Online Mobile App Usage as an Indicator of Sleep Behavior and Job Performance

Objective The study’s objective was to assess a new personnel selection and assessment tool for aviation security screeners. A mobile app was modified to create a tool, and the question was whether it could predict professional screeners’ on-job performance. Background A variety of professions (airport security, radiology, the military, etc.) rely on visual search performance—being able to detect targets. Given the importance of such professions, it is necessary to maximize performance, and one means to do so is to select individuals who excel at visual search. A critical question is whether it is possible to predict search competency within a professional search environment. Method Professional searchers from the USA Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed a rapid assessment on a tablet-based X-ray simulator (XRAY Screener, derived from the mobile technology app Airport Scanner; Kedlin Company). The assessment contained 72 trials that were simulated X-ray images of bags. Participants searched for prohibited items and tapped on them with their finger. Results Performance on the assessment significantly related to on-job performance measures for the TSA officers such that those who were better XRAY Screener performers were both more accurate and faster at the actual airport checkpoint. Conclusion XRAY Screener successfully predicted on-job performance for professional aviation security officers. While questions remain about the underlying cognitive mechanisms, this quick assessment was found to significantly predict on-job success for a task that relies on visual search performance. Application It may be possible to quickly assess an individual’s visual search competency, which could help organizations select new hires and assess their current workforce.

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Clinical Update: Functional Capacity Evaluations—An Update

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.1999.sepoct02 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 4-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura Welch

Keyword(s):

Job Performance ◽

Functional Capacity ◽

Injury Risk ◽

Disability Evaluation ◽

Time Period ◽

Submaximal Effort ◽

Lack Of Sleep ◽

Overall Performance ◽

Time Required ◽

Specific Limitation

Abstract Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) have become an important component of disability evaluation during the past 10 years to assess an individual's ability to perform the essential or specific functions of a job, both preplacement and during rehabilitation. Evaluating both job performance and physical ability is a complex assessment, and some practitioners are not yet certain that an FCE can achieve these goals. An FCE is useful only if it predicts job performance, and factors that should be assessed include overall performance; consistency of performance across similar areas of the FCE; consistency between observed behaviors during the FCE and limitations or abilities reported by the worker; objective changes (eg, blood pressure and pulse) that are appropriate relative to performance; external factors (illness, lack of sleep, or medication); and a coefficient of variation that can be measured and assessed. FCEs can identify specific movement patterns or weaknesses; measure improvement during rehabilitation; identify a specific limitation that is amenable to accommodation; and identify a worker who appears to be providing a submaximal effort. FCEs are less reliable at predicting injury risk; they cannot tell us much about endurance over a time period longer than the time required for the FCE; and the FCE may measure simple muscular functions when the job requires more complex ones.

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Daily Fluctuations in Work Engagement

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000160 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 227-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Arnold B. Bakker

Keyword(s):

Job Performance ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Research Evidence ◽

Organizational Outcomes ◽

Reciprocal Relationship ◽

Proactive Behavior ◽

Negative Events ◽

Daily Work ◽

Work Pressure ◽

Diary Research

This article presents an overview of the literature on daily fluctuations in work engagement. Daily work engagement is a state of vigor, dedication, and absorption that is predictive of important organizational outcomes, including job performance. After briefly discussing enduring work engagement, the advantages of diary research are discussed, as well as the concept and measurement of daily work engagement. The research evidence shows that fluctuations in work engagement are a function of the changes in daily job and personal resources. Particularly on the days that employees have access to many resources, they are able to cope well with their daily job demands (e.g., work pressure, negative events), and likely interpret these demands as challenges. Furthermore, the literature review shows that on the days employees have sufficient levels of job control, they proactively try to optimize their work environment in order to stay engaged. This proactive behavior is called job crafting and predicts momentary and daily work engagement. An important additional finding is that daily engagement has a reciprocal relationship with daily recovery. On the days employees recover well, they feel more engaged; and engagement during the day is predictive of subsequent recovery. Finding the daily balance between engagement while at work and detachment while at home seems the key to enduring work engagement.

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