scholarly journals Organizational helping behavior and its relationship with employee workplace well-being

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyun Duan ◽  
Macy Wong ◽  
Yumeng Yue
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavior Scale ◽  
Helping Behaviors ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Main Relationship

PurposeResearch examining the effect of helping on outcomes related to helpers has gained some mixed results. The purpose of this paper is to reconcile such inconsistency by understanding the multi-dimensional nature of helping behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first develop a helping behavior scale that differentiates between the proactive and reactive form of helping. Furthermore, the authors also examined whether these two forms of helping are differently related to employees’ well-being. Data were collected from 448 employees and their immediate supervisors working in different organizations in the South Jiangsu province, in which the authors examined the main relationship and also explored the mediating effect of meaningfulness.FindingsResults provided corroborating evidence that helping behavior was a multi-dimensional construct, consisting of proactive and reactive dimensions. Furthermore, the authors are also able to support discriminatory validity between these two dimensions by showing that they are differently related to employees’ well-being.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to management practice by specifying the benefits and detriments of different kinds of helping behaviors.Originality/valueThe findings of this study do not only provide ideas to explain contradictions in the effect of helping behaviors on helpers themselves, but also deepens scholars’ knowledge and understanding toward helping behavior.

Ethical consumers' brand avoidance

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Rindell ◽  
Tore Strandvik ◽  
Kristoffer Wilén
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Specific Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Ethical Consumers ◽  
Consumer Values ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore ethical consumers' brand avoidance. The study contributes to brand-avoidance research by exploring what role consumers' ethical concerns play in their brand avoidance. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach is adopted by interviewing 15 active members of organizations that represent ethical concerns for the well-being of animals, the environment and humans. Findings – The study indicates that consumers with a strong value-based perspective on consumption (such as ethical consumers) may reject brands in two different but interrelated ways. In essence, the study reveals characteristics of brand avoidance that have not been discussed in earlier research, in terms of two dimensions: persistency (persistent vs temporary) and explicitness (explicit vs latent). Practical implications – The study shows the importance of considering the phenomenon of brand avoidance, as it may reveal fundamental challenges in the market. These challenges may relate to consumer values that have not been regarded as important or that have been thought of as relating only to a specific group of consumers. Originality/value – The ethical consumers' views represent new insights into understanding brand avoidance.

Upward social comparison and Facebook users’ grandiosity

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myungsuh Lim ◽  
Yoon Yang
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Upward Comparison ◽  
Upward Social Comparison ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to confirm the causal relationship, in an upward social comparison, of envy, loneliness and subjective well-being (SWB). Particularly, the authors address the mediating roles, each, of benign envy (BE) and malicious envy (ME) as different types of envy. In addition, the authors explore the grandiosity of users, in terms of narcissistic personalities, and whether it has discriminatory impacts on this causal relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors re-enacted a situation that users confront on Facebook as a quasi-experiment to determine if there is an effectual relationship among variables in the path of upward comparison, envy, loneliness and SWB. First, the authors divided envy into BE and ME to examine its mediating role in the path of upward comparison and loneliness. Second, the authors examined the differentiated effects of both kinds of envy and loneliness on SWB. Finally, the authors determined if users’ grandiose, narcissistic behaviour has moderating effects on the path of each variable. Findings The results revealed that upward comparison has a positive effect on both kinds of envy; however, in the path of loneliness, only ME operated and played a mediating role. Furthermore, grandiosity had a partially significant moderating effect. Research limitations/implications This study has the following theoretical implications. The mediating effect of envy was identified in the path of upward comparison, loneliness and SWB. Research limitation is as follows: this study could not effectively reflect individual differences. It is necessary to include individual difference variables in later research, including characteristics of social comparison. Practical implications This study has the following practical implications. Social comparison on Facebook poses a more serious problem than it does offline; therefore, users need to protect their own SWB. If users can actively cope with the information of others and selectively choose their upward comparison targets, they can reduce their loneliness and improve their SWB as expected in the hypotheses. Social implications The “unfriending” events that occur on Facebook may be explained by the mediating phenomenon of ME. The research showed that the excessive narcissism of users on Facebook is an inconsistent information with real selves of users, thus triggering the ME, which causes avoidance from other Facebook users. Originality/value The authors have proven that social comparison and envy emotion are the causes of the loneliness, while the authors are on Facebook. Especially, the mediation role of BE and ME are discussed in a distinguished manner. Also, the authors confirmed that the influence of narcissism could further aggravate the problem of loneliness. Finally, the authors found that the variables of the study also affect the SWB of the Facebook user.

How does leader conscientiousness influence frontline staff under conditions of serious anxiety? An empirical study from integrated resorts (IRs)

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Xue ◽  
Ziying Mo ◽  
Matthew Tingchi Liu ◽  
Ming Gao
Keyword(s):  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Subjective Happiness ◽  
Team Leaders ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Service Departments ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe objective of this study was to improve understanding of frontline staff's subjective happiness and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating the roles of employees' busy mindset and leader conscientiousness.Design/methodology/approachThe link between employee anxiety and subjective happiness was also explored, and the cross-level mediating effect of employee anxiety was tested using a multilevel design. A survey of 373 frontline staffers and 74 team leaders in the integrated resorts (IRs) was conducted in three waves: April (Time 1), May (Time 2) and June (Time 3) in 2020. The data were analysed with SPSS and Mplus using a hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) method.FindingsThe results indicated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a busy mindset increased frontline staff's anxiety and thus decreased their subjective happiness, and leader conscientiousness remedied the effect of anxiety on subjective happiness.Practical implicationsThe findings are relevant to frontline staffers, team leaders in the hospitality industry and corporate service departments. Against the background of COVID-19, conscientious leaders can significantly help employees to overcome their anxiety and insecurity and improve their subjective happiness, answering the urgent call to deal with the challenges of the new work–life environment.Originality/valueThe study differs from previous other studies in two dimensions: First, the authors explored the interactions of the affective events from the cross-level perspectives, i.e. both team level and individual level. Second, the authors conducted this research on the mental issues of the hospitality frontline staffers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains a black box to be explored.

Chinese study finds helping proactively improves employee wellbeing

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-24
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employee Wellbeing ◽  
Chinese Study ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The study was intended to find out if there was a difference between reactive and proactive helping in terms of developing wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach There were two studies. Study One involved doing interviews with employees in Chinese businesses, then creating a scale that was used to test a series of hypotheses in Study Two. Findings The results showed that proactive helping behavior has a significantly positive effect on employees’ well-being. But the coefficients of reactive helping behavior toward work well-being were not significant. Finally, the results showed the significant effect of meaningfulness as a mediator for employees’ wellbeing for both proactive and reactive helping. Originality/value The authors felt their research had practical implications for both employees and managers. Specifically, their insights into the nature of different forms of helping could help them manage their careers. Many previous research papers have shown that those who help others are more likely to have successful careers. But the paper suggests that employees who help proactively may gain much more benefit than those helping reactively.

The effect of workplace bullying on burnout: the mediating role of affective well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neuza Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Suzete Semedo ◽  
Daniel Gomes ◽  
Rita Bernardino ◽  
Sharda Singh
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of workplace bullying on employees’ burnout by investigating the mediating effect of affective well-being (AWB). Design/methodology/approach Data of 532 employees from diverse organizations in Portugal were collected. These data were collected using anonymously completed structured questionnaires available online. Findings The results support the research hypotheses proposed, confirming that workplace bullying is related to both AWB and burnout. Moreover, affective workplace bullying partially mediates the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout, indicating that the victims have their AWB reduced, and, consequently, increase their burnout levels. Practical implications The findings suggest that organizations can foster employees’ AWB and reduce the level of burnout by encouraging organizations to develop preventive policies and practices to safeguard against bullying at work. Originality/value To this date, only a few studies have examined mediating and moderating variables (Nielsen and Einersen, 2018) and none include AWB as a mediator of the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout. This study answers the call for further empirical research from those who have argued that more information is needed to understand the workplace bullying phenomenon and contributes to the growing debate on this topic and its effects on employees.

The inseparable nature of working and learning: peripheral management practice that facilitates employee learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 10-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Andrew Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employee Learning ◽  
Frontline Managers ◽  
Social Act ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Good Manager

Purpose – This paper aims to look at the peripheral management practice that facilitates employee learning. Such management practices are embedded or inseparable to working and being a good manager. Design/methodology/approach – Point of view. Findings – For many frontline managers and their employees, the separation between working and learning is often not apparent. There appears to be no clear distinction between when they are working and when they are learning. Practical implications – Better development of organizational managers. Originality/value – This paper highlights the informal nature of learning and working and builds on the understanding that much of the learning that occurs at work occurs as part of a social act, often involving managers and their employees. In this way, employee learning that is identified and facilitated by frontline managers is so often entwined in other management activity. Furthermore, this paper outlines some practical actions that organizations can undertake to aid greater frontline management involvement in employee learning.

An exploratory study into organizational repatriates’ emotional support network

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lore Van Gorp ◽  
Smaranda Boroş ◽  
Piet Bracke ◽  
Peter A.J. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Support Providers ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informative Characteristic ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how repatriates’ emotional support network affects their experience of re-entry. Design/methodology/approach This inductive, qualitative study is based on 27 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Belgian organizational repatriates. Findings The analyses suggest that expatriation empathy is a key attribute of organizational repatriates’ main emotional support providers. In addition, the results show that although partners are a main source of emotional support on re-entry, they are also important potential causes of distress. Lastly, the results suggest that the cultural diversity of a repatriate’s emotional support network is linked with characteristics of the assignment and that it affects the experience of repatriation. Research limitations/implications The results provide empirical evidence that the expatriation empathy of repatriates’ support providers is a more informative characteristic to consider compared with whether they have personal experience of expatriation. In addition, the results suggest that research should also take into account the negative side of social support, and, for example, consider the influence of crossover distress of partners who experience relocation difficulties themselves. Practical implications This study points to the possible benefits of organizing social activities or training for repatriates and their partner and any children, as well as the advantages of encouraging expatriates to invite home-country friends to visit. Originality/value Although most scholars agree on the importance of support for expatriates’ well-being, the sources of relevant emotional support have received little research attention so far, as has how this influences the repatriation experience.

When I am old I shall wear purple: a qualitative study of the effect of group poetry sessions on the well-being of older adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Seymour ◽  
Michael Murray
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Poetry Reading ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose There is increasing evidence that participation in various art forms can be beneficial for health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of participating in a poetry reading group on a group of older residents of an assisted living facility. Design/methodology/approach Six poetry sessions, each on a different theme, were conducted with a group of volunteer participants. These sessions, those of pre- and post-study focus groups and interviews with the group facilitator and staff contact were audio-recorded. The transcripts of the recordings were then subjected to a thematic analysis. Findings Overall the participants were enthused by the opportunity to participate in the project and the benefits were confirmed by the support staff. In addition, reading poetry on particular themes promoted different types of discussion. Research limitations/implications The number of participants in this study was small and the study was conducted over a short period of time. Practical implications This paper confirms the impact of poetry reading for older people. The challenge is to explore this impact in more detail and over community as well as residential settings. Originality/value This paper is the first empirical report on the value of poetry reading for older people.

A dynamic process of different helping behavior: from the extended self-theory perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Ouyang ◽  
Kong Zhou ◽  
Yuan-Fang Zhan ◽  
Wen-Jun Yin
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Extended Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Helping Behaviors ◽  
Moderating Role

PurposeDrawing on the extended self-theory, this study explores the dynamic process through which reactive helping could influence proactive helping through self-investment and investigate the moderating role of task difficulty in affecting this process.Design/methodology/approachThis study, with a sample of 582 diary surveys from 66 employees, used experience sampling techniques to analyze the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that self-investment could mediate the positive relationship between reactive helping and proactive helping. Additionally, task difficulty acts as an essential role in facilitating the process raised by reactive helping. Further examination revealed that the moderated mediation effect in this model was also significant.Practical implicationsManagers should encourage help-seeking and positive responses to requests, especially in groups with difficult tasks, which could build helpers’ extended self at work and increase their proactive helping behaviors at the following episode.Originality/valueAs verifying the dynamic trajectory of reactive helping, this study enriches our understanding of whether and how helping behaviors are likely to grow over time. Besides, it complements current pieces of literature by exploring the potential positive implication of reactive helping with a helper-centric perspective.

Perceived stress and psychological well-being of working mothers during COVID-19: a mediated moderated roles of teleworking and resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vartika Kapoor ◽  
Jaya Yadav ◽  
Lata Bajpai ◽  
Shalini Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Working Mothers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe present study examines the mediating role of teleworking and the moderating role of resilience in explaining the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being of working mothers in India. Conservation of resource theory (COR) is taken to support the present study.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 326 respondents has been collected from working mothers in various sectors of Delhi NCR region of India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for construct validity, and SPSS Macro Process (Hayes) was used for testing the hypotheses.FindingsThe results of the study found an inverse association between perceived stress and psychological well-being. Teleworking acted as a partial mediator and resilience proved to be a significant moderator for teleworking-well-being relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based at Delhi NCR of India, and future studies may be based on a diverse population within the country to generalize the findings in different cultural and industrial contexts. The present work is based only on the psychological well-being of the working mothers, it can be extended to study the organizational stress for both the genders and other demographic variables.Practical implicationsThe study extends the research on perceived stress and teleworking by empirically testing the association between perceived stress and psychological well-being in the presence of teleworking as a mediating variable. The findings suggest some practical implications for HR managers and OD Practitioners. The organizations must develop a plan to support working mothers by providing flexible working hours and arranging online stress management programs for them.Originality/valueAlthough teleworking is studied previously, there is a scarcity of research examining the impact of teleworking on psychological well-being of working mothers in Asian context. It would help in understanding the process that how teleworking has been stressful for working mothers and also deliberate the role of resilience in the relationship between teleworking and psychological well-being due to perceived stress, as it seems a ray of hope in new normal work situations.

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