I.J. Hetty van Emmerik

Advancements in crossover theory

Purpose – The central aim of this paper is to give an overview of theory and research on the crossover of (work‐related) wellbeing from employees to their partners at home. In addition, it seeks to discuss studies on the crossover of wellbeing from employees to their colleagues in the workplace. It aims to discuss possible moderators of the crossover effect and delineate a research agenda.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a literature review.Findings – The review of the literature shows that strain may spillover from work to home, and consequently influence, the wellbeing of ones partner. Additionally, the paper discusses recent studies documenting that the enthusiasm for ones work may cross over to the partner as well. Furthermore, research has shown that employees influence one another in the workplace. Several conditions may facilitate such crossover, including the frequency of interactions, empathy, susceptibility to contagion, and similarity. The paper outlines a research ag...

Regulatory focus at work : the moderating role of regulatory focus in the job demands-resources model

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating role of regulatory focus in the job demands‐resources model.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted among 146 teachers in secondary education. It was expected that detrimental effects of job demands (i.e. workload, interpersonal conflict) on emotional exhaustion would be more pronounced among individuals with a strong prevention focus (oriented towards safety and security). Favorable effects of job resources (i.e. autonomy, social support) on motivational outcomes were expected to be more pronounced among individuals with a strong promotion focus (oriented towards growth and development).Findings – The hypotheses regarding the moderating role of prevention focus were confirmed, but the moderating effect of promotion focus appeared to be exactly opposite to expectations. The effect of job resources on motivational outcomes was more pronounced for individuals with a weak promotion focus.Originality/value – To the bes...

Deep-Level Similarity and Group Social Capital: Associations With Team Functioning

This study examines the associations of deep-level and surface-level similarity with team functioning (i.e., team effectiveness, team in-role performance, and team satisfaction). Hypotheses were tested using data from 420 teachers in 57 teams in secondary education. These teams were tightly integrated units in which teachers from different functional areas had to work together. From the results of multilevel analyses, it appeared that especially deep-level similarity was important for team functioning. Cross-level interactions showed a moderating effect of group social capital on the association of deep-level similarity with team functioning, but there was no such relationship found for surface-level similarity. Especially in teams with high group social capital, deep-level similarity was associated with improved team functioning.

Mismatch in working hours and affective commitment : Differential relationships for distinct employee groups

Purpose – This study examined the relationship between two types of mismatch (i.e. non-correspondence between preferred and actual number of hours), and affective commitment. It was argued that specific groups of employees, i.e. women and part-time working employees, attach more importance to their working hours and, therefore, are less likely to show affective commitment when they experience a mismatch. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from 222 employees of a Dutch Ministry, hypotheses were tested using regression analyses. Findings – It was shown that a mismatch of working more hours was differentially related to the affective commitment of employees who wanted to work more and who wanted to work fewer hours. Moreover, gender and full-time status were found to moderate the negative relationship between a mismatch and the affective commitment of employees who wants to work less. Research limitations/implications – The focus is on affective commitment; however, it is possible that other types of commitment are also associated with perceptions of psychological contract breach. Practical implications – Tailored HRM is needed: assisting employees with a mismatch wanting to work fewer hours can be achieved by allowing them more flexibility in their working schedules. Employees with a mismatch of wanting to work more hours can be assisted with additional support, e.g. shopping services. Originality/value – HRM practices can be tailored to different preferences: the value of this paper is the examination of different types of mismatch for different group of employees.

It Is Not Only Mentoring: The Combined Influences of Individual-Level and Team-Level Support on Job Performance.

Purpose – The paper aims to follow social exchange theory and group social capital theory, to predict positive relationships between (informal) mentoring and various support resources for two types of performance (i.e. perceptions of individual and team performance).Design/methodology/approach – The associations of individual‐level mentoring and team‐level support with job performance were examined in a cross‐level field study using data from 480 teachers working in 64 interdisciplinary teams.Findings – Multilevel analyses showed that after controlling for having a mentor, those teachers with more team‐level support resources scored higher on self‐reported job performance and perception of team performance. In line with expectations, the association between mentoring and individual job performance was stronger for teachers scoring high on team‐level support (i.e. support from informal networks and support from team orientation). One basic assumption of the present study was a positive relationship between...

Lending a helping hand : Provision of helping behaviors beyond professional career responsibilities

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate if gender and altruism evidence similar relationships with the different types of helping behaviors (e.g. organizational citizenship behaviors, OCBs; volunteering, vol; and helping kin, HK).Design/methodology/approach – Data from websurveys of 178 professional employees are analyzed using Zellners seemingly unrelated regression (SURE).Findings – Results indicate women engage in HK to a greater extent than men, however this difference between men and women in helping behaviors disappears when the other variables are entered in the model. Gender and altruism interacted to influence OCBs, such that the relationship was stronger for women than for men.Practical implications – An important implication of these results is that by knowing the motives that are most important to people, organizations may tailor their appeals to potential volunteers. Targeting potential volunteers is most effective when it matches peoples reasons for volunteering.Originality/v...

Skill utilization and well-being: a cross-level story of day-to-day fluctuations and personal intrinsic values

ABSTRACT The opportunity to use ones skills at work is an important prerequisite for employee well-being. Drawing on self-determination and person-environment fit theory, this diary study aims to add to our understanding of this important phenomenon in two ways. Firstly, we examine the associations of within-subject daily variations in skill utilization with well-being. Secondly, we model work value orientation as a between-subject factor that moderates this within-subject relationship. Specifically, we advocate that daily skill utilization is more beneficial (in terms of more daily work engagement and less daily emotional exhaustion) for employees holding predominantly intrinsic (i.e. self-development, community contribution) as opposed to extrinsic (i.e. financial success, status) values. Results of multilevel modelling using diary data from 99 service workers over five working days, supported the assumption that daily skill utilization was positively related to daily work engagement, particularly among employees holding a predominantly intrinsic work value orientation. Contrary to our expectations, daily skill utilization was unrelated to daily exhaustion, both for employees holding high and low intrinsic values. The discussion highlights the importance of, and employees’ receptiveness to, variations in beneficial working conditions.

What happens after the developmental assessment center?: Employees' reactions to unfavorable performance feedback

Purpose – Departing from Hobfolls conservation of resources theory, the paper aims to examine the relationship between resource losses (excessive job demands and unfavorable performance feedback) on the one hand, and negative job attitudes (dissatisfaction, reduced commitment, intention to leave) and burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment) on the other hand.Design/methodology/approach – The sample included surveys from 272 male constabulary officers who had participated in a developmental assessment center. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression.Findings – The results showed direct associations between resource losses and negative outcomes. There were indications for the development of loss spirals for four out of six negative outcomes. Specifically, these relationships between job demands and negative outcomes were stronger for those officers receiving unfavorable feedback than for officers not receiving unfavorable feedback.Practical implications – Employees confro...

Pay level satisfaction and employee outcomes: the moderating effect of autonomy and support climates

The present study examined autonomy climate (AC) and support climate (SC) as moderators of the relationship between pay level satisfaction (PLS) and employee outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction, affective commitment and intention to stay). Survey data were collected from 5801 Belgian employees, representing 148 units. The hypotheses derived from distributive justice theory and from research on the meaning of money received partial support. Multilevel analyses revealed that AC buffered the negative effects of low PLS on all three outcomes, and that SC exacerbated the negative effects of low PLS on intention to stay. Theoretical and practical implications of this differential moderating effect are discussed.