Michal Biron

Job Burnout and Depression: Unraveling Their Temporal Relationship and Considering the Role of Physical Activity

Job burnout and depression have been generally found to be correlated with one another. However, evidence regarding the job burnout-depression association is limited in that most studies are cross-sectional in nature. Moreover, little is known about factors that may influence the job burnout-depression association, other than individual or organizational factors (e.g., gender, supervisor support). The current study seeks to address these gaps by (a) unraveling the temporal relationship between job burnout and depression and (b) examining whether the job burnout-depression association may be contingent upon the degree to which employees engage in physical activity. On the basis of a full-panel 3-wave longitudinal design with a large sample of employees (N = 1,632), latent difference score modeling indicated that an increase in depression from Time 1 to Time 2 predicts an increase in job burnout from Time 2 to Time 3, and vice versa. In addition, physical activity attenuated these effects in a dose-response manner, so that the increase in job burnout and depression was strongest among employees who did not engage in physical activity and weakest to the point of nonsignificance among those engaging in high physical activity.

Negative reciprocity and the association between perceived organizational ethical values and organizational deviance

Perceived organizational ethical values refer to employees’ beliefs concerning what practices are acceptable or appropriate in their organization (Trevino, 1990). Previous work suggests that these perceptions can be a significant factor in employee behavior, with normative influence often assumed to be the underlying mechanism (Peterson, 2002). The current article incorporates another theoretical lens, namely social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), and, in particular, negative reciprocity, to suggest that mistreatment at work — in the form of abusive supervision and lack of organizational support — may undermine the normative influence of perceived ethical values. The results indicate a negative association between perceived organizational ethical values and organizational deviance. This generally negative association was countered by abusive supervision and strengthened by organizational support, with both moderators suggesting an overt effect of negative reciprocity on employee behavior, especially when the trustee’s (i.e. the supervisor’s or employer’s) actions seem to be misaligned with perceived organizational ethical values.

Alcohol consumption and workplace absenteeism: The moderating effect of social support

Although it is commonly assumed that alcohol consumption has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, the nature of the alcohol-absence relationship remains poorly understood. Proposing that alcohol impairment likely serves as a key mechanism linking drinking and work absence, we posit that this relationship is likely governed less by the amount of alcohol consumed and more by the way it is consumed. Using a prospective study design and a random sample of urban transit workers, we found that the frequency of heavy episodic drinking over the previous month is positively associated with the number of days of absence recorded in the subsequent 12-month period, whereas modal consumption (a metric capturing the typical amount of alcohol consumed in a given period of time) is not. In addition, consistent with both volitional treatments of absenteeism and social exchange theory, perceived coworker support was found to attenuate, and supervisory support to amplify, the link between the frequency of heavy episodic drinking and absenteeism.

The impact of structural empowerment on individual well-being and performance: Taking agent preferences, self-efficacy and operational constraints into account

We integrate psychological and socio-structural perspectives on empowerment by examining: a) the impact of actual structural empowerment initiatives (as opposed to perceptions of such empowering acts) aimed at enhancing employee influence over which tasks to perform (as opposed to how to perform them) on employee well-being and performance, b) the degree to which self-efficacy mediates these effects, and c) the extent to which, by applying such initiatives more selectively, performance-related empowerment effects may be amplified. Results of a simulation-based experiment indicate that while granting decision latitude over which tasks to perform has beneficial effects on both individual performance and well-being, self-efficacy partially mediates the effects only on the latter. Results also indicate that the direct performance-related effects of such interventions may be further increased without any significant decline in employee well-being to the extent that such structural empowerment is applied more selectively and offered as a performance-based incentive.

Aversive workplace conditions and absenteeism: taking referent group norms and supervisor support into account.

Past research reveals inconsistent findings regarding the association between aversive workplace conditions and absenteeism, suggesting that other, contextual factors may play a role in this association. Extending contemporary models of absence, we draw from the social identity theory of attitude-behavior relations to examine how peer absence-related norms and leader support combine to explain the effect of aversive workplace conditions on absenteeism. Using a prospective design and a random sample of transit workers, we obtained results indicating that perceived job hazards and exposure to critical incidents are positively related to subsequent absenteeism, but only under conditions of more permissive peer absence norms. Moreover, this positive impact of peer norms on absenteeism is amplified among employees perceiving their supervisor to be less supportive and is attenuated to the point of nonsignificance among those viewing their supervisor as more supportive.

Temporal issues in person–organization fit, person–job fit and turnover: The role of leader–member exchange

Person–environment fit has been found to have significant implications for employee attitudes and behaviors. Most research to date has approached person–environment fit as a static phenomenon, and without examining how different types of person–environment fit may affect each other. In particular, little is known about the conditions under which fit with one aspect of the environment influences another aspect, as well as subsequent behavior. To address this gap we examine the role of leader–member exchange in the relationship between two types of person–environment fit over time: person–organization and person–job fit, and subsequent turnover. Using data from two waves (T1 and T2, respectively) and turnover data collected two years later (T3) from a sample of 160 employees working in an elderly care organization in the Netherlands, we find that person–organization fit at T1 is positively associated with person–job fit at T2, but only for employees in high-quality leader–member exchange relationships. Higher needs–supplies fit at T2 is associated with lower turnover at T3. In contrast, among employees in high-quality leader–member exchange relationships, the demands–abilities dimension of person–job fit at T2 is associated with higher turnover at T3.

Work-Related Risk Factors and Employee Substance Use: Insights From a Sample of Israeli Blue-Collar Workers

Although studies have found evidence that certain workplace conditions in North American enterprises may serve as risk factors for alcohol and illicit drug use, little is known regarding the generalizability of these findings to enterprises in other countries. To address this gap, we collected data from a random sample of 569 blue-collar workers employed in nine different facilities of one of Israels largest manufacturing firms. The results of zero-inflated Poisson and ordered probit regressions partly confirmed earlier findings reported in North America, with a heightened rate of a substance use among those perceiving (a) more permissive drinking norms, (b) lower supervisor ability to handle substance use problems, (c) greater exposure to job hazards, and (d) lower levels of coworker interactions. Permissive drinking norms were also found to moderate the associations between the other risk factors and substance use.

Restoring balance? Status inconsistency, absenteeism, and HRM practices

Although it is commonly assumed that perceptions of equity at work have a significant impact on employee absenteeism, our understanding of the equity–absence relationship is limited in that (1) little is known about equity concepts other than procedural and distributive justice; and (2) for the most part, research has overlooked variables likely to mediate and moderate the impact of equity on absenteeism. Drawing from the effort–reward imbalance model (ERI; Siegrist, 1996), our study advances past research by investigating the association between status inconsistency (a situation in which there is a mismatch between, for example, a persons education and his/her income) and absenteeism, and the variables likely to account for this association. Results from a sample of 416 customer-care employees show that stress mediates the relationship between status inconsistency and absenteeism, and that HRM practices attenuate this relationship. Moderated mediation analyses further reveal that HRM practices moderate the indirect effect of status inconsistency on absenteeism via stress.

THE PREVALENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEE SUBSTANCE-RELATED PROBLEMS AND PROGRAMS IN THE ISRAELI WORKPLACE

We used a national sample of 100 Israeli enterprises to examine the prevalence and distribution of employee substance-related workplace problems, as well as the prevalence and distribution of alternative programs/policies aimed at addressing such problems among Israeli workplaces. Although 29% of the responding firms reported having handled one or more cases involving employee workplace substance use or impairment, across these firms, only 53 actual cases were reported. Given an average enterprise size of 325 employees, this suggests a workforce prevalence rate for such problems of 0.16%. Only 10% of the enterprises studied offered any type of substance-related employee assistance, and only 12% included a specific reference to substance use in their discipline policy. The social policy and workplace implications of these findings are discussed.

Job Demand–Control–Support and diabetes risk: The moderating role of self-efficacy

Work-related stressors, including high demands and low control, play a significant role in the aetiology of diabetes. Nevertheless, most studies focus on main effects, and few consider individual differences that may moderate the stress–health association. Drawing from the Job Demands–Control-–Support (JDC-S) model, this study addresses this gap by testing how baseline levels of JDC-S affect an increase in two risk factors for diabetes—glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG)—and by investigating the moderating role of self-efficacy. Participants (N = 1618) were Israeli employees who attended two consecutive routine health examinations. All were free of diabetes at baseline. JDC-S and self-efficacy were assessed at baseline (T1), and HbA1C and FPG were assessed at T1 and T2. Data were analysed with logistic and linear regressions, controlling for well-established diabetes risk factors. High demands and low support predicted an increase in HbA1C and FPG. In addition, high self-efficacy interacted with high demands and with low control in the prediction of an increase in HbA1C and FPG. Although employees with high self-efficacy might function well at work, overloading them may harm their physical health. Similarly, incongruence between employees’ sense of ability and the control given to them at work may result in physical impairment.