Switching off automatic pilot to promote wellbeing and performance in the workplace: the role of mindfulness and basic psychological needs satisfaction.

Introduction and method: Building on self-determination theory, this study aims to advance the happy-productive worker thesis by examining a sequential mediation linking trait mindfulness to task performance through basic psychological need satisfaction and psychological wellbeing at work. Whereas most of the papers published on the topic stem from USA and Europe, we tested our model in a Canadian sample of 283 French-speaking workers. Results: Based on structural equation modeling, results show that the three need satisfactions at work mediate the relationship between trait mindfulness and psychological wellbeing at work. Rather than observing a sequential mediation, we find an indirect effect of trait mindfulness on task performance through the satisfaction for one of the basic psychological need (i.e., competence). Discussion: The present research goes beyond previous studies by exploring a new pair of happy construct-productive criteria alongside an emergent intrapersonal factor contributing to this relationship.

Leading well and staying psychologically healthy: the role of resources and constraints for managers in the healthcare sector.

PURPOSE: Maintaining a healthy and productive workforce is a challenge for most organizations. This is even truer for health organization, facing staff shortages and work overload. The aim of this study is to identify the resources and constraints that influence managers' mental health and better understand how they are affected by them. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A qualitative approach was chosen to document the resources, the constraints as well as their consequences on managers in their day-to-day realities. The sample included executive-, intermediate- and first-level managers from a Canadian healthcare facility. A total of 62 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The coding process was based on the IGLOO model of Nielsen et al. (2018) to which an employee-related level was added (IGELOO). FINDINGS: Results highlight the importance of considering both resources as well as constraints in examining managers' mental health. Overarching context, organizational constraints and the management of difficult employees played important roles in the stress experienced by managers. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results offer a better understanding of the importance of intervening at different levels to promote better organizational health. Results also highlight the importance of setting up organizational resources and act on the various constraints to reduce them. Different individual strategies used by managers to deal with the various constraints and maintain their mental health also emerge from those results. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: In addition to addressing the reality of healthcare managers, this study supplements a theoretical model and suggests avenues for interventions promoting more sustainable organizational health.

Organizational culture and leadership behaviors: is manager's psychological health the missing piece?

Background: In a context where organizations struggle to attract and retain highly qualified workers, organizations need to prioritize the psychological health of employees as a retention factor. To do so, they need to provide a healthy work environment. As an integral part of the employee experience, managers are an important factor in employee retention. In past studies, researchers have focused on the importance of leadership in boosting employees' health without, however, considering factors encouraging such behavior in managers. Recently, some scholars have become interested in managers' health as a resource allowing them to adopt good leadership behavior. Indeed, these studies reveal interesting links between managers' emotional state and their behavior as leaders. Other studies, underscore the importance of considering the organizational context to better understand managers' psychological health that may influence their leadership behaviors. This study proposes to examine the complex process by which organizational culture influences managers' psychological health, which acts as a resource favoring the adoption of good leadership behaviors that are known to be constructive and have positive effects on employee. Methods: Path analyses with the CALIS procedure SAS software, version 9.4 were conducted on a sample of 522 managers in three healthcare facilities in the province of Quebec, Canada. Results: The results revealed that group culture is associated with the two indicators of managers' psychological health at work. The results also demonstrated that managers' psychological distress at work is positively related to transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles whereas psychological well-being at work is positively related to transformational and transactional leadership. Concerning indirect associations, there is a significant and positive indirect association between group culture and transformational leadership and there is also a significant and negative association between group culture and laissez-faire leadership. Finally, there is also an indirect association between hierarchical culture and transactional leadership. Conclusion: Our study provides a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between organizational culture and leadership styles. More specifically, our findings highlight the benefits of implementing a group organizational culture to enhance psychological well-being, reduce psychological distress symptoms and promote good leadership behaviors.

Workers' perspectives on the effects of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic on their well-being: A qualitative study in Canada.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented health emergency across the world. Public health measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus impose measures concerning physical distancing that citizens must observe. Thousands of workers quickly found themselves having to telework, with no preparation by their organizations. The literature reports the positive effects of teleworking on certain indicators of well-being, as well as best teleworking practices in a normal context. The urgent and unplanned nature of the switch to teleworking in a crisis may have changed the relationship between teleworking and well-being. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore workers' perspectives on teleworking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, regarding its effects on their well-being. METHODS: Following a descriptive interpretive research design, we collected qualitative data from 15 teleworkers via focus groups and individual interviews. Two researchers used a thematic analysis strategy to analyze the data. RESULTS: Data analysis led to identifying 16 factors that participants cited as influencing the well-being of teleworkers. These form eight categories: delays related to uncertainty, manager practices, organizational practices, social interactions, job characteristics, teleworking space, personal realities and personal practices. The results show the influence of interactions between work demands, control and social support on the well-being of workers. CONCLUSION: Because of its many advantages, organizations and their workers will increasingly engage in telework. The influences of telework on people's well-being call for implementing concrete "best practices" that are applicable and that consider workers' perspectives.

The Influence of Teleworking in a Pandemic Context on the Work Experience of Individuals with Physical Disabilities: A Quebec Qualitative Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to numerous changes in work environments. Thousands of workers quickly found themselves having to telework without being prepared, which had consequences on their work experience and health. Authors proposed telework practices that promote the healthy work experience of workers in a pandemic context, but less attention has been paid to consider the realities and needs of individuals with physical disabilities. Purpose This study aimed to explore the influence of telework during the pandemic on the work experience of people with physical disabilities. Methods Following an interpretive descriptive research design, interviews were conducted with 16 workers with physical disabilities (i.e., motor, or sensory). The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis strategy. Results The results revealed 15 factors that influence the work experience of teleworkers with physical disabilities. These factors are related to interactions between three spheres of the worker's life: the individual, the organization, and the environment. Ten recommendations are proposed to consider the reality and needs of individuals with physical disabilities in the telework practices. Conclusion Given that telework has expanded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely continue to remain a widespread modality of work delivery, it becomes even more important to expand knowledge about it, to benefit the work experience of teleworkers with physical disabilities.

One down, fifty to go: managers' perceptions of their workload and how they cope with it to maintain their psychological health.

Background: Like many other countries, healthcare services in Canada face numerous organizational changes with the main objective of doing more with less. The approach taken within different healthcare networks has brought about a reform in healthcare facilities in Quebec, leading to several mergers and eliminating over 1,000 managerial positions. As a result, this has placed a progressively heavier workload on the shoulders of the remaining managers. Research on mental health in the workplace has mainly focused with the workforce and generally neglects managers. However, studies have shown that workload is a risk factor for managers. Therefore, the objectives of our study are to (1) better understand the elements that make up a manager's workload and the factors that influence it and (2) identify the coping strategies used by managers to deal with their workloads. Methods: Employing a qualitative approach, we analyzed 61 semistructured interviews through an abductive method, utilizing diverse frameworks for data analysis. The participants came from the same Quebec healthcare establishment. Results: Our findings align with the notion that workload is a multifaceted phenomenon that warrants a holistic analysis. The workload mapping framework we propose for healthcare network managers enables pinpointing those factors that contribute to the burden of their workload. Ultimately, this workload can detrimentally impact the psychological wellbeing of employees. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study takes a comprehensive look at workload by using a holistic approach, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. It also allows for the identification of coping strategies used by managers to deal with their workloads. Finally, our results can provide valuable guidance for the interventions aimed at addressing workload issues among healthcare network managers in Quebec by utilizing the specific elements we have identified.

Management behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of healthcare middle managers.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the lifestyles of the world's population. In the workplace, the pandemic has affected all sectors and has changed the way work is organized and carried out. The health sector has been severely impacted by the pandemic and has faced enormous challenges in maintaining healthcare services while providing care to those infected by the virus. At the heart of this battle, healthcare managers were key players in ensuring the orchestration of operations and the physical and mental availability of employees during the crisis. Although few studies have been conducted to identify organizational practices or leadership skills to be adopted in a crisis context, the concrete behaviors of managers have not been documented yet. Therefore, this study aims at filling this gap by studying middle managers' behaviors facing COVID-19 crisis in the healthcare sector. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, eight focus groups were conducted online during the pandemic with 37 middle managers from the healthcare community of a Quebec health establishment (Canada) from April to June 2020. Thematic analyses were conducted, and a mixed-methods approach was used to analyse the data based on Viitala's hierarchical model of management skills. Results: Based on the six managerial skills proposed in the model of Viitala, 21 specific management behaviors were identified as having been deployed by middle managers at the beginning of the pandemic. Considering that the health sector has been profoundly shaken by this health crisis, in addition to being an environment likely to experience other crises, managers need to develop practical skills in various crisis management situations. Thus, the results guide practitioners by highlighting the importance of team-oriented management behaviors (leadership, supervisory competencies), especially in a crisis context.

Telework in a pandemic context: protocol of a participatory study on the effects of teleworking conditions on the well-being and social participation of workers.

INTRODUCTION: Although several authors have been interested in the well-being and social participation of teleworkers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that most of the recommendations issued are based on literature reviews or expert opinions; yet few authors have documented the perspectives of the workers. The aim of this study is to explore workers' perspectives of teleworking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the effects on their well-being and social participation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Using a participatory study protocol involving the collaboration of a community organisation defending workers' rights, the first step will be to conduct focus groups to qualitatively describe workers' perspectives of their teleworking conditions. Then, an online questionnaire will be administered to a large pool or workers to quantitatively explore the influence of individual, organisational and environmental variables on the well-being and social participation of workers. The thematic and statistical analyses of the data collected will indicate successful practices to be adopted by workers and organisations. These successful practices will be validated by workers through a Technique for Research of Information by Animation of a Group of Experts group and will serve as concrete tools to better support workers' participation in teleworking. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The approval of the research ethics board of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale Nationale has been obtained. Findings will be shared with various stakeholders including workers, employers, insurers and unions. Findings will be disseminated in webinars, peer-reviewed journals and lectures.

Orthopedist involvement in the management of clinical activities: a case study.

BACKGROUND: The rapid shift in hospital governance in the past few years suggests greater orthopedist involvement in management roles, would have wide-reaching benefits for the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. This paper analyzes the dynamics of orthopedist involvement in the management of clinical activities for three orthopedic care pathways, by examining orthopedists' level of involvement, describing the implications of such involvement, and indicating the main responses of other healthcare workers to such orthopedist involvement. METHODS: We selected four contrasting cases according to their level of governance in a Canadian university hospital center. We documented the institutional dynamics of orthopedist involvement in the management of clinical activities using semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached at the 37th interview. RESULTS: Our findings show four levels (Inactive, Reactive, Contributory and Active) of orthopedist involvement in clinical activities. With the underlying nature of orthopedic surgeries, there are: (i) some activities for which decisions cannot be programmed in advance, and (ii) others for which decisions can be programmed. The management of unforeseen events requires a higher level of orthopedist involvement than the management of events that can be programmed. CONCLUSIONS: Beyond simply identifying the underlying dynamics of orthopedists' involvement in clinical activities, this study analyzed how such involvement impacts management activities and the quality-of-care results for patients.

Organizational constraints as root causes of role conflict.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the difficulties encountered in the hybrid roles of physician-managers (P-Ms), examine the impact of organizational constraints on the role conflicts experienced by P-Ms and explore the different ways their two roles are integrated. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A qualitative approach was adopted, using six focus groups made up of clinical co-managers, medical directors and P-Ms. In all, 43 different people were interviewed to obtain their perceptions of the day-to-day realities of the role of the P-M. The data collected were subsequently validated. FINDINGS: Although the expectations of the different groups involved regarding the role of P-Ms are well understood and shared, there are significant organizational constraints affecting what P-Ms are able to do in their day-to-day activities, and these constraints can result in role conflicts for the people involved. Such constraints also affect the ways P-Ms integrate the two roles. The authors identify three role hybridization profiles. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results afford a better understanding of how organizational constraints might be used as levers of organizational change to achieve a better hybridization of the dual roles of P-Ms. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper seeks to reach beyond a simple identification of constraints affecting the dual roles of P-Ms by analyzing how such constraints impact on these professionals' day-to-day activities. Results also enable us to further refine Katz and Kahn's (1966) role model, in addition to identifying hybridization profiles.

The Quebec rural emergency department project: a cross-sectional study of a potential two-pronged strategy in the knowledge transfer process.

INTRODUCTION: Health services research generates useful knowledge. Promotion of implementation of this knowledge in medical practice is essential. Prior to initiation of a major study on rural emergency departments (EDs), we deployed two knowledge transfer strategies designed to generate interest and engagement from potential knowledge users. The objective of this paper was to review: 1) a combined project launch and media press release strategy, and 2) a pre-study survey designed to survey potential knowledge users' opinions on the proposed study variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the impact of the project launch (presentation at two conferences hosted by key stakeholders) and media press release via a survey of participants/stakeholders and by calculating the number of media interview requests and reports generated. We used a pre-study survey to collect potential key stakeholder' opinions on the study variables. RESULTS: Twenty-one of Quebec's 26 rural EDs participated in the pre-study survey (81% participation rate). The press release about the study generated 51 press articles and 20 media request for interviews, and contributed to public awareness of a major rural research initiative. In the pre-study survey, thirteen participants (46%) mentioned prior knowledge of the research project. Results from the pre-study survey revealed that all of the potential study variables were considered to be relevant for inclusion in the research project. Respondents also proposed additional variables of interest, including factors promoting retention of human resources. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the potential utility of a two-pronged knowledge transfer strategy, including a combined formal launch and press release, and a pre-study survey designed to ensure that the included variables were of interest to participants and stakeholders.