Workplace Social Capital Research Articles

Smartphones at Work: A Qualitative Exploration of Psychological Antecedents and Impacts of Work-Related Smartphone Dependency

This study explores the impacts and psychological antecedents of smartphone dependency at work. Analyzing semistructured interviews with 32 full-time employees in China, the findings show that dependence on smartphones at work seems to increase workers’ perceived job performance and workplace social capital. However, in the negative side, it seems to lead to the emergence of smartphone addiction symptoms such as anxiety and uncontrollable usage behavior. Notably, this study uncovers that, although smartphone dependency at work seems to enhance workers’ job performance, once such dependency turned to addiction, they perceived their performance to diminish. Besides, the findings show that conscientious employees and those with high smartphone self-efficacy are more likely to develop dependence on their smartphones at work. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Relationship of social capital with overweight and obesity among female health care workers.

Background:The epidemic of obesity has turned into a major global health challenge. Environmental and social factors such as social capital, can significantly affect obesity. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of social capital with overweight and obesity among female health-care workers.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on 680 female health-care workers who were randomly selected from healthcare settings affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Workplace Social Capital (WSC) questionnaire. The SPSS Version 21 was employed to analyze the data through conducting the independent-sample t and the chi-square tests as well as the linear and the logistic regression analyses at a significance level of less than 0.05.Results:Linear regression analysis revealed that age, marital status, satisfaction with economic status, and structural social capital were significant predictors of body mass index (P<0.05). Moreover, logistic regression analysis indicated that weak social capital increased the odds of overweight/ obesity by 1.3 times (OR=1.345; 95% CI: 0.643–2.812) and weak structural social capital significantly increased the odds of overweight /obesity by almost four times (OR=3.757; 95% CI: 1.628–8.671; P=0.002).Conclusion:Social capital, particularly structural social capital, is a significant predictor of body mass index and a protective factor against obesity among female health-care workers. Further studies are needed to determine the paths through which social capital affects obesity- and overweight-related behaviors.

Workplace Social Capital and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study among Schoolteachers Working at Junior Highs

Workplace Social Capital and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study among Schoolteachers Working at Junior Highs

Trust in the Work Environment and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Findings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

This study examined associations between trust, an important aspect of workplace social capital, with seven cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 (LS7)): smoking, obesity, low physical activity, poor diet, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Data are from the U.S. Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index (2010–2012), a nationally representative telephone survey of U.S. workers (n = 412,884). The independent variable was the response to a work environment (WE) question as to whether their supervisor always creates an open and trusting environment. Regression models were adjusted for demographic characteristics with each of the LS7 CVD risk factors as dependent variables. Twenty-one percent of workers reported that their supervisor did not create an open and trusting environment. Trust was associated with increased adjusted odds of having many of the LS7 CVD risk factors. Among those workers whose supervisor created a mistrustful environment, the odds ratios were greatest (>20%) for having four or more of the LS7 CVD risk factors.

Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of the Short-Form Workplace Social Capital Questionnaire for Female Health Workers.

Background: The workplace social capital is one of the important features of clinical work environment that improves the productivity and quality of services and safety through trust and social participation. Evaluation of workplace social capital requires a valid and reliable scale. The short-form workplace social capital questionnaire developed by Kouvonen has long been used to evaluate the workplace social capital. Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the questionnaire among a group of female Iranian health care workers. Methods: The Persian version of the short-form questionnaire of workplace social capital was finalized after translation and back-translation. 500 female health care workers completed the questionnaire. Then, the content validity and the construct validity of the questionnaire were assessed. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's α, θ, and McDonald's Ω. The construct reliability and ICC were also evaluated. Results: Based on the maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis (n=250) and confirmatory factor analysis (n=250), two factors were identified. The factors could explain 65% of the total variance observed. The model had an acceptable fit: GFI=0.953, CFI=0.973, IFI=0.974, NFI=0.953, PNFI=0.522, RAMSEA=0.090, CMIN/DF=2.751, RMR=0.042. Convergent and divergent validity as well as internal consistency and construct reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. Conclusion: The Persian version of Kouvonen workplace social capital has acceptable validity and reliability. The questionnaire can thus be used in future studies to assess the workplace social capital in Iranian health care workers.

Association Between Workplace Social Capital and Absolute Presenteeism: A Multilevel Study in a Chinese Context.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between workplace social capital (WSC) and presenteeism in a Chinese context. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China, from December 2016 to March 2017. Totally, 2380 workers were randomly sampled through a two-stage sampling procedure. Validated and psychometrically tested measures were used to assess job stress, self-rated health and absolute presenteeism (AP), and WSC. Job stress [unstandardized coefficients, B:1.83, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.43 to 3.24] was positively associated with AP. Compared with participants with excellent self-rated health, those with very good, good, and general self-rated health had gradationally higher levels of AP. High individual-level WSC (B: -6.32; 95% CI: -7.62 to -5.02) and workplace-level WSC (B: -4.43; 95% CI: -7.44 to -1.42) were negatively associated with AP. Interventions on promoting workers' health, decreasing job stress, and enhancing WSC may contribute to decreasing AP in Chinese workplaces.

Investigation into the metric properties of the workplace social capital questionnaire and its association with self-rated health and psychological distress amongst Greek-Cypriot registered nurses: cross-sectional descriptive study

BackgroundSocial capital can been described as an individual or a collective attribute, with structural and cognitive components, and a bonding, bridging and linking typology. While extensively studied in the community, studies in occupational settings are sparse by comparison. Furthermore, there is no uniformity in its measurement. This study investigated the construct validity of a Workplace Social Capital questionnaire (WSC), originally developed in the Finnish Public Sector occupational cohort, in a different socio-cultural setting (Cyprus), language (Greek) and occupational group (Registered Nurses). It also explored its criterion concurrent validity according to observed association with self-rated health and psychological distress.MethodsParticipants were 10% of all registered nurses (N = 362) who responded to the 8-item WSC scale during a nationwide educational programme. A unidimensional model was compared with the postulated two-factor (structural vs cognitive) and three-factor model (bonding, bridging, linking) in Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The association with self-rated health (0–100 Visual Analogue Scale) and mental distress (GHQ-12 ≥ 4) was assessed in linear and logistic regression models.ResultsA bonding (Cronbach’s a = 0.76), bridging (a = 0.78) and linking (a = 0.89) structure explained 77.6% of the variance and was a better fit as indicated by goodness of fit indices. Elevated odds of mental distress and poorer self-rated health were observed among participants with the lowest levels of perceived workplace social capital. In adjusted models, associations appeared stronger with bonding social capital (adjOR of mental distress = 2.71 95% CI = 1.08, 6.79) while those with the highest scores rated their health higher by 8.0 points on average (95% CI = 2.1, 13.8). Low linking social capital was also associated with poorer health but no consistent associations were observed with bridging.ConclusionWhile associations appeared stronger with bonding and linking, this may reflect a weakness of the measure to fully capture bridging social capital. Even though, this aspect might need strengthening, the WSC showed good metric properties in a different setting, language and occupational group. Cross-national and cognitive validation studies are needed.

Associations between psychosocial work environments and social capital: a multilevel analysis study in a Chinese context

BackgroundUnderstanding the determinants of social capital is the prerequisite to building social capital. However there was few studies to explore factors related to workplace social capital. We aim to examine associations between psychosocial work environments and social capital in a Chinese context through a cross-sectional study.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai, China from December 2016 through March 2017. In total, 2380 workers from 32 workplaces were randomly sampled by a two-stage sampling procedure. Workplace social capital (WSC), psychosocial work environments (PWEs), and workplace Chinese Confucian values (CCVs), were assessed using validated and psychometrically tested measures. Multilevel ordinal regression models were used to examine the associations of WSC with individual- and workplace-level PWEs and workplace CCVs after controlling for individual socioeconomic characteristics.ResultsAfter controlling for individual socioeconomic characteristics, all individual-level PWEs (unstandardized coefficients [B] ranging from 0.280 to 2.467) were positively associated with WSC. Individual-level workplace CCVs had mixed associations with WSC—high individual levels of respect for authorities (B: 0.325; 95%CI: 0.134, 0.516) and altruism (B: 0.347; 95%CI: 0.155, 0.539) were associated with high WSC, while high individual levels of acceptance of authorities (B: − 0.214; 95%CI: − 0.381, − 0.046) and the mianzi rule (B: − 0.258; 95%CI: − 0.435, − 0.080) were associatecd with low WSC. No workplace-level variable was associated with WSC.ConclusionThese findings suggest that workplace social capital associates with multiple factors. Psychosocial work environments and cultural context are important in understanding variations in workplace social capital between individuals.

Trait emotional intelligence and social capital: The emotionally unintelligent may occasionally be better off

The relationship of trait emotional intelligence (EI) with workplace social capital was investigated in 172 individuals in middle and middle-upper organizational ranks. Social capital was operationalized as: mentoring provision for protégés, expressive networking ties, and instrumental network ties. Two out of the three identified relationships were quadratic. In particular, the relationship of mentoring provision and expressive network ties with EI were of U-shaped nature with overall positive linear trends, while that of instrumental network ties with EI was purely linear and positive. The findings suggest that though in most cases the strongest social capital is possessed by those with high scores on trait EI, low EI may also often offer advantages. Extant knowledge about trait EI is utilized to provide an account for the findings, while there is brief discussion of their implications for theory and future research.

Workplace social capital and mental health: a cross-sectional study among Iranian workers

BackgroundThe psychosocial environment of the workplace has received less attention in terms of occupational health. Trust, social network and social cohesion at the workplace (that is, factors related to social capital) may have effects on employee health. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and mental health among Iranian workers.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 5 factories in Babol, Northern Iran, in 2016, where 280 workers responded to a survey on social capital at work and psychosocial distress.ResultsApproximately 23.6% of the workers had psychological distress, and 23.4% had low social capital in the workplace. There was a significant relationship between mental health and individual workplace social capital (p = 0.025) and aggregated workplace social capital (p = 0.027). After controlling for each individual’s characteristics, the prevalence ratio of psychological distress was 2.11 (95% CI: 1.43-3.17) times higher among workers with low individual social capital, and low aggregated workplace social capital was associated with 2.64 (95% CI: 1.28–5.45) times higher odds of psychological distress.ConclusionHigher social capital is associated with a reduced risk of psychological distress. The promotion of social capital can be considered as a means to increase workplace mental health among workers.

Primary Care Practice Workplace Social Capital: A Potential Secret Sauce for Improved Staff Well-Being and Patient Experience.

Patient experiences with the health-care system are increasingly seen as a vital measure of health-care quality. This study examined whether workplace social capital and employee outcomes are associated with patients’ perceptions of care quality across multiple clinic sites in a diverse, urban safety net care setting. Data from clinic staff were collected using paper and pencil surveys and data from patients were collected via a telephone survey. A total of 8392 adult primary care patients and 265 staff (physicians, nurses, allied health, and support staff) were surveyed at 10 community health clinics. The staff survey included brief measures of workplace social capital, burnout, and job satisfaction. The patient-level outcome was patients’ overall rating of the quality of care. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted to examine measurement properties of the employee data. Data were aggregated and measures were examined at the clinic site level. Workplace social capital had moderate to strong associations with burnout (r = −0.40, P < .01) and job satisfaction (r = 0.59, P < .01). Mean patient quality of care rating was 8.90 (95% confidence interval: 8.86-8.94) ranging from 8.57 to 9.18 across clinic sites. Pearson correlations with patient-rated care quality were high for workplace social capital (r = 0.88, P = .001), employee burnout (r = −0.74, P < .05), and satisfaction (r = 0.69, P < .05). Patient-perceived clinic quality differences were largely explained by differences in workplace social capital, staff burnout, and satisfaction. Investments in workplace social capital to improve employee satisfaction and reduce burnout may be key to better patient experiences in primary care.

The role of workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress in affective organisational commitment of a sample of Iranian nurses.

Affective organisational commitment (AOC) refers to employees' emotional attachment to the organisation and identification with it. It is vital that nurses explore contributors to their AOC because they stand as the largest group of employees in healthcare organisations. This cross-sectional, analytical study explored the role of workplace social capital (WSC), compassion satisfaction (CS), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in AOC in a sample of Iranian nurses. The study sample consisted of 250 nurses working in eight hospitals affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences, eastern Iran. Participants' WSC was measured using the Social Capital at Work Scale developed by Kouvonen etal. (2006). CS and STS were measured using CS and STS dimensions of the Professional Quality of Life measure (Version 5) developed by Stamm (2010). Significant positive associations were found between WSC and AOC (p < 0.001), between the cognitive dimension of WSC and AOC (p < 0.001), between the structural dimension of WSC and AOC (p < 0.001), and between CS and AOC (p < 0.001). The correlation between STS and AOC (p < 0.001) was negatively significant. Effort to promote WSC and CS on the one hand and prevention and early recognition of STS on the other hand can enhance nurses' AOC.

Review: The role of workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress in affective organisational commitment of a sample of Iranian nurses.

Review: The role of workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress in affective organisational commitment of a sample of Iranian nurses.

Social capital and burnout among mental healthcare providers

Background: Provider burnout is a critical problem in mental health services. Contributing factors have been explicated across three domains: personal, job and organizational characteristics. Of these, organizational characteristics, including workplace environment, appear to be particularly important given that most interventions addressing burnout via the other domains (e.g. bolstering personal coping skills) have been modestly effective at best.Aims: This study builds on previous research by using social capital as a framework for the experience of work social milieu, and aims to provide a richer understanding of how workplace social environment might impact burnout and help create more effective ways to reduce burnout.Methods: Providers (n = 40) taking part in a larger burnout intervention study were randomly selected to take part in interviews regarding their workplace environment and burnout. Participant responses were analyzed thematically.Results: Workplace social milieu revolved around two primary themes: workplace social capital in provider burnout and the protective qualities of social capital in cohesive work teams that appear to mitigate burnout.Conclusions: These results imply that work environments where managers support collaboration and social interaction among work teams may reduce burnout.

A qualitative study on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan.

To identify attributes of nurses' workplace social capital in Japan. Much attention has been paid to nurses' workplace social capital to improve the quality of the work environment; however, few studies are available on the attributes of nurses' workplace social capital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 nurses at seven hospitals. Nurses reported on the attributes of workplace social capital, such as characteristics facilitating individual positive action in an organisation, which were qualitatively analysed using the Kawakita Jiro method. The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital were organised into six groups: affirmation; exchange of appreciation; unrestricted information sharing; ability to trust; access to the strength; and altruistic reciprocity. The attributes of nurses' workplace social capital included a social structure that allowed nurses to make full use of their abilities both vertically and horizontally and were supported by a sense of security. In particular, newly emerged exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity were important for nurses in Japan in building cooperative relationships with others. Managing human relationships, such as exchange of appreciation and altruistic reciprocity, in clinical settings based on nurses' workplace social capital may promote positive emotions in the organisation, positive ideas among staff and cooperative teamwork, which may lead to high-quality patient care.

Examining how dependence on smartphones at work relates to Chinese employees’ workplace social capital, job performance, and smartphone addiction

This research examines how dependence on smartphones for various goals at work, such as understanding, orientation, and communication, relates to employees’ job performance, workplace social capital, and smartphone addiction. Data were collected from a survey of 527 workers in urban China. Regression results indicated that dependence on smartphones for understanding and communication at work has no influence on individuals’ job performance. Only dependence on smartphones for orientation was positively associated with their job performance. Dependence on smartphones for communication has positive association with employees’ workplace social capital. Most interestingly, we found that dependence on smartphones for understanding and orientation was positively associated with smartphone addiction; however, dependence on smartphones for communication has no influence on smartphone addiction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Building workplace social capital: A longitudinal study of student nurses' clinical placement experiences.

Quality clinical placement experiences have been associated with nurses' workplace social capital. Social capital is broadly understood as the social organisation of trust, norms and networks that benefit society. Building social capital in the workplace may benefit experiences of staff and students. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of building workplace social capital on student nurse perceptions of clinical learning experiences. A quality improvement process was measured through repeated student surveys. First, second, third year students (n=1176) from three universities completed a validated Student Clinical Learning Culture Survey (SCLCS) following their placement, at the commencement of quality improvement initiatives and five years later. The SCLCS measured students' perceptions of social affiliation, their motivation, satisfaction and dissatisfaction with clinical contexts. The first year of systematic changes focused on increasing student numbers along with improving communication, trust and knowledge sharing, antecedents to workplace social capital. No change was evident after the first year. Six years after commencement of building workplace social capital differences across all subscales, except dissatisfaction, were significant (p<0.001). Leadership that promotes open communication and connections across staff and students to achieve common goals can build workplace social capital that enhances student placement experiences.

Psychometric assessment of a scale to measure bonding workplace social capital.

ObjectivesWorkplace social capital (WSC) has attracted increasing attention as an organizational and psychosocial factor related to worker health. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a newly developed WSC scale for use in work environments, where bonding social capital is important.MethodsWe assessed the psychometric properties of a newly developed 6-item scale to measure bonding WSC using two data sources. Participants were 1,650 randomly selected workers who completed an online survey. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted. We examined the item–item and item–total correlations, internal consistency, and associations between scale scores and a previous 8-item measure of WSC. We evaluated test–retest reliability by repeating the survey with 900 of the respondents 2 weeks later. The overall scale reliability was quantified by an intraclass coefficient and the standard error of measurement. We evaluated convergent validity by examining the association with several relevant workplace psychosocial factors using a dataset from workers employed by an electrical components company (n = 2,975).ResultsThe scale was unidimensional. The item–item and item–total correlations ranged from 0.52 to 0.78 (p < 0.01) and from 0.79 to 0.89 (p < 0.01), respectively. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s α coefficient: 0.93). The correlation with the 8-item scale indicated high criterion validity (r = 0.81) and the scale showed high test–retest reliability (r = 0.74, p < 0.01). The intraclass coefficient and standard error of measurement were 0.74 (95% confidence intervals: 0.71–0.77) and 4.04 (95% confidence intervals: 1.86–6.20), respectively. Correlations with relevant workplace psychosocial factors showed convergent validity.ConclusionsThe results confirmed that the newly developed WSC scale has adequate psychometric properties.

Workplace Social Capital and Employee Health: A Systematic Review Study

Workplace Social Capital and Employee Health: A Systematic Review Study

Workplace social capital and the onset of major depressive episode among workers in Japan: a 3-year prospective cohort study

BackgroundThis study examined the prospective association of workplace social capital (WSC) with major depressive episode (MDE) among Japanese employees.MethodsA 3-year prospective cohort study was conducted among 1058 employees from a...