Search

Several considerations guided the research reported in this paper. First, recovery is pivotal for preventing stressful experiences from inducing long-term consequences. Second, cortisol levels under relaxed conditions constitute a good baseline measure. Third, there are many calls to avoid common method problems. Therefore, the Job Demands–Control (JDS) model, one of the most prominent models in occupational stress, should be tested by a combination of observation, self-report, and physiological data in terms of predicting recovery-related variables. In a sample of 53 Swiss employees, we assessed the JDS variables, demands and control, by systematic observation, fatigue at the end of work as an indicator of short-term recovery by questionnaire, and delayed recovery by baseline levels of cortisol on a Sunday under relaxing conditions. In line with expectations, regression analyses showed an impact of job demands and control on Sunday cortisol levels, and this effect was fully mediated by after work...

Zusammenfassung. Die Mehrheit der Erwerbstätigen erlebt zumindest phasenweise Zeitdruck im Arbeitsalltag. Bislang wurden vor allem individuelle Strategien zur Bewältigung solcher Drucksituationen erforscht, während kaum Erkenntnisse zu gemeinsamen Strategien von Teams vorliegen. Die Studie soll einen Beitrag zum Schließen der Lücke leisten, indem ein neues Instrument vorgestellt wird, das ein Messen von Teamstrategien im Umgang mit Zeitdruck ermöglicht. In einem ersten Schritt wurde in einer qualitativen Vorstudie untersucht, welche Strategien Teams einsetzen, um gemeinsam mit Zeitdruck umzugehen. Darauf basierend wurde ein Fragebogen entwickelt und in einer quantitativen Studie eingesetzt (N = 281). Explorative Faktorenanalyse und Reliabilitätsanalysen ergaben 12 Skalen zur Erfassung gemeinsamer Bewältigungsstrategien von Teams im Umgang mit Zeitdruck. Die zwei Strategien „Anforderungen klären“ und „Prioritäten setzen“ hatten einen puffenden Effekt auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Zeitdruck und Erschöpfung. Die Zusammenhänge zwischen den Teamstrategien und Erschöpfung deuten ferner darauf hin, dass zwischen aktiven und aktiv-selbstgefährdenden Teamstrategien unterschieden werden sollte.

Early signs of dehydration, such as headaches, are not unusual in the working population. Even slight deficiencies of water intake may have negative effects on both health and performance. However, little is known about work-related fluid intake. We expect the daily experience of interruptions to distract from perceived thirst, resulting in reduced daily fluid intake. This effect may be more pronounced when the workload is generally less predictable due to the assignment of tasks that are beyond the definition of the worker's professional role (unreasonable tasks). Data were gathered from 29 female service employees across five workdays. Multilevel analyses revealed daily work interruptions to be negatively associated with fluid intake, especially when there were frequent unreasonable task-assignments. Results suggest that interruptions at work might reduce daily fluid intake. However, adequate allocation of tasks by managers can protect employees against insufficient drinking.

We report a new analysis of data from a multi-year study, some of which were previously published in the current journal. A longitudinal sample of 380 computer specialists was followed over two years, yielding three measures each of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions, as well as actual turnover, and reasons for leaving, at Times 2 and 3. Career paths were more diverse than the classical distinction between stayers and leavers implies. Furthermore, although the largest single group of leavers cited “push” reasons, conforming to the classical withdrawal model, a sizable number were attracted to another job (“pull motivation”). In a three-wave structural equation model, job (dis)satisfaction predicted turnover, while organizational commitment exerted its influence only via its association with job satisfaction. As expected, however, attitudes predicted turnover only for participants with push motivation. Quitting, in turn, predicted an improvement in both satisfaction and commitment, indicating that it paid off for the individual. The necessity to study consequences of turnover and to distinguish between different subgroups of stayers and leavers is emphasized.

Wir stellen ein Vorgehen vor, das von Unternehmen dazu verwendet werden kann, a) Arbeitsbedingungen hinsichtlich psychosozialer Risiken zu analysieren und b) Masnahmen abzuleiten, um diesen Risiken zu begegnen und sie zu minimieren. Gleichzeitig tragt das Vorgehen durch die Kombination mit einem Train-the-Trainer-Ansatz zur Qualifizierung interner Moderatoren bei und stellt, indem dauerhafte Prozesse und Strukturen zur Bearbeitung psychosozialer Risiken implementiert werden, auch einen Beitrag zur Organisationsentwicklung dar. Diese Prozesse und Strukturen sind ein Fruhwarnsystem, welches den Akteuren in Unternehmen erlaubt rechtzeitig ungunstige Entwicklungen zu erkennen und darauf zu reagieren. Der Ansatz kann in dieser oder abgewandelter Form von jedem Unternehmen verwendet werden, welches die Bearbeitung psychosozialer Risiken in den betrieblichen Gesundheitsschutz integrieren mochte. Das Verfahren ist auch fur eine Gefahrdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastungen in Deutschland sehr gut geeignet.

Confronted with progressively increasing demands for greater flexibility, organizations apply organizational and managerial practices that build on their employees’ self-organization and self-discipline, thereby increasing their employees’ control over achieving their everyday work tasks. Although these practices offer opportunities for personal growth and coordination of work and private life, the resultant demands for increasing autonomy and self-organization may overtax employees’ capacities, leading to stress. Furthermore, employees are increasingly reacting in ways that are self-exploitative and detrimental to their own health in response to large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization. This chapter introduces the concept of self-endangering work behavior; namely, behaviors that may be functional with regard to attaining work goals but dysfunctional with regard to health and long-term ability to work. We propose that self-endangering work behavior can be viewed as a form of coping reaction when workers are confronted with large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization. Based on the transactional stress model and regulation of behavior theory, we propose that self-endangering work behavior may mediate the effect of large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization on impaired well-being. We summarize empirical findings that confirm the detrimental role of self-endangering behaviors and their capacity to increase the detrimental effects of work demands. Finally, we discuss the benefit of assessing self-endangering behavior with the aim of taking preventive measures.

An association between stress at work and impaired sleep is theoretically plausible and supported by empirical evidence. The current study's main aim was to investigate how the influence of stressors is carried over into the evening and the night. We assume that this relationship is mediated by perseverative cognitions. We tested this assumption in two cross-sectional samples with structural equation modeling, using bootstrapped standard errors to test for significance. Effort–reward imbalance and time pressure were used as stressors, and rumination as a measure for perseverative cognitions. Results show that the stressors are related to perseverative cognitions, and these are related to impaired sleep in both samples. Indirect effects are significant in both samples. With rumination controlled, direct effects of stressors on sleep are only significant in one out of four cases. Thus, there is full mediation in three out of four cases, and partial mediation in the fourth one. Our results underscore the notion that perseverative cognitions are crucial for transferring negative effects of work stressors into private life, including sleep, thus hindering individuals to successfully recover.

Objectives Research concerning the association between stress at work and body mass index (BMI) has mainly focused on two models (ie, job demand–control and effort–reward imbalance) as predictors and mostly been cross-sectional. The aim of our study is to extend previous research in two ways. First, social stressors – in the sense of social conflict and animosities at work – were included as an independent variable, arguing that they should be an especially promising predictor as they reflect a “social-evaluative threat”. Second, a longitudinal design was employed with a two-year follow-up. In addition, the variables specified by the job demand–control model and the effort–reward imbalance model were assessed as well. Methods Participants comprised 72 employees (52 men, 20 women) from a Swiss service provider. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict BMI two years later with social stressors, effort–reward imbalance, demands, control, and the interaction of demands and control. Baseline BMI was controlled so that the dependent variable reflects the change in BMI over two years. Results Regression analyses revealed control and social stressors to be statistically significant predictors of follow-up BMI, while effort–reward imbalance was marginally significant. Conclusions The results underscore the importance of social stressors and job control as predictors of stress-related impaired health.

Objectives This study investigated whether work characteristics predict physiological recovery on a rest day. Specifically, we aimed to show that high demands and low control at work would lead to higher cortisol values and thus poor recovery on a rest day. Methods A total of 69 individuals participated in this study. In addition to analyzing questionnaire responses, we measured salivary cortisol on two workdays and on a subsequent rest day (a Sunday). We used multiple regression analysis. We controlled for the workday cortisol level; results reflect the relative change in cortisol from workday to rest day. In addition, we controlled for gender, since this relates to cortisol levels at work. Results We found that control at the workplace predicted cortisol levels on a rest day. Specifically, individuals with less job control had higher cortisol levels, and consequently poorer recovery on the rest day than those with more control. Neither job demands nor the interaction of demands and control predicted a change in cortisol levels from workday to rest day. Conclusions The results indicated that a lack of control at work impairs physiological recovery on the weekend, one of the central recuperation periods. In light of the potential importance of incomplete recovery with respect to long-term ill health, it should be considered crucial to ensure job control at the workplace.

Core self-evaluations (CSE) might account for relative gains in job resources across time, especially in situations when these individual differences affect behavior that is relevant for development of job resources. This longitudinal study tests CSE as an individual resource that predicts relative gain in job resources and job satisfaction among job beginners who change or stay with their employer. A questionnaire was filled in by 513 adolescents shortly before the end of vocational training and one year later. Our results replicate previous findings suggesting that job satisfaction is affected by CSE directly and indirectly through the perception of job resources. Multi-group structural equation analysis showed that only leavers had a longitudinal indirect effect of CSE on job satisfaction at the end of vocational training via job resources during their first year of employment. Our findings imply that turnover includes opportunities to optimize one's circumstances and that CSE helps to attain resourceful jobs.