The new Nowhere Land? : a research and practice agenda for the “Always on Culture"

Purpose: Rapid developments in the field of information communication technology (ICT) mean that e-working has become increasingly common and prolonged – the “always-onculture” potential to enhance work-life balance via increased flexibility in terms of time and location, as well as posing the risk of being ‘always on’ has been identified with potentially serious implications for the health and performance of employees. We identify a research agenda and review current organizational practice. Approach: We discuss current technological developments as well as prevalent research frameworks and terminology in the domain of work-life balance and beyond to evaluate their fitness for purpose. We also report findings from a survey of 374 employees working within UK businesses about current organisational practice. Findings: Over half of the organisations sampled do not have clear guidance regarding worklife balance and supporting employees with regards to ICT enabled working. Key challenges are the sheer volume of email traffic, lack of training and infrastructure and an absence of appropriate support. Practical implications: Organisations need to develop clear policies regarding the psychosocial aspects of technology use and provide evidence-based guidance to managers and employees. Social implications: Managers and individuals require support to engage with technology in a healthy and sustainable way

Relationships between psychosocial characteristics and democratic values in Iranians: a cross-cultural study

This paper investigates the extent to which differences in people’s socio-political attitudes and behaviours are underpinned by individual characteristics. Two groups of volunteers: (a) an Iranian sample that have been resident in UK for less than two years, and (b) a British sample, took part in this study. A series of validated scales was used to examine differences in levels of empathy, theory of mind, flexibility, suggestibility, emotionality, openness, normative identity style, interpersonal trust, cooperativeness, emotionality, prosocial behaviour, egalitarian sex role, and authoritarianism between groups. Self-reported socio-political tendency, in terms of adherence to democracy, was also assessed. The results show significant differences in levels of these variables between the two cultural groups. Furthermore, the findings shed some light on the psychological and social factors that are related to democratic values and that predict this outcome in the two groups. Implications of the findings for policy makers and educational systems are discussed

Emotional intelligence, reflective abilities and wellbeing in social workers

Research reportIn order to inform the curriculum and the development of supportive structures to support the work-related wellbeing of trainee social workers, this research project had several aims. It examined the key motivators to enter social work, together with the sources of social support and the coping strategies that students draw on to help them manage the demands of study and placement experiences Several emotional and social competencies (i.e. emotional intelligence, reflective ability, empathy and social competence) are also investigated as potential predictors of resilience. Also examined was whether resilience predicted psychological distress, and the role played by resilience in the relationship between emotional intelligence and distress was assessed

Silence is golden: using ‘safe words’ to promote research student ownership in supervisory meetings

The quality of supervisory relationships has a significant impact on research students’ ability to successfully attain their goals. One risk factor is contrasting expectations of the role of the supervisory team. We report a case where we became aware firstly, that a student may have different expectations to us (as supervisors) relating to the level of independence that we expected from them and secondly, that we had unwittingly enabled a passive approach which masked the student’s ability. We subsequently describe a strategy we developed, based on the use of ‘safe words,’ for ensuring that the student’s contributions took centre stage during supervisory meetings. Also considered is how this practice allowed us to make a more accurate assessment of their abilities as well as enabling us to form recommendations to help the student develop their ideas more independently

Work-related wellbeing in UK higher education - 2014

This report presents the findings of a national survey of work-related wellbeing in higher education. The sample comprised 6439 respondents working in academic and academic-related roles in UK universities and colleges.  The Health and Safety Executive framework for measuring work-related stress was used and findings compared with data obtained in previous waves of the research.  Other factors, such as perceptions of stress, illegitimate tasks and change fatigue and job satisfaction were examined.  Mental and physical health, absenteeism and presenteeism and work-life balance were also assessed. The implications for UK higher education are discussed.

Effort-reward imbalance in academic employees: examining different reward systems

This study draws upon the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model of job stress to predict mental and physical health in academic employees working in UK universities. It examines the main and interactive effects of extrinsic efforts over time and the three reward systems of the ERI model independently (i.e. promotion, esteem and security rewards). The main and interactive effects of intrinsic effort (known as overcommitment) in predicting health status are also examined. A sample of 458 academic employees completed ERI scales at baseline and the health measures 14 months later. The results showed that higher extrinsic effort, lower esteem and security rewards and an imbalance between efforts and esteem rewards assessed at Time 1 predicted mental health status on follow-up. Physical health symptoms were predicted by higher extrinsic effort and lower security rewards. Overcommitment was an independent risk factor for both mental and physical health. No further contribution was made to the variance in either outcome by the other effort-reward ratios independently or by their interactions with overcommitment. Interventions are suggested that have potential to reduce extrinsic and intrinsic efforts and increase rewards in the university sector

Sickness presenteeism at work: prevalence, costs and management

Introduction: Presenteeism is defined as continuing to attend work during illness. As a growing health concern, awareness of the factors that encourage presenteeism and the risks of this behaviour is needed. Sources of data: A narrative review of research obtained via several databases, including Medline and Psycinfo, was conducted. Areas of agreement:  A range of contextual and individual factors is associated with presenteeism.  Workers in some sectors, such as healthcare, appear to be at greater risk. Presenteeism may facilitate rehabilitation and recovery but it can exacerbate existing health problems and increase the risk of subsequent illness and absence as well as impair workability. Areas of controversy: The incidence of sickness presenteeism is rising, alongside reductions in absenteeism. The growing awareness of the costs of presenteeism, especially in safety-critical environments, suggests that it should be considered a risk-taking behaviour and carefully measured and managed. Growing points and areas for developing research: Measuring presenteeism as well as absenteeism will provide more accurate information about employee health. Raising awareness of the risks of working while sick and the economic, moral, cultural and social pressures on employees to do so appears crucial. Systemic interventions to manage presenteeism based on research evidence are required.

They took off their uniform when they got home, but couldn’t remove the armour

Although she has conducted research in several areas, Christina Maslach is best known for her pioneering work on ‘burnout’. It’s a concept with great academic and popular appeal as it captures a common experience among employees, especially those working within the helping professions. Gail Kinman and Kevin Teoh interviewed Professor Maslach at the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology conference in Athens, where she was a keynote speaker

Occupational stress and work-life balance in UK academics

The research presented in this thesis aimed to provide insight into the work-related wellbeing of a little-studied occupational group: academic employees working in universities in the UK. More specifically, it examined how aspects of the content and context of academic work were related to the health, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and turnover intentions of employees. The findings of an initial questionnaire study (Study 1) administered to a national sample of academic staff highlighted a number of features of work that were strong predictors of psychological distress and job satisfaction, and worthy of further investigation. Two main issues emerged from this initial research that were examined in greater depth in a subsequent national study of academic employees (Study 2). Firstly, the predictive validity Of two theoretical models of job stress (the Job Demand-Control-Support and the Effort-Reward Imbalance models) was tested in explaining strain outcomes. A model that comprised elements of both theoretical frameworks (most notably job control, rewards and overcommitment) was found to be a more effective predictor of some strain outcomes than either model independently. A combination of generic and job-specific demands was found to be a major predictor of job satisfaction. Secondly, the nature, predictors and outcomes of work-life conflict experienced by academics were investigated through the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A model that combined generic and job-specific job demands, working practices, supportive features of the working environment, and over-commitment predicted a considerable proportion of the variance in perceived conflict. Findings suggest that preferences for work-life integration are subject to considerable variation, as are the strategies utilised by academics to minimise conflict between work and home. Although certain practices might facilitate work-life balance, others pose a risk to wellbeing. The final study (Study 3) introduced a longitudinal element to this programme of research. Comparisons between the findings of Studies 1 and 2 (conducted six years apart) found no significant improvement in levels of specific stressors and strains in the study period. Comparisons were also made between the overall levels of psychological health of academic staff and those reported by other professional groups and the general population of the UK. The very poor level of psychological health found amongst academics in 1998 remained stable in 2004; this gave cause for concern, as did the discrepancy between levels of job demands and social support found, and those recommended by Health and Safety Executive benchmarks for the management of specific job stressors. The findings of this research programme highlight the important role of the working environment in shaping the antecedents, experience and expression of occupational stress. It is therefore argued that a job-specific approach to the study of workplace stress has greater potential to aid the development of interventions to promote the wellbeing of employees. Based on the findings reported in this thesis, a range of strategies and initiatives are recommended that have the potential to improve the wellbeing and job satisfaction of academic employees in the light of growing concerns about recruitment and retention in the sector

Why we can't help working when ill: the perverse causes of presenteeism in the UK, with a focus on prison officers and academics

The term ‘presenteeism’ refers to situations where employees continue to attend work while they are sick. In this report we look at why absenteeism policies can encourage presenteeism and how presenteeism presents in two working populations: UK prison officers and UK academics