[Questionnaire of exposure to workplace sex-based harassment]. / Kwestionariusz do diagnozy molestowania ze wzgledu na plec (w miejscu pracy).

BACKGROUND: Polish research on gender-based sexual harassment at the workplace is relatively rare. The presented work aimed at developing a reliable tool to measure this phenomenon. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analyses of the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire of Exposure to Workplace Sex-Based Harassment were carried out on the basis of questionnaire data from employees of different occupational groups (N = 333). RESULTS: On the basis of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 5 questionnaire scales were distinguished (5 types of behavior indicating sexual harassment): Sexual coercion, Unwanted sexual interest, Gender membership harassment, Harassment for deviating from gender role and Offensive comments on the employee or his/her private life. Cronbach's α indicator of internal consistency for the whole questionnaire equaled 0.93; and for particular scales it ranged 0.85-0.90. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the performed analysis show that the Questionnaire of Exposure to Workplace Sex-Based Harassment has satisfactory psychometric characteristic. Med Pr. 2020;71(6):699-713.

[Humor at Work Questionnaire - Polish adaptation of Humor Climate Questionnaire (HCQ)]. / Kwestionariusz Humor w Pracy ­ polska adaptacja Humor Climate Questionnaire (HCQ).

BACKGROUND: The aim of the paper is to present the Polish adaptation of the Humor Climate Questionnaire (HCQ), designed to measure humor as organizational climate feature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors employed back-translation and independent judges method to choose the best version of the translated items. The psychometric properties of HCQ were estimated on the basis of 2 samples: the basic group of employees (N = 217) and the group of employees who had completed the survey twice (N = 55). RESULTS: The results of statistical analyses proved that HCQ is a reliable tool. Explorative Factor Analysis supported the 4-factor structure of the original method's theoretical model. The validity of the subscales is high, Cronbach's α varied from 0.8 to 0.9. The directions and values of intercorrelations between subscales were similar to those of the English version. The Humor Climate Questionnaire is a relatively time-stable tool (r = 0.44-0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Polish adaptation is reliable and applicable for cross-sectional studies. The obtained results are comparable to the characteristics of the original version. However, the results of factor analysis show that the data do not fully fit the theoretical model. Med Pr 2018;69(2):143-152.

Use of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law in Poland - Do size of the enterprise and gender matter?

BACKGROUND: The paper is aimed at indicating the similarities and differences in use of benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB) between women and men working in Polish small/medium and large enterprises. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample included 556 workers (311 women, 245 men), aged 20-68 years old employed on the basis of employment contracts for at least a year in Polish enterprises. The respondents completed a questionnaire on the use of benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. RESULTS: Women took maternity leaves and returned to the same work position after using childcare leaves more often than men. Men took leaves on demand more often than women. Our results also showed that in comparison to women working in smaller enterprises, those working in large enterprises were more likely to use almost all the analyzed WLB benefits - paid days off to take care of others, educational leaves, leaves on demand, maternity leaves and return to the same work position after childcare leave, reduction of business trips when pregnant or having young children and breastfeeding breaks. The size of enterprise, however, did not differentiate the take-up of benefits among the studied men. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis brought unexpected results on the lack of common availability of the WLB benefits guaranteed by the law in the case of employees who worked on the basis of employment contracts. We also found that women used most of child rearing benefits guaranteed by the law more often than men, which might reflect still a traditional division of child care responsibilities in Poland. Med Pr 2017;68(5):575-581.

Effort-reward balance as a mediator of the relationship between supplementary person-organization fit and perceived stress among middle-level managers.

OBJECTIVES: The study has aimed to identify the relations between the supplementary person-organization fit (P-O fit) and the perceived stress among managerial staff, with special regard to the mediating role of the effort-reward balance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 715 middle-level managers, aged 25-64 years old, employed in large companies. To measure the selected variables, the authors used the Questionnaire of Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), Perceived Stress Scale - 10 (PSS-10), and Person-Organization Fit Questionnaire. RESULTS: The regression analysis revealed that the perceived effort-reward imbalance partially mediated the negative relationship between the supplementary person-organization fit and stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that even when the characteristics of the manager and organization are highly congruent, the managers will experience stress if their work involves heavy effort or when this effort is not compensated properly. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):305-312.

Availability and the use of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code among workers employed on the basis of employment contracts in small and medium enterprises.

OBJECTIVES: Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits) supporting them in achieving balance between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting work-life balance (WLB) among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample included 219 respondents, aged 22-64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment contracts for at least a year. The respondents completed a questionnaire on availability and the use of benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. RESULTS: Most frequently the studied employees took sick leave because of one's own illness and leave on demand. In our sample, 45% of the women took maternity leave and 26% of the men took paternity leave. The respondents took educational and parental leave the least frequently. More than half of the respondents (58%) did not return to the same position after leave devoted to childcare, even though they had such a possibility. CONCLUSIONS: In fact, most of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law were available to the employees of small and medium enterprises, regardless of their gender. Availability and the use of the majority of benefits were similar among the women and men. Availability of benefits depended on the specificity of industry and a profession, thus, future research on work-life balance policy should control for variables related to the character of work.

[Experienced bullying and hostile behavior in the workplace and symptoms of burnout in teachers]. / Doswiadczanie mobbingu i wrogich zachowan w miejscu pracy a wystepowanie objawów wypalenia zawodowego u nauczycieli.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the exposure to workplace bullying and hostile behavior and occupational burnout in a sample of Polish teachers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In our research we studied a nationwide random sample of 1214 teachers. The frequency and type of hostile behaviors against employees was measured with the use of MDM Questionnaire, ("Mobbing, dreczenie, molestowanie" - "Bullying, harrasement, maltreatment") by Moscicka, Drabek, Merecz, developed in the Department of Occupational Psychology of the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lódz (Poland), and the level of burnout was assessed with Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS). RESULTS: As many as 63% of teachers experienced hostile behavior in their workplace and 7% of them experienced workplace bullying. Employees affected by bullying and hostile behavior reported more symptoms of professional burnout, such as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and lower level of professional efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of teachers in this study experienced some form of hostile behavior in the workplace. One in ten respondents was the subject of workplace bullying. The experience of hostile behavior and bullying at work was significantly connected with symptoms of professional burnout. Therefore, it is desirable to take care of good interpersonal relationships in educational institutions, strengthen teachers' abilities to cope with difficult interpersonal situations, and implement procedures to prevent bullying and hostile behavior in the workplace.

Job stress, occupational position and gender as factors differentiating workplace bullying experience.

BACKGROUND: The results of our research broaden the knowledge concerning the correlates of mobbing. The study is aimed at finding out whether an employee's gender, his/her occupational position and level of occupational stress are related to bullying experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1313 employees of a transport company participated in the study. The relationships between gender, occupational position, the level of stress and bullying were analysed. Bullying was measured by the use of the MD)M Questionnaire, while work environment was assessed using the Subjective Assessment of Work Questionnaire. RESULTS: It was found that women were generally more exposed to bullying than men (Z = -1.999; p < 0.05). Women experienced more bullying by their colleagues than men did (Z = -2.712; p < 0.01), in particular: bullying by colleagues that destroys the worker's image (Z = -2.922; p < 0.01) and bullying by colleagues that destroys social relations (Z = -3.004; p < 0.01). Individuals with managerial jobs experienced overall bullying (Z = -2.762; p < 0.01), bullying by colleagues (Z = -0.014; p < 0.05) and bullying by colleagues that destroys social relations (Z = -2.260; p < 0.05) more often than the individuals with non-management positions. The results of the study also indicated that employees with higher level of stress in comparison with less stressed co-workers reported more incidents of bullying behaviour (overall bullying--Z = -8.171; p < 0.001, bullying by colleagues - Z = -7.114; p < 0.001, bullying by supervisors--Z = -6.716; p < 0.001, all types of behaviour - p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Comparing the results of our study to the previous research, it seems that the pattern of relationships between individual characteristics and bullying is rooted in the wider cultural context, the specificity of the company, its organisational culture as well as its situation. Therefore it's difficult to talk about irrefutable individual correlates of bullying at work.

[Effects of marijuana and amphetamine (and its derivatives on driving performance based on the driving simulator studies]. / Wplyw zazywania marihuany i amfetaminy (oraz jej pochodnych) na prowadzenie pojazdów na podstawie wyników badan symulatorowych.

This article presents the results of the driving simulator studies of the effects of marijuana and amphetamines on driving performance. The majority of these studies have been focused on identifying the impact of the tested substances on cognitive and psychomotor functions. Most of the findings on marijuana reveal its modest effect on driving ability that increases with the increasing frequency of its use and when used in conjuction with other drugs and alcohol. Similarly, small doses of amphetamines can cause a positive stimulating effect, improving certain cognitive functions, such as vigilance, but it decreases when they are overused and combined with alcohol. The results of the research on drivers' behavior under the influence of amphetamines also indicate deficits in their cognitive functions and tendency to recklessness on the road. The authors also discuss strong and weak points of simulation studies of the effects of psychoactive substances on the driving ability. An attempt was also made to clarify certain ambiguities, which occur in this field of research. A central role of the ethical and methodological limitations of simulation studies were discussed as well.

[Individual and environmental antecedents of mobbing]. / Indywidualne i srodowiskowe czynniki sprzyjajace narazeniu na mobbing.

The aim of the article is to present the most common risk factors of bullying at the workplace. In the relevant literature one can find two main classes of bullying risk factors: environmental and individual. The most important environmental predictors of bullying are negative social climate, ineffective social communication and poor work organization. Among individual risk factors of bullying the most frequently pointed are functional features, such as low level of assertiveness, lack of social skills, ineffective coping with difficult situations and the few relatively stable individual characteristics, like neuroticism, trait anxiety, hostility and aggression. Most authors underline the crucial role of environmental factors in the development of bullying, and the individual characteristics of persons involved in this pathological relation are usually seen as the modifiers of bullying process.

[Stress prevention programs--strategies, techniques, effectiveness. Part II. Organizational activities to prevent stress at work]. / Programy prewencji stresu zawodowego--strategie, techniki, ocena skutecznosci. Cziscc II. Prewencja stresu zawodowego na poziomie organizacji.

This is the second part of the publication on approaches to occupational stress prevention and a state of the art in different European countries. In this part, stress prevention within an organization is described and discussed. Although there is no one way of tackling stress at work, some recommendations can be formulated to increase the effectiveness of such interventions. The effective stress reducing programs should be aimed both at changes in the organization itself and empowerment of employees' coping with stress resources. It is also important to take the advantage of wide spectrum of methods and techniques (e.g., work redesign, participation, team work, cognitive behavioral methods, relaxation, etc.) remembering that one size does not fit all. The intervention should be carefully planned and adopted to the various branches, an individual organization or department and should be preceded by the identification of stress risks and risk groups. To have the stress prevention program successfully introduced one should also consider factors which may influence (positively or negatively) the process of program implementation.

[Psychological factors for planning early retirement]. / Psychologiczne czynniki gotowosci do wczesniejszego przejscia na emeryture.

BACKGROUND: Over the recent years the proportion of retired persons in the over 54 years age group has systematically increased in the European Union (EU). In Poland, work force participation rate for people aged 54-65 years is particularly low compared to other countries. The aim of the presented study was to explore psychological and socio-demographic factors affecting the early retirement decision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed on 199 manual and skilled workers aged 50-64 years. The data were obtained by means of: Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, Organizational Commitment Scale and adapted items from Work Description Inventory. To explore the risk factors for an early retirement, the logistic regression was used. RESULTS: The following risk factors of an early retirement were identified: low education (primary and vocational Exp(B) = 10.394, p = 0.001; secondary and Bachelor's degree Exp(B) = 3.462, p = 0.001), low health status (Exp(B) = 3.36, p = 0.006, Exp(B) = 7.73, p = 0.002) and lack of reward at work (ERI R) (Exp(B) = 1.09, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that psychological variables play a secondary role in the process of making early retirement decision, while they probably exert a stronger effect on the decision to continue occupational activities than to quit them. This problem should be explored more deeply in the future research.

[Use of driving simulators in psychological research]. / Zastosowanie symulatorów jazdy w badaniach psychologicznych.

The history of simulators dates back to the first decades of the twentieth century. At the beginning they were used to train pilots, and eventually they were used in the automotive industry for testing the strength of new vehicles and ergonomic solutions. With time research institutions and technical universities from outside the automotive industry have become more and more interested in simulators. Attractiveness of simulators for researchers is based on a number of important factors: they create the possibility of modeling, control and repeatability of different experimental situations, reducing at the same time the impact of confounding factors. Simulators have a great potential for data collection and processing. What's more, they are safe and ecologic. These values make them almost an ideal research tool. The article presents a review of psychological studies with use of vehicle driving simulators. It also points to advantages and disadvantages of these devices and outlines the future prospects for experimental research.

Aggression at the workplace--psychological consequences of abusive encounter with coworkers and clients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the consequences of the exposure to workplace aggression from coworkers and clients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants belonged to two professional groups: nurses (N = 1163) and public service workers (N = 391). Aggression from coworkers and clients/patients was analysed separately. Several multiple regression models were tested to assess the effect of work-related aggression experienced by the subjects on their job satisfaction, professional functioning and mental health status. The frequency and type of violent behaviours against employee was measured by Exposure to Workplace Aggression Questionnaire (EWAQ), level of burnout was determined by Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), mental health status by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the level of work satisfaction was measured by 22-items survey, developed at NIOM Work Psychology Department. In the regression models, several possible confounders were controlled (sex, age, individual direct reaction to aggressive act, and physical health status). RESULTS: Results of our study point to adverse consequences of exposure to aggression at workplace, irrespective of its source. Employees experiencing workplace aggression are less satisfied with work, show symptoms of burnout, and their general health is poorer. CONCLUSION: We assume that aggression towards coworkers by peers and supervisors, as the phenomenon reflecting quality of long term interpersonal relationships, may affect health and functioning of workers stronger than a single incident in the short term contacts with clients. Aggression from clients usually results in compassion of peers, and it is perceived as the organisational problem that should be solved. On the contrary, dealing with an aggressive coworker usually is perceived as employee's own business and results in the sense of unfairness and isolation.

[Stress prevention programs--strategies, techniques, effectiveness. Part I. National and international activities to prevent stress at work]. / Programy prewencji stresu zawodowego-- strategie, techniki, ocena skutecznosci. Czesc I. Narodowe i miedzynarodowe dzialania na rzecz przeciwdzialania stresowi w miejscu pracy.

Work stress is nowadays one of the major world-wide problems because of its negative impact on health and socio-economic consequences. Therefore, many organizations, established to protect occupational health and safety, include stress-related issues into their preventive activities. This article is the first part of a broader review of approaches to work stress prevention and existing practices in Europe. It presents anti-stress interventions elaborated and implemented at international and national levels, such as: legal and research initiatives, educational actions, supporting the development of knowledge of occupational stress, and promoting the idea of healthy work place.

[Exposure to aggression at work in the health care and public service sectors]. / Skala narazenia na agresje w miejscu pracy pracowników sluzby zdrowia i sektora uslug.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency and forms of violent behavior against nurses and service sector workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The subjects under the study were 1163 nurses and 391 service sector workers (public transport and postal services) aged 19-63 years. Subjects were asked to fill in the survey questionnaire "Exposure to Aggression", which consists of 32 items and allows for assessing the frequency of acts of aggression (both physical and psychical) against employees in a one year period. RESULTS: Clients and patients were the most common source of aggression in the group of employees under study; around 90% of them experienced various forms of verbal abuse. Every second employee was the subject of supervisor's aggression. It was also found that more than 20% of public transport workers and around 14% of nurses were physically abused by their clients or patients. The collected data show that aggressive behaviors at work is a serious and challenging problem that may affect the performance and health of employees.

[Trait anxiety and type behavior pattern (A and B) as modifiers of immediate reaction towards violent behaviors]. / Cecha leku i wzór zachowania (typu A i B) jako modyfikatory bezposrednich reakcji na przemoc.

BACKGROUND: Experience of violence at the work place leads to serious consequences for both an employee and the organization. That is why prevention programs are necessary to reduce the risk of violence at work as well as possible adverse consequences of violent acts that cannot be predicted and prevented. Some research studies suggest that the range and severity of individual consequences of experiencing violence at work depend on the personality of victims, including their typical reactions to violent acts. In this paper, such personal characteristics as trait-anxiety, type A/B behavior pattern (TABP/TBBP) are discussed as potential modifiers of individual reaction towards the violence experienced at work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 1163 nurses, representative of the Mazovian Voivodship was surveyed. The standardized "paper and pencil" questionnaires were employed in the survey. The relationship between direct reaction to violence and trait-anxiety and TABP/TBBP was analyzed. RESULTS: Tendency to express an aggressive reaction towards violent behavior of others was positively correlated with a high level of trait-anxiety and TABP and submissive reactions to violence with a high level of trait-anxiety and TBBP, whereas tendency to express assertive reaction when being attacked was related to a low level of trait-anxiety and TBBP. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant relationship between trait-anxiety and behavior pattern was observed. A high level of anxiety is correlated with ineffective coping with violent acts as submissive and aggressive reaction. The tendency to express these two kinds of behavior when facing violence is strengthen by behavior pattern. The tendency to aggressive reactions as a response to aggression of others is stronger when a high level of trait-anxiety is accompanied by TABP. The tendency to present submissive reactions as a response to aggression of others is stronger when a high level of anxiety and TBBP characterize the individual who faces a violent act. These individual characteristics are thought to be rather stable and difficult to change, but they should be taken into account in the process of designing the violence prevention programs for the organization. We believe that in our attempts to reduce the extent of the problem we should provide information on the role of individual characteristics in the process of coping with violence and recommend to employ positive effects of the repeated assertiveness training in the violence prevention programs as a useful tool for teaching people how to behave in the face of aggressiveness of others.

[Predictors of mental health status and working ability of blue-collar workers]. / Predyktory zdrowia psychicznego i zdolnosci do pracy pracowników zatrudnionych na stanowiskach wykonawczych.

BACKGROUND: From the 1980s, the research focused on factors influencing work ability among older workers has been developed. In Poland, these issues were not in the field of interest until 2001, when the Polish government established a new research project on work activity and ageing. One of its main topics was the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and work ability. The aim of the presented study was to find out psychosocial work characteristics that influence the level of work ability and mental health status. The attention was also paid to the role of coping with occupational stress and life style perceived as factors protecting against the decrease in work ability and mental health problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional study was performed in the group of 400 blue-collar male workers employed in large industrial plants. RESULTS: Several predictors of work ability were found. There were: age, stress experienced due to lack of rewards at work, and mental health status. A properly composed diet was the only factor that positively correlated with work ability. Taking into account mental health status, it was found that stress experienced due to organizational uncertainty, expression of negative emotion at work and amount of alcohol drunk negatively correlates with good mental health status. CONCLUSIONS: A high level of physical activity performed after work and a wide range of different coping strategies in use positively correlate with good mental health.