Oi Ling Siu

Safety climate and safety performance among construction workers in Hong Kong : the role of psychological strains as mediators

This paper examines relations among safety climate (safety attitudes and communication), psychological strains (psychological distress and job satisfaction), and safety performance (self-reported accident rates and occupational injuries). A questionnaire was administered to construction workers from 27 construction sites in Hong Kong (N = 374, M = 366, F = 8, mean age =36.68 years). Data were collected by in-depth interviews and a survey from February to May 2000. A path analysis using the EQS-5 was employed to test the hypothesized model relating safety climate, safety performance, and psychological strains. The results provide partial support for the model, in that safety attitudes predict occupational injuries, and psychological distress predicts accident rates. Furthermore, psychological distress was found to be a mediator of the relationship between safety attitudes and accident rates. The implications of these results for psychological interventions in the construction industry are discussed.

Locus of Control and Well-Being at Work: How Generalizable are Western Findings?

Managers from 24 geopolitical entities provided data on work locus of control, job satisfaction, psychological strain, physical strain, and individualism/collectivism. The hypothesis that the salut...

Age differences in safety attitudes and safety performance in Hong Kong construction workers.

PROBLEM Safety in the construction industry is a major issue in Hong Kong, representing about 46% of all occupational injuries in 1998. This study explored linear and curvilinear relations between age and safety performance (accident rates and occupational injuries), as well as safety attitudes, in construction workers in Hong Kong. METHOD A Chinese version of the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ by Donald & Canter) was developed and administered to a sample of Chinese construction workers (N=374, 366 males, 8 females) from 27 construction sites. RESULTS Accident rates were not related to age. Occupational injuries were related to age in a curvilinear manner, with injuries at first increasing with age, then decreasing. Two safety attitude scales were related to age with older workers exhibiting more positive attitudes to safety. If age and tenure are controlled, some attitude scales are predictors of safety performance. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY Management/supervisors, team leaders, and workers are all responsible for safety, and any negative bias toward older construction workers is unfounded.

Faculty Stressors, Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress Among University Teachers in Hong Kong: The Role of Locus of Control

The study aimed at identifying the sources of stress, and investigating their effects on job satisfaction and psychological distress among 106 university teachers (86 males, 20 females) from four tertiary institutes in Hong Kong. Another purpose of the study was to examine the moderating effect of locus of control on stressor-strain relationships. A factor analysis of the faculty stressors revealed six factors: recognition, perceived organizational practices, factors intrinsic to teaching, financial inadequacy, home/work interface, and new challenge. A series of stepwise multiple regressions demonstrated that recognition, perceived organizational practices, and financial inadequacy were best predictors of job satisfaction, whereas perceived organizational practices and home/work interface were the best predictors of psychological distress. Further, external locus of control was associated with low job satisfaction and psychological distress. A series of hierarchical moderated regressions demonstrated a moderating effect of locus of control on some of the stressor-strain relationships.

Job stress and job performance among employees in Hong Kong: The role of Chinese work values and organizational commitment

This study investigates the direct and moderating effects of Chinese work values and organizational commitment on the stress–job performance relationship. Chinese work values are the work‐related Confucian values of Chinese societies, and include collectivism, hardworking, endurance, and harmonious social relationships (guanxi). A three‐component (affective, continuance, and normative) conception of commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991) is used. A self‐administered questionnaire survey collected data from two samples of Hong Kong employees during 2001. These samples included 386 (197 males, 179 females, 10 unidentified) and 145 (51 males, 94 females) respondents. The purpose of recruiting two samples was to replicate the stress–performance relationship in a Chinese setting to enhance generalization of the results. The results consistently revealed that sources of pressure and self‐rated job performance were negatively related. Furthermore, organizational commitment and Chinese work values were positively relat...

Antecedents and Outcomes of a Fourfold Taxonomy of Work-Family Balance in Chinese Employed Parents

The study provided validity evidence for a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance that comprises direction of influence (work to family vs. family to work) and types of effect (work-family conflict vs. work-family facilitation). Data were collected from 189 employed parents in China. The results obtained from a confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance with a Chinese sample. Child care responsibilities, working hours, monthly salary, and organizational family-friendly policy were positively related to the conflict component of work-family balance; whereas new parental experience, spouse support, family-friendly supervisors and coworkers had significant positive effects on the facilitation component of work-family balance. In comparison with the inconsistent effects of work-family conflict, work to family facilitation had consistent positive effects on work and life attitudes. The implications of findings in relation to China and other countries are discussed in the paper.

Work stress, self-efficacy, Chinese work values and work well-being in Hong Kong and Beijing

The authors tested the direct and moderating effects of self-efficacy and Chinese work values on relationships between job stressors and work wellbeing among employees in Hong Kong and Beijing. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 105 and 129 employees in Hong Kong and Beijing, respectively. The results revealed that self-efficacy was positively related to job satisfaction in both samples. Selfefficacy was found to be a stress moderator in some of the stressor–work well-being relationships for both samples. The direct effect of Chinese work values on work well-being was minimal, and its moderating effects were partially demonstrated in some of the stressor–job satisfaction relationships.

A study of occupational stress, job satisfaction and quitting intention in Hong Kong firms: the role of locus of control and organizational commitment

The authors investigated the direct and moderating effects of locus of control and organizational commitment on the relationship of sources of stress with psychological distress, job satisfaction and quitting intention of 122 employees (66 males, 54 females, two unclassified) working in Hong Kong firms. The instruments included parts of Occupational Stress Indicator-2 measuring sources of stress and job satisfaction, Work Locus of Control and the nine-item Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. In addition, 10 items measuring psychological distress and two items measuring quitting intention were constructed by the first author. A series of validation procedures were conducted, and the authors concluded that the instruments used were valid to be used on Chinese employees in Hong Kong. The results of the study suggested that locus of control and organizational commitment had strong direct effects (externals were dissatisfied with the job itself and thought of quitting the job quite often; employees who had a high commitment had higher job satisfaction) and moderating effects (the stressor–strain relationships were significant in externals, and commitment buffered most of the stressor–strain relationships).

Managerial Stress in Greater China: The Direct and Moderator Effects of Coping Strategies and Work Locus of Control

La presente etude examine les effets directs et moderateurs des strategies de defense (controle et support) et de la perception de controle au travail (exterieure) sur des relations stresseur-tension entre des gestionnaires de la grande Chine (la Republique populaire de Chine, Hong Kong, et Taiwan). Les donnees ont ete recueillies, via un questionnaire autoadministre, aupres de 876 gestionnaires soit 249 (164 hommes, 85 femmes) en Republique populaire de Chine, 280 a Hong Kong (159 hommes, 120 femmes, 1 non classifie), et 347 (191 hommes, 151 femmes, 5 non classifies) au Taiwan. Des effets directs et moderateurs pour les strategies de defense et pour la perception de controle ont ete demontres pour quelques relations stresseur-tension dans les divers echantillons etudies. The present study aims at examining the direct and moderator effects of coping strategies (control and support coping) and work locus of control (externality) on the stressor-strain relationships among managers in Greater China (the Peoples Republic of China [PRC], Hong Kong, and Taiwan). A self-administered survey method was employed to collect data from 249 (164 male, 85 female) managers in the PRC, 280 (159 male, 120 female, 1 unclassified) managers in Hong Kong, and 347 (191 male, 151 female, 5 unclassified) managers in Taiwan. The direct and moderator effects of control coping, support coping, and work locus of control on some stressor-strain relationships were demonstrated in the studied samples.

Managerial stress in Hong Kong and Taiwan : a comparative study

This study investigated occupational stress in managers in Hong Kong and Taiwan using the Occupational Stress Indicator‐2 (OSI‐2). The results showed the reliabilities and predictive validity of the OSI‐2 subscales were reasonably high in both samples. The logical relationships between job satisfaction, mental and physical well‐being found in the two samples have provided support to findings obtained in Western countries. Moreover, the direct impacts of coping strategies, Type A behaviour and locus of control on job strains also corroborated previous studies in Western societies. Further, there were gender differences in managerial stress in Hong Kong: female managers scored higher in sources of stress and quitting intention; but had lower job satisfaction, worse mental and physical well‐being than male managers. These differences could not be found in Taiwanese managers, yet Taiwanese female managers did report more stress related to the “managerial role” than their male counterparts.