The Effect of ICT Usage on Employees\u2019 Satisfaction: a Job Characteristics Perspective

The paper investigates employees\u2019 job satisfaction, examining the relationship with 33 some job related variables and considering the impact of the use of Information and communication technologies (ICTs) at work. One job demand that is workload and one job resource that is work-life balance are included. On the basis of our analysis, carried out on a sample of 33,265 employees in Europe (data source: European Working Conditions Survey 2010, last at disposal), we conclude that ICT usage plays a controversial role. Indeed, on the one hand, we prove that ICT usage might weaken the negative relationship between workload and individual job satisfaction. On the other hand, while we hypothesize that ICT might increase the strength of the positive relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction, the results demonstrate the opposite. Managerial implications are finally considered to underline how important a \u2018good\u2019 management of the ITCs is to improve of job satisfaction

Service employee burnout and engagement: the moderating role of power distance orientation

Studies show that service employees are among the most disengaged in the workforce. To better understand service employees’ job engagement, this study broadens the scope of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to include power distance orientation (PDO). The inclusion of PDO enriches the JD-R model by providing a key piece of information that has been missing in prior JD-R models: employees’ perceptions of the source of job demands (i.e., supervisors) or employees’ views of power and hierarchy within the organization. Study 1 uses a survey-based field study to show that employees with a high (compared to low) PDO feel more burnout due to supervisors when they are closely monitored by their supervisors. Study 1 further supports the finding that employees with high (compared to low) PDO feel less disengagement despite burnout due to supervisors. Study 2, using a lab experiment, and Study 3, relying on a survey-based field study, unveil why these effects were observed. Stress and job satisfaction emerge as mediators that explain the findings from Study 1. Implications of the role of PDO are discussed to improve the current understanding of how job engagement can improve customer service performance