Maria Karanika-Murray

Optimising workplace interventions for health and well-being:A commentary on the limitations of the public health perspective within the workplace health arena

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss contemporary approaches to workplace health and well‐being, articulating key differences in the intervention architecture between public and workplace health contexts and implications for intervention design.Design/methodology/approach – Contemporary practice is discussed in light of calls for a paradigm shift in occupational health from a treatment orientation to an holistic approach focused on mitigation of the causes of ill health and the promotion of well‐being. In practice, relatively few organizations have or seem able to engage with a broader perspective that encompasses challenges to health and well‐being associated with contextual organizational drivers, e.g. job design/role, workload, systems of reward, leadership style and the underpinning climate. Drawing upon insights from public health and the workplace safety tradition, the scope for broadening the perspective on intervention (in terms of vectors of harm addressed, theory of change and inter...

Expanding the risk assessment methodology for work-related health: A technique for incorporating multivariate curvilinear effects

Abstract Although there is conceptual and empirical evidence that supports the existence of possible curvilinear relationships between job characteristics and health outcomes, risk assessments usually rely on linear estimation approaches. However, this approach may not be conducive to good risk management practice. Where curvilinear effects exist, it is possible for there to be too much of a beneficial work characteristic, or too little of one that is harmful. If that is the case then there will be an optimum level for health and well-being. This study explores a new risk estimation technique that can accommodate multivariate curvilinear relationships. The partial derivatives technique can provide stronger predictive utility, incorporate synergistic effects of predictors, and is supported by conceptual work and empirical evidence. To illustrate these ideas, a risk assessment was conducted on a sample of 354 police officers in Greece. Multivariate polynomial regression analyses indicated that a number of job characteristics salient to participants’ experiences were related to outcomes curvilinearly. A risk index (Ri) was derived from a range of values that represent the slopes of all possible lines tangential to the curve that describes the relationship between predictor and outcome. This technique may help to refine and extend current models of risk assessment for work-related health and stimulate new interest in research into risk assessment methodology.

Sickness presenteeism determines job satisfaction via affective-motivational states.

INTRODUCTION Research on the consequences of sickness presenteeism, or the phenomenon of attending work whilst ill, has focused predominantly on identifying its economic, health, and absenteeism outcomes, in the process neglecting important attitudinal-motivational outcomes. PURPOSE A mediation model of sickness presenteeism as a determinant of job satisfaction via affective-motivational states (specifically engagement with work and addiction to work) is proposed. This model adds to the current literature, by focussing on (i) job satisfaction as an outcome of presenteeism, and (ii) the psychological processes associated with this. It posits sickness presenteeism as psychological absence and work engagement and work addiction as motivational states that originate in that. METHODS An online survey on sickness presenteeism, work engagement, work addiction, and job satisfaction was completed by 158 office workers. RESULTS The results of bootstrapped mediation analysis with observable variables supported the model. Sickness presenteeism was negatively associated with job satisfaction. This relationship was fully mediated by both engagement with work and addiction to work, explaining a total of 48.07% of the variance in job satisfaction. Despite the small sample, the data provide preliminary support for the model. CONCLUSIONS Given that there is currently no available research on the attitudinal consequences of sickness presenteeism, these findings offer promise for advancing theorising in this area.

Examination of the Work Organization Assessment Questionnaire in public sector workers.

Objective: To investigate the utility of the Work and Organization Assessment Questionnaire (WOAQ) for public sector data. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in public sector organizations measuring demographics, work characteristics, work perceptions (WOAQ), sickness absence, and work performance. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the WOAQ showed that factor structure derived for the manufacturing sector, for which the questionnaire was developed, could be replicated moderately well with public sector data. The study then considered whether a better more specific fit for public sector data was possible. Principal components analysis of the public sector data identified a two-factor structure linked to four of the five scales of the WOAQ assessing Management and Work Design, and Work Culture. These two factors may offer a context-sensitive scoring method for the WOAQ in public sector populations. These two factors were found to have good internal consistency, and correlated with the full WOAQ scales and the measures of performance and absence. Conclusions: The WOAQ is a useful and potentially transferable tool. The modified scoring may be used to assess work and organizational factors in the public sector.

The use of artificial neural networks and multiple linear regression in modelling work-health relationships: Translating theory into analytical practice

Although psychological theory acknowledges the existence of complex systems and the importance of nonlinear effects, linear statistical models have been traditionally used to examine relationships between environmental stimuli and outcomes. The way we analyse these relationships does not seem to reflect the way we conceptualize them. The present study investigated the application of connectionism (artificial neural networks) to modelling the relationships between work characteristics and employee health by comparing it with a more conventional statistical linear approach (multiple linear regression) on a sample of 1003 individuals in employment. Comparisons of performance metrics indicated differences in model fit, with neural networks to some extent outperforming the linear regression models, such that R 2 for worn-out and job satisfaction were significantly higher in the neural networks. Most importantly, comparisons revealed that the predictors in the two approaches differed in their relative importance for predicting outcomes. The improvement is attributed to the ability of the neural networks to model complex nonlinear relationships. Being unconstrained by assumptions of linearity, they can provide a better approximation of such psychosocial phenomena. Nonlinear approaches are often better fitted for purpose, as they conform to the need for correspondence between theory, method, and data.

Workplace design: Conceptualizing and measuring workplace characteristics for motivation

Purpose – Although both job design and its broader context are likely to drive motivation, little is known about the specific workplace characteristics that are important for motivation. The purpose of this paper is to present the Workplace Characteristics Model, which describes the workplace characteristics that can foster motivation, and the corresponding multilevel Workplace Design Questionnaire. Design/methodology/approach – The model is configured as nine workplace attributes describing climate for motivation at two levels, psychological and organizational. The multilevel multi-time questionnaire was validated with data from 4,287 individuals and 212 workplaces and with integrated regulation as the criterion outcome. Findings – Multilevel factor analysis and regression indicated good internal reliability, construct validity, and stability over time, and excellent concurrent and predictive validity of the questionnaire. Practical implications – The model could help to optimize job and workplace design by contextualizing motivation. The questionnaire offers advancement over single-level climate measures as it is validated simultaneously at two levels. Further research can focus on overcoming the low response rate typical for online surveys, on need fulfillment as the mediating variable, and on the joint influence of job and workplace characteristics on organizational behavior. Originality/value – This work responds to calls to incorporate context in research into organizational behavior and job design. An understanding of the workplace is a first step in this direction. This questionnaire is the first to be validated at multiple levels of analysis. Ultimately, workplace design could support job design and the development of inherently motivating workplaces.

An effect evaluation of the psychosocial work environment of a university unit after a successfully implemented employeeship program

Purpose This study examined whether a successful implementation of an intervention could result in an effect evaluated independently from a process evaluation. It achieved this by evaluating the effects of an intervention, the ‘employeeship program’, designed to strengthen the psychosocial work environment through raising employees’ awareness and competence in interpersonal relationships and increasing their responsibility for their everyday work and working environment. Design/methodology/approach An employeeship intervention program was developed to improve the psychosocial work environment through reducing conflict among employees and strengthening the social community, empowering leadership, and increasing trust in management. An earlier process evaluation of the program found that it had been implemented successfully. The present effect evaluation supplemented this by examining its effect on the psychosocial work environment using two waves of the organization’s internal survey and comparing changes ...

From Black and White to Colours: Moving the Science of Organizational Interventions for Stress and Well-Being Forward

This last chapter reflects on the lessons learned, the insights offered, and the solutions generated by all the contributors to this book. Starting with the principle that we learn from failure as much as we learn from success, we aimed to organise these insights into a framework that reflects the four elements of organizational interventions: context, content, process, and criterion or outcome. This framework is not revolutionary; it comes from the fields of organizational change and programme evaluation. New here, however, is perhaps the move away from stages models that describe an interventions as going through concrete stages in a linear manner and towards a more functional and dynamic view of interventions. The chapters in this volume have illustrated with vivid examples how complex and unpredictable organizational interventions for stress and well-being can be in practice. They have also indicated the directions in which the science of interventions can progress, and we have outlined these here, together with our reflection on how we can move from black and white to all colour.

Engaging leaders at two hierarchical levels in organizational health interventions: Insights from the intervention team

Purpose Although visible leader support is an essential ingredient for successful organizational health interventions, knowledge on how leaders at different hierarchical levels engage with interventions is underdeveloped. The purpose of this paper is to explore leader engagement by drawing from the experiences of the intervention team. Design/methodology/approach Data from semi-structured interviews with the team responsible for implementing an organizational health intervention in two large UK organizations were used to examine how leaders at strategic (senior management) and operational (line managers) positions engaged with the intervention. Findings Thematic analysis uncovered 6 themes and 16 sub-themes covering the leaders’ initial reactions to the intervention, barriers to leader engagement, ways in which the intervention team dealt with these barriers, factors facilitating and factors accelerating leader engagement, and differences in engagement between leadership levels. Research limitations/implications This study can inform research into the conditions for optimizing leader engagement in organizational health interventions and beyond. Insights also emerged on the roles of leaders at different hierarchical levels and the value of perspective taking for intervention implementation. Practical implications Recommendations for bolstering the engagement of leaders in interventions are offered, that apply to all leaders or separately to leaders at strategic or operational levels. Originality/value The experiences of the intervention team who sought to engage leaders at different organizational levels to support the intervention are invaluable. Understanding how leader engagement can be maximized can better equip intervention teams for delivering successful interventions.

From Sickness Absenteeism to Presenteeism

Throughout the past decades, sickness absenteeism has received increased attention in Norway. An important motive for this has been that sickness absenteeism is relatively easily converted into costs. The term presenteeism has been the subject of growing interest in the field and is largely related to sickness absenteeism. This chapter concerns presenteeism and what this term contributes to the debate about sickness absenteeism.