Applicant perspectives during selection

We provide a comprehensive but critical review of research on applicant reactions to selection procedures published since 2000 (n = 145), when the last major review article on applicant reactions appeared in the Journal of Management. We start by addressing the main criticisms levied against the field to determine whether applicant reactions matter to individuals and employers (“So what?”). This is followed by a consideration of “What’s new?” by conducting a comprehensive and detailed review of applicant reaction research centered upon four areas of growth: expansion of the theoretical lens, incorporation of new technology in the selection arena, internationalization of applicant reactions research, and emerging boundary conditions. Our final section focuses on “Where to next?” and offers an updated and integrated conceptual model of applicant reactions, four key challenges, and eight specific future research questions. Our conclusion is that the field demonstrates stronger research designs, with studies incorporating greater control, broader constructs, and multiple time points. There is also solid evidence that applicant reactions have significant and meaningful effects on attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. At the same time, we identify some remaining gaps in the literature and a number of critical questions that remain to be explored, particularly in light of technological and societal changes

Idiosyncratic deals for older workers: increased heterogeneity among older workers enhance the need for i-Deals

The rapid aging of the workforce throughout the Western world and parts of Asia, including Japan and China, poses many challenges on contemporary organizations (European Commission, 2010 ; Wang & Shultz, 2010 ). The Babyboom generation, consisting of workers born between 1945 and 1965, constitutes a large part of the current workforce. Due to decreased fertility rates, there are fewer younger workers entering the labor market, as a consequence of which the percentage of older workers is rapidly increasing (Truxillo & Fraccaroli, 2013 ). Consequently, organizations are increasingly aware that the employee population is changing, and that strategies to employ, motivate, and retain workers have to be adapted accordingly. It is no longer suffi cient for organizations to focus on employing younger workers (e.g., through designing traineeships for graduates), because the infl ux of younger workers in the labor market is stagnating, which is in particular present in certain sectors, such as technical occupations and health care (Polat, Bal, & Jansen, 2012 ). Hence, organizations increasingly will have to rely on older workers, and try to retain older workers, and motivate them to stay longer in the workforce. Similarly, governments across Europe are also increasing offi cial retirement ages, and making it fi nancially less attractive for older workers to retire early (European Commission)

Effects of a Workplace Intervention Targeting Psychosocial Risk Factors on Safety and Health Outcomes

The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of a workplace intervention targeting work-life stress and safety-related psychosocial risk factors on health and safety outcomes. Data were collected over time using a randomized control trial design with 264 construction workers employed in an urban municipal department. The intervention involved family- and safety-supportive supervisor behavior training (computer-based), followed by two weeks of behavior tracking and a four-hour, facilitated team effectiveness session including supervisors and employees. A significant positive intervention effect was found for an objective measure of blood pressure at the 12-month follow-up. However, no significant intervention results were found for self-reported general health, safety participation, or safety compliance. These findings suggest that an intervention focused on supervisor support training and a team effectiveness process for planning and problem solving should be further refined and utilized in order to improve employee health with additional research on the beneficial effects on worker safety

Improving the Candidate Experience: Tips for Developing \u27Wise\u27 Organizational Hiring Interventions

Organizations that focus on ensuring a high-quality candidate experience are more likely to attract, engage, and connect with top talent. They are also able to bring more visibility to their brand. This is because when individuals feel connected to an organization, their attitudes and behaviors are more positive. As such, it is critical to ensure that the selection process candidates experience is a positive one. Indeed, a 2017 review of the applicant reactions literature was conducted by McCarthy and colleagues, and findings indicated that when candidates have a negative reaction to the selection process they are likely to report lower levels of organizational attractiveness, reduced intentions to recommend the company to others, and decreased propensity to accept a job offer. This can have very significant implications, as demonstrated by the following statistics: In [2014], Virgin Mobile estimates that they lose approximately $5.4 million every year as a result of job candidates who are unhappy with their experience applying to the company actually cancelling their cell phone subscriptions. Career Arc reported that 72$7.6 million for a company with 10,000 employees. In spite of these figures, it is common for candidates to have negative experiences as a result of the types of assessment tools they are required to complete, as well as the way that they are treated during the hiring process. In fact, a survey of more than 4500 job seekersover the age of 18 was conducted by CareerBuilder in 2017 and results indicated that 73% of respondents found the job search process to be one of the most stressful life events and over 60% had quit in the middle of filling out online applications because of their length or complexity! Thus, while the use of job-related assessments is critical to organizations and offers a number of benefits, especially the increased ability to select top talent, candidates who complete assessments do not always see their benefits and can react negatively. Such negative reactions can take the form of perceived unfairness, decreased motivation, and anxiety

Exploration of the Impact of Organisational Context on a Workplace Safety and Health Intervention

The Safety and Health Improvement Program (SHIP) was designed to increase workers’ safety and health using supervisor/leadership training. SHIP was implemented and evaluated in a cluster randomized controlled trial with 20 supervisors and 292 construction crew members representing a high-risk industry. The intervention had three components: (1) computer-based training to teach supervisors ways to better support worker safety and work-life challenges; (2) supervisor behavioural self-monitoring to facilitate transfer of training to practice; and (3) team-based discussions with supervisors and work crew members to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement with 30, 60, and 90 day follow-up check-in meetings. Main effects for the intervention on perceptions of family supportive supervisor behaviors, team effectiveness, and work-life effectiveness were not found, suggesting that the pre-intervention context could help explain the lack of intervention effects. We found that the intervention was more beneficial for work crew members who had poorer pre-intervention perceptions of their supervisor (lower leader-member exchange) and lower perceived team cohesion, suggesting the important impact of the organisational context on intervention effects. We argue that perhaps these work crews were more ready for change and improvements in functioning than were the crews that were already functioning well

Home is Where the Mind Is: Family Interference with Work and Safety Performance in Two High Risk Industries

This study examines the process through which family interference with work (FIW) negatively relates to safety performance in two unique samples from high-risk industries. Using a sample from the construction industry, Study 1 finds that FIW is related to employees\u27 workplace cognitive failures, which in turn, were a significant predictor of safety-related behaviors. Using a sample from a utility company, Study 2 replicates these results and demonstrates that psychological strain further explains the complex relationship between FIW and safety. Furthermore, in Study 2, the mediation pathways linking FIW with safety behaviors were moderated by employees\u27 commitment to safety. The idea that family life can predict safety in the workplace through interference and distraction is important to the collective effort to protect worker health and critical to effective intervention design