Night-time shift work and related stress responses: A study on security guards

Work-related stress can induce a break in homeostasis by placing demands on the body that are met by the activation of two different systems, the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Night-shift work alters the body\u2019s exposure to the natural light\u2013 dark schedule and disrupts circadian (daily) rhythms. The greatest effect of night-shift work is the disruption of circadian rhythms. The impact that these disruptions may have on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, is unknown. This study aims to discover the relationship among three different job activities of security guards and their stress-related responses by evaluating salivary cortisol levels and blood pressure. Methods: Ninety security guards, including night-time workers and night-time and daily-shift workers, were recruited for this study. Each security guard provided two saliva samples before and after three scheduled time points: (i) at 22:00, (ii) at 06:30, and (iii) at 14:00. Results: The results of the study showed a significant alteration in cortisol levels. Night-time shift cortisol levels significantly increased before and after the work shifts. A physiological prevalence of the vagal tone on the cardiocirculatory activity was found during night-shift work. Conclusions: This study indicates that cortisol levels and blood pressure are sensitive markers of biological responses to severe work stress. Shift-change consequences may occur at the end of the night shift when there is a significant increase in the cortisol level and a significant variation in cardiovascular parameters

Mindfulness as a protective factor for dissatisfaction in HCWS: The moderating role of mindful attention between climate stress and job satisfaction

With the aim of investigating the possible moderating effect of job control and dispositional mindfulness between different sources of organizational stress and job satisfaction, a correlational study was designed involving health care workers (HCWs). The following questionnaires were administered and completed by 237 HCWs: (1) Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI), to measure the sources of stress at work (managerial role, climate power, climate structure, internal relationships), and job satisfaction; (2) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to assess the individual's level of attention to what is taking place in the present; (3) Job Control Scale (JCS) to assess the perceived control at work. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships between variables; the results showed that, between the different sources of stress, the organizational climate dimension was negatively associated with job satisfaction; moreover, mindfulness attention moderated the relationship between climate stress and job satisfaction; unexpectedly, the interaction between job control and the organizational climate dimension was not significant in affecting job satisfaction. This study can provide useful information for Human Resources Management (HRM) practices regarding job and mental control interventions and empowerment, and possibly offer a new interpretation of the role of attention to what is happening in the present moment and autonomy between climate stressors and occupational satisfaction

Straining at work and its relationship with personality profiles and individual consequences in healthcare workers (HCWs)

Straining is an attenuated form of mobbing, in which the continuity of vexatious actions is not driven by a discriminatory intent. With the objective of testing the possible moderating role of personality in the relationship between perceptions about straining at work and individual consequences, a correlational design research involved 374 healthcare workers (HCWs) from two Italian hospitals. The following questionnaires were administered: (1) Short Negative Acts Questionnaire (S‐NAQ), to assess discriminative actions at work); (2) the Italian version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI‐10 scale), to assess personality factors; (3) Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI), to measure psychological and physical health. Regression analysis and Structural Equation Models (SEM) were computed in order to test the relationships between variables. Perceived straining showed significant correlations with both psychological and physical health. Conscientiousness was inversely proportional to work‐related bullying (WB), as agreeableness was to personal bullying (PB). Emotional stability was negatively correlated with all the three component scales of S‐NAQ: WB, PB, and social bullying. The results seem to confirm that straining perceptions especially elicit, through emotional stability, psychological consequences. As regards the role of emotional stability in risk perceptions, it seems management has to pay thorough attention to personal factors in organizational perceptions and to straining actions

Cinismo e giustizia nell\u2019ambiente di lavoro

Introduzione Gli studi effettuati nell\u2019ambito della gestione delle Risorse Umane hanno evidenziato che l\u2019implementazione di pratiche che influenzano la soddisfazione e il coinvolgimento dei lavoratori sono un vantaggio determinante per l\u2019organizzazione (Becker e Gerhart, 1996). Se e\u300 vero che le organizzazioni oggi richiedono piu\u300 frequentemente ai dipendenti di lavorare di piu\u300, incrementare il proprio bagaglio di competenze, che genere di risposta potranno attendersi dai\u201ccinici\u201d? Obiettivi e Metodi Gli obiettivi del presente studio sono due. Il primo e\u300 verificare la relazione tra cinismo organizzativo e la percezione di giustizia organizzativa; un secondo \ue8 esplorare, tramite l\u2019analisi testuale, le cause che generano cinismo su un campione di 88 lavoratori. Gli strumenti sono: la versione italiana della scala del cinismo (Brandes, Dharwadkar e Dean,1999; ad. Italiano Bobbio, Manganelli e Spadaro, 2006); la scala di giustizia organizzativa (Colquitt, 2001). Risultati La correlazione tra cinismo e giustizia organizzativa ha evidenziato una relazione negativa (r= -.521 p.< .01 test ad una coda). L\u2019analisi testuale ha permesso di identificare 55 cause di cinismo (28 positive e 27 negative). Due poli sembrerebbero spiegare il costrutto: la soddisfazione lavorativa (8 persone la indicano come causa), che sembrerebbe legata alla coerenza organizzativa, alla collaborazione e all\u2019autonomia; l\u2019insoddisfazione lavorativa (4 persone la indicano come causa), che sembrerebbe invece collegata all\u2019ambiguit\ue0 dell\u2019azione alla mancanza di meritocrazia e all\u2019incapacit\ue0 organizzativa. Conclusioni Per quanto riguarda possibili sviluppi futuri, sarebbe interessante ampliare il ventaglio delle variabili che possono essere messe in relazione con il cinismo al fine di testare modelli di relazioni causali e approfondire le cause che ne favoriscono l\u2019emergere

Cinismo e giustizia nell’ambiente di lavoro

Introduzione Gli studi effettuati nell’ambito della gestione delle Risorse Umane hanno evidenziato che l’implementazione di pratiche che influenzano la soddisfazione e il coinvolgimento dei lavoratori sono un vantaggio determinante per l’organizzazione (Becker e Gerhart, 1996). Se è vero che le organizzazioni oggi richiedono più frequentemente ai dipendenti di lavorare di più, incrementare il proprio bagaglio di competenze, che genere di risposta potranno attendersi dai“cinici”? Obiettivi e Metodi Gli obiettivi del presente studio sono due. Il primo è verificare la relazione tra cinismo organizzativo e la percezione di giustizia organizzativa; un secondo è esplorare, tramite l’analisi testuale, le cause che generano cinismo su un campione di 88 lavoratori. Gli strumenti sono: la versione italiana della scala del cinismo (Brandes, Dharwadkar e Dean,1999; ad. Italiano Bobbio, Manganelli e Spadaro, 2006); la scala di giustizia organizzativa (Colquitt, 2001). Risultati La correlazione tra cinismo e giustizia organizzativa ha evidenziato una relazione negativa (r= -.521 p.< .01 test ad una coda). L’analisi testuale ha permesso di identificare 55 cause di cinismo (28 positive e 27 negative). Due poli sembrerebbero spiegare il costrutto: la soddisfazione lavorativa (8 persone la indicano come causa), che sembrerebbe legata alla coerenza organizzativa, alla collaborazione e all’autonomia; l’insoddisfazione lavorativa (4 persone la indicano come causa), che sembrerebbe invece collegata all’ambiguità dell’azione alla mancanza di meritocrazia e all’incapacità organizzativa. Conclusioni Per quanto riguarda possibili sviluppi futuri, sarebbe interessante ampliare il ventaglio delle variabili che possono essere messe in relazione con il cinismo al fine di testare modelli di relazioni causali e approfondire le cause che ne favoriscono l’emergere

Psychological resources, satisfaction, and career identity in the work transition: an outlook on Sicilian college students

Giuseppe Santisi,1 Paola Magnano,2 Silvia Platania,1 Tiziana Ramaci2 1Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; 2Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, &ldquo;Kore&rdquo; University of Enna, Enna, Italy Background: The phases of career building today bring out a more complex process than in previous decades. Starting from the literature review, the university-to-work transition is considered a very important step in the future career of the graduates, and it involves some psychological resources and requires specific abilities. Methods: Research has examined the psychological resources that students at the end of a degree course can use in the university-to-work transition. The aim of the study is to verify the relationship between academic satisfaction and career identity, and the mediational role of readiness and confidence on this relationship. A group of 438 students were assigned to complete a questionnaire in order to examine the relationship between academic satisfaction and career identity and the role of core components of psychological resources: readiness and confidence as mediator. Results: The results indicated both a direct relationship between academic satisfaction and career identity and a mediated relationship with the influence of readiness and confidence for a transition. Adding to our results, we assert that academic satisfaction has a directed effect on confidence during the transition and is a predictor of career identity, both directly and by the mediation of readiness in career transitions. Conclusion: Career identity has implication for exploratory behavior, thus increasing the motivation and mindfulness that create a virtuous circle, influencing the development of knowledge and skills, which are the base of proactivity and confidence in construction of one&rsquo;s future career. Keywords: career, transition, identity, satisfaction, resource

Employability and job insecurity: The role of personal resources on work-related stress

This study is aimed to assess the effect of both employability and personal resources, in terms of pro-activity and self-efficacy, on the relationship between job insecurity and psycho-social distress. Using survey data from 211 participants, among employed, unemployed and workers in transition, we analyzed the incidence of employability, pro-activity and efficacy on psycho-social distress. Our results showed that the above-mentioned variables significantly differed by participants’ gender and age. The structural theoretical model proposed to assess the significance of the hypothesized paths exhibited good fit with the data. Thus, all our hypotheses were supported. Findings are in line with previous research, and practical implications may give significant effects when applied in new labor policies undertaken by local governments