatial context of work. However, its side effects on interpersonal exchanges generate a drift toward organizational meaninglessness. Tailored management interventions intended to sustain IR at work are needed to fit the design of SW arrangements to the employees’ evolving social needs.Originality/valueThe paper pushes forward what is currently known about the implications of SW on OM, examining them through the mediating role of IR at work.

Do National Values of Culture and Sustainability Influence Direct Employee PDM Levels and Scope? The Search for a European Answer

The dynamic development of the global economy has led to the creation of agile and innovative organizations that need to adapt rapidly to new challenges. For that reason, organizations need to make decisions that help them face uncertain situations and be successful. Research has demonstrated that employee participative decision making (PDM) promotes more innovative, flexible, and sustainable organizations. The present paper examines organizational, cultural, and sustainable factors to discover how these variables affect PDM in the European context. For this purpose, this study focuses on two main objectives: (1) analyzing the impact of a country’s cultural and institutional values (macro level), beyond individual and organizational characteristics (micro and meso levels), on the adoption of PDM in the European context and (2) differentiating among the types of decisions for which employee participation is considered (operational or organizational). To attain these goals, three hierarchical fitted regression models were fitted using data based on the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) and complemented with information from Hofstede’s dimensions, whose scores are obtained from 2010 Hofstede database, and institutional values from the 2015 World Competitive Yearbook (WCY). Results demonstrate that some cultural values are significant for PDM and that sustainability is related to employee participation at the general and operational levels. This allows the conclusion that organizations located in countries with greater sustainability awareness are also those that promote employee participation the most.

Job Quality and Work-Life Balance of Teleworkers.

As telework and mobile work arrangements become more widespread with new advancements in digitalization, these flexible models of work are rapidly expanding to new categories of employees and completely modifying working conditions and job quality. The aim of this study was to assess how particular types of telework affect different dimensions of job quality. We applied multivariable techniques to a sample of 35,765 workers from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. Our findings show that gender and types of telework by workplace and ICT-use intensity are crucial factors affecting working conditions and job quality. Occasional teleworkers are the group with the best job quality, while highly mobile teleworkers are those with the worst job quality and work–life balance. Home-based teleworkers, especially women, present better results than highly mobile workers in terms of working time quality and intensity, though in exchange for lower skills and discretion, income, and career prospects. This study contributes to deepening our knowledge on the impacts of flexible arrangements of work, providing an analysis of current data on different dimensions of job quality and work–life balance and including gender as a crucial axis of analysis.

Let me go to the office! An investigation into the side effects of working from home on work-life balance

PurposeThe disruptions brought by COVID-19 pandemic compelled a large part of public sector employees to remotely work from home. Home-based teleworking ensured the continuity of the provision of public services, reducing disruptions brought by the pandemic. However, little is known about the implications of telecommuting from home on the ability of remote employees to manage the work-life interplay. The article adopts a retrospective approach, investigating data provided by the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) to shed lights into this timely topic.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical, quantitative research design was crafted. On the one hand, the direct effects of telecommuting from home on work-life balance were investigated. On the other hand, work engagement and perceived work-related fatigue were included in the empirical analysis as mediating variables which intervene in the relationship between telecommuting from home and work-life balance.FindingsHome-based telecommuting negatively affected the work-life balance of public servants. Employees who remotely worked from home suffered from increased work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts. Telecommuting from home triggered greater work-related fatigue, which worsened the perceived work-life balance. Work engagement positively mediated the negative effects of working from home on work-life balance.Practical implicationsTelecommuting from home has side effects on the ability of remote workers to handle the interplay between work-related commitments and daily life activities. This comes from the overlapping between private life and work, which leads to greater contamination of personal concerns and work duties. Work engagement lessens the perceptions of work-life unbalance. The increased work-related fatigue triggered by remote working may produce a physical and emotional exhaustion of home-based teleworkers.Originality/valueThe article investigates the side effects of remotely working from home on work-life balance, stressing the mediating role of work engagement and work-related fatigue.

Young people, social workers and social work education: the role of digital skills

ABSTRACT This paper addresses a key issue in the development of youth-focused social work: the role of digital skills in the relationship between young people and social workers who work with these native digital users. To this end, we analysed data from the International Digital Economy and Society Index 2019 and Eurostat. Information from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey and a survey conducted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence and the British Association of Social Workers supported the empirical analysis. The main findings reveal a gap between the level of digital skills required in the labour market and the actual level of digital skills in both young people and social workers, despite efforts by both groups to improve their skills. Initiatives to foster digital skills are therefore recommended to bridge this digital divide. Lastly, it was concluded that both groups could act as mutual drivers of digital transformation.

Job stress and interpersonal relationships cross country evidence from the EU15: a correlation analysis

BackgroundThe aim of the study is to analyse the association between job stress and interpersonal relationships on and outside of the job in Europe. The main assumption of the paper is that since social relations at various levels enhance individual well-being, they may counteract stress created by an unfavourable work environment.MethodsThe econometric analysis, based on a standard ordered probit model, employs data taken from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey carried out in 2015 and released in 2017.ResultsThe results show significant correlations between interpersonal contacts on and outside of the job and job stress. Help and support provided by one’s manager decreases the probability of being stressed at work, while receiving help and support from co-workers is likely to increase the probability of job stress occurrence. However, maintaining cooperation and getting on well with colleagues decrease the probability of experiencing stress, confirming the positive and gratifying features of contact with co-workers reported by the literature.ConclusionsWhile we were not able to establish the direction of causality between job stress and interpersonal relationships (a limitation of this paper), the present work contributes new evidence to the literature on occupational stress. Our results show that interpersonal relationships on and outside of the job can be considered valuable resources that, when available to an individual, are useful for managing stress created by workplace stressors.

Volunteering and Self-Assessed Health Within EU28 Countries: Evidence From the EWCS

The effects of voluntary activities on individual well-being have been investigated extensively in the literature. In this study, the relationship between self-assessed health and volunteering is examined from a cross-country perspective by considering respondents’ characteristics and other voluntary liabilities, employing the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. This data set allows us to explore, by implementing an Ordered Probit model, the association of self-assessed health status with charity activities performed specifically by workers. Among the working population in the European Union, our results show that, although volunteering—as well as other unpaid tasks, such as informal helping—are statistically significant, voluntary activities do not seem to be strongly associated with individual perceived health status.