White-collar Workers Research Articles

Recovery Experiences Protect Emotionally Exhausted White-Collar Workers from Gaming Addiction.

Gaming addiction and its negative consequences have attracted public concern, but relatively little is known regarding its impact on adult workers. This study aims to test the association between gaming addiction and emotional exhaustion as well as the protective effect of recovery experiences on such an association among white-collar workers. We recruited 205 working adults (female = 58%) who voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. The results showed that male and younger workers were more vulnerable to gaming addiction. Emotional exhaustion was significantly and positively associated, while two (i.e., relaxation and control) of the four recovery experiences were negatively correlated with gaming addiction. Control experience had an indirect effect on gaming addiction via emotional exhaustion. Moreover, relaxation experience buffered the risk effect of emotional exhaustion on gaming addiction so that the effect is less pronounced at high levels of relaxation. Interventions are suggested to raise workers’ awareness of effective recovery experiences (especially for control and relaxation) and to facilitate their recovery opportunities.

일본 소시민의 ‘여가 생활’ 연구 - 1920,30년대 소시민영화를 중심으로 -

This study analyzes the petite bourgeoisie portrayed in Japanese films to show that the ”refinement” and “advancement” they consumed eventually became “leisure lives”. The petite bourgeoisie of the 1930s was the most active, spontaneous, and leading class in changing times. In terms of cultural life when the Japanese tried to make up for the poverty of real life and forget the harsh reality, the petite bourgeoisie films served to escape from the unstable social atmosphere of the time. This can be seen from the spontaneity of the audience who wanted to see the real world in the petite bourgeoisie films rather than the reality of the audience. As industries developed and job creation increased, the emergence of the middle class, whitecollar workers, office workers, and petite bourgeoisie in cities where population density was concentrated, focused more on their daily lives as their consumption culture became more popular. Their refined cultural life, which became a desire to consume new cultures in their daily lives, has changed into a daily life that transcends the boundaries of Japanese culture, and what is consumed in their rapidly expanding daily lives became popular culture. The urban space they experienced and consumed mainly in their daily lives was a space of consumption and conspicuous consumption to gain and maintain the status of a refined person. In the end, such conspicuous consumption made them realize that they are the most active, spontaneous, and leading class in their daily lives and times. In this respect, the petite bourgeoisie films are valuable in that the films portray the petite bourgeoisie as “advanced” modern people who experience leisure time. At the same time, cultural life at that time brought people to the theaters who sought compensation for the poverty of real life and escape from reality. The petite bourgeoisie films did not simply convey the visual aspect to the audience but provided an expanded space of time.

Digitalization of office work – an ideological dilemma of structure and flexibility

PurposeThe ongoing “digitalization of work” is one of the major phenomena shaping contemporary organizations. The aim of this study is to explore linguistic constructs of white-collar workers (WCWs) related to their use of digital tools.Design/methodology/approachThe framework of ideological dilemmas (Billig et al., 1988) is mobilized to investigate the conflicting demands WCW interviewees construct when describing the ongoing digitalization of their office work.FindingsThis study shows how “digitalization of work” is enforcing an organizational ideological dilemma of structure and flexibility for WCWs. In the digital workplace, this dilemma is linguistically expressed as the individual should be, or should want to be, both flexible and structured in her work.Practical implicationsThe use of language exposes conflicting ideals in the use of digital tools that might increase work–life stress. Implications for managers include acknowledging the dilemmas WCWs face in digitalized organizations and supporting them before they embark upon a digitalization journey.Originality/valueThe study shows that the negotiation between competing organizational discourses is constructed irrespective of hierarchical positions; the organizations digital maturity; private or public sector; or country. The study confirms contradictory ideological claims as “natural” and unquestionable in digitalized officework.

Kyra Markham: Letters to Louis Sheaffer (1962–63)

Kyra Markham: Letters to Louis Sheaffer (1962–63)

How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Heavy Metal and Love Labor Journalism

How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Heavy Metal and Love Labor Journalism

Sounds of Accompaniment

Sounds of Accompaniment

Staging Depth: Eugene O’Neill and the Politics of Psychological Discourse

Staging Depth: Eugene O’Neill and the Politics of Psychological Discourse

The Effects of Benefits Sought for Cosmetics on Motivation to Purchase Cosmetics in Middle-Aged Chinese Women

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of benefits sought for cosmetics on motivation to purchase cosmetics in middle-aged Chinese women in their forties and fifties who have high cosmetics consumption to seek for young and beautiful life with economic stability. 179 questionnaires were used to examine general characteristics, benefits sought for cosmetics, and motivation to purchase cosmetics using WeChat and Wenjuanxing program from March 05 to 15, 2022. Data analysis was conducted via SPSSWIN 21.0 with frequency analysis and factor analysis to test validity. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s  coefficient. Descriptive statistics analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were also conducted. Analysis results were as follows. The 40s age group(age), married(marital status), high school graduation(education), and white collar, professional, and service workers(occupation) were common. 0.5~1 million won(monthly income). The factor means of benefits sought for cosmetics were 3.95 points for trend-chasing, 3.94 points for brand popularity, 3.95 points for product performance, 3.98 points for appearance enhancement, and 3.91 points for scarcity-chasing. The factor means of motivation to purchase cosmetics were 4.05 points for trend- and other-oriented, 3.96 points for product change, 3.90 points for skin care and esthetic, and 4.01 points for economic. The benefits sought for cosmetics had a positive(+) correlation with motivation to purchase cosmetics in trend-chasing, brand popularity, product performance, appearance enhancement, and scarcity-chasing. It suggests that all factors of the benefits sought for cosmetics had a high effect on all factors of the motivation to purchase cosmetics. Based on the findings of the study, benefits sought for cosmetics has a great effect on motivation to purchase cosmetics in middle-aged women. They have a very high tendency to purchase cosmetics based on scarcity and the value of product performance. Therefore, this study will contribute to presenting basic data for marketing strategy to promote middle-aged women’s cosmetics purchase.

주재원의 심리적 계약 내용과 계약 위반 사건의 원인에 대한 질적연구

Drawing on psychological contract theory, this qualitative study aims to identify Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents and investigate the main causes of their psychological contract breach(PCB). Findings from the in-depth individual interviews with 14 expatriates and repatriates show the followings. First, Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents include 7 categories: compensation, benefits, living support, family-oriented support, performance management, career management, and work support. Compared with Korean whitecollar workers’ psychological contracts, those of Korean expatriates feature detailed compensation and benefits contents, broader contract coverage, and longer contract duration. Second, the majority of expatriates’ PCBs come from obligation incongruence, which shows a high possibility that expatriates and employers have different understandings of their mutual obligations and implicit expectations. Third, All PCBs do not necessarily lead to strong negative emotions such as a feeling of betrayal, or psychological contract violation. Instead, the contextual factors and expatriates’ interpretation of PCBs are critical to evaluating contracts’ fulfillment. Fourth, a few expatriates who are merely experienced PCBs have several features: a high understanding of the international assignment, a high level of career satisfaction from host country experiences, and perceived organizational support. This research advances the psychological contract theory by enhancing an understanding of Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents, complementing a mechanism to explain the negative effects of expatriates’ PCB, and highlighting areas in need of future research that help a more complete understanding of expatriate performance and management.

P09-09 Hybrid work and temporal patterns of sedentary behavior in a 24-hour compositional perspective

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many white-collar workers were requested to exclusively work from home (WFH), which may have affected their sedentary behavior. In Sweden, having less severe restrictions than many other countries, workers were allowed to alternate between WFH and work at the office (WAO), so called hybrid work. Understanding how hybrid work influences total sedentary behavior and its temporal distribution is an important issue for future health promotion. This study aimed to investigate to what extent office workers changed their temporal pattern of sedentary behavior during days WFH compared to WAO, considering age and gender as potential moderators.MethodsData were collected from May to December 2020 in office workers (n = 199). Their mean age was 42 (SD 10) years and 55% were women. Physical behaviors were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer (AxivityAX3) for seven consecutive days. A diary identified working hours, time-in-bed and days WFH or WAO. Time-use was classified as short (0-5 min), moderate (5-30 min) and long bouts (>30 min) of sedentary behavior (SB), non-SB, and time-in-bed during workdays (WAO and WFH) and non-workdays. We used Compositional data analysis to express data as 24-hour compositions and linear mixed models to estimate difference in 24-hour compositions between day types (within worker), including age and gender as covariates and moderators.ResultsWe found that workdays (WFH and WAO) were associated with proportionally less time-in-bed relative to time awake, more time SB relative to non-SB, and more time in longer relative to shorter sedentary bouts, compared to non-workdays (all p > 0.001). WFH was associated with more time-in-bed relative to awake and more SB relative to non-SB than WAO (p > 0.05), but the differences for sedentary bouts were not significant. Younger workers and women had more SB, and women accumulated more time than men in longer relative to shorter bouts of SB. However, age and gender did not affect differences between day types.ConclusionsWorking from home influenced 24-hour time-use in office workers by increasing sedentary behavior in total, while its temporal pattern was unchanged. Results contribute to evidence that can support organizational policies on hybrid work.

P09-08 24-Hour Physical Behavior Balance for Better Health for All: “The Sweet-Spot Hypothesis”

Background‘Sit less-move more' has been a common advice to improve health of adults. Research indicates that this advice might be health enhancing among adults with sedentary occupations but not among adults with physically active occupations such as cleaners. This may be explained by the considerable differences in 24-h physical behaviors between adults in sedentary and physically active occupations. To provide a scientific approach and encourage research on 24-h physical behaviors and health for those in physically active occupations, we recently proposed the ‘Sweet-Spot Hypothesis'. The hypothesis postulated that the ‘Sweet-Spot' of 24-h physical behaviors for better health differs between adults, depending on their occupation.MethodsTo exemplify such hypothesis, we tested the cross-sectional association between 24-hour time composition of physical behaviors measured using thigh-based accelerometry and self-rated health among adults engaged in white-collar (n = 136), manufacturing (n = 481) and cleaning (n = 130) occupations.ResultsWe found that the sweet spot of 24-h physical behaviors for better health was far from ‘sit less-move more' zone among adults with physically active occupations. Specifically, among white-collar workers, 24-h physical behavior distribution associated with the best 5% of self-rated health comprised about 30% of the day spent on sedentary behavior, 45% spent actively, and 25% spent on sleep. However, among cleaners, this distribution was about 50% spent sedentary, 15% spent actively, and 35% on sleep and in manufacturing sector, this distribution was about 35% spent sedentary, 35% spent actively, and 30% spent on sleep.ConclusionThe advice ‘sit less-move more' may not bring adults in physically active occupations toward their ‘Sweet-Spot' of 24-h physical behaviors for better health. To promote health for all and reduce social gradient, we see a great need for empirically testing the ‘Sweet-Spot Hypothesis' with high-quality data and strong study design. We hope that the proposal of testing ‘Sweet-Spot Hypothesis' will encourage discussion, debates, and empirical research to expand our collective knowledge about the healthy ‘24-h physical behavior balance' for all.

P08-10 Clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors in occupational groups in the Swedish workforce

BackgroundThe physical activity pattern of the population, as well as the tasks of different occupational groups, have changed over the past decades. Hence, studies within and between different occupational groups, and not just between white and blue collar workers, are central for current risk group analyses. The aim was to study clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors in different occupational groups in a large sample of men and women from the Swedish working population.Methods72,855 individuals aged 18-75 years (41% women) from the Swedish working population who participated in a nationwide occupational health service screening between 2014-2019 were included in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Nine different occupational groups were identified based on the International Standard Classification of Occupation 2008. Exercise, diet, smoking habits and perceived health were self-reported. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated using a submaximal cycle test. Blood pressure and BMI was assessed through physical examination. Logistic regression modelling assessed OR (95%CI) for clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors, defined as ‘3 of the following; low exercise, poor diet, daily smoking, poor perceived health, low fitness, high blood pressure and high BMI in the different occupational groups.ResultsThe OR (95% CI) for clustering of unhealthy lifestyle factors were, compared to managers that served as reference, 1.00 (0.89-1.11) for professionals, 1.25 (1.11-1.39) for associate professionals, 1.93 (1.71-2.18) for clerical support workers, 2.40 (2.14-2.70) for service and sales workers, 1.63 (1.29-2.05) for agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, 2.23 (1.99-2.49) for craft and related trades workers, 2.52 (2.25-2.83) for plant and machine operators, and assemblers, and 2.62 (2.26-3.05) for elementary occupations. Comparing occupational groups within ‘service and sales workers’ and ‘plant and machine operators, and assemblers’, revealed significantly higher OR for professionals in care workers (OR2.92 (2.55-3.34)) and in drivers (OR 3.32(2.86-3.87)) compared to each of the main occupational groups.ConclusionThere were large variations in clustering of unhealthy lifestyle-related factors between as well as within different white and blue collar occupations. This study suggest that targeted measures of health promotion are foremost needed in blue collar occupations, however with some white collar sub-occupations being at similar need as blue collar occupations.

Research on the Structure design of interactive Multimedia Distance Education System

In recent years, with the rapid development of Internet technology and multimedia information technology, multimedia remote interactive teaching system is gradually improved. Multimedia distance education can terminal via the Internet, so that the students, white-collar workers, the workers all kinds of people in any time, any place free teaching model, multimedia distance education system by uploading a high quality, high level of teaching materials, to meet the needs of all kinds of people, but also can realize the online communication with teachers to discuss, to mobilize the interest of learning staff. The multimedia distance education system not only changes the traditional offline teaching mode, but also makes the background of the multimedia education system more rigorous through continuous improvement and updating. This paper analyzes and studies the concrete design structure of interactive teaching mode adopted by multimedia distance education system and the teaching objectives achieved by the teaching mode.

Overcoming the Challenges of Digitalisation in Hungarian Manufacturing Companies

The digitalisation has become an imperative for most organisations and their workforces in our world of emergent and continuous changes. Digital technologies are evolving at the speed of light, such as big data analytics, social media, artificial intelligence, internet of things, etc., and the platform built with these technologies. In this context, digitalisation refers to the adoption of these technologies for communications and business activities into digital ones connecting people, products, services and systems. Recently, studies began to emphasise the significant role of integrating human factors into digitalised workplaces and investigate deeply how well prepared they are — workforces and organisations — for the digitalisation challenges in the era of Industry 4.0. The aim of our research is to provide a survey-based result on digital skills of the workforce influenced by digitalisation and to support organisations to fulfil digitalisation challenges. The data used for the analysis come from a primary online questionnaire survey conducted in the spring of 2021. The questionnaire was completed by managers and white collar workers of Hungarian manufacturing companies (n=621). The analysis is based on quantitative methodology, descriptive statistics and relationship analyses were used. The results showed the identified level of experience of workforces related to digital technologies and the level of development of the organisations.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) pertaining to COVID-19 in Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Pakistan issued safety measures in an effort to mitigate the rising number of cases, the effectiveness of which depends on people’s response and behavior. This study investigates the knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: An online survey of 764 residents of Karachi was conducted between 15 September and 20 November 2020. Popular social media and authors’ networks with the residents were utilized for the successful recruitment of these responses. A self-developed online KAP questionnaire was developed with 9 questions on knowledge, 7 on attitude, and 5 on practices. Results: Out of 764 participants, 60.6% were female, 37.2% had university degrees and 20.8% were white collar workers. Social media was the most popular information source (52.9%) and a trend to update daily on the news was observed (69.6%). Preventative measures were well known; washing hands with soap and water (97.4%), wearing facemasks (91.5%) and using hand sanitizer (89.4%). Majority (86.7%) were aware of social distancing. Favorable practices were observed; with 83% using masks, 71.6% limiting social interaction, 74% staying at home, 95% ensuring extra hygiene and 73% authenticating information from trusted sources. Conclusion: Most residents of Karachi were knowledgeable regarding mitigation measures and had optimistic attitude and appropriate practices during the initial period of the COVID-19 outbreak. Future interventions in low and middle-income countries ought to prioritize interventions to develop a community-centered approach, targeting vulnerable subgroups in rural areas.

Trajectories of sickness absence and disability pension days among 189,321 white-collar workers in the trade and retail industry; a 7-year longitudinal Swedish cohort study

Objective1) identify different trajectories of annual mean number of sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) days among privately employed white-collar workers in the trade and retail industries and 2) investigate if sociodemographic and work-related characteristics were associated with trajectory membership.MethodsA longitudinal population-based cohort register study of all white-collar workers in the trade and retail industry in 2012 in Sweden (N = 189,321), with SA and DP data for 2010–2016. Group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify groups of individuals who followed similar trajectories of SA/DP days. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine associations between sociodemographic and work-related factors and trajectory membership.ResultsWe identified four trajectories of SA/DP days. Most individuals (73%) belonged to the trajectory with 0 days during all seven years, followed by a trajectory of few days each year (24%). Very small minorities belonged to a trajectory with increasing SA/DP days (1%) or to constantly high SA/DP (2%). Men had a lower risk of belonging to any of the three trajectories with SA/DP than women (OR Low SA/DP 0.42, 95% CI 0.41–0.44; Increasing SA/DP 0.34, 0.30–0.38; High SA/DP 0.33, 0.29–0.37). Individuals in occupations with low job control had a higher risk of belonging to the trajectory High SA/DP (OR low demands/low control 1.51; 95% CI 1.25–1.83; medium demands/low control 1.47, 1.21–1.78; high demands/low control 1.35, 1.13–1.61).ConclusionMost white-collar belonged to trajectories with no or low SA/DP. Level of job control was more strongly associated with trajectory memberships than level of job demands.

Uncovering Missing Voices: Invisible Aspects of Idiosyncratic Deals (I-Deals)

To provide context for this special issue’s eight articles, we review the lenses adopted in i-deals research and its findings and then address under-studied aspects of i-deals. Part of the societal trend toward customization of employment arrangements, the i-deals workers negotiate for themselves are the subject of a growing body of research. We observe that i-deals research investigates both antecedents and consequences of i-deals at levels from the individual and dyad to team and organization. Numerous theories have been applied to explain i-deal phenomena beginning with social exchange theory in its initial research to social comparison and diverse theories regarding human needs and values. Employers are known to use i-deals to attract, motivate, and retain workers, while employees pursue i-deals to better their work lives and career opportunities. Although the positive effects of i-deals for organizations and i-dealers alike are well-documented, potential negative effects are under-studied. Moreover, white collar workers in developed countries are the recurrent focus in i-deals research to the neglect of other occupations and societies. In this article and special issue, we seek insights regarding understudied aspects of i-deals to deepen investigation into their myriad manifestations and effects.

Desire to work from home: Results of an Irish study

Large levels of working from home (WfH) were induced by social distancing and viral control measures undertaken to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Representing an unpredicted change in the way large amounts of people undertake their day to day work, it is expected that the legacy of this event, in terms of significant alterations to work and commuting patterns will have wide-ranging and long-lasting results. However, how persistent the current trends will be, remains an open question. Therefore, there is a need for a well-represented study of employees' preferences for the post-pandemic future and focus on white-collar workers and their well-established attitudes considering their flexibility in terms of workplace arrangements. This paper presents the results of a survey undertaken in Ireland in the summer of 2021 gauging the desire of office workers to WfH, the format that most appeals to them, the consideration of home relocation based on the ability to WfH, and the factors that may explain such preferences. Results indicate high levels of desire to WfH, either full time or partially, with increased desire to WfH positively correlated to pre-pandemic commute length, and to a perceived increase in work productivity and quality of non-work life as a result of time spent WfH. Additionally, a number of workers state that they may consider home relocation based upon the ability to WfH. These results should be interpreted as the desire to WfH or total addressable market that exists, rather than the likely levels of WfH that will be observed post-Covid.

Remote Work and Gender Differences in Absenteeism and Presenteeism Behavior

This study aims to examine whether the transition from working in an office to working remotely, forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, impacts employee absenteeism and presenteeism over time. Based on conservation of resources theory, we hypothesize that changing from an office to a remote work setting leads to decreased absenteeism and increased presenteeism among employees. We further assume that these relationships differ between gender subgroups as women experience the boundaries between the work and life area as more permeable, take over more domestic responsibilities, and, thus, have fewer resources available to cope with work tasks. We investigated how absenteeism and presenteeism developed using a sample of 514 white-collar workers tracked over two years. In a discontinuity growth model framework, zero-inflated negative binomial regressions showed decreased absenteeism and increased presenteeism after the transition to remote work. Contrary to our assumptions, subgroup analyses revealed that women showed a stronger decrease in absenteeism than men and a similar level of presenteeism. We discuss our contributions and the implications for corporate leadership and occupational health management.

Age Diversity as a Risk Factor for Psychological Safety in Teams of Older Employees

Age diversity has become a more and more pressing issue in modern working teams. Yet the effects of age diversity are not fully understood. While psychological safety is both dependent on interpersonal relationships and an important antecedent of team performance, it has never been studied as a potential mediator of the link between age diversity and team performance. In this study, we aim to close this gap in the literature and introduce team age as a moderator of this relationship as we argue that perceptions of age diversity might shift between different age cohorts due to stereotype threat. We tested our assumptions using a sample of 1441 white-collar workers, nested in 109 working teams. Using aggregated team-level data, we tested a moderated mediation model with age diversity as a predictor, psychological safety as a mediator, team age as moderator, and team performance as an outcome. We found a negative relationship between age diversity and psychological safety for teams of older employees. This moderation translated into a negative moderated mediation effect of age diversity on team performance via the mediator psychological safety for older teams. In conclusion, age diversity seems to be a significant risk factor for psychological safety and subsequently team performance in teams of older employees but not in teams of younger employees. Our study complements the existing literature integrating psychological safety literature, age diversity literature, and stereotype threat literature by demonstrating, that age diversity is a risk factor for psychological safety and subsequently team performance in teams of older employees.