Paradoxical leadership and well-being in turbulent times: a time-lagged study.

Introduction: Paradoxical leadership has recently been put forward as an approach to leadership that may transcend the inherent contradictions in contemporary organizational and personnel management. Empirical research on its potential role for bolstering employee well-being remains scarce. This study investigated whether paradoxical leadership positively impacts employee well-being, which is operationalized as employees' job, career and life satisfaction. We rely on sense-making theory to investigate whether such effects are mediated by the mitigation of employee job insecurity perceptions. Methods: Convenience sampling techniques were used to collect longitudinal survey data between March and September 2021. In total 287 workers provided usable data. Their ages ranged from 18 to 67 years and were active in various organizations in the Netherlands. Validated measures were used to assess paradoxical leadership, job insecurity, job, career, and life satisfaction. A time-lagged path analysis in Mplus 7.0 was conducted to investigate relationships. Results: The results suggest that paradoxical leadership is positively related to job, career and life satisfaction over time. The relationships between paradoxical leadership and job and career satisfaction are partially mediated by the mitigation of perceived job insecurity. Discussion: Paradoxical leadership plays a role in fostering worker well-being in these turbulent times. Paradoxical leaders may also help their followers to reframe and better deal with challenging working conditions. Despite the longitudinal data design, an additional data-wave would allow for more stringent testing of the proposed mediation effect, and due to convenience sampling generalization of findings is limited.

Subtle Cutback Management and Exhaustion: Qualitative Job Insecurity as a Mediator in a Sample of Dutch and Belgian Employees.

As an answer to crises such as COVID-19, organizations implemented more subtle forms of cutback measures such as wage moderation, loan sacrifice and recruitment freezes aimed at maintaining a financially healthy organization. In this study, the association between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion was studied, and it was investigated whether this potential linkage can be explained by employee perceptions of increased qualitative job insecurity or the fear that valued features of the job will decrease in the near future. This research thereby extends prior research on the consequences of cutback management as well as regarding the antecedents of qualitative job insecurity. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of workers (N = 218) active in various organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Regression analysis was applied to test hypotheses. Mediation was investigated by means of Hayes PROCESS macro. The results of the study indicate that there is no direct relationship between subtle cutback measures deployed at the workplace and employee exhaustion. However, the analyses further reveal that subtle cutback management is positively related to the experience of qualitative job insecurity in workers and that enhanced qualitative job insecurity is positively related to employee exhaustion. Qualitative job insecurity fully mediates the relationship between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion.

More or Less Job Performance in an Insecure Job? A Study on the Relationship between Job Insecurity and In-Role and Extra-Role Performance.

OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the complex relationship between job insecurity and in-role and extra-role performance. Autonomous work motivation is investigated as a mediator in this relationship. The quality of the employee-supervisor relationship (LMX) is investigated as a moderator between job insecurity and autonomous work motivation. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected by online surveys among 206 Dutch and Belgian employees. Multiple regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Job insecurity was negatively associated with both in-role and extra-role performance. Autonomous work motivation mediated the negative relationship between job insecurity and in-role and extra-role performance. LMX did not moderate the negative relationship between job insecurity and autonomous work motivation. CONCLUSIONS: Organizations need to prevent job insecurity and limit the negative consequences of job insecurity for sustaining employees' autonomous work motivation and job performance.

Opportunities, barriers and facilitators of an indicated prevention strategy to prevent future long-term sickness absence in SMEs: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of an indicated prevention strategy for long-term absence due to sickness has been demonstrated and is implemented in multinational companies. Such a strategy may also be beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, due to the different contexts, adoption, and implementation of this strategy in SMEs may be quite different. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the opportunities, barriers, and facilitators for adoption and implementation of this preventive strategy, as anticipated by employers and employees of SMEs. METHODS: A qualitative needs assessment was conducted using semi-structured interviews with higher managers (n = 15) and a focus group with employees (n = 8). Purposive sampling was used, and data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Employers had positive expectations concerning the gains of the preventive strategy, whereas employees had more reservations. Anticipated gains and intentions to implement the preventive strategy were rooted in underlying conceptions of the causes of sickness absence and the responsibilities of stakeholders. One key barrier shared across employers and employees concerned the potential lack of confidentiality. For employees, the role of the occupational health professional in the prevention of sickness absence was perceived as uncommon. Employers stressed lack of capacity and resources as a barrier, whereas employees stressed lack of follow-up by the employer as a barrier. CONCLUSIONS: SMEs are considerably receptive to the implementation of an indicated prevention strategy for long-term absence. Insight into the barriers and facilitators gives clues for wider and optimal implementation across a wider range of organizational settings.

The Role of the Leader in Fostering Employee Resilient Behaviors: A Multisource, Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to uncover the relationship between leadership behaviors (servant and resilient), leaders' psychological capital, and employee resilient behaviors over time, and we assess whether employee resilient behaviors and employee psychological capital mediate this relationship. METHODS: Based on dyadic 3-wave data collected from 111 unique leader-follower pairs, we use time-lagged path analysis to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Servant leadership and leaders' psychological capital may strengthen employees' psychological capital, which in turn may foster resilient behaviors in employees over time. Resilient leadership was, however, negatively related to employee psychological capital on the short term but positively related to employee resilient behaviors over a 6-week time window. CONCLUSIONS: Enacting servant leadership and resilient behavior and through their psychological capital leaders can foster resilient behaviors in employees.

The impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers' fatigue, work enjoyment and retirement intentions over time.

This study aims to examine the impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers' retirement intentions by studying the pathways (fatigue and work enjoyment) from resources to retirement intentions, the buffering role of resources for psychological job demands, in a cross-sectional and longitudinal timeframe. Longitudinal results on a subsample of full-time, older workers (n = 1642) from the Maastricht Cohort Study suggest that over four years of follow-up personal resources like personal mastery and perceived health related to less (prolonged) fatigue and more work enjoyment. Personal mastery also related to later retirement intentions. A work-related resource like decision authority related to less prolonged fatigue. (Prolonged) fatigue related to earlier retirement intentions, suggesting that fatigue may be a pathway to early retirement. Finally, little evidence was found for effect modification by resources. This prospective study indicates that work-related and personal resources may be useful for prolonging working careers. Practitioner Summary: To date, the impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers' retirement intentions is rarely studied. As this prospective study shows that resources may impact older workers' (prolonged) fatigue, work enjoyment and retirement intentions, the monitoring and fostering of resources is of importance for prolonging their working careers.

Impact of Development and Accommodation Practices on Older Workers' Job Characteristics, Prolonged Fatigue, Work Engagement, and Retirement Intentions Over Time.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of development and accommodation practices on older workers' retirement intentions was investigated in this prospective study, together with potential pathways and the role of career stage. METHODS: A subsample of full-time, older workers (n = 678) from the Maastricht Cohort Study was followed-up for 2 years. Regression analysis was conducted for three age groups. RESULTS: Development practices related positively with later retirement intentions in workers aged 55 to 59 years. The accommodation practice of demotion related negatively with later retirement intentions in worker aged at least 60 years. Decision latitude and work engagement were found to link development and accommodation practices with later retirement intentions in particular in workers aged 55 to 59 years. CONCLUSIONS: It was indicated in this prospective study that development and accommodation practices may be useful for prolonging working careers.

The Impact of Physical Work Demands on Need for Recovery, Employment Status, Retirement Intentions, and Ability to Extend Working Careers: A Longitudinal Study Among Older Workers.

OBJECTIVE: Prospectively investigating whether different approaches of physical work demands are associated with need for recovery (NFR), employment status, retirement intentions, and ability to prolong working life among older employees from the industry and health care sector. METHODS: A subsample from the Maastricht Cohort Study was studied (n = 1126). Poisson, Cox, and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate outcomes. RESULTS: Perceiving physical work demands as strenuous was associated with higher NFR. Continuous physical strain was associated with being out of employment 4 years later. Employees with the highest amount of physical work demands perceived they were less able to prolong working life, although no significant associations between physical work demands and retirement intentions were found. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, physical work demands were associated with adverse outcomes, with divergent insights for the different approaches of physical work demands.

The ageing shift worker: a prospective cohort study on need for recovery, disability, and retirement intentions.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether different shift work schedules, compared to day work, are associated with need for recovery (NFR), future disability, and retirement intentions for employees employed within different economic sectors over the course of their careers. Shift work exposure duration and the healthy worker effect are also examined. METHODS: Data from the prospective Maastricht Cohort Study was used. Subsamples of industry (N=1877, all men) and healthcare (N=818, 624 women and 194 men) workers were separately investigated. GEE and Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate NFR longitudinally. Future disability was investigated using Cox regression, and retirement intentions were investigated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Three-shift industry workers were at risk of becoming a case of elevated NFR during follow-up, compared to industry day workers. Three- and five-shift industry workers were at risk for future disability. In healthcare, irregular shift work was a risk factor for disability among older shift workers. No significant results were found regarding retirement intentions. Findings were probably an underestimation as exposure duration to shift work and the healthy worker effect affected the results. CONCLUSIONS: Shift work was associated with higher levels of NFR and a higher risk of disability. However, shift work is a multifaceted concept as different types of shift work schedules are differently associated with these outcomes. Different shift work types exist and shift work schedules allow for optimization, indicating that measures to prevent adverse outcomes should be tailored for different types of shift work and over the course of the work career.