Leaders as role models: Effects of leader presenteeism on employee presenteeism and sick leave

ABSTRACT

There is a broad consensus that associations exist between leadership behaviour and employee health. However, much less is known about potential mediating processes underlying links between specific leader behaviours, for instance presenteeism (i.e. working while being ill), and indicators of employee health, such as sick leave. Integrating theories of social information processing, social learning, and the allostatic load hypothesis, we propose that employee presenteeism mediates the positive association between leader presenteeism and employee sick leave. This hypothesis was tested with a multilevel mediation model using three-wave longitudinal data from 74 leaders and their 412 team members across a time period of 22 months. As hypothesised, leader presenteeism had a positive effect on employee presenteeism which, in turn, had a positive effect on employee sick leave, controlling for baseline measures of employee presenteeism and sick leave, as well as employee general health status, shared workload and job autonomy, and demographic characteristics. Additionally, leader presenteeism had a positive indirect effect on employee sick leave through employee presenteeism. These results contribute to the occupational health psychology literature by suggesting that leader health-related behaviour can have consequences for employee health-related behaviour and employee health.     

THE DISADVANTAGE OF A GOOD REPUTATION: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims

Social scientists generally presume that a good reputation has advantages. Yet the Walt Disney Corporation, a firm that has long benefited from a reputation for producing wholesome popular culture, attracts more than its share of efforts to link it to various social problems. In particular, conservative moralists argue that Disney in fact produces morally questionable products, progressive critics claim that Disney's messages help preserve social inequities, and social scientists criticize Disney for fostering inauthentic and alienating entertainment. These claims are a form of blowback—negative reactions to the firm's positive reputation. While blowback makes it easier to construct social problems claims, a good reputation remains a significant resource in deflecting these criticisms.     

‘Social control of the self’ and pleading guilty in criminal court

In Donald Black's 1994 work The Social Structure of Right and Wrong, he introduces the intriguing concept of the self-application of social control. According to Black, the ‘social control of the self’ follows the same principles of the behavior of law. Conceptualizing a guilty plea as a self-application of social control, this study of 717 homicide cases processed in an urban American court represents the first empirical test of this theory. Support for Black's theoretical perspective was mixed, with only the predictions regarding the effects of social morphology on the self-application of social control finding support. Defendants who were less socially integrated than their victims were significantly more likely to plead guilty when compared to other case configurations. When relational distance between parties was low, the case was significantly less likely to be resolved with the self-application of social control in the form of a guilty plea. The importance of Black's perspective for elucidating the theoretical linkages between social structure and individual behavior is considered.     

Themes of Adult Sibling Sexual Abuse Survivors in Later Life: An Initial Exploration

This paper examines the thematic treatment issues presented in a small, clinical practice setting by eight women aged 56 through 69 who were sexually abused by their brothers/stepbrothers during childhood and seeking therapy for issues dealing with a terminally ill and/or dying parent. The reemergence of traumatic issues and family dynamics with aging parents and end-of-life-issues, dealing with a previously abusive brother, and treatment recommendations on managing reactions, affect, and boundaries are presented.     

Rural mountain natives,in-migrants,and the cultural divide

Conventional wisdom suggests that different views held by native and in-migrant rural residents lead to a division that ultimately damages community. Using a sample of rural residents in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, we seek to (1) determine whether these groups differ and, if they do, (2) explain the predictors of the difference. Our results suggest that there are demographic and attitudinal differences between natives and in-migrants, although a significant number of in-migrants share native attitudes. Proportion of lifetime spent in the region and perception of threat to cultural heritage play important roles in determining shared attitudes among the groups, implying that natives and in-migrants may not be as different as previously assumed and that in-migrant status by itself may not be sufficient to explain changes in rural community.     

Longitudinal Patterns of Nonresident Fathers’ Involvement: The Role of Resources and Relations

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examined patterns of nonresident father involvement 1 and 3 years after a nonmarital birth (N = 893). Cluster analyses were used to determine patterns of involvement across different father behaviors. About half of fathers displayed low involvement when children were 1 and 3 years old, one fourth of fathers maintained high involvement, and equal remaining proportions increased or decreased involvement over time. Multinomial logistic analyses indicated that better relationships between parents were associated with consistently high versus low involvement. Better relationships with each others’ extended family also predicted remaining highly involved and increasing involvement over time. Parents’ romantic relationship status was closely associated with patterns of involvement.     

Changes in professional vision in the context of practice

In initial teacher education, it is a challenge to foster the development of teaching skills proximal to classroom action. In this study, the impact of a combined practical and theoretical university-based term on preservice teachers’ professional vision is investigated by a video-based approach to supervising their knowledge acquisition and assessing their learning outcomes. Participants were N = 109 preservice teachers attending a 5-month theory practice term guided through video-based courses about effective teaching and learning. We measured their changes in professional vision using the video-based tool Observer. Our results show that preservice teachers positively change their professional vision during the theory practice term, especially if they show low entry levels at the beginning. Their notes on the observed teaching lessons illustrate these changes.     

Managing Public Relations for Nonprofits

Making the News: A Guide for Nonprofits and Activists, by Jason Salzman. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1998. 320 pp., $19.95 paper. Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations: Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan, by Janel M. Radtke. New York: Wiley, 1998. 256 pp., $49.95 paper.