Donald M. Truxillo

Newcomer Adjustment During Organizational Socialization: A Meta- Analytic Review of Antecedents, Outcomes, and Methods

The authors tested a model of antecedents and outcomes of newcomer adjustment using 70 unique samples of newcomers with meta-analytic and path modeling techniques. Specifically, they proposed and tested a model in which adjustment (role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance) mediated the effects of organizational socialization tactics and information seeking on socialization outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, intentions to remain, and turnover). The results generally supported this model. In addition, the authors examined the moderating effects of methodology on these relationships by coding for 3 methodological issues: data collection type (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional), sample characteristics (school-to-work vs. work-to-work transitions), and measurement of the antecedents (facet vs. composite measurement). Discussion focuses on the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research.

Whistle While You Work: A Review of the Life Satisfaction Literature

Life satisfaction is a key indicator of subjective well-being. This article is a review of the multidisciplinary literature on the relationship between life satisfaction and the work domain. A discussion of top-down and bottom-up theories of life satisfaction is included, and the literatures on work-related antecedents of life satisfaction, the proximal mediators (quality of work life, quality of nonwork life, and feelings of self-worth), and consequences of life satisfaction were reviewed. A meta-analysis of life satisfaction with respect to career satisfaction, job performance, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment was performed. Each major section of the article concludes with a future opportunities subsection where gaps in the research are discussed.

Selection fairness information and applicant reactions: A longitudinal field study

Although laboratory studies have found that selection information can affect applicant perceptions, this has not been tested in the field. The authors followed 2 cohorts of police applicants (N = 274) in a longitudinal study to examine the relationship between information, applicant perceptions, and behavior (e.g., turnover). Information was related to perceived fairness measured at the time of testing and 1 month later when applicants received their results. Information moderated the relationship between outcome favorability and test-taking self-efficacy among African Americans but not among Whites. Information was not related to the behavioral measures. The discussion focuses on why certain findings from previous studies were not replicated and on the use of information when applicants have an investment in getting a job.

A lifespan perspective on job design: Fitting the job and the worker to promote job satisfaction, engagement, and performance

The workforce in most industrialized countries is aging. However, the role of age in job design has largely been ignored. In the present paper, we apply lifespan development perspectives to the interaction between job characteristics and age. Specifically, we examine the possible joint effects of age and job characteristics on job satisfaction, engagement, and performance, developing a series of propositions to guide future research. We also discuss possible boundary conditions, mediating mechanisms, and future research challenges.

Development and Examination of an Expectancy-Based Measure of Test-Taking Motivation

A 10-item multidimensional measure of test-taking motivation based on expectancy theory, the Valence, Instrumentality, Expectancy Motivation Scale (VIEMS), was developed using a student sample (N = 90) and tested using 2 samples of job applicants in a field setting (N = 296; N = 246). In Field Study 1, the VIEMS was related to test performance. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the VIEMS explained variance in test score beyond a general measure of test motivation. In a second longitudinal field study, pretest and posttest perceptions of motivation were compared. Results indicated that expectancy was related to actual test performance, and perceived test performance accounted for variance in posttest reports of motivation after controlling for pretest levels of motivation. Test-taking motivation did not account for variance in test performance differences between African Americans and Whites in either field study.

Selection in the Information Age: The Impact of Privacy Concerns and Computer Experience on Applicant Reactions

The authors examined the influence of personal information privacy concerns and computer experience on applicants’ reactions to online screening procedures. Study 1 used a student sample simulating application for a fictitious management intern job with a state personnel agency (N = 117) and employed a longitudinal, laboratory-based design. Study 2 employed a field sample of actual applicants (N = 396) applying for jobs online. As predicted, procedural justice mediated the relationship between personal information privacy concerns and test-taking motivation, organizational attraction, and organizational intentions in the laboratory and field. Experience with computers moderated the relationship between procedural justice with test-taking motivation and organizational intentions in the field but not in the laboratory sample. Implications are discussed in terms of the importance of considering applicants’ personal information privacy concerns and testing experience when designing online recruitment and selection systems.

Differential effects of task variety and skill variety on burnout and turnover intentions for older and younger workers

The purpose of the present studies was to compare the effects of two job characteristics, task variety and skill variety, on the burnout and turnover intentions of older and younger workers. Based on socioemotional selectivity theory and selective optimization with compensation theory, we hypothesized that task variety would lead to more positive outcomes for younger workers, whereas skill variety would lead to more positive outcomes for older workers. Across two samples using time-lagged designs, we found that increased task variety led to less work-related burnout and turnover intentions for younger workers compared to older workers. On the other hand, increased skill variety led to lower turnover intentions for older workers than for younger workers. We discuss the implications for lifespan ageing theories and for organizational practices regarding older and younger workers.

Effectiveness of Total Worker Health Interventions

Total Worker Health (TWH) was introduced and the term was trademarked in 2011 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to formally signal the expansion of traditional occupational safety and health (OSH) to include wellness and well-being. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and other databases using keywords TWH, health promotion, health protection, and variants for articles meeting the criteria of (a) employing both occupational safety and/or health (OSH, or health protection) and wellness and/or well-being (health promotion, or HP) in the same intervention study, and (b) reporting both OSH and HP outcomes. Only 17 published studies met these criteria. All but 1 of the 17 TWH interventions improved risk factors for injuries and/or chronic illnesses, and 4 improved 10 or more risk factors. Several TWH interventions reported sustained improvements for over a year, although only 1 is readily available for dissemination. These results suggest that TWH interventions that address both injuries and chronic diseases can improve workforce health effectively and more rapidly than the alternative of separately employing more narrowly focused programs to change the same outcomes in serial fashion. These 17 articles provide useful examples of how TWH interventions can be structured. The promise of simultaneous improvements in safety, health, and well-being leads to the call to pursue TWH research to identify and disseminate best practices.

Multiple Dimensions of Procedural Justice: Longitudinal Effects on Selection System Fairness and Test‐Taking Self‐Efficacy

To demonstrate the multidimensionality of test fairness, we examined the reactions of 246 police applicants to two consecutive selection tests (written and video-based) in terms of eight dimensions of fairness. As hypothesized, each test was seen as more fair in terms of certain dimensions. Furthermore, test fairness measured immediately after each test predicted perceptions of overall selection system fairness measured after candidates received their test results and after controlling for applicants’ selection outcomes (i.e., whether they were eligible for further consideration in the selection process). Job-relatedness/content for the video-based test interacted with test score to affect test-taking self-efficacy. Our discussion focuses on the multidimensionality of test fairness, the contribution of these dimensions to overall selection system fairness, and the consideration of these dimensions in selection system design.

Temp-to-permanent employees: a longitudinal study of stress and selection success.

Temp-to-permanent employees are temporary workers who have the opportunity to become permanent employees after a specific amount of time (e.g., generally after a 3- to 12-month period of trial work). The authors predicted that temporary worker individual differences, self-monitoring, tolerance for ambiguity, and role adjustment are related to temporary worker physiological stress and to whether temporary employees are offered permanent employment. Longitudinal data collection (pre- and postentry) resulted in data from 136 temp-to-permanent employees. Tolerance for ambiguity and role adjustment were found to be related to temporary worker stress and selection success. Self-monitoring was related to selection success for workers in an extended probationary period. These results suggest the need for further exploration and application of models of stress in understanding factors related to temporary worker success.