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In predominately male workplaces, sexualized "horseplay" is common. While this type of conduct can be a tool of gender subordination, it also is a tool for fostering camaraderie and collegiality among co-workers. In other words, some workers, including women, find that engaging in sexual horseplay is necessary in order to "fit in." This Article critiques the failure of courts to appreciate the peer pressure to "fit in" when they analyze Title VII sexual harassment cases. This oversight is especially evident when courts try to determine whether a plaintiff found particular sexual conduct to be "unwelcome." If a plaintiff voluntarily engages in instances of sexual conduct in order to fit into her workplace and in order to advance in her career, it is quite likely that a court will fail to determine that any other sexual conduct that she experienced was "unwelcome," even with respect to conduct that targeted and demeaned her in ways that no one would actually welcome. This Article urges courts to apply a more nuanced approach, and it highlights the types of evidence that courts need to be examining with more scrutiny in order to determine whether conduct was "unwelcome" within the complicated dynamics that occur among genders in the workplace. The focus of this Article is female plaintiffs in male-dominated workplaces. But given the centrality of male-on-male horseplay within the systemic practice of workplace sexual harassment, the approach this Article advocates ultimately will benefit workers of all genders in all workspaces. In order for courts to engage in this more nuanced analysis, however, plaintiffs' lawyers also need to be aware of the pressure to fit in as they engage in discovery and strategize about the best evidence and arguments to present in support of their clients' claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is full of confrontations between people, groups, and nations who think, act, and feel differently. Due to globalisation and multinationalism, many international or domestic organisations are looking to expand outside their residential country and operate around the globe. Consequently, the establishment of multinational organisations leads to the need to embrace diversified working environments. While numerous studies have been dedicated to the interconnection of cultural differences and employees’ performance, productivity or communication, not much attention has been paid to the aspect of employee engagement. The present study focused on the examination and evaluation of cultural differences and their impact on employees’ level of engagement in a particular multinational organisation, specialising in oilfield services, drilling and well construction, and operating around the globe. The aim was to understand how cultural diversity and geographical disparity may influence employees’ interaction, driving them to experience less or more engagement in the working process.The research data was collected through a survey containing closed questions assembled into five sections. The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify the relevant correlation between employee engagement and both cultural diversity within the team and organisational practices, in terms of culture. A total of 116 employees from departments in Cyprus, Russia, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic participated in this study. The correlation analysis of the collected data revealed that employee engagement was affected by their interaction with coworkers from other cultural backgrounds. It also demonstrated a ‘strong’ correlation between the organisational environment, in terms of culture and business practices, and employee engagement. These findings provide valuable information to the management of the organisation, experiencing issues in performance, efficiency and communication between employees of different geographical locations. Based on the results, they can integrate new practices and improve existing practices to enhance employee engagement. It can also be used as a model for further exploration in this area of interest The world is full of confrontations between people, groups, and nations who think, act, and feel differently. Due to globalisation and multinationalism, many international or domestic organisations are looking to expand outside their residential country and operate around the globe. Consequently, the establishment of multinational organisations leads to the need to embrace diversified working environments. While numerous studies have been dedicated to the interconnection of cultural differences and employees’ performance, productivity or communication, not much attention has been paid to the aspect of employee engagement. The present study focused on the examination and evaluation of cultural differences and their impact on employees’ level of engagement in a particular multinational organisation, specialising in oilfield services, drilling and well construction, and operating around the globe. The aim was to understand how cultural diversity and geographical disparity may influence employees’ interaction, driving them to experience less or more engagement in the working process.The research data was collected through a survey containing closed questions assembled into five sections. The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify the relevant correlation between employee engagement and both cultural diversity within the team and organisational practices, in terms of culture. A total of 116 employees from departments in Cyprus, Russia, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic participated in this study. The correlation analysis of the collected data revealed that employee engagement was affected by their interaction with coworkers from other cultural backgrounds. It also demonstrated a ‘strong’ correlation between the organisational environment, in terms of culture and business practices, and employee engagement. These findings provide valuable information to the management of the organisation, experiencing issues in performance, efficiency and communication between employees of different geographical locations. Based on the results, they can integrate new practices and improve existing practices to enhance employee engagement. It can also be used as a model for further exploration in this area of interest [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative outcomes associated with job insecurity have been well established in the literature. Yet, scholars know very little about how job insecurity is related to coworker relationships in the workplace. Informed by the life stress perspective, this study examines the relationship between job insecurity and coworker support among U.S. workers. It also considers whether relationships diverge by gender. We use data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. workers (N = 2,822) to examine these relationships. The results showed that job insecurity was negatively related to coworker support among both men and women, with no evidence of gender disparities. Altogether, the findings suggest job insecurity is damaging to the workplace environment, creating barriers to supportive coworker relationships among both men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this paper is to test a model of the influence of coworker-resources (coworker-support and coworker-exchange) on employee performance with psychological flourishing as mediator and employee race as moderator. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample of 321 employees from a mid-western US organization, the authors conducted a field study and used regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The authors ran the basic mediation as well as moderated-mediation models with non-parametric bootstrapping procedures. Findings: Coworker-support and coworker-exchange were positively associated with psychological flourishing, which, in turn, was positively associated with employee performance. The authors found support for psychological flourishing as a mediator of coworker influence–employee performance relationships. The authors also found evidence supporting race as a boundary condition that moderated coworker influence–performance relationships, which were stronger for minorities as opposed to whites. Practical implications: To ensure employee well-being and superior employee performance, especially for racial minorities, managers must create work environments replete with coworker-support and healthy coworker-exchange. Originality/value: The study undertakes a simultaneous examination of two different forms of coworker influences on employee performance and clarifies the role of underlying psychological mechanisms that pave the way for coworker influence on performance. The findings provide clarity regarding the employee–coworker relationship research; in addition, they establish race as an important boundary condition when considering coworker influences and employee performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an extension of the existing paradigm on the benefits of innovative behavior for organizations, this study addresses the negative effects of innovative behavior. Guided by psychological detachment theory, we propose that both displaying innovative behavior and witnessing others' innovative behavior make it difficult for workers to psychologically distance themselves from innovation matters, engendering strain reactions (e.g., sleep problems, hostility). Those with more proactive personalities may be more likely to experience these detachment difficulty problems after displaying or witnessing innovative behavior. To test these premises, we conducted two studies. In the pilot study (N = 104 employee–coworker dyads), we gathered both quantitative and qualitative data to show that innovative behavior predicts detachment difficulty above and beyond other job behaviors. In the main study, we collected data from 257 employee–coworker dyads over 5 weeks and analyzed them with an actor–partner interdependence model. The results are generally supportive, suggesting that further investigation of the unintended consequences of innovative behavior is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence are associated with job performance. We develop and test a compensatory model that posits that the association between emotional intelligence and job performance becomes more positive as cognitive intelligence decreases. We report the results of a study in which employees completed tests of emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence, and their task performance and organizational citizenship behavior were assessed by their supervisors. Hypotheses from the model were supported for task performance and organizational citizenship behavior directed at the organization, but not for organizational citizenship behavior directed at individuals. We discuss the theoretical implications and managerial ramifications of our model and findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a longitudinal field experiment, we examined the generalizability of the "Galatea effect" to businesses. This constructive replication provides the first test of the effect of a nonfictitious, nontraining intervention on actual job performance of new and established professionals. To examine duration, we measured the effect on performance until it disappeared for the sample as a whole. The Galatea intervention bolstered self-efficacy, motivation, and performance, though this latter effect was temporary. We also partially confirmed the "self-fulfilling prophecy at work model" and suggest possible extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individuals perceive and react to the involuntary demotion of a co-worker in their organisation. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw on 46 semi-structured in-depth interviews (23 dyads) with co-workers of demoted individuals. Findings: The findings suggest that an individual's observation of the demotion of a co-worker has three stages: their perception of fairness, their emotional reaction and their behavioural reaction. The perception of fairness concerned issues of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice. The emotional responses identified were feelings of disappointment/disillusion, uncertainty, vulnerability and anger. Finally, the behavioural reactions triggered by their emotional responses included expressions of voice, loyalty, exit and adaptation. Originality/value: Perceptions of (in)justice perpetrated on others stimulate emotional and behavioural responses, which impacts organisational functioning. Managers should therefore pay attention to the way a demotion is perceived, not only by those directly concerned, but also by co-workers as observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attempt to describe the relationship between the observation of coworker idiosyncratic deals (i-deals: Rousseau et al., 2006; Rousseau, 2005) and employee turnover intention by incorporating two explanatory mechanisms: workplace flexibility and procedural justice. We hypothesize contrasting implications of coworker flexibility i-deals and developmental i-deals on these two mediating mechanisms. Based on a sample of 176 employees, we find differential implications for the two types of i-deals and mediators. We discuss these findings and the implications of our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study how the negative spiral of incivility from customers to employees happens by measuring the mediating effect of employees' burnout. Moreover, it investigates how to mitigate the detrimental influences of customer incivility by assessing the moderating effect of employees' emotional intelligence. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey using MTurk was conducted, targeting full-service restaurant employees. Descriptive statistic, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were applied. Findings: The results presented that there is a direct relationship between customer incivility and employee incivility toward customers and coworkers. Additionally, employees' burnout significantly mediates the relationship between customer incivility and employee incivility. Moreover, it presented the significant moderating effect of employees' emotional intelligence on the relationship between customer incivility and employee incivility. Research limitations/implications: Experiences of customer incivility during a service encounter directly trigger employee incivility. Moreover, customer incivility indirectly leads to employee incivility by increasing employees' burnout. In addition, employees' emotional intelligence mitigates a negative spiral of incivility from customers to employees. However, this study has limitations that provide suggestions for future research. Originality/value: This research shows how customer incivility causes employee incivility in the workplace. It also shows a significant moderating role of employees' emotional intelligence to mitigate the influence of customer incivility on employee incivility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Despite the increasing prominence of employee voice in organizational innovation and productivity, employees continue to struggle to influence matters that affect them at work. The purpose of this paper is to model work group context and manager behavior as the predictors of employee upward voice. Further, a mediating role of employee psychological safety is examined in this link.Design/methodology/approach With data from 575 employees representing various technology firms in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structural equation modeling.Findings Results indicate coworkers upward voice and manager pro-voice behavior to significantly impact employee upward voice with a mediating impact of psychological safety. This implies that perceived psychological safety plays a significant role in explaining the impact, coworkers and manager behavior would have on regulating employee upward voice.Originality/value This study contributes to the employee voice literature from an Indian context, where upward communication is culturally discouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article identifies common problems of human resource management that seem to plague rapid growth companies, and then discusses solutions that some of the more successful companies have used to deal with these conflicts. It is based on experiences with twelve companies that have grown on the average at 40 percent per year for five or more years. Rapid growth companies are of considerable importance to managers, investors, and the public at large. Rapid growth companies offer the public at large a significant source of expanding employment. Just a few rapidly growing companies in the same geographic region can sometimes make the difference between a stagnant economy with high unemployment and a robust economy with low unemployment.

In this article the authors discuss research they conducted that examined the relationship between item sensitivity on job satisfaction questionnaires and the respondent's level of job satisfaction. They note that respondents would be more likely to falsely answer questions that they believe would have negative consequences if their identity were revealed. Their aim is to discover what items can be considered to be of high and low sensitivity. They found that low sensitivity items related to impersonal matters and working conditions while high sensitivity items related to supervision, competency of colleagues and overall job satisfaction.

In this article, we investigate how communication and trust networks between employees affect participation in a strike. We analyze whether the strength of network relations is related to congruence in strike behavior using social network data on 59 Dutch workers. We find that private communication networks and trust networks lead to similar strike behavior. This finding indicates that networks not only promote protest mobilization but are also vehicles for demobilization, albeit through different network relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the work experience for paid, part-time event staff within public assembly facilities and posited the "employee sportsphere" as a more comprehensive approach to study the work experience of event staff. Specifically, this study explored event staff ratings of various aspects of the employee sportsphere, explored the relationship between the employee sportsphere and overall job satisfaction, and explored the relationship between overall job satisfaction and employees' willingness to return to work. A census of paid, part-time event staff at a multipurpose public assembly facility (N = 406) generated a 70.2% response rate. Implications of the results of this study are discussed, and recommendations for future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

critical omission in the coworker influence literature is how a coworker influences a closely related (focal) employee's A job performance behaviors and whether this influence is contingent on that coworker's own behaviors. By integrating social information processing and social cognitive theories with social exchange and role theories, we hypothesize that there are, at least, three distinct types of coworker dyadic influence. Accordingly, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model to explicate such influence. Two multisource, field-design studies conducted in Hong Kong support the modeled relationships in that employee role ambiguity partially mediated the relationships between coworker--employee exchange and two types of employee job performance behaviors--task performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Furthermore, coworker OCB fostered employee job performance behavior both directly and interactively, acting as a moderator to weaken the relationships between employee role ambiguity and the two types of job performance behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of co-workers receiving recognition on two types of responses, namely emotions (positive and negative) and behavioral intentions (interpersonal counterproductive behavior and interpersonal citizenship behavior). Design/methodology/approach – This study is an experimental scenario study with a 2x2 between-subjects design with 246 employees from a local health care organization. Findings – The findings reveal that the relation between the recognition of others and positive or negative emotions was moderated by the quality of the relationship between both actors. Further, as hypothesized, the relation between the recognition of others and interpersonal counterproductive behavior was moderated by relationship quality. Contrary to the authors' expectations, relationship quality did not moderate the relation between employee recognition and interpersonal citizenship behavior. Practical implications – This study provides useful suggestions for managers to diminish undesired (i.e. negative emotions and interpersonal counterproductive behavior) and enhance desired emotions and behaviors (i.e. positive emotions and interpersonal citizenship behavior). Originality/value – This study is the first to show that employee recognition may have negative effects on the emotions of others and interpersonal behavior (i.e. interpersonal counterproductive behavior). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Management Sciences / Nauki o Zarzadzaniu is the property of Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wroclawiu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – In recent years, the literature on person-environment fit as a sought-after outcome has burgeoned whereas misfit has been relatively neglected. Specifically, little research has investigated how people develop and maintain perceptions of not fitting in. The aim of this paper is to review past research on misfit, and present new data examining the role of coworker social relations in surfacing or diminishing perceptions of misfit. Design/methodology/approach – Written data were collected from 167 participants and analyzed using thematic coding. Themes emerging from the data were compared against the model of person-environment misfit. Findings – From the authors' analysis of previous misfit research they identify four dimensions of misfit: sociodemographic, individual differences, structural, and social. The authors' data support and extend these dimensions. Further, the findings suggest that the social context is related to perceptions of misfit. Practical implications – Managers can play a key role in misfit perceptions, both through action and inaction. Managers should note the importance of social relations in perceptions of misfit, and aim to provide supportive and well-structured work contexts. Originality/value – This paper makes four key contributions to the person-environment fit literature. One is the categorization of dimensions of misfit, developed from past research. The second is the provision of three conceptual models summarizing different approaches to misfit in relation to fit. Third, the paper provides a novel perspective on misfit by focusing on social norms as the background against which misfit is experienced. Fourth, this research supports and extends on the four component model of misfit developed in the authors' initial review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how different sources of management support promote coworker helping behavior in organizations. We contend that senior management, managers responsible for Human Resource practices, and team leaders contribute to coworker assistance by encouraging employees to identify with the organization. Based on survey evidence drawn from nine Australian (N = 1,349 employees) and six Chinese firms (N = 828 employees), and using structural equation modeling, we show that organizational identification mediates the effects of perceived support from these three sources on coworker assistance. Differences in the strength of relationships between the variables are highlighted and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study examined sensemaking of peer co-worker deception from the perception of the deceived. A total of 58 narrative accounts of deception were collected via face-to-face interviews with 23 employed adults. Analysis revealed four primary narratives of co-worker deception: corrupt system narratives, 'cover your ass' (CYA) narratives, personal gain narratives, and personality trait narratives. Perceived motives and consequences were primary considerations in the sensemaking process and employees reported changing their communication patterns to avoid deceptive co-workers or hold them more accountable for their actions. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed and suggestions for future research are posited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the nature and evolution of the work of the private security guard, as of 2011. The author discusses the results of her 2009-2010 study of managers and employees at private security companies in Germany. She says the private security industry has expanded sharply in Germany and globally, citing factors including outsourcing. She notes that while security guard has become officially recognized as a profession in Germany, most private security guards continue to face contingent working conditions, with temporary contracts and low wages typical. She analyzes their work in the context of Taylorism, or scientific human resource management, and of the general conditions of service-sector work.

This article presents the theoretical-methodological perspective of critical discourse analysis and, within this, a three-dimensional framework of discourse developed by Norman Fairclough. We note the way in which these approaches can enrich the field of psychosocial research on work in Latin America, shedding light on the discursive dimensions of the productive restructuration and work flexibilization processes implemented in diverse countries of the region. We argue that, in spite of the important development and renewal of this field in Latin America over the last ten years, the incorporation of the conceptual tools of discourse analysis remains scarce, thereby hindering the study of the emerging modalities of the use of language that characterize the new capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with support provided to crisis staff in case a stationary workplace of crisis management is out of operation. The authors suggest a mobile crisis management contingency workplace a problem solution alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - As the shortage in the information technology (IT) workforce continues, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the cultural dimensions of IT occupations that attract or drive away potential IT professionals. In the present study, the authors take an occupational culture approach to study the cultural fit of newcomers to IT occupations and to understand how young people perceive the culture embedded in this occupational community as they become part of it. Design/methodology/approach - The authors take a sequential mixed methodology approach composed of two phases, one qualitative and the other quantitative. In the first phase of the study, nine focus groups and 27 interviews with college students were conducted to learn about the challenges and barriers that they personally experienced while becoming part of the IT occupational community. The second phase used results from the first qualitative phase to design a survey instrument that. was administered to 215 IT college students who were currently or had recently been involved in IT work experience to evaluate their cultural fit to the IT occupational culture (ITOC) and its influence on their occupational commitment. Findings - The results suggest that women, ethnic minorities and those with less work experience encountered greater difficulty fitting into different dimensions of ITOC. The results also showed that cultural fit is a good predictor of occupational commitment and affective commitment in particular. Practical implications - An initial survey instrument was developed to measure cultural fit to ITOC. This instrument can be further modified and adapted to be used in the hiring process by HR departments to measure cultural fit to organizational subcultures, such as the one in the IT occupational group. Originality/value - This paper constitutes an important contribution to the rigor and development of the theory and research of human resources in information technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how employees express dissent to management about the same issue on multiple occasions across time (i.e., how they practice repetition). Employees completed a survey instrument reporting how often they used varying upward dissent tactics, how often and for how long they raised the same issue, and how they perceived their supervisors responded to their concerns. Results indicate that employees relied predominantly on competent upward dissent tactics but that they adopted less competent and more face-threatening tactics as repetition progressed. In addition, employees' perceptions of their supervisors' responses to repetition related to the overall duration of repetition but not to the frequency with which employees raised issues or the amount of time that elapsed between dissent episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-life research tends to privilege the organization-employee relationship, with the family's role largely relegated to providing emotional and material support to the employee and adapting to organizational requirements. Systems oriented research, however, points toward a larger role for the family, including mediating the employee's relationship with the organization as well as direct organizational interactions. This study uses Weick's model of organizational sensemaking to examine, through the analysis of employee and family interview accounts, how a global high-tech organization and its employees' families enact one another as environments. Three dynamics of mutual enactments- two cooperative and one competitive-were identified, along with implications for work-life integration research and practice, for more traditionally programmatic work-life accommodations, and for families' management of their relationships to employing organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the interaction between organizational and management factors at work for both workers and supervisors in the manufacturing sector. A conducted survey revealed that both the workers and the supervisors have reported illnesses and job dissatisfaction. It showed that 76.3% workers need to upgrade skills, 60.5% are pressured in doing work, 60.5% for fast paced work, 63% for repetitive work, while 59.7% of them considered that work is both physically and mentally tiring.

This case study examines Enron's top executives' activities through Bourdieu's notion of misrecognized competence or “capital.” Top executives' practices were misrecognized as valuable and legitimate competencies against the backdrop of the company's changing new-economy context. Most approaches to intellectual, social, and cultural capital assume their automatic value. In contrast, this essay shows that the perceived value of executives' practices was the result of Enron's context and executives' communicative efforts to position their own contributions as the most important. As outsiders scrutinized the company, however, executives' activities were exposed as self-serving and primary contributors to Enron's troubles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to highlight the vital role that both state trust (trust in top management, trust in immediate supervisor and trust in co-workers) and trait trust or trust propensity play in the advancement of employee work engagement. This study posits that the relationship between trust and work engagement is mutually reinforcing and leads to an upward spiral effect. That is, high levels of state and trait trust boost work engagement, which in turn augments both forms of trust and so on. Additionally, the current paper also examines the interaction effects of state and trait trust on employees' work engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During South Africa's first decade of democracy, policies of social inclusion and social citizenship have emphasized productive employment and the work ethic in a context of fiscal discipline and public spending thrift. The government's institutional discourse contrasts, however, with a social reality in which most black workers have confronted growing economic precariousness and the inability of waged occupations to provide stable livelihoods above poverty levels. The article discusses workers' responses to these conditions with case studies of private and public employment. It finds that official rhetoric about the centrality of productive employment does not reflect the diversity of practices and discourses with which workers address the crisis facing wage labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acciones e Investigaciones Sociales is the property of Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y del Trabajo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent technologies have reduced some of the major barriers to capturing, coding, and analyzing qualitative data from survey respondents. This has prompted a renewed interest in including open- ended questions on employee surveys and a corresponding need to better understand the potential biases of personnel who choose to provide comments. The present study used data from a climate survey (N = 661) to empirically examine qualitative comments and their relationship with quantitative survey ratings. Results revealed that relatively dissatisfied employees were more likely to provide comments than their more satisfied counterparts. Moreover, open-ended responses were disproportionately negative in tone and tended to echo commenters' closed-ended satisfaction ratings. For most survey dimensions studied, the length of comments increased as they became more negative in tone. Finally, the data revealed very few demographic differences between respondents who provided comments and those who did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a research of the consequences of long and nonstandard workhours on different measures of worklife balance of employees. It aims to examine the scientific evidence of the association of worklife balance with employees' long workhours, part-time work, and nonstandard workhours. It states that worktime arrangements affect children's development and marital satisfaction. It also mentions that long workhours affect employees' balance between work and private life.

Purpose - Although the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model of job stress has gained support in predicting employee health, it has rarely been examined in the context of the work-home interface. This study aims to test an expanded ERI model in predicting work-life conflict (WLC) in university employees. Three hypotheses relating to the EM are tested. It is also predicted that lower organisational support for work-life balance, less schedule flexibility and lower levels of separation between work and home life will lead to increased work-life conflict. Design/methodology/approach - In this cross-sectional study, 1,108 employees working in UK universities completed questionnaires assessing EM, WLC, schedule flexibility, employer support and work-life separation/integration. Findings - Strong main effects of job-related efforts, rewards and over-commitment on WLC are found. A significant two-way interaction (effort x reward) and some evidence for a three-way interaction effort x reward x over-commitment) are observed. Perceived schedule flexibility and work-life integration also make significant contributions to the variance in WLC. The final model explains 66 per cent of criterion variance. Research limitations/implications - As the study is cross-sectional, causal relationships cannot be established. Practical implications - This study extends knowledge of the EM model as a predictor of WLC. More research is required into ways in which effort-reward inequity and over-commitment might threaten work-life balance, together with the working practices and organisational factors which might modify this threat. Originality/value - The EM model has rarely been examined in the context of the work-home interface. The importance of effort-reward imbalance and over-commitment to WLC has been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the nature of employment warrant a reexamination of the traditional defi- nitions of job quality. This study uses data from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce to examine an expanded model of job quality as it relates to employees' selfperceived physical health status. The expanded model includes traditional measures of job quality as well as measures of flexible work options and measures of overall supervisor effectiveness. Results indicate that overall supervisor effectiveness mediates the effects on health of work's psychological demands and of the worker's decision latitude. Coworker support mediates the effects on health of overall supervisor effectiveness. After demographic covariates and other job quality variables are controlled for, the analyses indicate that flexible work options, coworker support, and job insecurity are statistically significant predictors of self-reported health status. Implications for workplace policy and future research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been no studies in organization research of conferences as part of the world of work. This paper describes a reflexive ethnographic study of one management conference. It finds that upon arrival at the places and spaces of the conference processes of self-making as conference attendee are set in train. Self-making subsequently takes place within processes of domination and subordination, achieved through fear, infantilization, disparagement and seduction. Reading this through the lens of Freudian-informed interpretations of the Hegelian master/slave dialectic, the paper argues that conferences are one of the means of control over academic, managerial and professional employees. Control is achieved through dialectical interactions between conference and employee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the political spillover theory, this study examines the boundary-spanning aspect of workplace participation - the association between participation at work and in politics. A telephone survey was conducted using a regional probability sample. Results indicate that decision involvement at work is positively associated with political voting while work community participation is positively associated with involvement in local communities and political party and campaign activities. The study reveals that internal political efficacy mediates the relationship between job autonomy and political participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers the results of a study looking at the interactions of cashiers in several different hypermarkets. The author looks at the types of relationships this environment fosters. It was observed that employees of these institutions did not form relationships with their co-workers because the environment and the workers were constantly changing.