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March 10, 2010 | Volume 4 | Number 3
March 10, 2010
Hot Off the Press
Review the latest research and news related to the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program goals of employee health and well-being and organizational performance. These and more than 2,600 other article summaries are available in a searchable database.
Highlights from the Latest Research
Managing flexworkers: Holding on and letting go
The Journal of Management Development (February 2010)
This study provides a qualitative analysis of the issues that surface in managing workers who are allowed to perform at least some of their work at home. Interviews identified several themes regarding the management of these workers. Managers have to learn to balance the provision of autonomy with the need to establish cohesion among workgroup members. Furthermore, trust becomes more important when workers are not physically at work. Interpersonal relationships and interactions become more important as employees working from home need to develop and maintain effective relations with co-workers, which may come about differently when workers are not all centrally located. Lastly, managers need to avoid attempts to micromanage employees that work from home, as this is likely to be met with difficulty and may damage relationships with those employees.
Overworked in America?
Journal of Managerial Psychology (February 2010)
This study focuses on work hours, interpersonal justice perceptions, and immigrant status as predictors of work overload. Data were collected using a national, random telephone survey of employees in the US. Results revealed that employees who worked more hours tended to report higher levels of work overload. For immigrant workers stronger perceptions of interpersonal justice tended to reduce the relationship between work hours and work overload, though for native-born US employees stronger perceptions of justice created a slightly stronger relationship between work hours and work overload. The authors conclude that treating employees with dignity and respect can decrease the effects that work hours have on the experience of work overload. Furthermore, stronger interpersonal justice appears to be much more important for immigrants than for native born workers (as the interactive effect was five times larger for immigrants than native born employees).
Exploring occupational differences in work-family interaction: Who is at risk?
International Journal of Stress Management (February 2010)
This study focuses on occupational differences in the work-family interaction using eight occupational groups from Norway (i.e., lawyers, physicians, nurses, teachers, church ministers, bus drivers, advertising employees, and information technology workers). Results indicated that occupations with more permeable boundaries (e.g., physician) tended to be associated with higher levels of work-family conflict but also higher levels of work-family facilitation. Occupations with clearer boundaries (e.g., bus driver) tended to exhibit less conflict but also less facilitation. These results were consistent across the sex of respondent. Hence, the authors argue that the relationship between work and family may be more permeable in some occupations than others, which can have increased negative consequences (e.g., conflict) but also increased benefits (e.g., facilitation).
The exit coping response to workplace bullying
Employee Relations (February 2010)
This study focuses on the role of human resource management (HRM) in the way that targets of workplace bullying cope with that bullying. Conversational interviews suggested that the targets of workplace bullying tend to rely heavily on their personal and social resources as a way to cope with workplace bullying. Furthermore, many targets of bullying rely heavily on organizational options to assist them in minimizing the well-being and performance effects of bullying. When HRM is unsuccessful in helping to minimize these effects, participants are more likely to consider exiting the organization. Hence, HRM may play a critical role in addressing workplace bullying.
Horizontal and vertical communication as determinants of professional and organisational identification
Personnel Review (February 2010)
This study examines the role of communication in predicting professional and organizational identification using a sample of hospital employees. Results revealed that employees tended to more strongly identify with their profession than with their organization, though there was a moderate positive association between the two. In addition, more effective vertical communication (i.e., collaborative communication) was associated with stronger professional identification. However, more effective horizontal communication (i.e., hierarchical communication) was associated with greater organizational identification. The authors suggest that improving both types of communication can have positive consequences, but that managers should be most interested in improving horizontal communication as it may result in increased identification and commitment to the organization.
Healthy Workplace Practices in the News
Costly legacy of the recession: Employers risk mass exodus of neglected staff
PR Newswire – Simplyhealth (March 4, 2010)
Focuses on the results of a recent survey conducted in the UK by Simplyhealth. According to the survey and subsequent report, 45% of workers reported that they will start looking for a new job once the economy recovers. In addition, 52% of employers indicated that they had been too focused on the recession to worry about employee well-being. Interestingly, 75% indicated that they did not expect workers to be looking for employment elsewhere. Hence, the survey results suggest that there may be a disparity between how employers feel they have responded to the recession and how employees feel those employers have responded. This may result in increased turnover once the economy recovers.
Stress management moves up the agenda during the recession
Personnel Today (March 4, 2010)
Focuses on the results of a recent survey conducted by XpertHR. According to the results, 87% of HR professionals surveyed indicated that they planned to do more to assist employees with increased stress levels. However, only 44% of respondents indicated that the organization had provided stress management training during the previous 12 months, which was a much lower frequency than the previous year (68%). The majority of organizations appear to be focusing on people management as a way to reduce stress, with 67% of respondents targeting managers’ people management skills as a way of reducing work stress. Organizations, on average, appear to have introduced at least 6 different interventions for dealing with work stress and at least 8 potential tactics for managing stress-related absences. Hence, stress, stress management, and responses to stress-related negative outcomes appear to be taking on more importance during the recession.
One-third of executives fear low employee engagement will lead to a loss of talent
Personnel Today (March 4, 2010)
Focuses on the results of a recent survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit. According to survey results, 30% expected to see higher turnover rates as the economy recovered. With regard to trust, 38% of chief executives and directors believed that trust levels in their companies were high, but only 16% of managers reported high levels of trust. Hence, there may be some disparity in the perceptions of employees at different hierarchical levels. In terms of improving trust, 57% of respondents cited clearer communication, and 49% cited clear paths for employees. In addition, 34% cited improvements in training and mentoring as important for improving employee engagement. Hence, organizations may want to target trust and engagement as ways of retaining talented workers as the economy recovers.
How to keep good employees in a bad economy
Harvard Business Review Blog (February 26, 2010)
Focuses on some suggestions for retaining good employees even when financial constraints limit available options. The author suggests six key essentials: (1) show them respect, (2) invest in developing a high-quality work environment, (3) offer on-going training, (4) provide coaching, (5) provide them with feedback, and (6) give them opportunities to be involved in important decisions. He argues that doing these six things well can help organizations retain their top performers.
Safety at work is a social program not a reward program
Incentive Intelligence (February 26, 2010)
Focuses on workplace safety programs. The author suggests that a focus on individual safety – as a way to save the company money or to earn individual rewards – has little effect on employee motivation to participate in safety initiatives. Because people tend to believe that “accidents won’t happen to me,” all of the focus on individual safety is ignored. Instead, the article suggests shifting the emphasis from the individual to those that would be impacted should that individual get hurt (especially the family). This has occurred within the life insurance industry and among smoking cessation programs, as a way to get people to think about the family that would be affected should something happen to them.
Flexibility in workplace boosts employee health – Study
The Med Guru (February 19, 2010)
Focuses on the results of a recent British study. The study authors found that flexibility and control in working hours appear to have benefits for employee mental and physical health. Furthermore, dictating fixed hours appears to have no positive benefits for employee health. The results suggest that employees who utilize practices such as telecommuting, flextime, and work-from-home options also tend to experience better physical and mental health. The authors attempt to draw a causal connection between flexible work practices and health, though their research was not an experimental study. The results suggest, however, that having more control over when and where work is performed is associated with greater productivity and better health.
Are “high potential” programs an anachronism?
Harvard Business Review Blog (February 12, 2010)
Focuses on the need to eliminate programs to identify and label employees as “high potential.” The author argues that there is growing debate among HR professionals as to the utility of such programs – and the investment that comes with labeling someone as high potential. She suggests that there are two primary problems with such programs. First, she argues that people have the potential to grow in multiple areas. Yet, growth does not necessarily mean that the person must (or even should) be moving up. Many organizations are becoming flatter, yet “high potential” programs assume that people should be developed and promoted, rather than developed and left in their current position (or developed and moved laterally). Second, more employees are becoming interested in growth and development that may involve lateral moves rather than vertical moves. Many contemporary workers are interested in growth and development even if it does not lead to a promotion. Also, investing in only a small percentage of the workforce focuses only on current needs rather than considering future work and leadership challenges. By investing in only a select few based primarily on the needs and competencies of today, organizations may be missing out on developing workers who can contribute to the needs of tomorrow.
Extinguishing employee burnout
Newstimes (February 8, 2010)
Focuses on ways to help reduce the experience of burnout among employees. The article focuses on increased stress – due to increased work pressures, work overload, and anxiety over job security – that has developed as a result of the recession. The article provides some tips for managers to help reduce the experience of burnout among employees. First, managers need to make employees aware of their expectations, focusing on building trust and loyalty and improving communication. Second, managers should recognize and reward employees for their success and contributions. Third, managers should involve employees more in solving job-related problems. Fourth, managers should allow employees to socialize and have fun in the workplace. Finally, managers should clearly communicate about the possibility of downsizing, as a way to reduce the spread of rumors and unnecessary anxiety.
