Empirical study – Page 3 – Work, Stress, and Health

The price of pain: Pain as an explanatory mechanism for the relationship between physical job demands and intentions to turnover

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

Our presentation conceptualizes pain as an explanatory mechanism for the relationship between physical job demands and intentions to turnover (ITO), using the fear-avoidance (FA) model as the theoretical framework. Data from a multi-wave study on work capacity and aging, which included 360 participants recruited from five manufacturing organizations in the northeastern U.S., were analyzed using the SPSS PROCESS macro (model 4) to estimate direct and indirect effects, while controlling for various covariates. Our results indicated that high physical job demands were significantly related to increased perceptions of pain; high perceptions of pain and high physical job demands were significantly related to higher ITO; and the relationship between physical job demands and ITO was partially mediated by perceptions of pain. Collectively, these results indicate that ITO is a potential outcome of physical job demands, and that pain may partially explain this relationship. As such, in order to reduce instances of ITO, research as well as organizations that require employees to engage in physically demanding work should focus on uncovering interventions that may reduce an employee?s associated experience of pain.

Moderating impact of resources on the relationship between covid demands and Burnout in Emergency Department Health-Care Workers

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

Burnout has been a major concern for all workers, but may be particularly concerning and prevalent for healthcare workers. Therefore, we examined healthcare workers before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to understand the extent to which the resources that workers had prior to the pandemic would help to buffer the negative impact of Covid stressors on worker health outcomes.

Pushed to Attend: Does Presenteeism Pressure Predict Presenteeism Behavior, Work Engagement, and Extra-Role Behaviors?

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

This study examines whether organizational pressure to attend work when unwell (i.e., presenteeism pressure) incrementally predicts worker well-being and performance outcomes above and beyond other known predictors. Using data collected from Amazon?s Mechanical Turk (MTurk; NTime 1 =561), preliminary analyses show that presenteeism pressure predicted presenteeism behavior above and beyond presenteeism climate. Planned additional analyses (target NTime 2 =400) will test lagged incremental prediction of job engagement, organizational citizenship behaviors, and counterproductive work behaviors three months later. These results contribute further evidence that presenteeism pressure poses a substantial and unique threat to both workers and organizations.

Traversing the cacophonous office jungle: Investigating the effects of office type and organizational practices for autistic employees.

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

Informed by person-environment fit theory, this cross-sectional study examined the effects of office design (open-plan vs. enclosed offices) and organizational practices (control, voice) on the job attitudes and well-being of 100 autistic employees. Results indicated that distractions were higher and environmental satisfaction, affective commitment were lower for autistic employees in an open plan office setting than those in enclosed office spaces. Perceived control and voice had significant relationships with attitudinal and well-being outcomes. The practical implications for employers include giving autistic employees the ability to reduce open-plan obstacles in ways they see fit, while also championing organizational practices to increase fit.

Examining Physical Activity, Barriers to Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior for American Office Workers Experiencing Mandatory Work from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine possible changes in physical activity, barriers to physical activity, and sedentary behavior for full-time American office workers who experienced a period of mandatory work from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional survey study found that WFH was associated with additional energy and motivation to exercise and having a workout partner. However, physical activity was associated with exercising for health or stress reduction only when working at one?s workplace (WAW). As a practical implication, employees could capitalize on their energy and motivation to exercise when WFH.

History of occupational complexity and late-life dependency after age 70. A Nationwide Swedish register-based study

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The purpose of this register-based study was to investigate associations between different trajectories of occupational complexity across work life and late-life dependency among participants aged 70 and older. The results from this study indicate that working conditions early in the career should be targeted for intervention by increasing the level of occupational complexity, as it may have cumulative positive effects across the work life for late-life dependency.

Does Sense of Coherence Buffer the Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Burnout in Corrections Officers?

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

This study explores how the stressful environment of working in a prison, particularly in regard to the need to manage emotions (emotional labor), and personal resources (in the form of personal sense of coherence) affect occupational burnout. Using data from a sample of 169 correctional staff members who participated in an ongoing study of health and well-being among staff at state correctional facilities, we examine whether work-based emotional labor is related to the emotional exhaustion component of burnout, and whether personal sense of coherence (SOC) has a protective effect by buffering the impact of emotional labor on burnout-exhaustion.

Worker Well-Being and Employer Leadership During COVID-19

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

The purpose of the current research was to examine the relationship between health climate, safety climate and well-being before and during the pandemic and the relationship with a TWH leadership training. We developed a COVID-19 Employee Impact Survey to send to an existing cohort of small business employees in May and September 2020. A decline in mean well-being score was observed between baseline and the COVID I survey (May 2020) while health and safety climates did not exhibit the same changes. As businesses continue to adapt to the operational changes that are brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for organizations to focus on the safety and health of their employees.

The Role of Gender and Precarity in Mental Health and Presenteeism in Academia

November 13, 2021November 12, 2021

This study examined the influence of gender and precarity on mental health and presenteeism in academia prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 333 academics (73% women) working in Canadian universities were recruited for an online survey. Items to assess mental health included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6; Kessler et al., 2002), a single-item measure of burnout (Physician Worklife Survey; Williams et al., 1999), and a single-item measure of self-perceived general mental health. Items to assess presenteeism included the Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6; Koopman et al., 2002) and a single item asking how often participants had worked despite feeling they should not have (Aronsson & Gustafsson, 2005). We hypothesize that being a woman or experiencing higher levels of precarity will predict poorer mental health and higher presenteeism. The results of this study can be used to understand whether an academic culture that encourages people to take time off for their mental health and that reduces the level of precarity in employment contracts would yield healthier and more productive academics.