Work adjustment after combat deployment: reservist repatriation

A longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted with United States (US) Army reservists to explore the concerns and obstacles in the process of returning to the civilian workforce following a combat deployment. A person–environment fit perspective is used to explain the adjustment process and obstacles encountered by the returning reservists. Seven waves of interviews over a 12-month period were conducted. These interviews resulted in the development of a process model of reintegration to work. This process model consists of four phases: Return Home, Return to Work, Activation, and Settling In. We discuss the factors and events that characterize each phase and provide some practical recommendations for employers of military reservists.     

Linking Perceived External Prestige and Intentions to Leave the Organization: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Affective Commitment

ABSTRACT

The present study examines social workers' beliefs about the prestige that outsiders (e.g., patients, suppliers, competitors, and the public) attribute to their organization and the way these beliefs influence the social workers' commitment to the organization they work for, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions (i.e., intentions to leave the organization). We collected two primary data sets (N = 160 and N = 489, respectively) from social workers in nonprofit social service organizations in Israel in 2001 and 2002. In general, the results show that perceived (construed) external prestige results in higher employee commitment and satisfaction, which, in turn, leads to lower levels of intention to leave the organization. The implications of these findings for research on organizational image and employee commitment are discussed, with particular emphasis on social workers in nonprofit social service organizations.     

Predictors of Child Welfare Worker Retention and Performance

Abstract

Using administrative records, this paper tracks for up to four years using Cox survival methods the retention of 839 public child welfare workers who began child welfare work in 1999. It also examines, using ordinal logistic regression, supervisory performance evaluations of 382 of these workers. Participation in a IV-E-funded social work educational program predicted better retention. In particular, risk of termination decreased by 52% during the mandated contractual employment period in which the educational stipend was “worked off”. Other predictors of longer retention included prior non-child welfare employment at the public agency and working in the state office setting. Temporary job classification predicted higher risk of termination. With temporary classifications excluded, female gender predicted better retention. In exploratory Cox frailty regressions, neither county of employment nor supervisor explained significant variance in retention. Involvement with the IV-E funded social work program was not associated significantly with supervisory ratings. Regression analyses revealed an association between an ethnic group's representation in the population of child welfare workers and supervisory evaluation; the greater that representation, the higher the overall evaluation for the group.     

Ageism,Death Anxiety and the Caseworker

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of an exploratory research study designed to identify some of the attitudes and socio-cultural characteristics of social workers practicing in the field of aging. Data were collected from two groups of caseworkers-one group with a geriatric caseload, the other with a non-geriatric caseload. There were striking and significant differences between the two groups in their preferences for working with particular client populations. The geriatric caseworkers indicated a preference for working with the frail elderly and cancer patients and negative preference for working with younger clients (either disturbed children or adolescent offenders). The non-geriatric caseworkers generally expressed a negative preference for the frail elderly or cancer patients and a preference for young married couples. No single factor seemed to differentiate the two groups as clearly as their levels of death anxiety. Those practicing in the field of aging revealed a significantly greater level of death anxiety as indicated by their higher levels of fear of the dying of others. Results also pointed to a relationship between death anxiety and the number of years of social work practice with the aging. In general, the greater number of years in the field of aging, the greater the level of anxiety tended to be, leveling off at about six or seven years. When the age of the social worker was held constant longevity in the field of aging affected levels of anxiety about the death of others, the dying of self, as well as the dying of others.     

Social Work Strategies and Tactics in the Workplace

Abstract

Those social workers who offer employment services can frame job development and placement as a process of workplace socialization in which they facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in mainstream work settings. This paper examines the construct of workplace socialization and offers five specific strategies and related tactics for its facilitation in the context of social work practice in disability and rehabilitation.     

农村中学教师的工作压力与职业倦怠的关系

采用问卷法考察441名河南农村中学教师的工作压力与职业倦怠的关系,结果显示：农村中学教师的压力主要来源于工作负荷,其次是考试压力和学生因素.农村中学教师存在比较严重的职业倦怠,在情绪衰竭维度,教龄在6 ～10年的中学教师职业倦怠水平显著高于教龄在20年以上和1～5年的教师.农村中学教师的工作压力和职业倦怠显著正相关,工作压力对职业倦怠有显著的正向预测作用.     

北京市科技工作者工作满意度现状及差异分析--基于人口统计特征变量的实证

科技进步和创新是经济社会发展的决定性力量,是国家竞争力的核心,而科技工作者的工作满意度在一定程度上影响着科技进步和创新的进程,因此,对科技工作者的工作满意度进行研究具有重要的现实意义。利用2010年中国科学技术协会＂全国科技工作者价值观、人生观状况调查＂课题组开展的＂全国科技工作者价值观、人生观状况调查＂项目在北京地区的调查结果,采用实证研究的方法对不同人口统计特征的科技工作者工作满意度的现状及差异进行了分析,结果显示,北京市科技工作者对于工作满意度不同维度的满意状况有所差别,整体状况有待改善,不同的人口统计特征对于科技工作者工作满意度各维度的影响也不尽相同。建议根据不同人口统计特征的科技工作者的需求差异,针对性地采取措施,从整体上提高科技工作者的工作满意度。     

组织支持资源对员工幸福感的影响机制:双案例比较研究

在对腾讯以及星巴克两家企业的调查访谈及公开资料整理的基础上,对企业如何通过5类组织支持资源提高员工幸福感及工作绩效进行了探讨。研究发现,市场动荡性、领导者价值观以及员工特质将促使不同企业提供不同的组织支持资源,但最终都能有效地提高员工幸福感与工作绩效。此外,阐明了组织支持资源对员工幸福感的作用机理。     

人际关系网络对农村劳动力转移的影响——基于工作搜寻模型的案例研究

杰克林·威波(JacklineWahba)和伊维斯·泽诺(YvesZenou)(以下简称为威波—泽诺)指出,求职者获得工作的成功率取决于他们所拥有的人际关系网络的规模和质量。本文利用威波—泽诺模型及河北省邯郸市11个县的基本数据,对人际关系网络与劳动力跨省输出的关系进行了回归分析,并在此基础上指出了这一模型的局限性。     

心理需要的满足与工作满意度:哪一个能够更好地预测工作绩效?

以自我决定理论为理论基础,通过对112名员工与其相应主管进行问卷调研,验证了:(1)工作满意度与工作绩效之间存在中低度相关;(2)基本心理需要对工作绩效各维度具有显著影响;(3)基本心理需要的满足对工作绩效的预测效果较工作满意度更好。进而发现心理需要满足的中介作用,揭示工作满意度通过心理需要满足对工作绩效产生影响这一作用机制,并对所得结果的管理实践意义进行了探讨。