Beyond the Hype: (How) Are Work Regimes Associated with Job Burnout?

Job burnout affects countless workers and constitutes a major issue in working life. Prevention strategies such as offering part-time options and shorter working weeks have been widely advocated to address this issue. However, the relationship between shorter work regimes and burnout risk has not yet been investigated across diverse working populations applying validated measures and frameworks for job burnout. Building on the most recent operationalisation of job burnout and the seminal job demands-resources theory, the purpose of the current study is to investigate whether shorter work regimes are associated with lower burnout risk and whether the job demands-resources explain this association. To this end, a heterogenous sample of 1006 employees representative for age and gender completed the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) and Workplace Stressors Assessment Questionnaire (WSAQ). Our mediation analyses yield a very small but significant indirect association between work regimes and burnout risk through job demands, but no significant total or direct association between work regimes and burnout risk. Our result suggests that employees in shorter work regimes experience slightly fewer job demands, but are equally prone to developing burnout as their full-time counterparts. The latter finding raises concerns about the sustainability of burnout prevention that focuses on mere work regimes instead of the root causes of burnout.

The COVID-19 crisis and telework: a research survey on experiences, expectations and hopes.

While a considerable number of employees across the globe are being forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is a guessing game as to how they are experiencing this current surge in telework. Therefore, we examined employee perceptions of telework on various life and career aspects, distinguishing between typical and extended telework during the COVID-19 crisis. To this end, we conducted a state-of-the-art web survey among Flemish employees. Notwithstanding this exceptional time of sudden, obligatory and high-intensity telework, our respondents mainly attribute positive characteristics to telework, such as increased efficiency and a lower risk of burnout. The results also suggest that the overwhelming majority of the surveyed employees believe that telework (85%) and digital conferencing (81%) are here to stay. In contrast, some fear that telework diminishes their promotion opportunities and weakens ties with their colleagues and employer.

The potential of bacteriophages to control Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris at different stages of disease development.

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is a vascular pathogen that invades the xylem of Brassica crops. Current chemical and antibiotics-based control measures for this bacterium are unsustainable and inefficient. After establishing a representative collection of Xcc strains, we isolated and characterized bacteriophages from two clades of phages to assess their potential in phage-based biocontrol. The most promising phages, FoX2 and FoX6, specifically recognize (lipo) polysaccharides, associated with the wxc gene cluster, on the surface of the bacterial cell wall. Next, we determined and optimized the applicability of FoX2 and FoX6 in an array of complementary bioassays, ranging from seed decontamination to irrigation- and spray-based applications. Here, an irrigation-based application showed promising results. In a final proof-of-concept, a CaCl2 -formulated phage cocktail was shown to control the outbreak of Xcc in the open field. This comprehensive approach illustrates the potential of phage biocontrol of black rot disease in Brassica and serves as a reference for the broader implementation of phage biocontrol in integrated pest management strategies.

How do employees think the COVID-19 crisis will affect their careers?

This study is the first in the world to investigate the expected impact of the COVID-19 crisis on career outcomes and career aspirations. To this end, high-quality survey research with a relevant sample of Flemish (Belgian) employees was conducted. About 21% of them fear losing their jobs due to the crisis-14% are concerned that they will even lose their jobs in the near future. In addition, 26% expect to miss out on promotions that they would have received had the COVID-19 crisis not occurred. This fear of a negative impact is higher in vulnerable groups, such migrants. In addition, we observe that many respondents believe they will look at the labour market differently and will have different work-related priorities in the future. In this respect, more than half of the respondents indicate that they have attached more importance to working conditions and work-life balance since the COVID-19 crisis.