Amanda Allisey

Testing a Model of Officer Intentions to Quit The Mediating Effects of Job Stress and Job Satisfaction

Voluntary turnover among law enforcement personnel is a significant concern. However, few studies have considered potential intermediate linkages in the relationship between working conditions and officers’ quit/stay intentions. Utilizing a large cross-sectional sample of U.K.-based officers (n = 1,789, response rate = 25%), a mediational model of officer turnover intentions was tested. Findings indicated that a number of key psychosocial conditions specified in the U.K. Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (e.g., job demands, role clarity) were associated with officer intentions to leave; however, when job stress and job satisfaction were entered into the model, these relationships were either reduced, or no longer significant. Findings indicated that task-oriented conditions were more strongly associated with job stress while relational or socially oriented conditions were stronger predictors of job satisfaction. These results highlight that monitoring stress and satisfaction may be a valuable component of officer retention efforts, and could offer early-warning of impending turnover among staff.

Police stress: the role of the psychological contract and perceptions of fairness

Purpose – The overall purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which breaches in psychological contracts and perceptions of organizational fairness account for variations in job stress experienced by operational police officers (as measured by psychological distress and employee performance), after controlling for the variance associated with more established job stressors (i.e. job demands, job control and social support).Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on data collected through a self‐report survey involving operational members of a large Australian police force (n=582).Findings – Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicate that vast majority of explained variance in psychological distress and extra‐role performance is attributed to the additive effects of demand, control, and support. Furthermore, only one of the social exchange dimensions (interpersonal fairness) is predictive of either target variable.Research limitations/implications – The limitations tha...

Improving employee outcomes in the public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of the demand‐control‐support model, augmented with employee perceptions of organisational justice and degree of met expectations.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 128 public sector employees working in a large state police force operating under many of the elements of new public management. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted using four indicators of occupational strain: employee wellbeing, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and intent to quit.Findings – The results of this study suggest that the demand‐control‐support model has great utility in identifying those aspects of the work environment associated with employee strain. Job control and social support at work in particular were the most consistent predictors. In contrast, the expectation and justice variables failed to make significant contributions to the model in all but one analysis providing no support for the “injustice as stressor...

Improving employee outcomes in the public sector : the beneficial effects of social support at work and job control

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of the demand‐control‐support model, augmented with employee perceptions of organisational justice and degree of met expectations.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 128 public sector employees working in a large state police force operating under many of the elements of new public management. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted using four indicators of occupational strain: employee wellbeing, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and intent to quit.Findings – The results of this study suggest that the demand‐control‐support model has great utility in identifying those aspects of the work environment associated with employee strain. Job control and social support at work in particular were the most consistent predictors. In contrast, the expectation and justice variables failed to make significant contributions to the model in all but one analysis providing no support for the “injustice as stressor...

Personality and the effort-reward imbalance model of stress: Individual differences in reward sensitivity

Abstract The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model comprises both situational components (i.e. effort and reward) and a person-specific component (overcommitment). The aims of this study were to investigate the role of theoretically and historically linked personality variables (i.e. overcommitment and Type A personality) within the ERI model and to expand and extend the ERI model by investigating the contribution of individual reward components to both psychological (i.e. psychological distress) and attitudinal (i.e. affective commitment) employee strain indicators. A total of 897 police officers from a large Australian police agency participated in the study. The results provided no evidence of an interaction effect of effort or reward with overcommitment. The Type A variables did, however, make significant contributions and were involved in a number of interactions, suggesting that the person-specific component of the ERI model could be extended with the Type A personality profile. The findings also suggest that the esteem component of reward has the greatest relevance to employee outcomes, although tangible aspects of reward are more likely to act as a buffer of perceived work demand.

The work-based predictors of job engagement and job satisfaction experienced by community health professionals

Background: Job engagement represents a critical resource for community-based health care agencies to achieve high levels of effectiveness. However, studies examining the organizational sources of job engagement among health care professionals have generally overlooked those workers based in community settings. Purpose: This study drew on the demand–control model, in addition to stressors that are more specific to community health services (e.g., unrewarding management practices), to identify conditions that are closely associated with the engagement experienced by a community health workforce. Job satisfaction was also included as a way of assessing how the predictors of job engagement differ from those associated with other job attitudes. Methodology/Approach: Health and allied health care professionals (n = 516) from two Australian community health services took part in the current investigation. Responses from the two organizations were pooled and analyzed using linear multiple regression. Findings: The analyses revealed that three working conditions were predictive of both job engagement and job satisfaction (i.e., job control, quantitative demands, and unrewarding management practices). There was some evidence of differential effects with cognitive demands being associated with job engagement, but not job satisfaction. Practice Implications: The results provide important insights into the working conditions that, if addressed, could play key roles in building a more engaged and satisfied community health workforce. Furthermore, working conditions like job control and management practices are amenable to change and thus represent important areas where community health services could enhance the energetic and motivational resources of their employees.

An application of an extended effort-reward imbalance model to police absenteeism behaviour

Purpose – Frequent absences from work can be highly disruptive, whilst also potentially indicating problematic working conditions that can lead to increased withdrawal behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to test the predictive capability of an expanded effort-reward imbalance model on employee absenteeism within the context of policing. Design/methodology/approach – Three separate reward systems are identified by the effort-reward imbalance model. In this study, the authors assessed these individual components for their contribution to officer withdrawal behaviour in the form of absenteeism frequency. Data were gathered from a sample of operational officers (n=553) within a large Australian police agency. Findings – Findings indicate that there was a strong influence of social rewards such as social support and recognition in the workplace on officer absenteeism rates. Low workload was associated with a higher frequency of absenteeism suggesting a potential underloading effect. There were a number of ...

Effectiveness of suicide prevention programs for emergency and protective services employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND This brief report summarizes the international literature on the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs for protective and emergency services employees. METHODS A systematic search of 11 electronic databases was undertaken until June 30, 2015. Quantitative meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of these programs on suicide rates at post-intervention. Qualitative analyses were also used to identify program components that may be associated with reductions in suicide rates. RESULTS A total of 13 studies were included. Only six reported sufficient information on suicide rates to enable inclusion in quantitative analyses, however. On average, these programs were associated with an approximate halving in suicide rates over an average follow-up period of 5.25 years (SD = 4.2; range: 1-11) (Incidence Rate Ratio 0.45, 95%CI 0.31-0.65; five studies; I2 14.8%). Few programs integrated activities at the primary prevention level. CONCLUSION A greater focus on the relatively neglected area of workplace primary prevention could further improve suicide prevention effectiveness. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:394-407, 2017.

How can organisations help employees thrive? The development of guidelines for promoting positive mental health at work

Purpose Benefits of positive mental health have been demonstrated across work and non-work domains. Individuals reporting positive mental health experience better work performance, better social relationships and better physical health. Additionally, positive work environments can contribute to employee mental health. The purpose of this paper is to develop “expert” consensus regarding practical, actionable strategies that organisations can implement to promote positive mental health in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach A Delphi consensus method was used to establish expert consensus on strategies to promote positive workplace mental health. A 278-item questionnaire was developed and strategies were rated over three survey rounds by two panels comprising 36 workplace mental health practitioners and 36 employer representatives and employees (27 and 9, respectively), employees with experience of promoting positive mental health and well-being in the workplace (total – 72 panellists). Findings In total, 220/278 strategies were rated as essential or important by at least 80 per cent of both panels. Endorsed strategies covered the topics of: mental health and well-being strategy, work environment that promotes positive mental health, positive leadership styles, effective communication, designing jobs for positive mental health, recruitment and selection, supporting and developing employees, work-life balance, and positive mental health and well-being initiatives. Originality/value The guidelines arising from this study represent expert consensus on what is currently appropriate for promoting positive mental health at work from the perspectives of workplace mental health practitioners, employers and employees, and constitute a resource for translating the growing body of knowledge in this area into policy and practice.

Wellbeing-enhancing workplaces

Introduction Mental health is a core component of quality of life. Without it, people are likely to experience problems or distress in various aspects of their lives, including their relationships, their work and their physical health (Huppert and So, 2009 ; WHO, 2005 ). Improving mental health helps people to function more eff ectively at work and in society more generally (Dewe and Kompier, 2008 ). People with higher levels of mental health achieve superior outcomes including better work performance, better social relationships and better physical health (e.g. Huppert, 2009 ; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005 ; Richman et al., 2005 ). Clearly mental health is an important resource that allows people to lead more successful and subjectively enjoyable lives. Participating in work can signifi cantly improve employee mental health and, importantly, facilitate eff ective recovery from mental illness. However, while being employed is better for mental health than being unemployed in general, it is important to note that jobs with poor psychosocial quality are worse for mental health than having no job at all (Butterworth et al., 2011 ). In this chapter, we explore the impact that work can have on mental health outcomes and what workplaces can do to enhance the wellbeing of those already employed. Th is includes looking at the ‘dark side’ of work and how workplaces can harm employee mental health, as well as what workplaces can do to enhance employee wellbeing. We argue that wellbeing-enhancing workplaces are those that both prevent the harmful aspects of work by identifying, assessing and managing stressful working conditions and enhance the health-promoting and-protective aspects of work.