In the Eye of the Beholder: Challenge and Hindrance Appraisals of Work Characteristics and Their Implications for Employee’s Well-Being

Previous research on the association between job characteristics and employee well-being has returned mixed results. In particular, the possible impact of individual appraisal of these job characteristics has not been well-acknowledged. To address this limitation, we drew on appraisal theory and examined: (a) how workers appraise particular job characteristics, and (b) how these appraisals affect the relationships between these job characteristics and well-being (i.e., work engagement and burnout). We tested our hypotheses across two studies. In a cross-occupation sample (Study 1, n = 514), we found that job demands and resources can be appraised as both challenges and hindrances. In addition, challenge appraisals can mitigate the detrimental impact of job demands on engagement and burnout; and hindrance appraisals can strengthen the detrimental effects of job demands on burnout. Further, hindrance appraisals of job resources reduce their beneficial effects on engagement and burnout. Study 2 (n = 316 nurses in a hospital) further showed that challenge appraisals of job demands can reduce their impact on burnout while challenge appraisals of job resources will strengthen their positive effect on employee engagement and burnout. We discuss study implications as well as future research directions.

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Employee engagement and Emotional Exhaustion of Fly-In-Fly-Out Workers: A Diary Study

10.31234/osf.io/6n7my ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Simon Albrecht ◽

Jeromy Anglim

Keyword(s):

Employee Engagement ◽

Emotional Exhaustion ◽

Hierarchical Modeling ◽

Job Demands ◽

Job Resources ◽

Future Research ◽

Bayesian Hierarchical ◽

Emotional Demand ◽

Work Cycle ◽

Emotional Demands

Objective: Although Fly-in-Fly-Out (FIFO) work practices are widely used, little is known about their impact on the motivation and wellbeing of FIFO workers across the course of their work cycles. Drawing from the Job Demands-Resources model, we aimed to test for the within-person effects of time of work cycle, job demands, and job resources on emotional exhaustion and employee engagement at three day-intervals. Method: Fifty-two FIFO workers filled out three or more on-line diary surveys after every three days of their on-site work roster. The survey consisted of items drawn from previously validated scales. Bayesian hierarchical modeling of the day-level data was conducted. Results: Workers, on average, showed a decline in engagement and supervisor support, and an increase in emotional demand over the course of the work cycle. The results of the hierarchical modeling showed that day-level autonomy predicted day-level engagement and that day-level workload and emotional demands predicted emotional exhaustion. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of managing FIFO employees' day-to-day experiences of job demands and job resources because of their influence on employee engagement and emotional exhaustion. To best protect FIFO worker day-level wellbeing, employing organisations should ensure optimal levels of job autonomy, workload, and emotional demands. Practical implications, study limitations and areas for future research are outlined.

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Challenges or Hindrances? Implications of Work Characteristics Appraisals for Employees’ Well-Being

10.31234/osf.io/pjk6v ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peikai Li ◽

Maria Peeters ◽

Toon Taris ◽

Yejun Zhang

Keyword(s):

Role Conflict ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Characteristics ◽

Survey Study ◽

Appraisal Theory ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Challenge Appraisal ◽

Emotional Demands ◽

Time Urgency

Previous research on the association between job characteristics and employee well-being has returned mixed results. In particular, the possible impact of individual appraisal of these job characteristics has not been well-acknowledged. To address this limitation, we drew on appraisal theory and examined (a) how workers appraise particular job characteristics, and (b) how these appraisals affect the relationships between these job characteristics and well-being (i.e., work engagement and burnout). We tested our hypotheses across two studies. In a cross-occupation survey (Study 1, n = 514), we found that job characteristics of “demands” (time urgency, role conflict, and emotional demands) and “resources” (autonomy, supervisor and colleague support, and feedback) can to some degree be appraised as both challenges and hindrances. In addition, moderation analysis showed that challenge appraisal can mitigate the negative impact of job demands on burnout. Interestingly, the beneficial effects of job resources on employee well-being (i.e., increasing engagement, and decreasing burnout) were weaker if workers appraised a certain resource as hindering. In Study 2 (n = 316 nurses in a hospital), the results generally supported our predictions again. These findings on the effects of appraisal contribute by broadening the theory on job characteristics-outcomes relationships.

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Analysis of Job-Related Demands and Resources in Ambulatory Youth Welfare Services: A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17082941 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (8) ◽

pp. 2941

Author(s):

Sylvie Vincent-Höper ◽

Julia C. Lengen ◽

Maren Kersten ◽

Sabine Gregersen

Keyword(s):

Social Workers ◽

Job Demands ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Characteristics ◽

Target Group ◽

Job Resources ◽

Survey Tool ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Welfare Services ◽

Youth Welfare

In this study, we investigated health-relevant job characteristics of social workers in ambulatory youth welfare services, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on a systematic literature review, expert workshops, and focus group discussions with 9 experts of the target group, we identified target group-specific job demands and job resources, which we compiled into a questionnaire using content-valid scales. The target group-specific survey tool comprises 9 scales for assessing job demands and 10 scales for assessing job resources. Analyses of data from 209 social workers demonstrated desirable psychometric properties and substantial correlations of the scales with coping behaviours and indicators of employee well-being. The scales for assessing job demands were negatively related to psychological well-being and job satisfaction and positively related to burnout and depressiveness. The scales for assessing job resources showed positive correlations with indicators of positive well-being and negative correlations with indicators of impaired well-being. Regression analyses revealed that job resources explained a higher amount of variance in the positive well-being indicators compared to job demands. The study identified a broad range of health-relevant job characteristics for social workers in ambulatory youth welfare. Applying the target group-specific survey tool allows organisations to derive suitable implications for the design of health promotion programs.

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Examining Burnout and the Relationships Between Job Characteristics, Engagement, and Turnover Intention Among U.S. Educators

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/2158244020972361 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 215824402097236

Author(s):

Mia B. Russell ◽

Prince A. Attoh ◽

Tyrone Chase ◽

Tao Gong ◽

Jinhee Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Work Engagement ◽

Turnover Intention ◽

Job Demands ◽

Job Characteristics ◽

Work Environments ◽

Job Resources ◽

Future Research ◽

Organizational Strategies ◽

The Relationship ◽

Underlying Processes

As a modern epidemic, burnout is the leading reason educators leave the profession. Guided by the job demands–resources theory, this study empirically examines the underlying processes associated with burnout and the direct relationships between job characteristics (i.e., job demands and job resources), turnover intention, and work engagement among a U.S. sample of educators ( n = 855). Although both job demands and job resources were positively related to work engagement, job demands had a stronger influence. Job demands and job resources were related to burnout; however, job resources had a stronger effect. Burnout mediated the relationship between job demands and work engagement as well as job resources and turnover intention. This study shows that job demands and job resources play an important role in burnout and work engagement. As a workplace phenomenon, addressing burnout requires leaders and managers to create organizational strategies that strengthen and support the work environment. Findings from this study may help inform practice and policy changes, including the intentional development of supportive work environments, carefully crafted positions with person-fit in mind, and effective monitored paid time off policies and processes. Other recommendations and future research are also offered.

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Timeline of engagement research and future research directions

Management Research Review ◽

10.1108/mrr-04-2017-0123 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 433-452 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Manjiri Kunte ◽

Parisa Rungruang

Keyword(s):

Employee Engagement ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Well Being ◽

Citizenship Behavior ◽

Future Research ◽

Practical Relevance ◽

Theoretical Frameworks ◽

Research Directions ◽

Content Type ◽

Future Research Directions

PurposeStudies suggest that engagement is related with organizationally desired outcomes, including performance, productivity, profitability, employee retention, organization citizenship behavior and employee well-being. Despite its practical relevance in the workplace, the concept of engagement has been theoretically dispersed. Therefore, this study aims to present a conceptual review of engagement studies leading to the development of a nomological framework and an evolution timeline for the concept.Design/methodology/approachThe present study is divided into three sections. The first section elicits the nomological framework based on the comparison between engagement, its predecessors and its contemporary concepts such as motivation theories, job design theories, burnout theories and positive psychology. A review of related theories and concepts highlights the similarities and differences vis-a-vis engagement. In the second section, the study depicts the evolution of the engagement concept based on the nomological framework. The evolution is discussed through the decades of before 1990, 1990-2000, 2000-2010 and 2010 onwards. To consolidate the theories and concepts, the authors covered studies that defined engagement as role engagement, personal engagement, work engagement and employee engagement. The third section presents the future research directions based on the framework and evolution.FindingsThe literature review reveals future research directions. These include the addition of new antecedents and theoretical frameworks to enrich the explanatory power and practical relevance of the antecedents of engagement, exploring the context of work with qualitative and mixed method designs, exploring the unit of “role” in engagement studies and the need for more replication studies in this field.Originality/valueThe key contributions of this paper are the nomological framework and the timeline of the evolution of engagement concept.

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Job characteristics, well-being and physical activity: A field study using a consumer fitness tracker

Europe’s Journal of Psychology ◽

10.5964/ejop.2447 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 264-275

Author(s):

Nina Raffaela Grossi ◽

Fabiola Gattringer ◽

Bernad Batinic

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Job Demands ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Characteristics ◽

Job Control ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Fitness Tracker ◽

The Impact

The relation between job characteristics and health is one of the most important fields of research within work and organizational psychology. Another prominent variable influencing health is physical activity. The physical activity mediated Demand-Control (pamDC) model (Häusser & Mojzisch, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2017.1303759) combines these health indicators in a new theoretical framework. Based on the pamDC model the current study aims to clarify the role of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in the interplay of job demands, job control and well-being. We expect physical activity to partially mediate the impact of job characteristics on health. To avoid self-report bias considering physical activity we used a consumer fitness tracker to collect additional data. In total, 104 white-collar workers participated in the study. The results show that job control and job demands could predict well-being in cross-sectional analyses. In longitudinal analyses, this was only the case for job demands. Regarding the proposed mediating effect of LTPA between job characteristics and health, we could not detect a significant mediation in our sample. This was true for both self-reported and objective data on physical activity. This study provides a first step in validating the pamDC model and has implications for future research.

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Gender discrimination and job characteristics

Career Development International ◽

10.1108/cdi-10-2015-0136 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 230-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lonneke Dubbelt ◽

Sonja Rispens ◽

Evangelia Demerouti

Keyword(s):

Gender Discrimination ◽

Job Demands ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Characteristics ◽

Job Resources ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Male Dominated ◽

The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between gender discrimination and the perceived job demands and job resources of women and men. This is important because it may provide insight into what factors contribute to women’s disadvantaged position at work. Design/methodology/approach – Two cross-sectional studies were conducted, Study 1 in a male-dominated organization and Study 2 in a gender-balanced organization. Findings – The results showed that in both organizations, gender discrimination was positively associated with women’s job demands and negatively associated with their job resources. Additionally, in the male-dominated organization the perceived gender discrimination was also negatively associated with men’s job resources. Overall, the results were more consistent across the two organizations for women’s job resources. Originality/value – This paper links gender literature with the job demands-resources model to translate gender discrimination into quantifiable job characteristics and may provide alternative explanations for previous found gender differences in well-being and career success.

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Engaging leadership in the job demands-resources model

Career Development International ◽

10.1108/cdi-02-2015-0025 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 446-463 ◽

Cited By ~ 80

Author(s):

Wilmar B. Schaufeli

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Work Performance ◽

Online Survey ◽

Job Demands ◽

Well Being ◽

Organizational Outcomes ◽

Job Resources ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate leadership into the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Based on self-determination theory, it was argued that engaging leaders who inspire, strengthen, and connect their followers would reduce employee’s levels of burnout and increase their levels of work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted among a representative sample of the Dutch workforce (n=1,213) and the research model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – It appeared that leadership only had an indirect effect on burnout and engagement – via job demands and job resources – but not a direct effect. Moreover, leadership also had a direct relationship with organizational outcomes such as employability, performance, and commitment. Research limitations/implications – The study used a cross-sectional design and all variables were based on self-reports. Hence, results should be replicated in a longitudinal study and using more objective measures (e.g. for work performance). Practical implications – Since engaged leaders, who inspire, strengthen, and connect their followers, provide a work context in which employees thrive, organizations are well advised to promote engaging leadership. Social implications – Leadership seems to be a crucial factor which has an indirect impact – via job demands and job resources – on employee well-being. Originality/value – The study demonstrates that engaging leadership can be integrated into the JD-R framework.

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Meaningful Work, Job Resources, and Employee Engagement

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13074045 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 4045

Author(s):

Simon L. Albrecht ◽

Camille R. Green ◽

Andrew Marty

Keyword(s):

Employee Engagement ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Meaningful Work ◽

Organizational Outcomes ◽

Job Resources ◽

Psychological State ◽

Future Research ◽

Theoretical Frameworks ◽

Positive Direct ◽

The Relationship

Meaningful work and employee engagement have been the subject of increasing interest in organizational research and practice over recent years. Both constructs have been shown to influence important organizational outcomes, such as job satisfaction, wellbeing, and performance. Only a limited amount of empirical research has focused on understanding the relationship within existing theoretical frameworks. For this study, meaningful work is proposed as a critical psychological state within the job demands-resources (JD-R) model that can therefore, in part, explain the relationship between job resources and employee engagement. Survey data collected from 1415 employees working in a range of organizations, across a number of industries, were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). In support of expectations, job variety, development opportunities, and autonomy, each had a significant and positive direct association with meaningful work. These job resources also had a significant and positive indirect effect on employee engagement via meaningful work. Although job variety, development opportunities, autonomy, and feedback had significant positive direct associations with engagement, contrary to expectations, supervisor support had a negative association with engagement. The final model explained a sizable proportion of variance in both meaningful work (49%) and employee engagement (65%). Relative weights analyses showed that job variety was the strongest job resource predictor of meaningful work, and that meaningful work was more strongly associated with employee engagement than the job resources. Overall, the results show that meaningful work plays an important role in enhancing employee engagement and that providing employees with skill and task variety is important to achieving that goal. Practical implications, study limitations, and future research opportunities are discussed.

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Job Apathy

Journal of Career Assessment ◽

10.1177/1069072715599536 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 484-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gordon B. Schmidt ◽

Guihyun Park ◽

Jessica Keeney ◽

Sonia Ghumman

Keyword(s):

Employee Engagement ◽

The United States ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Popular Media ◽

Incremental Validity ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Directions ◽

Personal Initiative ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Practical Implications

Work anecdotes and popular media programs such as Office Space, The Office, and Dilbert suggest that there are a number of workers in the United States who feel a sense of apathy toward their workplace and their job. This article develops these ideas theoretically and provides validity evidence for a scale of job apathy across two studies. Job apathy is defined as a type of selective apathy characterized by diminished motivation and affect toward one’s job. A scale of job apathy was developed and data from a sample of currently or recently employed college students supported two dimensions: apathetic action and apathetic thought. Job apathy was found to be empirically distinct from clinical apathy, negative affectivity, cynicism, and employee engagement. Job apathy was also found to have incremental validity in the prediction of personal initiative, withdrawal, and organizational deviance. Practical implications and future research directions for job apathy are discussed.

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