Workplace Employee Research Articles

Current perspectives on public mental health training provision: a scoping review

Purpose Public mental health training can effectively support well-being at a population level. The application of this type of training is increasingly prevalent, however, training evaluation is currently limited and inconsistent. This paper aims to summarise the characteristics of public mental health training available in England, presents key quality criteria for this training and identifies gaps in training provision. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a pragmatic mixed-methods approach including database and Google Searches, focus groups and survey methods. The data analysis included a structured data extraction template for the training availability scoping and thematic analysis of the survey and focus groups. Findings This paper identifies a total of 74 training courses targeting workplace employees, young people and the general population. Most courses were delivered face-to-face (54), followed by e-learning (16) and blended modalities (4). This paper derives four core quality principles, focussing on the training approach, key features of training, trainer attributes and evaluation. There were no significant gaps in training provision, although areas for future development included consistency in public mental health terminology, systems and populations requiring additional training and the logistics of training delivery, etc. Originality/value The results contribute to the evidence base of interventions that are currently available, supporting the efforts to evaluate the impact of training provision in this area. This paper provides a novel approach to assessing training quality and discuss areas for development and innovation in this field.

Creating an attractive workplace for current and potential hospital employees

The health service of EU member states facing numerous challenges. Hospitals have a catastrophic shortage of medical personnel; meanwhile, the demand for medical services caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is increasing. Hospitals’ pursuit of recruiting staff with a high level of professional education is more likely to be successful with potential candidates in a competitive talent market in institutions where a cultural organization, innovative treatment as a patient-centered approach is included in top priorities. The survey was conducted in the pre-COVID time with the use of the proprietary questionnaire in a traditional way. 204 employees of the Prof. dr Stanisław Popowski Regional Specialized Children’s Hospital in Olsztyn were the respondents. The paper uses the r-Pearson correlation analysis. IBM®SPSS®Statistics, version 25.0.0.1, was used to develop the correlation results. After verification of the research hypotheses, it was shown that there is a statistically significant relationship between inappropriate activities of employer branding and reduced employee retention. It has been demonstrated that there is a discrepancy in the offered and actual working conditions. The discrepancies concerned the atmosphere at work (31.4%) and the inability to develop a career path (8.3%). 19.1% are willing to change jobs due to inadequate remuneration. For the respondents, factors important in choosing a workplace included remuneration, organizational culture, and the availability of the benefits package. One hypothesis was confirmed, another was partially confirmed.The proposals presented in the paper could significantly contribute to shaping a good image of hospital employers and increasing employee satisfaction. AcknowledgmentThe study was conducted at the Prof. dr Stanisław Popowski Regional Specialized Children’s Hospital in Olsztyn.

Student work readiness in Australian engineering workplaces through work integrated learning

PurposeAs part of the Co-Operative Education Program (CEP) under study, a Work-integrated Learning (WIL) student engagement framework is presented. The framework focusses on the effectiveness of the WIL program with real-world assessment tasks to prepare students for graduate employment. In order to evaluate the level at which the engineering graduates are work-ready, an analysis of qualitative and quantitative survey data from CQU students, employers and data from other sources was undertaken. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachWIL is an effective pedagogical strategy employed in engineering curriculum to engage students with workplace partners and engineering practices. However, little is known about the problems exist in the WIL processes including insufficient resources and support for mentoring students. On overcoming the problems, an effective collaboration between students, universities and engineering workplaces provides an enhanced engagement experience and enables students’ work-ready skills. Central Queensland University (CQU)’s Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Co-op) students participate in two 6-month WIL placements over the course of their university studies.FindingsTo identify the impact of the co-operative education model on graduate outcomes, an analysis of student assessment data from 2016 to 2018 showed that the student employability indicators were consistently above the national average of graduate engineering students. All areas such as knowledge base, engineering ability and professional attributes, students’ performance were rated at or above the average of a graduate engineer by employers.Originality/valueAs part of practice assessment, engineering workplace employers provide an evaluation of students’ performance against the Engineers Australia (EA) Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers, involving sixteen mandatory elements in the areas of knowledge and skill base, engineering application ability, and professional and personal attributes.

Impact of Future Work Self on Employee Workplace Wellbeing: A Self-Determination Perspective.

This study examines the association between future work self and employee workplace wellbeing by proposing a moderated mediation model. On the basis of the self-determination theory, self-management is identified as the mediator, and person–organization fit is recognized as the moderator in this study. We collected two waves of data from 239 Chinese employees. The results of the analysis revealed that the future work self is related to greater employee workplace wellbeing, and self-management mediates the links between them. We also found that the person–organization fit strengthens the positive relationship between future work self and self-management, and the indirect effect of future work self on employee workplace wellbeing through self-management. The results of this study extend the antecedents of employee workplace wellbeing and highlight the importance of future work self in current work-related output.

Employee Organisational Commitment and the Mediating Role of Work Locus of Control and Employee Job Satisfaction: The Perspective of SME Workers

In Southern Africa, employees play a critical role in the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). As a result, SMEs’ effectiveness depends on the presence of virtuous workplace spirituality and procedural justice, which affects work locus of control, employee job satisfaction, and employee organisational commitment. The researchers looked at how work locus of control, employee job satisfaction, and employee organisational commitment were influenced by workplace spirituality and procedural justice among SME employees in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study data was quantitatively analysed. According to the results, workplace spirituality, procedural justice, and work locus of control all play a role in enhancing employee job satisfaction and commitment. The relationship between workplace spirituality, procedural justice, and employee organisational commitment was positively influenced by work locus of control and employee job satisfaction. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights into the unique key determinants affecting work locus of control, employee job satisfaction, and employee commitment to the organisation.

How Decent Work Affects Affective Commitment Among Chinese Employees: The Roles of Psychological Safety and Labor Relations Climate

This two-study research evaluates the validity of the decent work scale (DWS) developed by Duffy et al. (2017) in the United States and the effect of decent work on affective commitment among Chinese employees. Study 1 aims to validate the DWS and examine the predictability of decent work for psychological safety and affective commitment. Drawing from a sample of 307 full-time employees (149 females and 158 males), Study 1 reveals that the bifactor model of the DWS has valid application in the Chinese context, and that decent work is positively related to psychological safety and affective commitment. Study 2 seeks to explore the relationship between decent work and affective commitment, the underlying mechanism, and the boundary condition. With a new sample of 568 full-time employees (268 females and 300 males) collected at two time points, Study 2 demonstrates that decent work is directly and indirectly related to employee affective commitment through the mediation of psychological safety; this indirect relationship is moderated by labor relations climate. This research extends decent work research and psychology of working theory in relation to the DWS validation and predictability for employee workplace attitudes, psychological process, and boundary conditions in a non-Western context.

INTERNATIONAL NORM AND TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION: THE CONTRIBUTION OF L'ORÉAL TO ERADICATE CHILD LABOR MICA MINING IN INDIA

This article explores how L’Oréal respond to to the issue of illegal activities and child labour in their mica supply chain from India. It emphasizes that despite economic interests are always embedded in transnational corporation’s, L’Oréal responses to the issue of illegal and child labour mica mining suggest that the action of the company is influenced by international norm such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles has influenced the construction of the L’Oréal identity and behaviour in their business activities. The company has used their business code of conduct in related to human rights in justifying their responses to deal with the illegal and child labour in its mica supply chain from India. It has been emphasized that mica supply from India should comply with globally recognized workplace employment, occupational health and safety, and environmental standards that include prohibitions on the use of child labour.

Object Detection for Safe Working Environments using YOLOv4 Deep Learning Model

The health and safety of employees in workplaces maintains its importance since the concept of production emerged. Recent developments in computer vision and deep learning have made it widespread to be used in work environments as a secondary tool in ensuring occupational safety from surveillance videos. Thus, an important performance is achieved by minimizing human-induced errors in working environments. In this study, a method based on the YOLOv4 deep learning model is proposed to control the use of personal protective equipment from videos and to detect unsafe movements in the working environments of facilities operating in the field of industrial production. In the study, a dataset is created with videos collected from different working environments. In the study, later, on the prepared video dataset, the detection of personal protective equipment such as helmets, vests, masks, gloves, eyeglasses used by workers in factories operating in industrial areas and whether they use the appropriate equipment correctly is determined using the YOLOv4 framework. In the experimental studies conducted within the scope of the study, the mean average precision (mAP) value is achieved as 91.18% as a result of the training performed in the YOLOv4 network. In addition, results of 0.89, 0.91, 0.90, 70.35 and 1.1147 are obtained for other measurement metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score, intersection over union (IoU), and average loss, respectively. As a result, in the proposed study, instant inspection of the videos collected from the cameras installed in the factories, the meaning of the scene and the control of safe working environments are successfully achieved.

A Study of Thai Transgender Employee’s Perceptions of Discrimination at Work and Their Job Attitudes and Wellbeing

This research examined the work experiences of transgender employees in Thailand. The objectives were to 1) learn about the experiences of transgender employees and how they are treated in their workplaces; 2) assess transgender employees’ wellbeing at work and 3) determine transgender employees’ job satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intentions. This research was conducted as a qualitative study to gain insights into the issues facing transgender employees in Thai workplaces. Data was collected during a series of interviews (n = 11) with a purposively selected sample of transgender workers representing a wide variety of industries. Content analysis was employed for analyzing interview data. The results indicated that the experiences of transgender employees in Thailand are mixed. While they are typically well-treated by supervisors, some have been harassed or disrespected by colleagues, all have experienced hiring discrimination during hiring, and several noted that laws and benefits programs are often discriminatory toward transgender people. Some transgender employees describe themselves as satisfied and others as disengaged from their work. Those who are satisfied are more likely to show commitment to their organizations as indicated by positive attitudes and emotional attachment to them. On the other hand, those who are disengaged show no commitment to their organizations and are more likely to seek other work due to unhappiness with their jobs. The problems that negatively affect transgender employees’ wellbeing, satisfaction, and organizational commitment could be mitigated by eliminating the systemic discrimination (particularly hiring discrimination) that leads to high rates of unemployment and poverty for transgender people, and by changing negative societal and workplace attitudes.

The effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the release of interpersonal stress

BACKGROUND: interpersonal communication in workplace is a problem that is faced by every employee. It is common in all industries and increasingly lethal. When they are unable to bear such overload of psychological pressure, they tend to suffer from anxiety, irritability, depression, and other psychological disorders and even mental diseases. It is urgent to explore how to help employees relieve psychological stress. OBJECTIVE: the study aimed to analyze the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on workplace interpersonal stress, and provide help for professionals, especially newcomers, to relieve social pressure. METHODS: 125 employees of Internet enterprises were given multi-baseline designed CBT (with baseline phase, treatment phase, and post-baseline phase). 43 subjects who did not finish the therapist program were set as the control group and 82 subjects who finished the treatment program were set as the experimental group. First, the differences of interpersonal stress of subjects with different gender, age, educational background, and monthly salary were analyzed. Then, social avoidance, distress, anxiety, and depression scores in baseline, treatment, and post-baseline periods were compared. Finally, the effects of gender, age, educational background, and monthly salary on social avoidance, distress, anxiety, and depression scores of the experimental group were analyzed by multiple regression. and the influence paths of the workplace interpersonal pressure was constructed. RESULTS: Social avoidance, distress, anxiety, and depression of employees earning 10000 or more per month were less than those earning 10000 or more per month. Social avoidance, distress, anxiety, and depression of employees aged 30–50 were higher than those aged < 30 and > 50 (P < 0.05). Social avoidance, social distress, and depression in males were lower than those in females (P < 0.05). Social distress, anxiety, and depression of employees with master’s degree or above were less than those with bachelor’s degree or junior college degree. There were significant differences between the two groups in the post baseline phase. The monthly salary had the greatest influence on the social avoidance and distress, anxiety, and depression scores of the employees after treatment, with the path coefficients of –0.183, –0.169, and –0.184, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CBT can effectively relieve social avoidance and distress of workplace employees and can improve the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Educational level, age, and monthly salary had a certain influence on the improvement of social avoidance, distress, anxiety and depression.

Is it possible to build an effective program to promote the health and well-being of employees in the workplace in the Russia?

In 2019 The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation together with experts of the National Research Center of Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has developed programs to strengthen the health of employees, which include behavioral medicine practices aimed at changing lifestyle and correcting risk factors. Scientific evidence shows the effectiveness of such programs, and new components of programs aimed at improving the well-being of employees can increase the effectiveness of preventive measures. In this article, we will review the domestic and international experience of using comprehensive health and well-being promotion programs to improve the health of employees in Russia.

Impacts of Employee Workplace Deviant Behavior on Themselves: An Empirical Study Based on the Affective Events Theory

Workplace deviant behavior refers to the behavior that employees intentionally implement, violate organizational norms, and threaten the well-being of their organization or other members in the organization.While most of researches focus on exploring the antecedents of workplace deviant behavior, we have limited knowledge about its consequences. In the very few studies on the outcomes of employee workplace deviant behavior, they mainly focus on recipients’ perspective and reveal the negative impacts of employee workplace deviant behavior on colleagues and organizations. From the actor-centric perspective, the research on the impacts of employee workplace deviant behavior on themselves has been seriously ignored. For this reason, by taking the actor-centric perspective, this paper explores how and when employee workplace deviant behavior affects their emotional and behavioral outcomes.Based on the affective events theory, this paper explores the negative impacts of workplace deviant behavior on employee work engagement and its dynamics. The primary tenet of affective events theory is that the events experienced by workers will affect their emotional state, which will in turn affect their attitudes and behaviors. Negative events in the workplace are important emotional events that affect their emotional state. Based on this theory, this paper proposes that, as a negative work event, employee workplace deviant behavior may lead to their negative emotions and then weaken their work engagement. Furthermore, individual characteristics will affect the emotional experience and cognitive assessment process after taking actions. Therefore, this paper proposes that, for the unethical behavior such as workplace deviant behavior, employees’ moral identity is an important boundary condition affecting the emotional and cognitive response of individuals to their own deviant behavior.In this study, we use the experience sampling method （ESM） by recruiting 67 participants to finish a research. By using the hierarchical linear model to analyze 323 daily observation data provided by 46 participants, the present study finds that employee workplace deviant behavior increases their negative affect and decreases work engagement. Moral identity plays a moderating role in the impacts of workplace deviant behavior on negative affect and work engagement, that is, the indirect effect of workplace deviant behavior on work engagement via negative affect is significant and negative for employees with high moral identity and does not exist for employees with low moral identity.This research makes several important theoretical contributions: First, by taking the actor-centric perspective, it explores the impacts of workplace deviant behavior on employees themselves. Second, it not only examines the potentially negative impacts of employee workplace deviant behavior on themselves, but also examines how and when the impacts unfold. Third, it finds a new behavioral factor that affects employee work engagement, and finds that employees’ unethical behaviors may also reduce employee work engagement by inducing their own negative affect.

Reactions to Abusive Supervision: Neutralization and IS Misuse

ABSTRACT The relationship between abusive supervision and employee workplace deviance has received much attention. Conceptualizing information systems (IS) misuse as a form of workplace deviance, the literature on IS security lacks a theoretical and empirical investigation of the relationship between abusive supervision and employee IS misuse. Drawing on retaliation, displaced aggression, and neutralization, we develop and empirically test a research model of the relationships among abusive supervision, neutralization, and two types of employees’ IS misuse. Results of a two-stage survey of 203 responses showed that when individuals perceived abusive supervision, they were likely to invoke the metaphor of the ledger as a neutralization technique to rationalize their engagement in IS misuse. Our results also reveal that employees’ reactions to abusive supervision could be influenced by their tenure with supervisor. These findings contribute to the IS security field and provide important guidance for learning how leaders influence employees’ IS security behaviors.

Chairman McFerran Supports Changing the Law on Workplace Policies

In one of her sharpest dissents to date, NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran recently wrote that she thinks the NLRB's 2017 decision in Boeing Co., 365 NLRB No. 154, was unfair to labor because it aims to “preserve employer prerogatives, not to protect employee rights.” Boeing set the methodology the Board currently uses to evaluate whether an employer's workplace rules are lawful. As it is stated policy of the Biden administration to support and defend labor, it is hard to imagine a clearer signal that the Boeing rules are due for revision or even total rejection, since later this year the Board will have a majority of members appointed by President Biden. Indeed, McFerren was crystal clear about her agenda, stating, “The Board should reject the analytical framework of Boeing.”

Influence of frugality, materialism and employee demographics on workplace deviant behaviors

This paper explores the impact of frugality and materialism on workplace deviant behaviors in business organizations. The investigation sample was drawn from selected business organizations (Stanbic IBTC Bank, Globacom Limited, International Alpha Limited, and Nextzon Business Services Firm) across the Ibadan and Lagos cities of Nigeria. This study espouses a quantitative research approach, and the study’s questionnaires were randomly dispersed. Out of 400 questionnaires, 323 questionnaires were useful for investigation, and the data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The research results show that the frugal are less likely to engage in workplace deviant behaviors, while materialists are more inclined to exhibit workplace deviant behaviors in business organizations. This paper further indicates that demographics (gender, marital status, and educational qualification) have a statistical effect on workplace deviant behavior. It was confirmed that frugality, materialism, and employee demographics significantly influenced workplace deviant behaviors in business organizations. Therefore, business organizations’ leadership and management should encourage frugality, thereby directly reducing employee workplace deviant behaviors. Besides, the main focus should be on reducing materialistic tendencies through periodic training and seminars on debt prevention, particularly among vulnerable employees who discourage workplace deviant behaviors. AcknowlendgmentThe authors acknowledge the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, under Professor Wilfred Ukpere, for funding this study and publishing it.

Impact of different work organizational models on gender differences in exposure to psychosocial and ergonomic hazards at work and in mental and physical health

PurposeTo examine differences between genders in exposure to psychosocial and ergonomic factors at work and in work-related health, according to different work organization models.MethodsThe study population included a sample of 9749 (women: 37.1%) and 10,374 (women: 39.9%) employees who participated in the 2010 and 2015 European Working Conditions Surveys, respectively. Multiple Correspondence Analysis was applied to work characteristics reported by workers to estimate principal components, followed by Hierarchical Clustering on principal components to identify clusters of work organization models. Gender differences in exposure to work hazards and health outcomes were assessed through Poisson robust regression. Differences of PRs across organizational models were tested through interaction between gender and type of work organization.ResultsThree organizational models were identified in 2010, including lean production, Tayloristic production, and a “reflexive production” model, whereas in 2015, a “simple” or traditional model was also found. In 2010, women employed in companies adopting the Tayloristic or the lean production models were more likely than men to be exposed to unfavourable psychosocial and physical work factors, and to report musculoskeletal pain, compared to those belonging to reflexive production. In 2015, a significantly higher female/male ratio persisted in lean production for exposure to high job strain and for carrying/moving heavy loads, whereas gender differences in Tayloristic and traditional production were quite similar to those of reflexive production.ConclusionsOur results suggest that employment in workplaces characterized by lower monotony, repetitiveness, and production constraints may contribute to reduce exposure to job strain among working women.

Impact mechanism of supervisor developmental feedback on employee workplace learning

Based on the mental simulation duality, this paper adopts the expected successful performance and self‐goal setting as mediating variables and takes the dual system theory. This paper constructs a chain mediating model in which supervisor developmental feedback affects employee workplace learning. A study of 449 samples proves that supervisor developmental feedback can significantly improve employee workplace learning; expected successful performance and self‐goal setting are significant independent mediating variables in the positive impact of supervisor developmental feedback on employee workplace learning; the supervisor developmental feedback promotes self‐goal setting through expected successful performance and then positively affects employee workplace learning.

Early Pandemic Experiences and Lessons Learned Within A Multinational Corporation: A Testimonial of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Early Pandemic Experiences and Lessons Learned Within A Multinational Corporation: A Testimonial of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Authentic Leadership and Improved Individual Performance: Affective Commitment and Individual Creativity’s Sequential Mediation

Authentic leadership has become increasingly important in the literature, attracting the attention of many scholars in the last decade. This study adopted an employee-centered perspective to guide its examination of the relationship between authentic leadership and individual performance and investigation of the sequential mediation of employees’ affective commitment and individual creativity. An analysis was conducted of data collected from 214 employees working in different business sectors. The results reveal a statistically significant positive relationship between authentic leadership and employees’ workplace performance, which are both directly connected and indirectly linked through the two proposed psychosocial mechanisms. The findings thus indicate that authentic leadership reinforces workers’ emotional connection with their organizations, thereby increasing their individual creativity and, subsequently, promoting better on-the-job performance. This study presents new and significant results since, on the one hand, it relied on a sequential mediation analysis of variables and, on the other hand, integrated the four main constructs into a single model. The proposed model displays the chain of effects between authentic leadership, affective commitment, individual creativity, and employee workplace performance. Implications for organizational management are discussed.

Facilitating the employment of people with mental health difficulties in Ireland

Abstract The promotion of practices supporting positive mental health at work is increasingly important on employers’ agendas. However, within the HRM literature there is a relative dearth of research on how employers can facilitate reintegration into the workplace or first-time employment for employees with mental health issues. Publicly funded supports are emerging as a strategy that can provide targeted supports to both workers and employers. This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of this approach by undertaking triadic research with employers, healthcare professionals, and workers using the service in the Irish context. We make recommendations regarding the enhancement of opportunities currently available to those with a mental health difficulty to return to and remain in employment. The paper contributes to our understanding of the nature of supports required to successfully facilitate employing or re-integrating those with a mental health disability or history of mental health problems into the workplace.