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- Holm, Kristoffer, et al.
(author)
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Short and Long-Term Outcomes of a Workplace Civility Intervention in Three Different Organizations
- 2024
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In: Proceedings of the 16th European Academy of Occupational Health PsychologyConference. - Nottingham : European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. - 9780992878672
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Workplace mistreatment continues to be a problem that negatively affectsindividuals across the globe. Workplace civility interventions have been suggested as onepossible countermeasure, with the possibility to reduce workplace incivility and promote aculture of civility and respect within workgroups (Osatuke et al., 2009; 2013). Such interventions have been found to be effective in facilitating both short and long-term change (Leiter et al., 2011; 2012). However, civility interventions have almost exclusively targeted healthcare professions such as nurses and hospital staff. Consequently, there is still a lack ofknowledge about how civility interventions are received in different contexts, and whether theyare effective, over both short and long-term, in occupational groups outside of hospitalsettings.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a civility intervention delivered tothree different organizations, in order to investigate whether the intervention was associatedwith reduced levels of workplace incivility, as well as increased levels of civility and norms forrespect over time.Method: The study had a quasi-experimental wait-list control design, meaning that workplaceswere allocated to either an intervention group or a control group. Individuals in the interventiongroup participated in a series of monthly workshops over the course of six months focusing on workplace (in)civility and workplace culture. After the intervention group had completed theintervention, it was implemented in the control group. Questionnaires were administered priorto the intervention (time 1), after the intervention group had completed their participation (time2), and six months later, when the control group had also completed the intervention (time 3).The questionnaires measured workplace incivility, workplace civility, and norms for respect.Participants were employed in workplaces within two different municipal organizations, and oneconstruction company, in Sweden. One of the municipal organizations employed staff atdisability care homes (N = 51). The other municipal organization employed nurses,physical/occupational therapists, and case officers (N = 160). The construction companyemployed carpenters, supervisors, and site managers (N = 46).Results: During the presentation, results from all three measurement waves will be presented,exploring whether the intervention is associated with change in workplace incivility, civility andnorms for respect over time. Trajectories for both the intervention group and the wait-list controlgroup will be investigated. Possible differences between organizations will also be analysed.Conclusion: Although workplace interventions can be one way to address workplace incivilityand reduce workplace mistreatment, they can require consistent effort and maintenance to beeffective. The presentation will, on the basis of the results, discuss possible factors influencingthe efficacy of civility interventions.Funding: The study was funded by AFA Insurance under Grant 210121.
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- Lindfors, Petra, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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Job Insecurity, Job Autonomy, and Sickness Presenteeism Among Faculty in Swedish Higher Education : Investigating Burnout as a Mediator
- 2024
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In: Book of Proceedings. - : European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. - 9780992878672 ; , s. 524-525
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Sickness presenteeism, or presenteeism, refers to working while ill, instead of being on sick leave. Presenteeism is associated with adverse health including poor self-rated health, depression, and future health adversity. Moreover, factors of the psychosocial work environment, including demands, have be related to presenteeism. Work in higher education is increasingly characterized by high demands such as job insecurity. This may lead faculty to work longer and harder, in efforts to keep the job. This may, in turn, be associated with greater presenteeism. Conversely, resources, including autonomy are related to employee health. Work in higher education is often characterized by high autonomy. This may, in turn, be associated with lower presenteeism. Job insecurity and autonomy may have direct relationships to presenteeism. However, the relationships between demands and resources and health behaviours such as presenteeism may be mediated through a process of health impairment, namely burnout. This study aimed to investigate if and how job insecurity (a demand) and autonomy (a resource) are associated with sickness presenteeism, and whether burnout mediated the relationship, among faculty in Swedish academia. Specifically, four hypotheses were tested: 1) job insecurity is positively associated with presenteeism, 2) autonomy is negatively associated with presenteeism, 3) the relationship between job insecurity and presenteeism is mediated by burnout: job insecurity has a positive relationship with burnout, and burnout has a positive relationship with presenteeism, and 4) the relationship between autonomy and presenteeism is mediated by burnout: autonomy has a negative relationship with burnout, and burnout has a positive association with presenteeism.Method: Self-reports of quantitative job insecurity, autonomy, burnout, and presenteeism were collected via online questionnaires. The analytic sample included 1899 individuals (55% women; mean age: 48 years), with a doctoral degree, working in Swedish higher education institutions. Structural equation modelling was performed to test the hypotheses. Direct and indirect effects were tested separately in two models.Results: The first direct effects model showed that increasing job insecurity was associated with increasing presenteeism, thus confirming hypothesis 1. Moreover, increasing autonomy was associated with decreasing presenteeism which confirmed hypothesis 2. The second model, testing burnout as a mediator, provided support for hypothesis 3, showing that job insecurity had a positive, indirect effect on presenteeism via burnout. Finally, burnout was found to mediate the relationship between autonomy and presenteeism so that autonomy had a negative effect on presenteeism via burnout, which confirmed hypothesis 4. Overall, the indirect model fit the data better and explained 24 percent of the variance in burnout and 6 percent of the variance in presenteeism.Conclusion: This cross-sectional study suggests that faculty in Swedish academia facing job insecurity may experience increasing burnout and increasing presenteeism. Importantly, however, autonomy seems a beneficial resource. This is important given any future implications for the work ability of faculty who work when ill.
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- Tanimoto, Anna Sofia, et al.
(author)
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To Do Research or Not : Qualities and Characteristics of Job Insecurity Among Facultyin Swedish Academia
- 2024
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In: Book of Proceedings. - : European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. - 9780992878672 ; , s. 162-162
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: In recent years, higher education has become increasingly characterized by issues concerning insecure employment arrangements and working conditions. Among those who report high job insecurity in Swedish academia, little is known regarding the individual’s experience of their work situation and of insecurity. The current study strives to address this knowledge gap by investigating how insecurity and concerns about one’s work situation and working conditions are experienced by faculty in Swedish academia. Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following research question: How can insecurity and concerns regarding one’s work situation and conditions be understood based on individuals’ experiences of their work and employment situation in Swedish academia?Method: This study forms part of a research project and includes a qualitative follow-up to a questionnaire study which revealed that some faculty in Swedish academia belong to profiles of high job insecurity. To identify the current participant group, faculty belonging to these high insecurity profiles who had previously indicated a willingness to participate in an interview study were contacted and screened for eligibility. Individuals were considered eligible if they still worked in Swedish academia and reported moderate to high job insecurity. The participant group consisted of 11 faculty (five women, six men) from five public Swedish higher education institutions. Interviews were semi-structured and conducted digitally. Subsequently, the interviews were transcribed verbatim and de-identified to protect participant integrity. The material was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results: Two overall themes were identified. The first theme, ‘Where is the grass greener?’ describes the ambiguity as to where, in academia, the best place to be is: where faculty are able to do the work they desire; where in the work situation insecurity exists; and what insecurity actually means in the academic context. The second theme, ‘Doing research in headwinds’ explains how faculty who have a great passion for, interest in, and motivation to do research, face obstacles and challenges, which often impede possibilities to make time for, and actually conduct, quality research. Not only do the demands of the job affect the work itself, but there are also consequences for the well-being and private lives of faculty. The risk is an existence of constant worry for the changing content of one’s work, with various related consequences.Conclusion: This study reveals how the experience of insecurity among faculty in Swedish academia is a result of a number of intermingling factors characterizing academic work. These include the desired percentage of one’s position dedicated to research and teaching, and beliefs about future successes with grant applications, for instance. Among those who wish to focus predominantly on research, concerns arise about research quality and whether one is able to spend the desired amount of time on research. Importantly, these factors evoke the qualitative aspects of job insecurity. To address these issues, Swedish higher education institutions should strive to ensure that faculty are entitled to and can make use of research time, funded by the institution. This would contribute to both quality and continuity of research and higher education.
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- Wijkander, Maria, et al.
(author)
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A Prospective Twin Study Investigating the Role of Genetics, Early Environment and Neuroticism in the Association Between Exposure to Work-Related Offensive Behaviours and Sickness Absence due to Common Mental Disorders
- 2024
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In: Book of Proceedings. - : European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. - 9780992878672 ; , s. 502-502
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Sickness absence (SA) has been shown to be associated with several negative consequences, both for the affected individual as well as for society on the whole, in terms of economic loss. The most common reason for SA is SA due to common mental disorders (CMDs). Previous studies have indicated that there is an association between exposure to work-related offensive behaviours, such as harassment, bullying, violence and threats of different kinds and CMDs. However, the mechanistic pathway in this association is still largely unknown. For example, the associations between exposure to offensive or abusive behaviours and health outcomes may partially be explained by individual characteristics, including genetic predispositions and early experiences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of familial factors (genetics and shared early-life environment) and neuroticism in the associations between exposure to work-related violence/threats and harassment/bullying, and SA due to CMDs.Method: The study sample included 8795 twin individuals from the Swedish Twin project of Disability pension and Sickness absence (STODS), including survey data from the Study of Twin Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE) linked to national register data. Self-reported work-related violence and/or threats and work-related harassment including bullying and register data on SA due to CMDs were analysed using logistic regression on the whole sample, and conditional logistic regression among complete same-sex twin pairs discordant on exposures. Individuals were followed for a maximum of 13 years or until their first incident SA spell due to CMD. Interactions between neuroticism and exposures were assessed using both multiplicative and additive interaction analyses.Results: Exposure to work-related violence/threats were associated with higher odds of SA due to CMDs when adjusting for age, sex, marital status, children living at home, education, type of residential area, work characteristics, and symptoms of depression and burnout (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.52-2.95). Higher odds of SA due to CMDs were also found for exposure to harassment/bullying (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.10-2.11) and a combined indicator of exposure to either of the kinds of exposure or exposure to both kinds, i.e. violence/threats and/or harassment/bullying (OR 1.98 95% CI 1.52-2.59), compared with the unexposed. Analyses of twin pairs discordant on exposure, using the unexposed twin sibling as reference, showed somewhat reduced ORs that were no longer statistically significant for all exposures. No multiplicative interaction was found between neuroticism and exposure to work-related violence/threats, or harassment. However, a statistically significant additive interaction was found between neuroticism and exposure to violence/threats, with higher odds of SA due to CMDs in the group scoring lower on neuroticism.Conclusion: Exposure to work-related offensive behaviours were associated with SA due to CMDs. The results of the matched twin pair analysis indicated that these associations may be confounded by familial factors. In addition, an interaction effect between violence/threats and neuroticism was found. Thus, future studies investigating associations and causality between offensive behaviours at work and mental health-related outcomes should, when possible, consider familial factors and neuroticism.
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