N.C.G.M. Donders

Work characteristics and determinants of job satisfaction in four age groups: university employees’ point of view

PurposeTo investigate (a) differences in work characteristics and (b) determinants of job satisfaction among employees in different age groups.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire was filled in by 1,112 university employees, classified into four age groups. (a) Work characteristics were analysed with ANOVA while adjusting for sex and job classification. (b) Job satisfaction was regressed against job demands and job resources adapted from the Job Demands-Resources model.ResultsStatistically significant differences concerning work characteristics between age groups are present, but rather small. Regression analyses revealed that negative association of the job demands workload and conflicts at work with job satisfaction faded by adding job resources. Job resources were most correlated with more job satisfaction, especially more skill discretion and more relations with colleagues.ConclusionsSkill discretion and relations with colleagues are major determinants of job satisfaction. However, attention should also be given to conflicts at work, support from supervisor and opportunities for further education, because the mean scores of these work characteristics were disappointing in almost all age groups. The latter two characteristics were found to be associated significantly to job satisfaction in older workers.

Age differences in the associations between sick leave and aspects of health, psychosocial workload and family life: a cross-sectional study

Objectives To investigate differences in associations between sick leave and aspects of health, psychosocial workload, family life and work–family interference between four age groups (<36, 36–45, 46–55 and 55+ years). Design A cross-sectional study; a questionnaire was sent to the home addresses of all employees of a university. Setting A Dutch university. Participants 1843 employees returned the questionnaire (net response: 49.1%). The age distribution was as follows: <36: 32%; 36–45: 26%; 46–55: 27% and 55+: 12%. Primary outcomes Frequent sick leave (FSL, ≥3 times in the past 12 months) and prolonged sick leave (PSL, >2 weeks in total in the past 12 months). Differences between the age groups in independent variables and outcomes were investigated. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate associations between various variables and the sick leave outcomes. Interaction terms were included to detect differences between the age groups. Results Age differences were found for many work- and family-related characteristics but not in the mean scores for health-related aspects. Presence of chronic disease was reported more frequently with increasing age. The 55+ age group had almost two times less chance of FSL, but 1.6 times more chance of PSL than the <36 age group. Age moderates the associations between career opportunities, partners contribution in domestic tasks and sex, and FSL. Job security and pay, support from supervisor, challenging work and being breadwinner have different associations with PSL. However, life events in private lives and perceived health complaints are important in all age groups. FSL and PSL have some determinants in common, but there are differences between the outcomes as well. Conclusions Age should be treated as a variable of interest instead of a control variable. Employers and occupational physicians need to be aware that each phase in life has specific difficulties that can lead to FSL and PSL.

Age as a moderator in the relationship between work-related characteristics, job dissatisfaction and need for recovery

Job dissatisfaction and need for recovery are associated with voluntary turnover, absenteeism and diminished health. In the light of encouraging working longer, this study investigated whether the relationships between various work characteristics and job dissatisfaction and need for recovery are dependent on age. Cross-sectional questionnaire data from 591 university employees were divided into four age groups: < 36, 36–44, 45–54 and ≥ 55 years. Multivariate regression analyses were used, including interaction variables to detect a moderating effect of age group. Limited age group effects were found: only the association of Feedback with job dissatisfaction and Task variety with need for recovery were influenced by age group. The salience of specific work characteristics within the age groups varied: for job dissatisfaction, Task variety ( < 55) and Changes in tasks ( ≥ 55) were most important. For need for recovery, this applied to Autonomy ( < 36) and Workload ( ≥ 45). To encourage working longer, age-specific measures could be considered, in addition to individual measures, to respond to individual needs. Practitioner summary: Demographic changes increase the importance to stimulate working longer. Using questionnaire data, we investigated the relationship between work characteristics, job dissatisfaction and need for recovery in four age groups. Although the moderating effect of age group was rather limited, the salience of specific work characteristics within the age groups varied.

Perceptions of mental workload in Dutch university employees of different ages: a focus group study

BackgroundAs academic workload seems to be increasing, many studies examined factors that contribute to the mental workload of academics. Age-related differences in work motives and intellectual ability may lead to differences in experienced workload and in the way employees experience work features. This study aims to obtain a better understanding of age differences in sources of mental workload. 33 academics from one faculty discussed causes of workload during focus group interviews, stratified by age.FindingsAmong our participants, the influence of ageing seems most evident in employees’ actions and reactions, while the causes of workload mentioned seemed largely similar. These individual reactions to workload may also be driven by differences in tenure. Most positively assessed work characteristics were: interaction with colleagues and students and autonomy. Aspects most often indicated as increasing the workload, were organisational aspects as obstacles for ‘getting the best out of people’ and the feeling that overtime seems unavoidable. Many employees indicated to feel stretched between the ‘greediness’ of the organisation and their own high working standards, and many fear to be assigned even less time for research if they do not meet the rigorous output criteria. Moreover, despite great efforts on their part, promotion opportunities seem limited. A more pronounced role for the supervisor seems appreciated by employees of all ages, although the specific interpretation varied between individuals and career stages.ConclusionsTo preserve good working conditions and quality of work, it seems important to scrutinize the output requirements and tenure-based needs for employee supervision.

Begeleiding door bedrijfsartsen bij werkhervatting van stamceltransplantatiepatiënten; een kwalitatief onderzoek

SamenvattingAchtergrond:Overlevenden van hematologische maligniteiten hebben een groter risico op problemen bij werkhervatting. Bevorderende en belemmerende factoren voor werkhervatting zijn onderzocht, evenals welke rol de bedrijfsarts (zowel in de reguliere als de klinische setting) hierin kan spelen.Methoden:Semigestructureerde interviews zijn afgenomen bij acht stamceltransplantatiepatiënten. Data werden geanalyseerd met behulp van Atlas-Ti®.Resultaten:Belemmerende en bevorderende factoren voor werkhervatting zijn geassocieerd met werk, de ziekte en behandeling, wetgeving, de (bedrijfs)arts, persoonsgebonden factoren en invloed vanuit de omgeving. Veel patiënten werden minimaal begeleid door hun bedrijfsarts. Velen ervoeren de kennis van de bedrijfsarts over de ziekte en behandeling als gebrekkig en de begeleiding was onvoldoende op de persoon afgestemd.Conclusie:Patiënten blijken weinig kennis te hebben over wetgeving rondom ziekteverzuim en re-integratie. De visie van patiënten op het eerder inschakelen van een bedrijfsarts varieert. De bedrijfsarts zou meer uitleg aan patiënten moeten geven over de rol die wetgeving speelt in het begeleidingsproces.SummaryBackground:Survivors of haematological malignancies have the greatest risk of experiencing problems in the return-to-work process. Facilitating and obstructing factors involved and the role an occupational physician (inside or outside the clinical setting) could have in this process were investigated.Methods:Semi-structured interviews were held in eight stem cell transplant (SCT) patients. Data were analyzed using Atlas-Ti®.Results:Experienced facilitators and barriers for returning to work are associated with work, the disease and its treatment, legislation, the (occupational) physician and the person and his or her environment. Many patients received minimal guidance from their occupational physician. Many felt that the occupational physician’s knowledge about disease and treatment was insufficient and the guidance was not tailored to the individual.Conclusion:The patients have little knowledge of legislation regarding absenteeism and reintegration. The patients’ view on earlier involvement of an occupational physician varies. The occupational physician should give more explanation to patients about the role legislation plays in the counseling process.

Eigen schuld, dikke bult?

TBV 22 / nr 1 / januar i 2014 Werkgevers staan steeds vaker toe dat hun personeel op sommige dagen thuis werkt en dat dit deels buiten kantoortijd gebeurt. Ook de aansturing verandert. Werknemers krijgen – binnen bepaalde grenzen – de ruimte en vrijheid om zelf te bepalen hoe en waar zij werken, en wanneer ze dat doen. Deze ontwikkeling wordt wel aangeduid als ‘het nieuwe werken’. De ervaringen zijn in het algemeen positief. De mogelijkheid om thuis te werken is geassocieerd met een hogere autonomie, meer arbeidssatisfactie, minder stress, een betere performance en een betere relatie met de leidinggevende. Thuiswerkers oordelen ook positiever over de balans tussen werk en privé. Dit is voor een belangrijk deel te begrijpen uit het feit dat ze hun gebruikelijke aantal werkuren zelf flexibel kunnen plannen. In dit artikel richten we ons op de werknemers in ‘postmoderne organisaties’. De manier waarop zij werken, valt onder de brede noemer van ‘het nieuwe werken’. Maar voor deze groep geldt dat ook de vaste werkduur is losgelaten. In een postmoderne organisatie toetst de werkgever niet meer of voldoende lang wordt gewerkt, maar wordt beoordeeld of opdrachten correct en op tijd worden uitgevoerd. Er wordt, zoals Bailyn en Harington dat formuleerden, niet meer gerekend in ‘clock-time’ maar in ‘task-time’. Dit biedt een nog ruimere autonomie dan bij het nieuwe werken gebruikelijk is. De grotere vrijheid om het werk zelf te plannen blijkt echter dikwijls gepaard te gaan met een beduidend langere werkweek dan in het arbeidscontract is afgesproken. En juist dit aspect kan tot problemen leiden. Want ook wanneer mensen aan hun werk ver knocht zijn, kan structureel overwerken nadelige gevolgen hebben voor de gezondheid en de werkprivébalans. Op grond van de beschikbare literatuur is niet goed te schatten hoe groot de groep werknemers is die werkt onder postmoderne condities. Maar aannemelijk is dat de omvang van deze groep verder zal toenemen. Niet alleen omdat het aantal hogeropgeleiden stijgt, maar ook omdat het voor werkgevers aantrekkelijk is dat werknemers geneigd zijn meer te gaan werken wanneer ze worden afgerekend op prestatie in plaats van op aanwezigheid. Het past bovendien bij de intenties van het nieuwe werken om werknemers meer vrijheid te geven om hun werk zelf te plannen. Het is daarom relevant nader te onderzoeken wat er speelt. In dit artikel wordt geanalyseerd welke kenmerken van postmoderne arbeid bijdragen aan een (te) hoge werklast. Daarnaast is er aandacht voor de gevolgen voor de werk-privébalans en voor interventiemogelijkheden.