Validation of the ultra-short scale for measuring work engagement among social workers in Chinese contexts

Based on 683 valid questionnaires collected among a convenience sample of social workers from Hong Kong, Macau and three other cities in mainland China, this study investigated the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the three-item ultra-short Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (C-UWES-3). The results of confirmatory factor analyses supported the discriminant validity of C-UWES-3 by differentiating its three items from other five items measuring emotional exhaustion and role ambiguity. The concurrent validity of C-UWES-3 was supported by its superior explanatory power to the original nine-item version of the scale (C-UWES-9) in relation to explaining social workers' turnover intention. The convergent validity of C-UWES-3 was supported by its correlations vis-à-vis factors in the job demands-resources model such as job demands, job resources, turnover intention and collective psychological ownership. The C-UWES-3 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81). Overall, the C-UWES-3 demonstrates excellent psychometric properties for informing future research.     

Should countries be more like shopping malls? A proposal for Service Performance Guarantees

Through an examination of existing guarantee mechanisms, this article sets out and explains a proposal for the adoption of Service Performance Guarantees (SPGs) by developing countries working to attract foreign investment. The proposed approach is to offer investing firms the opportunity to purchase insurance against a wider range of risks than is currently possible, with highly visible payouts if service delivery standards fall short of those expected from the programme. The SPG contracts would be covered by a “domestic reserve” funded from premiums paid in by the firms and backed up by a further guarantee issued by a development partner. This approach restructures accountability to create a partnership of donors and recipient governments, accountable to their investor clients.     

论习近平青年观指导高校学生工作的实践价值

习近平青年观是马克思主义青年观在市场化和网络化时代的新发展,也是开展青年工作、促使青年成长成才的重要理论指导,对于优化高校的思政、就业和管理等学生工作具有重要意义。当前高校以习近平青年观为指导开展学生工作,在思政、就业、管理和安全等学生工作中取得了丰硕成就,但也面临着思政工作效果不佳、大学生就业质量不高、学生管理方式僵化、学生安全事件屡发等问题。所以应该以习近平青年观指导高校学生工作改革,创新学生思政工作的理念、方法和平台,完善学生就业指导机制、创新创业平台,完善学生安全管理机制,推动学生管理规范化和法治化建设。     

Climate,stress and satisfaction: a multilevel study in the public sector / Clima,estrés y satisfacción: un estudio multinivel en el sector público

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating effect of role ambiguity on the relationship between climate and job satisfaction in local public administration. Taking the job demands-resources model (JD-R) as the starting point, a multilevel mediation analysis was used to determine the influence of the different services within the sample. The sample consisted of 196 employees in 29 integrated services of two local corporations. Results confirm the job demands-resources model by showing multilevel partial mediation of role ambiguity in the relationship between climate and job satisfaction of public employees. These results indicate the importance of climate in organizational contexts and its implications for reducing role stressors while strengthening and maintaining the wellbeing of employees.     

Turning bad into good: How resilience resources protect organizations from demanding work environments

An organization’s survival and its performance are often connected to employees’ well-being, which in intensive work conditions can be compromised by employee exhaustion. To date, the last economic crisis has forced several companies to downsize and leave the remaining employees facing higher job demands and vulnerability toward job exhaustion. The present study investigates whether resilience together with other personal resources can function as a psychological shield through a mediation and/or moderation process that mitigate the emergence of burnout. Based on a sample of employees from three different Italian companies (N?=?208), our results confirmed that “resilience resources” (i.e., resilience, self-efficacy, self-regulation) mediated the relationship between job demands, exhaustion, and task performance (i.e., energetic process). These results suggest that organizational environments characterized by challenging demands are likely to foster the development of resilience resources to cope with the emergence of potentially harming processes.     

Can job insecurity be managed? Evaluating an organizational-level intervention addressing the negative effects of restructuring

Although downsizing and reorganisation are recognised as serious threats to the psychological well-being of employees, intervention strategies for addressing these events are limited. This study evaluated the effects of a participatory organisational-level intervention in which employees and managers chose to address the psychosocial consequences, specifically job insecurity, of restructuring. The intervention was conducted among postal service letter carriers in Denmark and was evaluated based on quantitative and qualitative data. Using interviews (N?=?24) and observations, the programme theory of the intervention and to what extent the intervention had been implemented were assessed. Using survey data (N?=?238), repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to test for differences in the development of job insecurity between the intervention group and a comparison group. The results indicate that the intervention group had a significantly smaller increase in one dimension of job insecurity as compared to the comparison group. Therefore, we conclude that employees’ experiencing of job insecurity, which typically follows in the wake of restructuring, can be addressed by planned efforts at the workplace level.     

Workplace bullying,the development of job insecurity and the role of laissez-faire leadership: A two-wave moderated mediation study

Workplace bullying is increasingly recognised as a risk factor for job loss and exclusion from working life. Consequently, bullying may represent an antecedent of job insecurity, but this notion has not been sufficiently tested using prospective, representative data. In the present study, the association between workplace bullying and job insecurity was therefore investigated using a two-year time lag and a representative sample of Norwegian employees (N?=?1775). Employing regression analysis, support for a cross-lagged effect of bullying on stability adjusted job insecurity was found. With respect to explanatory mechanisms, a moderated mediation analysis also revealed that this relationship is mediated by continued exposure to bullying behaviours at T2, and, that the relationship between baseline bullying and continued victimisation at T2 is moderated by laissez-faire leadership (i.e. the enactment of passive-avoidant and non-responsive leadership behaviour). Thus, laissez-faire leadership appears to represent a condition under which the bullying process can endure and progress, and the bullying behaviours associated with such sustained and escalated scenarios seem to be particularly relevant antecedents of job insecurity. These results represent novel contributions to our understanding of workplace bullying and job insecurity, holding important implications for prevention of workplace bullying and alleviation of its negative consequences.     

Diversity‐related employee attitudes and perceptions in Bangladesh: A case study on the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee

Bangladesh is perceived as homogenous, often resulting in hidden discrimination for those considered to belong to minority groups. Little research has been conducted on the characteristics of diversity as predictors of work attitude and behavior in relation to organizational commitment and job performance in Bangladesh. This study examines conditions in a leading international, non‐governmental development organization, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The purpose of this study is to explore employees' perceptions and work attitudes and how these relate to organizational commitment and job performance. A phenomenological research strategy was used to understand the unique culture of Bangladesh and workplace diversity at BRAC. Data was collected through in‐depth interviews with BRAC employees currently working in the head office, using a purposive, convenient sampling method. Both positive and negative feelings and perceptions were revealed: positive factors include gender sensitivity in the workplace, positive organizational support, organizational goodwill, organizational culture, and longer tenure and seniority; negative factors include job insecurity, dissatisfaction with salary grades and gaps, promotions, and issues pertaining to disabilities, ethnicity, and supervisors' evaluations. These results have implications for organizational and governmental policy.     

高质量就业背景下企业工会如何提升员工的工作满意度――基于中国劳动力动态调查的数据分析

在新时代背景下,高质量就业成为高质量发展的内在要求,稳定就业则是高质量就业的重要构成部分。立足工会与员工两方行动主体,研究企业工会对员工工作满意度的影响效应,对稳定就业进而推动高质量就业的实现有着重要的理论与实践价值。本研究基于中国劳动力动态调查数据,运用多元线性回归和倾向得分匹配模型分析后发现,企业组建工会和员工参与都对员工的工作满意度有显著的正向影响。然而,企业组建工会的影响只体现在促进能力发挥、赢得尊重、意见表达等发展型工作满意度;员工参与的影响则更为全面,还包括提升工资报酬、劳动条件等工具型工作满意度。因此,企业工会除了深化维权职能的转型外,更应重视员工主体性的发挥,通过增强员工的工会参与进而提升工作满意度,助力高质量就业的实现。