Sixth European Working Conditions Survey Research Articles

Quality of supervisor behaviour, workplace social capital and psychological well-being.

Employees with a higher level of workplace social capital (i.e. relationships, trust and reciprocity at work) have a lower risk of mental health problems. Supervisor behaviour may be a predictor of workplace social capital. To examine the associations between supervisor behaviour, workplace social capital and psychological well-being. We conducted a secondary analysis of the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study sample included 28 900 employees in 35 European countries with an immediate line manager. Depression was assessed with the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Supervisor behaviour quality and workplace social capital were each measured with a 6-item question. Association between quality of supervisor behaviour and workplace social capital was analysed using a hierarchical linear modelling. A mediation analysis was conducted by using hierarchical logistic models of depression with and without workplace social capital index. A higher supervisor behaviour quality index was associated with an increased workplace social capital index (β, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.59). A higher workplace social capital index was associated with lower odds of depression (odds ratio [OR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.87-0.90). A higher supervisor behaviour quality index was associated with lower odds of depression (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.89-0.92); 58% of the effect was mediated by workplace social capital. Our findings support the hypothesis that better supervisor behaviour quality increases workplace social capital and contributes to psychological well-being of employees. This may be useful for planning organizational interventions to enhance mental health of workers.

Prediction of Health-Related Leave Days among Workers in the Energy Sector by Means of Genetic Algorithms

In this research, a model is proposed for predicting the number of days absent from work due to sick or health-related leave among workers in the industry sector, according to ergonomic, social and work-related factors. It employs selected microdata from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) and combines a genetic algorithm with Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS). The most relevant explanatory variables identified by the model can be included in the following categories: ergonomics, psychosocial factors, working conditions and personal data and physiological characteristics. These categories are interrelated, and it is difficult to establish boundaries between them. Any managing program has to act on factors that affect the employees’ general health status, process design, workplace environment, ergonomics and psychosocial working context, among others, to achieve success. This has an extensive field of application in the energy sector.

Relationships on the Job and Work-Related Stress within the Third Sector in Europe

The aim of the study is to analyse the association between occupational stress and interpersonal relationships on the job for non-profit workers in Europe. The main assumption of the paper is that social support coming from interpersonal relationships on the job may counteract stress caused by adverse working conditions. The econometric analysis, based on a standard ordered probit model, employs data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey carried out in 2015 and released in 2017. Four measures of relationships on the job were considered. Not only relationships on the job with the manager and with colleagues but also external contacts with clients and patients with whom employees interact with when performing their job are included in these relationships, and social interactions with family members made possible by the ability to conciliate working time with family or social commitments outside the job are included as well. The results show significant correlations between interpersonal contacts on the job and job-related stress. Workers who get along well with co-workers have a lower probability of reporting work-related stress.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Stress in teaching professionals across Europe

Teaching professionals’ stress and burnout imply human capital costs and, consequently, economic costs. These costs justify the aim of this research: to offer an analysis of European teachers’ health compared with other workers. To achieve this goal, a review of PsycoINFO, ERIC, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases from 2017 to 2019 was conducted. The study is complemented by an empirical analysis from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (n = 27,756). Main findings show that teachers present higher levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue or sleeping problems when compared to other professions as a whole. Nevertheless, they are more satisfied at work. From an applied perspective, these results point to a need to develop specific actions to improve teachers’ wellbeing.

Testing Demands and Resources as Determinants of Vitality among Different Employment Contract Groups. A Study in 30 European Countries.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of four job demands and five job resources for employee vitality, i.e., work engagement and exhaustion, in three different employment groups: permanent, temporary and temporary agency workers. We employed data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) collected in 2015 comprising 28,042 employees from 30 European countries. We used linear regression analyses and dominance analysis (DA). The results showed minor mean differences in work engagement and exhaustion and that temporary agency workers had the highest job insecurity and lowest job control. The associations between job resources and job demands, and work engagement and exhaustion of the groups, did not differ considerably. DA showed that in all three employment groups, job feedback made the strongest contribution to work engagement and workload to exhaustion. In addition, among the temporary agency workers, supervisor support contributed to work engagement and job control (negatively) to exhaustion more than in the other groups. This study suggests that the key determinants of vitality at work may be similar, regardless of contract, and that to have sustainably performing vital workers, organizations should focus on enabling job feedback and preventing high workload in all employment groups.

An Analysis of Working Conditions of Filipinos in Malta

Malta is experiencing a strong economic growth which is attracting increasing numbers of foreign workers. This study investigates the working conditions experienced by Filipinos in Malta, the largest group of migrants from outside the European Union. Survey data collected from a sample of 317 Filipino workers was compared to the results of the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. While most respondents experience positive work outcomes, a significant minority grapples with negative conditions and perceptions. Overall, the Filipino respondents in Malta appear to face more difficult working conditions than other migrants in Europe. Nearly half of the respondents report that their health or safety is at risk because of their work and over a fourth suffered from discrimination during the year leading to the research. A substantial minority of Filipinos work below their skill levels and more than 40 hours per week. About a third of the respondents are not satisfied with their working conditions, claim not to be treated fairly at work and do not find sufficient help and support from their managers and colleagues. This study indicates the need to take into consideration the realities of both the home and host countries when analyzing the working situation of migrants. It highlights the employment vulnerability of migrant Filipino workers in Malta, and points to an apparent structural deficiency in the Maltese society to protect them.

Who is Engaged at Work?: A Large-Scale Study in 30 European Countries.

The aim was to investigate differences in the levels of work engagement across demographic and work- and organization-related factors, and their relative importance for work engagement. The study was on the basis of a sample of 17,498 male and 17,897 female employees from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey collected in 2015. Linear regression models and dominance analysis were used. Several significant differences were observed between the levels of work engagement in different demographic and work- and organization-related groups. Employees working in human service occupations reported higher levels of work engagement than employees in other industries. Relatively, occupational group (68%) and industry (17%) contributed most to work engagement. It is important to focus on enhancing work engagement, particularly among less educated employees, among those with nonpermanent contracts, and in certain occupations.

Cross Cultural Analysis of Direct Employee Participation: Dealing With Gender and Cultural Values.

The goal of this study is analyze the influence of perceived supervisor support (PSS) by employees at a micro level and the role of the cultural values of “power distance” and “masculinity” at a macro level on direct employee participation in decision-making (PDM). Furthermore, the influence of the gender of managers and employees is taken into account. The analysis is based upon the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey carried out by Eurofound in 2016. The results of a Hierarchical linear model indicate that all predictors significantly influenced PDM; PSS positively and cultural values negatively. When the gender of managers and employees is considered, the findings suggest that PSS has a larger impact on PDM when male managers address female employees. Regarding the moderating effect of PSS on cultural values, it is shown that masculinity and power distance lose importance when employees have the support of their supervisors.

Do better workplace environmental conditions improve job satisfaction?

Using data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey collected in 2015, estimates of the contribution of workplace environmental factors to the job satisfaction of about 44,000 Europeans from 35 countries are presented. Workplace environmental conditions are shown to play an important role in explaining job satisfaction, comparable to contract conditions such as pay increases and contract duration. Interestingly, the results are not driven by the perception of health or safety risks associated with worse environmental conditions.

Is there an association between working conditions and health? An analysis of the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey data.

This paper analyses the association between working conditions and physical health using data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS6) released in 2017. The econometric analysis uses two indicators to describe health status: self-assessed health (SAH), which is a subjective indicator of health; and an objective indicator of health (SICK), which is based on the occurrence of any illness or health problem that has lasted or is expected to last for more than 6 months. The theoretical hypotheses concerning the association between working conditions and SAH and the association between working conditions and SICK are tested using a standard ordered probit model and a standard probit model, respectively. The results show that encouraging working conditions, work environment, and job support are associated with both better self-assessed health and better objective health.

Comparison of work environment and occupational injury in direct and indirect employment in Korea and Europe.

BackgroundTo investigate the risk of injury for indirect employment in Korea, we compared work environment, workplace exposure, and injury risk according to the type of employment contract between Korea and European Union (EU) countries.MethodsWe analyzed data of blue-collar workers from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey (2014) and the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (2015) and compared workplace risk factors and preventive factors for occupational injuries. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between occupational injury and the type of employment contract after adjusting for age and sex.ResultsFor descriptive characteristics, a relatively older age, lower income, lower proportion of full-time work, greater proportion in small-sized companies, and fewer unionizations were noted in indirect employment in Korea than in direct employment. Workplace exposure was significantly higher in indirect employment in both Korea and Europe. Among safety-related factors, indirect employment in both Korea and Europe lacked the support of company education, coworkers, and supervisors. Indirectly employed blue-collar workers had a significantly higher risk of occupational injury than those directly employed in Korea (odds ratio [OR]: 1.876), whereas there was no significant difference between directly and indirectly employed workers in EU countries (OR: 1.038).ConclusionsIndirectly employed blue-collar workers have an increased risk of occupational injury in Korea.

A self‐determination theory approach to health and well‐being in the workplace: Results from the sixth European working conditions survey in Spain

AbstractResearch to date has underlined the importance of positive organizational psychology to improve health and psychological well‐being (PWB) in the workplace. The purpose of the present research is to test a model linking satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as identified by self‐determination theory (SDT), and various individual work‐related outcomes, such as job satisfaction, PWB, and health problems in Spanish employees. Nationally representative data from the sixth European Survey on Working Conditions is Spain were used. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the mediational role of job satisfaction in the relationships between psychological need satisfaction in the workplace and its consequences for PWB and health problems in Spanish employees. The results indicated that the fulfillment of basic psychological needs in the workplace is related to higher job satisfaction and that higher job satisfaction is associated with higher PWB and fewer health problems. Higher perceived competence and relatedness in the workplace were also related to greater PWB and fewer health problems. These results suggest that SDT is a valid approach that may guide interventions in the workplace to promote job satisfaction, PWB, and physical health in employees.

Working Conditions and Anxiety. An Analysis on the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey Data

Working Conditions and Anxiety. An Analysis on the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey Data

Mobile knowledge workers and traditional mobile workers: Assessing the prevalence of multi-locational work in Europe.

This article contributes to the discussion on flexible working by assessing empirically the prevalence of mobile, multi-locational work in Europe (EU-28, Norway and Switzerland). Drawing on data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey, the prevalence of multi-locational work across Europe is examined in terms of the knowledge intensity of the work. Knowledge-intensive occupations are characterised by a high level of individual skills, typically acquired through tertiary-level education, and a high degree of autonomy combined with frequent use of ICT. According to the results, working on mobile sites – a practice that augments working in the primary workplace – is most common in northern European countries, where the proportion of knowledge-intensive occupations is high. However, even in the Nordic region, knowledge workers predominantly work at their employers’ premises. This finding is in marked contrast with the hyperbole and expectations which assume that ICT allows knowledge workers to work free from the constraints of time and space. Agriculture, construction and transport workers still represent the largest proportion of the mobile workforce. Knowledge-intensive job features, however, predict the adoption of working at home. The analysis adds to the literature on flexible working by taking into account both traditional and knowledge-intensive forms of multi-locational work as well as providing a cross-national comparison.