Shahnaz Aziz

Profiling active and passive nonrespondents to an organizational survey.

In this field study (N = 405) population profiling was introduced to examine general and specific classes of nonresponse (active vs. passive) to a satisfaction survey. The active nonrespondent group (i.e., purposeful nonresponders) was relatively small (approximately 15%). Active nonrespondents, in comparison with respondents, were less satisfied with the entity sponsoring the survey and were less conscientious. Passive nonrespondents (e.g., forgot), who represented the majority of nonrespondents, were attitudinally similar to respondents but differed with regard to personality. Nonresponse bias does not appear to be a substantive concern for satisfaction type variables--the typical core of an organizational survey. If the survey concerns topics strongly related to Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, the respondent sample may not be representative of the population.

A cluster analysis investigation of workaholism as a syndrome.

Workaholism has been conceptualized as a syndrome although there have been few tests that explicitly consider its syndrome status. The authors analyzed a three-dimensional scale of workaholism developed by Spence and Robbins (1992) using cluster analysis. The authors identified three clusters of individuals, one of which corresponded to Spence and Robbinss profile of the workaholic (high work involvement, high drive to work, low work enjoyment). Consistent with previously conjectured relations with workaholism, individuals in the workaholic cluster were more likely to label themselves as workaholics, more likely to have acquaintances label them as workaholics, and more likely to have lower life satisfaction and higher work-life imbalance. The importance of considering workaholism as a syndrome and the implications for effective interventions are discussed.

Development of a Compact Measure of Job Satisfaction: The Abridged Job Descriptive Index

The Job Descriptive Index is a popular measure of job satisfaction with five subscales containing 72 items. A national sample (n = 1,534) and a sample of university workers (n = 636) supported development of an abridged version of the Job Descriptive Index (AJDI) containing a total of 25 items. A systematic scale-reduction technique was employed with the first sample to decide which items to retain in each scale. The abridged subscales were then tested in the second sample. Results indicated that the relationships among the five abridged subscales and between the five abridged subscales and other measures were substantially preserved.

Understanding the training needs of department chairs

Little empirical research has focused specifically on the process of identifying comprehensive training needs for department chairs and school directors in public universities. A case study is presented to demonstrate the systematic design and implementation of a program to comprehensively assess the training needs of department chairs and school directors in a public university. Findings from a six‐step process revealed that budgets and funding, faculty issues, legal issues and professional development of chairs and directors were rated as the highest priority training needs. Advantages of this approach, strategies for overcoming obstacles to implementation, potential limitations and avenues for future research are discussed.

Workaholism, work stress, work‐life imbalance: exploring gender's role

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine potential differences between male and female workaholics in relation to work stress and work‐life imbalance; also to test for gender as a moderator in the relation between workaholism with work stress and work‐life imbalance.Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach was used to examine employees on workaholism, work stress, and work‐life imbalance. A separate variances t‐test tested gender differences in the study variables. Hierarchical regression analyses tested the potential moderator effect of gender on the work stress‐workaholism and work‐life imbalance‐workaholism relations.Findings – It was found that work stress and work‐life imbalance correlated with workaholism, regardless of gender. Gender did not moderate the relations between workaholism with work stress and work‐life imbalance.Research limitations/implications – Limited generalizability between cultures was a limitation; future research should collect data from diverse races. Rel...

Sanctifying Work: Effects on Satisfaction, Commitment, and Intent to Leave

Sanctification involves perceiving objects or events: (a) theistically by viewing them as having spiritual significance, or (b) nontheistically by viewing them as extraordinary and worthy of veneration and respect without any reference to a higher being. Previous research has found positive outcomes associated with sanctification, including increased satisfaction with marriage (Mahoney et al., 1999), body image (Mahoney, Carels, et al., 2005) and sexual intercourse (Murray-Swank, Pargament, & Mahoney, 2002) to name a few. This study extends these findings into the world of work by demonstrating that those who sanctify their jobs are more satisfied, more committed to their organization, and at the same time less likely to intend to leave.

Exploring the Relationship between Workaholism Facets and Personality Traits: A Replication in American Workers.

In this study, we further explored whether any of the dimensions in the five-factor model of personality (i.e., openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) were related to facets of workaholism (i.e., work involvement, work drive, and work enjoyment) in a sample of American workers in various occupational settings. Results showed that personality factors explained a significant amount of the variance for each workaholism facet, above and beyond personal demographics. Conscientiousness and agreeableness were positively related to work involvement, while conscientiousness and openness to experience were positively related to work drive. Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience were positively related to work enjoyment, while neuroticism was negatively related to work enjoyment. By identifying personality factors related to workaholism, employers can better predict workaholic tendencies during recruitment and selection.

A Comparison among Worker Types Using a Composites Approach and Median Splits

The current study examined Spence and Robbins’ (1992) worker types in terms of correlates ofworkaholism (e.g., work-life imbalance, obsessive-compulsive behavior). A survey was administered to professionals, who were then classified into different worker types following the traditional median-split technique. The data were also analyzed with three composite variables that capture the worker types in a continuous fashion. The results of the correlation analysis with the composites were similar to those obtained with the median-split approach. Specifically, workaholics had higher levels of work-life imbalance than work enthusiasts, whereas unengaged workers and relaxed workers had low levels; workaholics and positively engaged workers had high levels of obsessive-compulsive behavior, whereas work enthusiasts, unengaged workers, and relaxed workers showed low levels.

Effects of fish oils on ex vivo B-cell responses of obese subjects upon BCR/TLR stimulation: a pilot study

The long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil have immunomodulatory properties. B cells are a poorly studied target of EPA/DHA in humans. Therefore, in this pilot study, we tested how n-3 LC-PUFAs influence B-cell responses of obese humans. Obese men and women were assigned to consume four 1-g capsules per day of olive oil (OO, n=12), fish oil (FO, n=12) concentrate or high-DHA-FO concentrate (n=10) for 12 weeks in a parallel design. Relative to baseline, FO (n=9) lowered the percentage of circulating memory and plasma B cells, whereas the other supplements had no effect. There were no postintervention differences between the three supplements. Next, ex vivo B-cell cytokines were assayed after stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and/or the B-cell receptor (BCR) to determine if the effects of n-3 LC-PUFAs were pathway-dependent. B-cell IL-10 and TNFα secretion was respectively increased with high DHA-FO (n=10), relative to baseline, with respective TLR9 and TLR9+BCR stimulation. OO (n=12) and FO (n=12) had no influence on B-cell cytokines compared to baseline, and there were no differences in postintervention cytokine levels between treatment groups. Finally, ex vivo antibody levels were assayed with FO (n=7) after TLR9+BCR stimulation. Compared to baseline, FO lowered IgM but not IgG levels accompanied by select modifications to the plasma lipidome. Altogether, the results suggest that n-3 LC-PUFAs could modulate B-cell activity in humans, which will require further testing in a larger cohort.

Workaholism, Exercise, and Stress-Related Illness

The purpose of this study was to examine whether workaholism is associated with an increased risk of stress-related illness and if exercise is linked to a reduced risk of stress-related illness. Data were collected through administration of an online survey. The sample consisted of 266 employees in a medical school, 69% women, with a mean age of 47 years. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that workaholism was significantly associated with the presence of stress-related illness (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47, p = .009) and exercise with absence of stress-related illness (OR = 1.68, p = .003), even after controlling for age, family history, gender, income, and hours worked. The authors concluded that workaholism is a significant risk factor for stress-related illnesses and that physical exercise mitigates the negative effects of workaholism.