scholarly journals Flexible, Self-Determined… and Unhealthy? An Empirical Study on Somatic Health Among Crowdworkers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina D. Schlicher ◽  
Julian Schulte ◽  
Mareike Reimann ◽  
Günter W. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Atypical Employment ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The One ◽  
High Flexibility

Crowdwork is a new form of digitally enabled work in which organizations assign tasks to an anonymous group of workers via platform intermediaries. For crowdworkers, crowdwork offers both opportunities and risks. On the one side, crowdworkers enjoy high flexibility on when, where, and how much to work. On the other side, risks comparable to other forms of atypical employment arise: no labor regulation, unstable income, and uncertainty about whether enough tasks are available. Regulation of working hours lies within the crowdworkers’ own authority. Also, crowdwork in industrialized nations is often conducted during leisure times as a side-job to some other kind of employment. In accordance with Conservation of Resources Theory, we state that when leisure time gets used up with crowdwork, regeneration cannot occur and health declines. On a sample of N=748 German crowdworkers recruited from four different platform types, we analyzed whether participation in crowdwork is linked to increased somatic symptoms compared to regularly employed personnel. We found that crowdworkers show significantly increased somatic symptoms as compared to a German norm sample, that are stable across different kinds of tasks and platforms, gender, and age groups, and that is statistically due to the extent of participation in crowdwork. Specifically, we found that total work hours per week were not associated with an increase in somatic symptoms, but we did find associations with strain-based work–family conflict and the primary motivation to do crowdwork being to earn money. Consequences for research and labor regulations are discussed.

Employee engagement and the work-family conflict relationship: The role of personal and organisational resources

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-138
Author(s):  
Okechukwu Ethelbert Amah
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
The World ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Operational Issues

Organisations in Africa face constant challenges on account of internal operational issues, and the economic and political situation on the continent. Hence, organisations in Africa and indeed all over the world are expected to be continuously efficient and effective in the use of scarce resources in order to survive. Accordingly, studies conducted all over the world, including in Africa, have established that high employee engagement is beneficial to organisations, because engaged employees exhibit discretionary behaviour that achieves superior business results. However, some studies suggest that organisations are also faced with the undesirable situation in which highly engaged employees experience high levels of work-family conflict. This relationship has implications for both productivity and ethical aspects, and past empirical studies have been unable to suggest a way out. This study proposes that, on the basis of the conservation of resources model and job demand and resources model, organisational and personal resources could play a major role in resolving the dilemma. Hierarchical regression analysis confirmed that organisational resources, servant leadership and personal resources were able to provide a solution, so that individuals with high values of these resources experienced less work-family conflict. The study also discussed the practical implications of the results for HRM and sustainability HRM.

Moral leadership and employee work–family conflict: A moderated mediation model

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lei Yao ◽  
Ping Li
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Moral Leadership ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Relationship

We applied conservation of resources theory to propose a moderated mediation model explaining how and when moral leadership influences employees' work–family conflict (WFC). Specifically, we hypothesized that both job clarity and workplace anxiety would mediate the relationship between moral leadership and employees' WFC, and that trust in supervisor would moderate the indirect effect of moral leadership and WFC through job clarity and workplace anxiety. We collected data from 258 employees of 3 companies in China, and their spouses. The findings indicated that job clarity and workplace anxiety mediated the relationship between moral leadership and employees' WFC, and that trust in supervisor strengthened the indirect effect through job clarity and workplace anxiety. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed regarding how and when moral leadership style reduces employees' WFC.

Work–family conflict and firefighters’ satisfaction with life: The autonomous motivation role

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-315
Author(s):  
Daniel Dominguez, MSc, CICPSI ◽  
Maria José Chambel, PhD ◽  
Rui Pedro Ângelo, PhD ◽  
Hugo Raposo, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Relationship

Using the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Self-Determination Theory1-3 as theoretical frameworks, a model for this study was tested, which considers firefighters’ autonomous motivation, work–family conflict, and well-being. The hypothesized model was tested using a sample of 201 firefighters from the Special Civil Protection Force in Portugal. Results revealed that autonomous work motivation was significantly related to both work–family conflict and satisfaction with life. In addition, work–family conflict was negatively related to satisfaction with life. More interestingly, the results showed that work–family conflict acted as a mechanism that helped to explain the relationship between autonomous motivation and satisfaction with life. These results underline the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which higher satisfaction with life occurs, with a view to the creation of appropriate interventions.

Exploring the relationship between entrepreneurial failure and conflict between work and family from the conservation of resources perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-440
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Yu ◽  
Xiaotong Meng ◽  
Gang Cao ◽  
Yingya Jia
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Organizational Slack ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Conflict between work and family is a significant issue for entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of entrepreneurial failure on both family–work conflict (FWC) and work–family conflict (WFC) and the moderating role of perceived control of time and organizational slack based on conservation of resources (COR) theory. Design/methodology/approach This study used a questionnaire to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial failure, FWC/WFC, perceived control of time and organizational slack. Data were collected from the Chinese context in 2018 and as a result received 318 valid questionnaires, obtaining a response rate of 63.6 per cent. Findings The study finds that entrepreneurial failure has a significant relationship with FWC but a nonsignificant relationship with WFC and that perceived control of time and organizational slack moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial failure and FWC/WFC. Originality/value This study aligns the field of family–work (work–family) conflict and entrepreneurial failure. It addresses a research gap in the conflict literature by introducing one form of resource loss: entrepreneurial failure as a source of conflict between work and family based on COR theory and the work–home resources model. The study also enriches the literature on the social cost of entrepreneurial failure by exploring the crossover effect of entrepreneurial failure on conflicts in the family domain. Furthermore, the study advances the understanding of managing conflict between work and family after entrepreneurial failure.

Effect of stretch goals on work–family conflict

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Chen ◽  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Ming Jia
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Paradox Theory ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Mind Set

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the destructive effects of stretch goals on employees’ work–family conflict (WFC). Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examines the mediating role of resource scarcity. By integrating the paradox theory with the COR theory, this study explores the moderating role of employees’ paradox mind-set. Design/methodology/approach Two-wave data were collected from a sample of MBA students in Northwestern China (N = 294). PROCESS was used to assess a moderated mediation model. Findings This study found a positive relationship between stretch goals and WFC, and resource scarcity mediated this relationship. For employees with a high paradox mind-set, the relationship between resource scarcity and WFC was weak; and the indirect effect of stretch goals on WFC via resource scarcity was weak. Practical implications Organizations should provide enough resources to employees when using stretch goals. Human resource managers could recruit candidates with high paradox mind-set and foster employees’ paradox mind-set through training. Originality/value This study makes contributions to the literature on stretch goals by examining the negative spillover effect of stretch goals on the family domain and exploring the mediating mechanism. This study also extends the paradox theory by using it at micro level to address questions on WFC.

A conservation of resources view of personal engagement in the development of innovative behavior and work-family conflict

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1030-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shan Chen ◽  
Stanley Y.B. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Organization Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Personal Engagement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how personal engagement (PE) may be related with work-family conflict (WFC) and innovative behavior (IB) at the same time. Design/methodology/approach This study tested the proposed model using a longitudinal data with 1,501 employees from R&D departments in information technology industry of Greater China at multiple points (Time 1 to Time 3) in time over a ten-month period. Findings This study exhibits how charismatic leadership style, colleague support (CS), and self-esteem (SE) are capable of predicting the PE, which, in turn, positively related to the IB and the WFC. Research limitations/implications The present study proposed a model of the PE, but there are other variables that might also be important for the PE. Practical implications These finding suggests that managers not only must inspire and enable employees to apply their full energy to their work (e.g. PE), but must also alleviate the WFC. Originality/value The study drawn from Kahn’s (1990) engagement theory and conservation of resources view to explain how the leadership style, CS, and SE can increase PE, which, in turn, increase positive organization behavior (IB) and negative organization behavior (WFC) at the same time.

Organizational context and employee reactions to psychological contract breach: A multilevel test of competing theories

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixin Jiang ◽  
Tahira M Probst ◽  
Wendi L Benson
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Job Security ◽  
Psychological Contract Breach ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Contract Breach ◽  
Work Family

This study examines how organizational context affects employee reactions to perceived psychological contract breach. Using Conservation of Resources and Social Comparison theories, the authors develop competing hypotheses regarding the potential exacerbating vs. buffering effects of organizational context on the relationships between psychological contract breach and job security satisfaction, job satisfaction, work–family conflict, and burnout. They collected a multi-source, multilevel data set composed of faculty and departmental administrators at a university experiencing repeated budget reductions. It was found that psychological contract breach was related to detrimental job outcomes (i.e., decreased job security satisfaction and job satisfaction, increased work–family conflict, and burnout). However, this relationship was stronger among faculty in departments reporting low rather than high departmental budget cuts, thus supporting Social Comparison theory rather than Conservation of Resources theory. Social comparison matters when it comes to psychological contract breach.

scholarly journals The Bright and Dark Sides of Resources for Cross-Role Interrupting Behaviors and Work–Family Conflict: Preliminary Multigroup Findings on Remote and Traditional Working

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12207
Author(s):  
Ferdinando Paolo Santarpia ◽  
Laura Borgogni ◽  
Chiara Consiglio ◽  
Pietro Menatta
Keyword(s):  
Family Conflict ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Job Autonomy ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Personal Resource ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Personal Initiative ◽  
Work Family

Using boundary management and conservation of resources theories, we examined how job resources (i.e., job autonomy and goal-oriented leadership) and a work-related personal resource (i.e., personal initiative at work) relate to cross-role interrupting behaviors—i.e., interrupting the work (or non-work) role to attend to competing non-work (or work) demands—and how, in turn, they correlate with work–family conflict. Furthermore, we examined differences in the proposed nomological network between workers adopting traditional and remote ways of working. Using a multigroup structural equation modelling approach on a sample of 968 employees from an Italian telecommunications company, we found that: (a) job autonomy was positively related to both work interrupting non-work behaviors and to non-work interrupting work behaviors, (b) goal-oriented leadership was negatively related to non-work interrupting work behaviors, (c) personal initiative at work was positively related to work interrupting non-work behaviors and, finally, (d) cross-role interrupting behaviors were positively related to work–family conflict. Additionally, our findings revealed previously undocumented results; (a) mediating patterns in how resources relate, through cross-role interrupting behaviors, to work–family conflict and (b) non-invariant associations among job autonomy, cross-role interrupting behaviors and work–family conflict across traditional and remote workers. The limitations and theoretical and practical implications of the present study are discussed.

scholarly journals The Unprecedented Lockdown: The consequences of job loss

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Soujata Rughoobur-Seetah
Keyword(s):  
Job Stress ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Voluntary Turnover ◽  
Role Overload ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Occupational Burnout ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Various studies have analyzed employees’ perceptions with regards to voluntary turnover and very few studies have attempted to identify and assess the consequences of involuntary turnover on the employees. Thus, this study attempts at analyzing the consequences of any potential involuntary turnover on employees that can take place as a response to the economic crisis that will occur with the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors like role overload, job stress, occupational burnout and Work Family Conflict (WFC) has been identified as the resulting effects of any job losses. Significant and positive relationship was recorded among variables and the relationship between involuntary turnover and WFC and between job stress and WFC were rejected. The Conservation of Resources theory (COR) and the Spillover and Crossover theory were used to better understand the complexities of the matter. The limitations and future work prospects have also been discussed.

Comparing the situation and person-based predictors of work–family conflict among married working professionals in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 479-495
Author(s):  
Rupashree Baral
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the situation (presence of young children, working hours, social and organizational support) and person-based factors (core self-evaluations) that influence work-family conflict (both work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC)) and to examine the relative power of situational factors vs person-based factors in predicting work-family conflict. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 367 married working professionals from eight organizations in the manufacturing and services sector in India. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. Usefulness analysis was performed to reveal the unique contribution of the dispositional variables over the situational variables in predicting the variance in work-family conflict. Findings Personality factors accounted for more variance in FWC than in WFC, and situational factors accounted for more variance in WFC than in FWC. Research limitations/implications Given the limitations associated with a cross-sectional design, caution is needed concerning the inferences drawn. Only a few variables are considered to assess the characteristics of the context. Practical implications Organizations should not view the resolution of work-family conflict as the sole responsibility of an individual because of the demonstrated influence of both dispositional and contextual factors on the presence or absence of such conflict. While individuals may strive to have better self-management skills and stay positive in adverse situations, employers may assist them in dealing with work-family demands by introducing need-based support. Originality/value The relative importance of situation-based and person-based variables in predicting work-family conflict has rarely been examined on a managerial sample in India. Research on personality-based antecedents of work-home interference is also in its infancy. A better understanding of the factors as they relate to both directions of work-family conflict may help to identify suitable approaches to managing conflict.

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