Exploring the effects of predominantly female jobs on demands and resources at work and consequently on health and performance in the Province of Québec, Canada.

PURPOSE: Predominantly female jobs are undervalued because the importance of the skills (e.g., empathy, meticulousness, patience) they require is underestimated. Based on a sample of 1831 workers, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the effect of predominantly female jobs on demands and resources at work. It also aimed to evaluate if demands and resources at work played a mediating role in the relationship between female jobs and psychological well-being, psychological distress, insomnia, and intention to quit. METHODS: Mediation analysis to test indirect effects was conducted using MPlus software. RESULTS: Predominantly female jobs were directly associated with lower recognition and higher skill utilization and emotional demands. Also, predominantly female jobs were indirectly associated with health and performance via their effects on demands and resources at work. Therefore, these workers appear to face higher demands and lower resources, which in turn is harmful to them. CONCLUSION: Consequently, we might conclude that in addition to the pay inequity that is still present between men and women, those who hold predominantly female jobs (mostly women) are more vulnerable to health and performance problems because of the working conditions (demands and resources) of these jobs. At the societal level, increased knowledge of predominantly female jobs could also be achieved by, for example, popularizing the training and skills they require. Information campaigns (not just to attract people but also to eliminate misunderstanding of these jobs) could be initiated by unions, professional associations, schools, private companies, guidance or employment counselors, government, etc. At the organizational level, action could be taken in terms of human resource management practices, including job evaluation and remuneration.

Toward a new model of human resource management practices: construction and validation of the High Wellbeing and Performance Work System Scale.

Introduction: The integrated mutual gains model suggests five provisional sets of human resource management (HRM) practices that should benefit both employees and organizations and, as such, be explicitly designed to have a positive impact on wellbeing, which, in turn, can affect performance. Methods: An extensive review of the literature on scales that used a high-performance work system to assess HRM practices, as well as an extraction of items related to the theoretical dimensions of the integrated mutual gains model, were performed. Based on these preliminary steps, an initial scale with the 66 items found most relevant in the literature was developed and assessed regarding its factorial structure, internal consistency, and reliability over a two-week period. Results: Exploratory factorial analysis following test -retest resulted in a 42-item scale for measuring 11 HRM practices. Confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 36-item instrument for measuring 10 HRM practices and showed adequate validity and reliability. Discussion: Even though the five provisional sets of practices were not validated, the practices that emerged from them were assembled into alternative sets of practices. These sets of practices reflect HRM activities that are considered conducive to employees' wellbeing and, consequently, their job performance. Consequently, the "High Wellbeing and Performance Work System Scale" was created. Nonetheless, future research is necessary to evaluate the predictive capacity of this new scale.

A Moderated Mediation Analysis of New Work-Related Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Absenteeism in Health Care During a Pandemic: Is Recognition the Cure for Preventing Falling in Battle?

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effects of new work-related stressors on psychological distress and absenteeism and the role of recognition in these relationships. METHODS: Moderated path analyses were carried out on a sample of 1128 health care workers. RESULTS: Increased workload related to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) ( ß = 1.511, P ≤ 0.01) and fear of COVID-19 ( ß = 0.844, P ≤ 0.01) were directly associated with a higher level of psychological distress and indirectly ( ß = 2.306, P ≤ 0.01; and ß = 1.289, P ≤ 0.05, respectively) associated with a higher level of absenteeism. Recognition ( ß = 0.260, P ≤ 0.001) moderated the association between teleworking and psychological distress. Furthermore, this significant moderation effect had a significant impact on absenteeism ( ß = 0.392, P ≤ 0.05). Regardless of the workplace (on site or teleworking), high recognition was beneficial for psychological distress. This effect seems more important when working on site. CONCLUSIONS: The results propose that specific new work-related stressors should be addressed in the context of organizational change (eg, a pandemic).

Psychological distress in the workplace: The indirect contribution of work organization conditions to work performance.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress affects between 5 and 27% of the general population [1]. Workers facing stressful work conditions are especially at high risk for experiencing psychological distress [1]. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between work organization conditions and work performance via psychological distress. While the individual contribution of work organization conditions to psychological distress and work performance has been examined in the scientific literature, their combined influence on work performance remains relatively unknown. METHODS: To adjust for design effects, we relied on cluster sampling (employees working in organizations). MPlus was used to conduct path analyses [2]. RESULTS: While psychological demands, number of hours worked, and job insecurity were positively associated with psychological distress, job recognition was negatively associated with it. In the same vein, irregular work schedules and job insecurity seem to be negatively associated with work performance. On the one hand, skill utilization, decision latitude, recognition, and job promotion, all seemed to be positively associated with employee's work performance. On the other hand, psychological demands, number of hours worked, and job insecurity were negatively and indirectly associated with work performance. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the indirect association between work variables and workers' psychological distress could promote their work performance. Understanding this association could help shed light on the difficulties employees with psychological distress face while meeting their job requirements. The results of this study should serve as a reminder to intervene on work organization conditions.

Teleworking, Work Engagement, and Intention to Quit during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Same Storm, Different Boats?

The ability to retain and engage employees is now, more than ever, a major strategic issue for organizations in the context of a pandemic paired with a persistent labor shortage. To this end, teleworking is among the work organization conditions that merit consideration. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the direct and indirect effects of teleworking on work engagement and intention to quit, as well as the potential moderating effect of organizational and individual characteristics on the relationship between teleworking, work engagement, and intention to quit during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a sample of 254 Canadian employees from 18 small and medium organizations. To address these objectives, path analyses were conducted. Overall, we found that teleworking, use of emotion, skill utilization, and recognition appear to be key considerations for organizations that wish to increase work engagement and decrease intention to quit, in the context of a pandemic paired with a labor shortage. Our results extend the literature by revealing the pathways through which teleworking, use of emotion, skill utilization, and recognition are linked to work engagement and intention to quit, and by suggesting specific interventions and formation plans that are needed.

Depressive symptoms in helping professions: a systematic review of prevalence rates and work-related risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is twofold. Our first aim is to provide an overview of the prevalence rate of depression in a wide array of helping professions. Our second aim is to identify work organization conditions that seem to be associated with this depression risk. METHODS: Four databases were searched (CINAHL, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science) yielding 87,626 records in total. We were interested in identifying depression prevalence rates and work-related variables that have been found to contribute to depression in helping professions. RESULTS: In total, this systematic review included 17,437 workers in more than 29 countries. Depression prevalence rate varied between 2.5% and 91.30%. The two most frequently reported professions were nurses and doctors with 73.83% and 30.84% of studies including nurses and doctors in their sample. Work factors contributing to depression included: skill utilization, decision authority, psychological demands, physical demands, number of hours worked, work schedule (irregular or regular), work schedule (daytime or night time), social support from coworkers, social support from supervisor and the family, job insecurity, recognition, job promotion, and bullying. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight alarmingly high rates of depression in helping professions and should serve as a reminder to pay close attention to the mental health of those workers. Investing in employees' mental health by preventing and reducing depression risk could prove to be a valuable investment from an employer's point of view, as it is likely to increase productivity and reduce absenteeism among a host of other positive outcomes.

Abusive leadership, psychological well-being, and intention to quit during the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation analysis among Quebec's healthcare system workers.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects from work-organization conditions, abusive leadership, and their interaction on Quebec healthcare system workers' psychological well-being and intention to quit during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed using MPlus software on a sample of 921 Quebec healthcare system workers. RESULTS: Skill utilization, decision authority, social support from co-workers and supervisors, and recognition were associated directly and positively with psychological well-being, while psychological and physical demands were associated directly and negatively with psychological well-being. Skill utilization, irregular work schedule, and recognition were associated directly and negatively with intention to quit, while psychological demands were associated directly and positively with intention to quit. Moreover, the results demonstrated that abusive leadership attenuated the effects from recognition and decision authority on psychological well-being (moderation effects), contributing to greater intention to quit among workers (moderated mediation effects). CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results underline the importance of work-organization conditions and leadership style on healthcare system workers' psychological health and their intention to quit their jobs during a pandemic. In particular, and given their key role, leaders/managers must be sensitized concerning leadership style and its possible effects on their employees' psychological well-being and intention to quit. Therefore, training programs should be offered to leaders/managers to prevent adoption of abusive leadership styles.

Does salivary cortisol secretion mediate the association of work-related stressors with workers' depression?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify the mediating role salivary cortisol intensity plays between work organization conditions and depression. This study simultaneously considered psychological and physiological (salivary cortisol) stress indicators on workers' depression in a single model. METHODS: We relied on cluster sampling of 341 workers in 34 Quebec establishments. Five saliva samples (on awakening, 30 min after awakening, at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and bedtime) were collected per day. The weekly collection period spanned a period of 3 days (1 day off and 2 work days). We evaluated the main effects of work organization conditions on salivary cortisol intensity and depression, as well as the mediation effect of salivary cortisol intensity between work organization conditions and depression. To adjust for design effects, the direct and indirect (mediation) associations between the variables were evaluated while accounting for the non-independence of the data. RESULTS: Skill utilization and job insecurity were associated with salivary cortisol intensity, while psychological demands and job insecurity were associated with higher depression levels. Work-related variables were not found to have an indirect effect on depression via worker's salivary cortisol (AUC) intensity. CONCLUSION: Work-related stressors examined in this study did not indirectly affect worker's depression levels. Additional studies are necessary to be able to identify all work-related stressors that could potentially increase worker's depression levels through salivary cortisol.

A multilevel analysis of the role personality play between work organization conditions and psychological distress.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress in the workplace is usually attributed to work-related variables as well as non-work-related variables. Individuals working in the same organization can differ in terms of their appraisal of work-related stressors and coping strategies used to face them. The present study aims to evaluate the moderating role personality plays between work organizations conditions and psychological distress in a large sample of Canadian participants working in various occupations and workplaces. METHODS: Multilevel regression analyses were conducted on a sample that followed a hierarchical structure with workers (N1 = 1958) nested in workplaces (N2 = 63). The direct contribution of workplace and personality was tested in a variance component model as a first step. Following this initial step, we introduced interaction variables by blocks of 11. Those interaction variables refer to each interaction combined with a specific personality variable. RESULTS: Psychological demands, number of hours worked, job insecurity, neuroticism, and agreeableness were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Inversely, decision authority, job recognition, self-esteem, locus of control were associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Lastly, agreeableness played a moderating role between low social support garnered from one's supervisor and psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: To intervene on work-related variables, organizations could reduce psychological demands, minimize the number of hours worked through job redesign, allow teleworking and encourage work schedule flexibility. To reduce job insecurity, organizations could explicitly communicate future organizational plans. In the same vein, decision authority could be targeted by reducing hierarchical steps and increasing autonomy. Lastly, the results pertaining to agreeableness stand in contrast with those of previous studies. We assumed that workers scoring high on agreeableness tend to put themselves last and please others first. These tendencies could make them more susceptible to health issues. With that said, work environments still need workers who are agreeable and nice to be around. To prevent high levels of agreeableness leading to psychological distress, training and information workshops are recommended. Those include stress management interventions and workshops pertaining to time management and relaxation techniques.

Employee well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of teleworking during the first lockdown in the province of Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health. Many employees have had to pivot suddenly to teleworking to prevent the virus from spreading. While teleworking may have some negative consequences, it may also represent a human resources practice that may improve employee well-being. OBJECTIVE: The study main objective was to determine if teleworking played a moderating role in the relation between potential stressors and employee well-being during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic when working from home. This was based on the theory of conservation of resources. METHODS: Multivariate regression analyses were conducted with Stata 13 software to determine the contribution of potential stressors on employee well-being, as well as the moderating role of teleworking on a sample of 480 Canadian employees. Data were collected once for white and blue collar from both public (67.08%) and private (32.92%) business sectors. RESULTS: Results indicated that work-life imbalances, workload, and marital tension were associated with lower levels of well-being. On the other hand, teleworking and household income were associated with higher levels of well-being. Teleworking also moderated the differences in well-being between the public and private sectors. Teleworking in the public sector seems to increase employee well-being. Conversely, working on-site in the public sector seems to decrease well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Employers need to proactively address work-life imbalances, workloads, and teleworking to maintain employee well-being. Specific recommendations are offered to ensure that teleworking remains positive for employee well-being both during a pandemic and afterward.

Workers' Stress During the First Lockdown: Consequences on Job Performance Analyzed With a Mediation Model.

OBJECTIVE: This study sheds light on the pathways leading to an increase in workers stress levels and the resulting effects on job performance during a pandemic. METHODS: Path analyses were conducted on a sample of 459 Canadian workers using MPlus software. These analyses allowed us to determine whether the association between potential stressors during lockdown and job performance was mediated by workers' stress. RESULTS: The results revealed four significant indirect associations. Work-life balance dissatisfaction, gender (women), and marital tensions were indirectly associated with lower job performance because of their positive associations with stress. Teleworking was associated with higher job performance because of its negative association with stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that specific stressors are worth targeting with interventions to ensure job performance.

The Role of Employee Self-Efficacy in Top-Down Burnout Crossover: A Longitudinal Study.

: Burnout has been a prominent topic in the management research for over 30 years. Yet few studies have explored the conditions that foster burnout from managers to employees (indirect crossover). Based on the principle of behavioral plasticity, we propose that self-efficacy is an adaptive resource that enables employees to counter the potentially crossover effects of burnout (ie, emotional exhaustion and cynicism). This proposal is partially supported by the results of a longitudinal analysis of educators (principals and teachers): a moderating effect of employee self-efficacy was found, but only for emotional exhaustion, which is considered the basic individual stress dimension of burnout. More specifically, managerial emotional exhaustion was associated with lower emotional exhaustion over time in employees who reported higher self-efficacy, with the inverse association for employees with lower self-efficacy. This suggests that managers' emotional exhaustion can indirectly affect the experience of a congruent emotional state in their subordinates. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Does Depression Mediate the Effect of Work Organization Conditions on Job Performance?

OBJECTIVE: The present study proposes to shed light on the impact of workers' depression on their work performance. METHODS: We implemented a path analyses adjusted for design effects resulting from cluster sampling using MPlus software on a sample of 1957 workers. These analyses allowed us to evaluate direct and indirect effects (mediation) while taking into account the nonindependence of observations due to cluster sampling (workers nested in their workplace). RESULTS: Results indicate that three indirect associations were found to be significant. Psychological demands, work schedule, and job insecurity were indirectly associated with lower levels of professional efficacy/job performance because of their positive associations with depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained suggest that interventions targeting specific work organization conditions could be warranted.

Work stress, personality traits, and cortisol secretion: Testing a model for job burnout.

BACKGROUND: Job stressors can cause a salivary cortisol secretion dysregulation which in turn can lead to burnout. However, job stressors do not induce the same cortisol secretion dysregulation and psychic consequences systematically to all workers. Personality traits may influence job stressor's adaptation. The objectives of this study were (a) to verify the mediating effect cortisol has on the relationship between work conditions and burnout, and (b) to identify the moderate mediation effects that personality traits have on the relationship between work conditions and salivary cortisol secretion. METHOD: Multilevel regression analyses were carried out on a sample of 352 employees in 34 Québec firms. Saliva samples were collected five times a day (on awakening, 30 minutes after awakening, at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and bedtime) on three days (1 day off, 2 work days). Work conditions variables comprised skill utilization, decision authority, psychological demands, physical demands, job insecurity, irregular schedules, number of working hours, and social support. Personality traits included self-esteem, locus of control, and the Big Five. Both work conditions and personality traits were assessed with a psychosocial questionnaire. RESULTS: The level of salivary cortisol secretion was negatively associated with burnout. Certain workplace and personality variables had a significant effect on emotional exhaustion (psychological demands was positively associated, social support from supervisors was negatively associated) and on cortisol levels (job insecurity was negatively associated). Cortisol did not play any mediating role in the relationship between work conditions and burnout, which is moderated by personality traits. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that work conditions (skill utilization, decision authority, psychological demands, physical demands, job insecurity, irregular schedules, number of working hours, and social support) and the interaction of personality traits with work conditions have no indirect effects on burnout.

Economic evaluations of ergonomic interventions preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of organizational-level interventions.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) represent a major public health problem and economic burden to employers, workers and health insurance systems. This systematic review had two objectives: (1) to analyze the cost-benefit results of organizational-level ergonomic workplace-based interventions aimed at preventing WMSD, (2) to explore factors related to the implementation process of these interventions (obstacles and facilitating factors) in order to identify whether economic results may be due to a successful or unsuccessful implementation. METHODS: Systematic review. Studies were searched in eight electronic databases and in reference lists of included studies. Companion papers were identified through backward and forward citation tracking. A quality assessment tool was developed following guidelines available in the literature. An integration of quantitative economic results and qualitative implementation data was conducted following an explanatory sequential design. RESULTS: Out of 189 records, nine studies met selection criteria and were included in our review. Out of nine included studies, grouped into four types of interventions, seven yielded positive economic results, one produced a negative result and one mixed results (negative cost-effectiveness and positive net benefit). However, the level of evidence was limited for the four types of interventions given the quality and the limited number of studies identified. Our review shows that among the nine included studies, negative and mixed economic results were observed when the dose delivered and received by participants was low, when the support from top and/or middle management was limited either due to limited participation of supervisors in training sessions or a lack of financial resources and when adequacy of intervention to workers' needs was low. In studies where economic results were positive, implementation data showed strong support from supervisors and a high rate of employee participation. CONCLUSION: Studies investigating the determinants of financial outcomes of prevention related to implementation process are very seldom. We recommend that in future research economic evaluation should include information on the implementation process in order to permit the interpretation of economic results and enhance the generalizability of results. This is also necessary for knowledge transfer and utilization of research results for prevention-oriented decision-making in occupational health and safety.

The moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between work and salivary cortisol: a cross-sectional study of 401 employees in 34 Canadian companies.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of personality traits in explaining the relationship between workplace stressors and variations in salivary cortisol concentrations. METHOD: Multilevel regression analyses were performed on a sample of 401 employees from 34 Quebec firms. Saliva samples were collected five times a day (on awakening, 30 min after awakening, and at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and bedtime). Sample collection was repeated on three days (1 rest day, 2 working days). Work-related variables comprised skill utilization, decision authority, psychological demands, physical demands, job insecurity, irregular schedule, number of working hours, and social support from coworkers and supervisors. Personality traits comprised self-esteem, locus of control, and the Big Five. RESULTS: Cortisol levels at awakening and 30 min later were significantly higher for work days than for days off. Psychological demands and job insecurity were associated with lower cortisol levels at bedtime. Also, self-esteem moderated the relationship between physical demands and cortisol levels at awakening and 4 p.m. Agreeableness was associated with lower cortisol levels at awakening and at 2 p.m. and further moderated the relationship between number of hours worked and cortisol at 2 p.m. Neuroticism moderated the relationship between coworker support and cortisol at bedtime. CONCLUSION: Specific working conditions and certain personality traits are associated with variations in salivary cortisol concentrations. In addition, certain personality traits moderate the relationship between stressors and salivary cortisol concentrations. In conclusion, salivary cortisol concentrations at work seem to be modulated in part by personality traits.

Work and high-risk alcohol consumption in the Canadian workforce.

This study examined the associations between occupational groups; work-organization conditions based on task design; demands, social relations, and gratifications; and weekly high-risk alcohol consumption among Canadian workers. A secondary data analysis was performed on Cycle 2.1 of the Canadian Community Health Survey conducted by Statistics Canada in 2003. The sample consisted of 76,136 employees 15 years of age and older nested in 2,451 neighbourhoods. High-risk alcohol consumption is defined in accordance with Canadian guidelines for weekly low-risk alcohol consumption. The prevalence of weekly high-risk alcohol consumption is estimated to be 8.1% among workers. The results obtained using multilevel logistic regression analysis suggest that increased work hours and job insecurity are associated with elevated odds of high-risk alcohol consumption. Gender female, older age, being in couple and living with children associated with lower odds of high-risk drinking, while increased education, smoking, physical activities, and, and economic status were associated with higher odds. High-risk drinking varied between neighbourhoods, and gender moderates the contribution of physical demands. The results suggest that work made a limited contribution and non-work factors a greater contribution to weekly high-risk alcohol consumption. Limits and implications of these results are discussed.