scholarly journals What to do when there is nothing to do? Toward a better understanding of idle time at work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karoline Schubert ◽  
Martin Zeschke ◽  
Hannes Zacher
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Idle Time ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Regulation Theory ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Régulation Theory ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

AbstractIdle time at work is a phase of involuntary downtime during which employees experience that they cannot carry out their work tasks. In contrast to breaks, interruptions, procrastination, or withdrawal behavior, employees cannot work because of the absence of work-related tasks. Based on action regulation theory, we develop an integrative conceptual model on the antecedents and consequences of the subjective experience of idle time. We propose that work constraints (i.e., regulation problems) have negative effects on occupational well-being and task performance, and that these effects are mediated by subjective idle time. The strength of these effects is further assumed to be influenced by individuals’ use of proactive (i.e., prevention) and adaptive (i.e., coping) strategies. Results of a supplemental qualitative study, for which we interviewed 20 employees from different occupations, provided preliminary support for the propositions. Finally, we develop theory on how individual, situational, and organizational characteristics may influence the proposed effects on and of idle time. Overall, this conceptual development paper contributes to a better theoretical understanding of idle time at work by extending its definition and applying action regulation theory to this practically important phenomenon.

Emotional labour and governmentality: Productive power in childcare

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merete Monrad
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Childcare Workers ◽  
The Individual

This article examines the interplay between governance and cost-containment efforts in the public sector and the emotional labour and well-being of childcare workers. Care-work researchers have highlighted the complexities of power in emotional labour, such as the fact that emotional labour may simultaneously benefit the individual worker and reproduce inequalities that may be detrimental to workers’ well-being. The goal of this article is to develop a theoretical understanding of power in emotional labour and to show how power is related to emotional labour not only in terms of lack of control, status and resources, but also productively in terms of the subjectivities enabled by organisations. The article draws on the works of Foucault and Rose, particularly the concepts of productive power and governmentality, and suggests that emotional labour may be conceptualised as a technology of the self. The potential benefits of governmentality and productive power in terms of connecting emotional labour to larger structures are illustrated by qualitative interviews with Danish childcare workers, which show how emotional labour may become a form of self-governance that contributes to the individualisation of work-related responsibilities.

scholarly journals The Relationship of Work-Related ICT Use With Well-being, Incorporating the Role of Resources and Demands: A Meta-Analysis

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110615
Author(s):  
Viktoria Maria Baumeister ◽  
Leonie Petra Kuen ◽  
Maike Bruckes ◽  
Gerhard Schewe
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
The Relationship

An understanding of the overall relationship between the work-related use of information and communication technology (ICT) and employees’ well-being is lacking as the rising number of studies has produced mixed results. We meta-analytically synthesize and integrate existing literature on the consequences of ICT use based on the job demands-resources model. By using meta-analytical structural equation modeling based on 63 independent studies ( N = 26,295), we shed light on the relationship between ICT use and employees’ well-being (operationalized as burnout and engagement) in a model that incorporates the mediating role of ICT-related resources and demands. Results show that ICT use is opposingly related to burnout and engagement through autonomy, availability, and work-life conflict. Our study brings clarity into the contradictory results and highlights the importance of a simultaneous consideration of both positive and negative effects for a comprehensive understanding of the relationship. We further show that the time of use and managerial position, and methodological moderators can clarify heterogeneity in previous results.

scholarly journals Impact of Workplace Bullying on Psychological Wellbeing of Doctors in Health Care Sector of Karachi

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-443
Author(s):  
Humera Asrar ◽  
Ume Amen ◽  
Ume Sumayya ◽  
Adnan Butt
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Work Related ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Major Factors

Organizations today are globally facing the dilemma of inappropriate work behaviours, especially bullying, as it has long term negative effects on target employees. Workplace bullying is a major reason for work-related distress and subsequently psychological wellbeing issues for employees. The main objective of this study was to identify the effect of bullying on the psychological well-being of doctors in Karachi, Pakistan. Data from 135 doctors were collected through a structured questionnaire. Results of the study indicated that workplace bullying significantly affects the psychological well-being of employees’ and gender plays moderating effect in the relationship between workplace bullying and the psychological well-being of the doctors. The findings of the study are very important for policymakers and top management of the hospitals, to prevent the healthcare sector from the detrimental impact of this unhealthy practice and to minimize the psychological effect of bullying. This study suggests management should pay attention to designing and executing rules and policies against bullying in order to minimize the adverse results of workplace bullying. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that bullying affects create more devastating effects on female doctors than their male counterparts. Further, it was observed that skills and experience are major factors to obtain positive outcomes of employee psychological wellbeing.

Action Regulation Theory

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Models ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Regulation Theory ◽  
Régulation Theory ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness

Action regulation theory is a meta-theory on the regulation of goal-directed behavior. The theory explains how workers regulate their behavior through cognitive processes, including goal development and selection, internal and external orientation, planning, monitoring of execution, and feedback processing. Moreover, action regulation theory focuses on the links between these cognitive processes, behavior, the objective environment, and objective outcomes. The action regulation process occurs on multiple levels of action regulation, including the sensorimotor or skill level, the level of flexible action patterns, the intellectual or conscious level, and the meta-cognitive heuristic level. These levels range from unconscious and automatized control of actions to conscious thought, and from muscular action to thought processes. Action regulation at lower levels in this hierarchy is more situation specific and requires less cognitive effort than action regulation at higher levels. Workers further develop action-oriented mental models that include long-term cognitive representations of input conditions, goals, plans, and expected and prescribed results of action, as well as knowledge about the boundary conditions of action and the transformation procedures that turn goals into expected results. The accuracy and level of detail of such action-oriented mental models is closely associated with the efficiency and effectiveness of action regulation. One of three foci can be in the foreground of action regulation: task, social context, or self. A task focus is most strongly associated with high efficiency and effectiveness of action regulation, because it links task-related goals with relevant plans, behavior, and feedback. Action regulation theory has been applied to understand several phenomena in the field of industrial, work, and organizational psychology, including proactive work behavior, work-related learning and error management, entrepreneurship, occupational strain and well-being, reciprocal influences between personality and work, innovation, teamwork, career development, and successful aging at work.

scholarly journals AGE-RELATED ATTRIBUTIONS OF CHANGE: DETERMINANTS AND CONSEQUENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S385-S385
Author(s):  
Klaus Rothermund ◽  
Clara de Paula Couto
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Age Stereotypes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Future Project

Abstract Diehl and colleagues recently introduced the concept of “Awareness of Age-related Change” (AARC; Diehl & Wahl, 2010), emphasizing the need to investigate the subjective experience of one’s own aging. In the Aging-as-Future project (n=1,300 participants, age range 35-85), we separately assessed the experience of changes and attributions of these changes to age. Attributions of changes were driven by a correspondence between the direction of change (gain vs. loss) and negative vs. positive age stereotypes. Importantly, our data also support the assumption that changes interact with age-related attributions in predicting life satisfaction. Specifically, age-related attributions were shown to exacerbate negative effects of losses on well-being.

scholarly journals Impact of caring for people living with HIV on the psychosocial well-being of palliative caregivers

Curationis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavashni Valjee ◽  
Alta C. Van Dyk
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Impact

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues to be a serious public health issue, and it is often the caregivers who carry the brunt of the epidemic. Caregivers of people with AIDS face distinctive demands that could make them more prone to occupational stress, with serious consequences for their psychosocial well-being. The impact of caring for people living with HIV infection on the psychosocial well-being of palliative caregivers was investigated using in-depth interviews and questionnaires in 28 participants. The results indicated no burnout, but occupational stress was prevalent. Factors impacting negatively on well-being were stressors inherent in AIDS care, such as suffering and dying of the persons being cared for, work-related stressors such as heavy workload, lack of support and ineffective coping mechanisms. Positive aspects of caring such as job satisfaction, holistic palliative care, effective coping mechanisms and psychosocial support were identified. Recommendations to curb the negative effects of caregiving are provided.

Pathology in the Medical Profession?: Taking the Pulse of Physician Wellness and Burnout

2016 ◽  
Vol 140 (9) ◽  
pp. 976-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Physician Wellness ◽  
Intervention Measures ◽  
Personal Consequences ◽  
Professional Fulfillment

Context.—In the past decades, physician wellness has diminished in every aspect of professional life. Burnout symptoms in the United States affect 30% to 68% of physicians overall—exceeding the levels of any other professional group. The ramifications of burnout present an underrecognized crisis in the health care system that carries the consequences of personal, professional, institutional, and societal costs. Objective.—To bring to light the elements of current medical practice that contribute to physician professional fulfillment and burnout. Intervention measures, steps toward burnout prevention, and the present limitations thereof are also addressed. Data Sources.—This narrative literature review was performed by using studies in PubMed (National Center for Biotechnology Information) and large online physician surveys, published through December 2015. Because of geographic differences, the review is primarily concentrated on physicians across specialties in the United States. Small studies and those of single disciplines were excluded. Conclusions.—Many physicians learn to tolerate burnout symptoms despite negative personal consequences. Long-term work-related stress, however, may lead to the potential for negative effects on the quality of patient care, and to attrition. Interestingly, the factors that enhance physician fulfillment and those that may precipitate burnout symptoms are distinct. Optimization of physician well-being, therefore, requires tailored approaches in each of these 2 dimensions and is most likely to succeed if it includes approaches that are customized to career phase, physician specialty, and practice setting. Importantly, organization leaders must prioritize this issue and provide sustained support for wellness initiatives, to foster a culture that is conducive to physician well-being.

scholarly journals Work–Life Balance Measures of Working Carers and Well-Being Satisfaction within Couple Relationships: The Result of an Italian Policy Looking through the Gender Lens

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Elena Macchioni ◽  
Riccardo Prandini
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Family

Working carers deserve to receive more and more attention from welfare regimes and workplaces. Using the work–family interface approach, we analyzed the effects of the Family Audit workplace measures—an Italian work–life balance policy—on couple well-being. The research was carried out through a Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing survey which was addressed to the employees of the organizations that participated in the policy program in 2015. The results showed that the measures implemented by the companies were able to improve the perception of couple well-being of working carers, but they did not trigger a cultural change that would permit the elimination of differences due to gender in work–family balance. The most effective measures were characterized by high levels of flexibility. These features allow the reduction of the negative effects produced by some socio-biographic variables, some work-related aspects, and aspects related to the Mediterranean welfare regime.

scholarly journals The Value Added of Studying Work Attitudes and Values: Some Lessons to Learn

2019 ◽  
Vol 682 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-245
Author(s):  
Jale Tosun ◽  
Gerbert Kraaykamp ◽  
Zeynep Cemalcilar
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Attitudes ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

Work is one of the most valued activities of individuals’ lives. Attitudes toward work not only influence work-related outcomes, such as income, but also hold sway over personal well-being and satisfaction with politico-administrative institutions. Consequently, country-comparative research aimed at learning about the determinants of individuals’ work attitudes and values and their consequences is worthwhile and offers insights that are relevant for many disciplines. In this epilogue, we summarize the main insights produced by the contributions to this volume on the antecedents and consequences of work attitudes and values as well as draw some broader conclusions.

scholarly journals Sleep and chronotype in relation to work-related stress and negative affect: The moderating role of a flexible start of work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Saalwirth ◽  
Bernhard Leipold
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sleep Time ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Sleep Duration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related Stress ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Related Stress

Abstract Objectives The present study investigated the relationships between sleep (sleep duration and need for additional sleep time in the morning), chronotype, work-related stress, and negative affect in daytime workers. Furthermore, it was examined whether a flexible start of work moderates these relationships. Methods A cross-sectional online study was conducted. Participants were 438 (247 female) daytime workers between 18 and 73 years (mean = 37.68, standard deviation = 12.39). The questionnaire included the “sleep duration” subscale of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), two subscales of the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS), the negative affect scale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), questions regarding how many minutes participants would like to sleep longer in the morning, and how flexible their start of work is. Results Short sleep duration and a greater need for additional sleep in the morning were significantly associated with late chronotype. Shorter sleep duration, a greater need for additional sleep, and a late chronotype were associated with higher work-related stress and negative affect. A flexible start of work moderated these relationships: People with longer sleep duration, less need for additional sleep time, and an early chronotype showed lower stress and negative affect levels when having a flexible start of work. A flexible start of work showed no or negative effects on workers with shorter sleep duration, a greater need for additional sleep time, or a late chronotype. Conclusions The effect of a flexible start of work for daytime worker’s well-being depends on a person’s individual sleep timing and chronotype.

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