Peter A. Hausdorf

The positive interaction of work and family roles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the predominant theoretical frameworks used to describe the interaction between work and family roles and present an integrative model of work‐family enrichment. The goal is to better understand the psychological processes underlying work‐family enrichment and to identify ways in which work‐family enrichment can be increased. A conceptual and testable model depicting the direct and indirect relationships involved in work‐family enrichment is provided.Design/methodology/approach – A review of past theories describing the work‐family interface is provided, followed by the presentation of a theoretical and testable model depicting the relationships between work‐family enrichment and need theory.Findings – It is suggested that the basic needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are presented as important psychological benefits that directly impact affect within a domain and indirectly influence work‐family enrichment and quality of life.Resear...

Firm Size and Internet Recruiting in Canada: A Preliminary Investigation

Introduction Firm size is an important variable in organizational research. There is support for the impact of firm size on human resource (HR) activities such as executive compensation (Kostiuk 1989), employee absenteeism (Barmby and Gesine 2000), training (Black, Noel, and Wang 1999; Snell 1992), staffing (Snell 1992), working conditions (Belfield 1999), and HR outsourcing (Marquis and Long 2000; Occhiogrosso 1998). In addition to the research just cited, firm size has been shown to impact on recruitment practices (Barber et al. 1999). Research has found that recruitment among large firms tends to be more formal, bureaucratic, and resource intensive than for small ones. In contrast, small firms are more likely to use internal recruitment sources, such as employee referrals and networking (Barber et al. 1999; Bartram et al. 1995; Marsden 1994). Three important differences between small and large firms provide a partial explanation as to why their recruitment practices differ. First of all, large firms typically have more job openings then small firms and therefore hire larger numbers of candidates. Second, large firms have to contend with a greater number of candidates because of their brand recognition in the marketplace. Third, large firms have more money for recruitment. Despite the different recruitment practices between small and large organizations, both types of firms have started to utilize the Internet as a recruitment source. Internet recruitment involves the use of the Internet as a channel through which jobs are posted and information is provided with respect to the application process. Internet recruitment can be implemented from a company website, through the use of an Internet recruiter (for example, Monster), or through some combination of the two. Therefore, this study focuses on both channels (company website and use of Internet recruiters) as both are important in the assessment of recruitment differences across firm size. Although there is a dearth of research on Internet recruiting, this recent technology quickly has become a growing practice for many businesses and has become a popular tool for job seekers to search and to apply for jobs (iLogos Research 2000, 1998; Nesbeitt 1999). A survey by Statistics Canada (2001) found that approximately 30 percent of Internet users used the Internet (within the month prior to the survey) to search for information on work and employment. Useem (1999) reported that positions advertised on the Internet represent a wide range of occupations from senior executives to religious ministers. Relative to the newspaper, Internet recruiting has three major benefits, namely lower costs, faster posting and candidate response times, and the potential to reach a broader audience of active and passive job seekers (iLogos Research 1998; Nesbeitt 1999). For example, a 30-day job posting on an Internet based job board can be as little as 10 percent of the cost of a three-day advertisement in a national newspaper. This study will address the extent to which small and large firms differ on several key aspects of Internet recruiting, namely the existence of company website, use of the website in recruitment, awareness of Internet recruiters, usage of Internet recruiters, and differences across functions and management levels. Hypotheses Large and small firms differ in many ways that relate to Internet recruiting. In addition to greater technical resources, large organizations are more likely to have greater financial resources to support a website (Kowtha and Choon 2001). Moreover, since large firms tend to have multinational or multidivisional organizational structures compared to small companies (which tend to have more basic organizational structures), their websites are more likely to be operated from another division or country. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed: H1: A greater percentage of large organizations will have their own website versus small organizations. …

Understanding work-to-family conflict: the role of organization and supervisor support for work-life issues

This study examined organization and supervisor support for work-life issues in the reduction of work-to-family conflict and its subsequent outcomes. Specifically, these sources of support were explored as antecedents, mediators and moderators in relation to work-to-family conflict and satisfaction. Observed variable path analysis was used with a sample of 207 health care workers to determine the specific relationship between organization and supervisor support for work-life issues, perceived work overload, job control, work-to-family conflict and satisfaction outcomes. Overall, results supported a complex relationship between organization and supervisor support for work-life issues and work-to-family conflict, which reflected both direct and partially mediated paths through work overload and job control. Implications for future research and practice in addressing work-to-family conflict are discussed.

Personality Testing in Personnel Selection: Adverse Impact and Differential Hiring Rates

Personality tests are often used in selection and have demonstrated predictive validity across a variety of occupational groups and performance criteria. Although different selection decision methods can be used to make selection decisions (e.g., compensatory top down, compensatory with sliding bands, noncompensatory) from personality test results, there is a paucity of research addressing the influence of these different selection decision methods on issues such as, adverse impact and differential hiring rates. This gap in the literature is redressed in the current study. Results from 398 bus operator candidates indicated that there may be adverse impact and differential hiring rate issues depending on the selection decision method used and the designated group being assessed. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Post-traumatic effects in policing: perceptions, stigmas and help seeking behaviours

This study explored the relationships between perceptions, stigmas and support with help seeking amongst police officers. A total of 421 web surveys were completed by constables from a large municipal police force in Canada. The most significant finding was the relationship between officers feeling comfortable disclosing distressing personal information and seeking help from others. Help was most commonly sought from respondents’ friends (at work and outside) and family members. Respondents shared information with their direct supervisors only when there was a strong, reciprocal relationship between them. Implications for future research and practice for help seeking in police occupations are discussed.

Interpersonal Dynamics in Assessment Center Exercises Effects of Role Player Portrayed Disposition

Although interpersonal interactions are the mainstay of many assessment center exercises, little is known about how these interactions unfold and affect participant behavior and performance. More specifically, participants interact with role players who have been instructed to demonstrate behavior reflecting specific dispositions as part of the exercise. This study focuses on role player portrayed disposition as a potentially important social demand relevant to participant behavior and performance in interpersonal simulations. We integrate interpersonal theory and trait activation theory to formulate hypotheses about the effects of role player portrayed disposition on participant behavior and performance in 184 interpersonal simulations. A significant effect of portrayed disposition was found for participant relationship building and directive communication behavior. Furthermore, portrayed disposition moderated the relationship between participant use of these behaviors and performance ratings. Conceptually, this study sheds light on the complementary mechanisms and social demands that produce participant performance differences across exercises. At a practical level, this study provides valuable evidence-based guidance for developing interpersonal simulations.

Predicting Training and Job Performance for Transit Operators

Although considerable meta‐analytic research has validated the use of cognitive ability tests, structured interviews, and personality tests with training and job performance criteria, few studies have investigated the validity of these measures with transit operators. There are the only two single studies of concurrent validation research specifically with transit operators. This article presents the results of a predictive validation study conducted with transit operator applicants for a large urban transit authority in Canada. Key knowledge, skills, and abilities were determined for the role and used as a basis for the design and choice of predictors and criteria. Four predictors were used in the study: education, cognitive ability, personality assessment, and structured interview. Criteria included training performance (formative and summative), probationary performance, preventable accidents, and lost time injuries. Validation results supported cognitive ability, structured interview, and several personality factors as predictors of training performance, but less so for job performance. The use of formative training ratings greatly augmented the evidence supporting the predictors beyond typical organizational criteria.

International Comparison of Group Differences in General Mental Ability for Immigrants Versus Non‐Immigrants

Globalization has led to increased migration and labor mobility over the past several decades and immigrants generally seek jobs in their new countries. Tests of general mental ability (GMA) are common in personnel selection systems throughout the world. Unfortunately, GMA test scores often display differences between majority groups and ethnic subgroups that may represent a barrier to employment for immigrants. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in GMA based on immigrant status in 29 countries (or jurisdictions of countries) throughout the world using an existing database that employs high-quality measurement and sampling methodologies with large sample sizes. The primary findings were that across countries, non-immigrants (n = 139,464) scored approximately half of a standard deviation (d = .53) higher than first-generation immigrants (n = 22,162) but only one-tenth of a standard deviation (d = .12) higher than second-generation immigrants (n = 6,428). Considerable variability in effect sizes was found across countries as Nordic European and Germanic European countries evidenced the highest non-immigrant/first-generation immigrant mean differences and Anglo countries the smallest. Countries with the lowest income inequality tended to evidence the highest differences in GMA between non-immigrants and first-generation immigrants. Implications for GMA testing as a potential barrier to immigrant employment success and the fields current understanding of group differences in GMA test scores will be discussed.

A Nonclinical Competency Model for Case Managers Design and Validation for Home Health Care Services

Case management (CM) is a client-level approach to treatment that promotes the integration of human services across service providers. This approach has been adopted for home health care–based services through the case manager role. Few studies have explored the nonclinical competencies needed for case managers to be effective in their roles. This research documents the design and validation of a nonclinical competency model for case managers. Five competencies were identified: systems thinking, personal and professional accountability, facilitating creative thinking, communicating, and building relationships. Behavioral statements for each competency were assessed by a sample of case managers (for clarity, frequency of use, and experience needed) and generally supportive of the model structure. Implications for competency-based research and practice in CM are discussed.

Interpreting organizational survey results: a critical application of the self-serving bias

Surveys are used extensively by researchers and practitioners in organizations to measure employee attitudes and assess organizational health. Survey items can reflect a wide range of topics including employee attitudes, perceptions of management, and organizational culture. Surprisingly, the issue of whether employee focused items produce more positive employee responses (vis-à-vis manager or organization focused items) has received little attention. Specifically, there may be self-serving biases in organizational survey responses that may lead to inaccurate diagnosing of organizational problems. We assess the impact of self-serving biases on the pattern of employee responses to organizational surveys. Results from two studies suggest that employees respond more positively to items that are self-focused and less positively to items that are other-focused. Therefore, to the extent that surveys contain both types of items, these biases may influence the diagnosis of organizational problems. In addition, results from the second study suggest that employees glorify themselves for both self-enhancement and social desirability reasons. Implications are discussed.