Marcello Russo

The relationship between work‐family enrichment and nurse turnover

Purpose - The central aim of this paper is to test a model in which work-family enrichment is associated with lower levels of professional turnover through higher levels of job satisfaction and professional commitment. Design/methodology/approach - The bootstrap procedure for estimating indirect correlations in multiple mediator models was used to test the hypotheses. Findings - The findings show that nurses experiencing high levels of work-family enrichment are likely to report lower intentions to leave their profession by virtue of their higher levels of professional commitment. Research limitations/implications - The research relies on a cross-sectional design with a single source of data. Practical implications - The research suggests that management should foster work-family enrichment since this appears to be linked to decreased turnover intentions. Social implications - There is a shortage of nurses in Italy and many other countries, which has negative consequences for high-quality nursing care and costs of the healthcare system, and the results of the present study suggest ways in which nurse retention could be improved. Originality/value - This study contributes to work-family literature by addressing the relationship between work-family enrichment and professional-related outcomes.

Workplace and family support and work–life balance: Implications for individual psychological availability and energy at work

This study presents three studies that explore the ways in which multiple support sources (workplace and family social support) help individuals to experience work–life balance (WLB) and thereby develop a sense psychological availability and positive energy at work. We examine this serial mediation model across three population groups in Israel using time-lagged data from part-time students (sample 1), as well cross-sectional data from workers in the industrial sector (sample 2) and physicians in public hospitals (sample 3). The results indicate a complex process in which workplace and family support augment employee positive energy through WLB and psychological availability. The findings shed light on the importance of support from work and nonwork sources for the pursuit of employees to achieve balance in the spheres of work and life and suggest that the WLB helps in the development of psychological availability and augmenting employee positive energy.

When Family Supportive Supervisors Meet Employees’ Need for Caring Implications for Work–Family Enrichment and Thriving

This article presents two studies that examine the moderated multiple mediation model between Family Supportive Supervisors Behaviors (FSSB) and individual’s thriving at work through psychological availability and work–family enrichment at conditional levels of need for caring. Drawing on the Resource-Gain-Development framework and self-determination theory, the results of the 6-month time-lagged data demonstrate, in Study 1 (Italian sample = 156), that FSSB is associated with greater individual thriving at work via work–family enrichment and that this indirect relationship is significant exclusively for those who perceive a higher need for caring. In Study 2 (Chinese sample = 356), the results demonstrate the relationship between FSSB and thriving at work is serially mediated by both psychological availability and work–family enrichment at the conditional level of need for caring. In particular, the results demonstrate that individuals with a higher need for caring responded more favorably to the presence of a family supportive supervisor than those experiencing a lower need for caring. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Work–family conflict and job insecurity: are workers from different generations experiencing true differences?

This paper explores the question whether workers of different generations significantly diverge in their perceptions of work–family conflict and job insecurity and implications of such differences on affective commitment and job satisfaction. Given the explorative nature of this study, we use a multi-method approach which relies on a focus group with Italian graduated students and on a field study with workers from an Italian food processing company respectively grouped in three generational cohorts: Baby Boomers, gen Xers, and Millennials. Overall, our findings demonstrate that workers belonging to different generational cohorts display divergent perceptions of work–family conflict and job insecurity. However, the effects of such perceptions on work attitudes are not directly correlated with the experienced levels of job insecurity and work–family conflict. That is, although Millennials tend to perceive a higher level of job insecurity than Baby Boomers and gen Xers, job insecurity is more likely to produce negative consequences on work attitudes among Baby Boomers and gen Xers rather than among Millennials. Notably, our findings indicate that there are no significant differences with regard to the effects of work–family conflict on affective commitment and job satisfaction among the three generational cohorts considered.

Motivational mechanisms influencing error reporting among nurses

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore antecedents, namely reasons for/against error reporting, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control, of nurses’ intentions to report their errors at work. Design/methodology/approach – A structured equation model with cross-sectional data were estimated to test the hypotheses on a sample of 188 Italian nurses. Findings – Reasons for/against error reporting were associated with attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control. Further, reasons against were related to nurses’ intentions to report errors whereas reasons for error reporting were not. Lastly, perceived control was found to partially mediate the effects of reasons against error reporting on nurses’ intentions to act. Research limitations/implications – Self-report data were collected at one point in time. Practical implications – This study offers recommendations to healthcare managers on what factors may encourage nurses to report their errors. Social implications – Lack of error repor...

Put Down That Phone! Smart Use of Smartphones for Work and Beyond:

Although we use our smartphone for many important daily activities, overreliance on them can have some unintended and unfortunate consequences. Unlike the devices used by prior generations, smartphones are more than mere inanimate objects, and instead have become personally involved “subjects.” All of us—including individuals, organizations, families, and even societies—need to become more aware of the risks associated with such powerful communication devices. We acknowledge the myriad benefits and promises of smartphones, but also highlight their downsides. We identify a series of initiatives that could foster a greater awareness on the costs and benefits of such devices for the sake of employees, their employers, and many stakeholders outside of work.

Boundary Management Permeability and Relationship Satisfaction in Dual-Earner Couples: The Asymmetrical Gender Effect

Given the increasing use of technology and the growing blurring of the boundaries between the work and nonwork domains, decisions about when to interrupt work for family and vice versa can have critical implications for relationship satisfaction within dual-earner couples. Using a sample of 104 dual-earner couples wherein one of the partners is a member of the largest Italian smartphone-user community, this study examines how variation in boundary management permeability within dual-earner couples relates to partner relationship satisfaction, and whether the effect differed by gender and partners’ agreement on caregiving roles in the family. Using actor–partner analysis, we examined the degree to which an individual and his or her partner’s level of family-interrupting work behaviors (FIWB, e.g., taking a call from the partner while at work) and work-interrupting family behaviors (WIFB, e.g., checking work emails during family dinner) was positively related to relationship satisfaction. Results show that women experienced greater relationship satisfaction than men when their partners engaged in higher levels of FIWB, and this relationship was stronger when partners had perceptual congruence on who is primarily responsible for caregiving arrangements in the family. This study advances research on dual-earner couples by showing the importance of examining boundary management permeability as a family social phenomenon capturing transforming gender roles.

Minaccia da stereotipo e comportamenti organizzativi per gli operatori sanitari

La minaccia da stereotipo fa riferimento alla condizione psicologica di ansia e apprensione di quei lavoratori che, impegnati in un’attivita, temono di essere valutati negativamente in quanto giudicati sulla base di stereotipi. La letteratura sul tema evidenzia che la minaccia da stereotipo determina conseguenze negative per i lavoratori coinvolti da tale condizione, sia sul piano fisico sia su quello psicologico. Nel presente studio si ipotizza che la minaccia da stereotipo influenzi negativamente i comportamenti organizzativi degli operatori sanitari e, in particolare, la soddisfazione sul lavoro, la decisione di comunicare gli errori e la percezione di supporto organizzativo con riferimento a tale difficile decisione. Considerata la diffusa presenza di stereotipi di genere all’interno dei contesti sanitari, si ipotizza che tali effetti siano avvertiti con maggiore intensita dalle donne rispetto agli uomini. I risultati della ricerca evidenziano che la minaccia da stereotipo e associata negativamente alla soddisfazione sul lavoro e alla percezione di ricevere supporto con riferimento alla decisione di comunicare gli errori. Inoltre, soltanto per quest’ultima relazione emerge una significativa differenza nei comportamenti tra uomini e donne. Le implicazioni di tali risultati per la ricerca scientifica e per il management delle strutture sanitarie sono presentate nella sezione finale del presente lavoro.

Inquadramento concettuale, prospettive teoriche e tendenze evolutive negli studi sulla diversità nei gruppi di lavoro

La diversita nei gruppi di lavoro rappresenta un tema di grande interesse per il mondo accademico e manageriale. La crescente attenzione verso tale tematica e riconducibile a due fenomeni ricorrenti nelle realta organizzative moderne. Da un lato si consideri la diffusa tendenza nelle aziende ad un estensivo utilizzo del gruppo quale strumento per favorire processi decisionali su problemi complessi, una maggiore flessibilita ed una efficace gestione della complessita ambientale. Dall’altro lato si osserva la rilevanza dei recenti cambiamenti demografici della forza lavoro, caratterizzati da un incremento della partecipazione delle donne, degli ultracinquantenni e delle minoranze etnico-razziali alla vita lavorativa che hanno reso la diversita un fenomeno o una condizione quotidianamente presente nell’organizzazione. La letteratura sul tema evidenzia che la diversita rappresenta un’arma a doppio taglio, rappresentando al tempo stesso un valore aggiunto ed un elemento di debolezza per le organizzazioni. L’eterogeneita dei componenti di un gruppo, infatti, rappresenta un valore aggiunto per le aziende alla luce della pluralita di competenze, abilita e frame cognitivi presenti che favorisce la considerazione di prospettive di analisi nuove e altrimenti mai considerate. Tuttavia, se non adeguatamente gestita, la diversita puo trasformarsi rapidamente in un elemento di debolezza. La diversita, infatti, puo accrescere la tensione all’interno del gruppo, favorendo la nascita di coalizioni o sottogruppi che possono minare la coesione interna e ridurre la capacita decisionale di un gruppo. Alla luce delle presenti considerazioni, questo articolo si propone di illustrare i principali meccanismi di azione della diversita all’interno dei gruppi di lavoro. Al fine di favorire una maggiore comprensione del tema, sara affrontato in primis il problema dell’inquadramento concettuale attraverso un’analisi delle principali definizioni presenti in letteratura ed una descrizione delle dimensioni piu rilevanti con cui la diversita puo manifestarsi all’interno dei gruppi di lavoro. Nella seconda parte del lavoro si considerano gli effetti che la diversita produce sulle dinamiche organizzative dei gruppi di lavoro. L’attenzione e posta su una serie di prospettive di analisi che permettono di illustrare gli effetti che la diversita puo generare sui processi relazionali e sui processi decisionali di gruppo. Infine, considerati i recenti contributi sul tema, il lavoro si conclude delineando tre aree di ricerca futura che possono stimolare un proficuo dibattito tra gli studiosi sul tema e rappresentare allo stesso tempo un’interessante research agenda per gli anni avvenire.