International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Editorial

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6 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work

by Jan de Jonge and Maria C.W. Peeters

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(6), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060910 - 13 Mar 2019

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 6919

Abstract

Vitality at work is an important factor for organizations to build a healthier, more engaged, sustainable, and productive workforce. The organizational and societal relevance of vitality at work is high, particularly with regard to an aging and more diverse workforce. This Special Issue [...] Read more.

Vitality at work is an important factor for organizations to build a healthier, more engaged, sustainable, and productive workforce. The organizational and societal relevance of vitality at work is high, particularly with regard to an aging and more diverse workforce. This Special Issue focusses on what might be called sustainable performance at work: Maximizing work performance as well as worker health and well-being through employee vitality. Currently, there are still many gaps of knowledge with regard to the relationship between employee vitality and sustainable performance at work. Examples of knowledge gaps are concerned with potential determinants of vitality at work for different occupational groups (such as older workers, ethnic minority workers, and handicapped workers), pathways linking vitality to sustainable performance, or health effects of interventions targeting employee vitality and/or sustainable performance at work. With this Special Issue, we hope to provide readers with solid new findings extending the current state of knowledge about employee vitality and sustainable work performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

Research

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21 pages, 858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Engaging Leadership and Its Implication for Work Engagement and Job Outcomes at the Individual and Team Level: A Multi-Level Longitudinal Study

by Vivi Gusrini Rahmadani, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, Jeroen Stouten, Zhenduo Zhang and Zulkarnain Zulkarnain

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030776 - 26 Jan 2020

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 11207

Abstract

The current study investigates how supervisors’ engaging leadership, as perceived by their employees, increases employees’ job outcomes at the individual and team level, as mediated by (team) work engagement. Job outcome indicators at the team level are team performance, team learning, and team [...] Read more.

The current study investigates how supervisors’ engaging leadership, as perceived by their employees, increases employees’ job outcomes at the individual and team level, as mediated by (team) work engagement. Job outcome indicators at the team level are team performance, team learning, and team innovation; and at the individual level, job performance, employee learning, and innovative work behavior. The novel concept of engaging leadership is presented as the specific type of leadership to foster (team) work engagement. A multi-level longitudinal study is conducted among 224 blue collar employees nested in 54 teams in an Indonesian state-owned holding company in the agricultural industry using a one-year time lag. The findings show, as expected, that at the team level, engaging leadership at time 1 predicted team learning and team innovation (but not team performance) at time 2, via team work engagement at time 2. Additionally, an expected cross-level effect was observed from engaging leadership at the team level at time 1 predicting individual job performance (but not employee learning and innovative work behavior) at time 2, via team work engagement at time 2. Finally, an expected second cross-level effect was observed for engaging leadership at the team level at time 1, which predicted individual job performance, employee learning, and innovative work behavior at time 2, via work engagement at time 2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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17 pages, 352 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Testing Demands and Resources as Determinants of Vitality among Different Employment Contract Groups. A Study in 30 European Countries

by Jari J. Hakanen, Annina Ropponen, Hans De Witte and Wilmar B. Schaufeli

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(24), 4951; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244951 - 6 Dec 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4232

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of four job demands and five job resources for employee vitality, i.e., work engagement and exhaustion, in three different employment groups: permanent, temporary and temporary agency workers. We employed data from the [...] Read more.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of four job demands and five job resources for employee vitality, i.e., work engagement and exhaustion, in three different employment groups: permanent, temporary and temporary agency workers. We employed data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) collected in 2015 comprising 28,042 employees from 30 European countries. We used linear regression analyses and dominance analysis (DA). The results showed minor mean differences in work engagement and exhaustion and that temporary agency workers had the highest job insecurity and lowest job control. The associations between job resources and job demands, and work engagement and exhaustion of the groups, did not differ considerably. DA showed that in all three employment groups, job feedback made the strongest contribution to work engagement and workload to exhaustion. In addition, among the temporary agency workers, supervisor support contributed to work engagement and job control (negatively) to exhaustion more than in the other groups. This study suggests that the key determinants of vitality at work may be similar, regardless of contract, and that to have sustainably performing vital workers, organizations should focus on enabling job feedback and preventing high workload in all employment groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

24 pages, 1518 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feeling Vital or Fatigued? Relations with Demands and Resources in a University Context

by Jan de Jonge, Maria C.W. Peeters and Toon W. Taris

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(16), 2893; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16162893 - 13 Aug 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4112

Abstract

This study examines whether specific (matching) combinations of demands and resources exist in the prediction of both positive and negative outcomes (i.e., vitality and fatigue) in a university context. In addition, we test the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model’s key principles in this [...] Read more.

This study examines whether specific (matching) combinations of demands and resources exist in the prediction of both positive and negative outcomes (i.e., vitality and fatigue) in a university context. In addition, we test the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model’s key principles in this context to study its relevance, validity, and generalizability. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 397 employees and 497 students at a Dutch university. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses among both employees and students showed matching combinations of demands and resources in the prediction of vitality and fatigue. Specifically, an increase in cognitive demands was particularly associated with more student cognitive vitality when cognitive resources were high. Furthermore, results showed that an increase in cognitive demands was related to less cognitive fatigue in both employees and students when cognitive resources were high. Findings partly confirm our hypotheses in showing the important role of matching resources in the relation between demands and vitality and fatigue in university staff and students. Our study reveals that a sustainable work environment is about maintaining a healthy balance between sufficient, matching resources and demands at work or study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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13 pages, 1130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship between Power Type, Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

by Kwang O. Park

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(6), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16061015 - 20 Mar 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4787

Abstract

The focus of this study is to investigate if power type improves organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) through work engagement. Based on existing research, power can be classified into two main types: coercive and non-coercive power. Coercive power is divided into the categories of [...] Read more.

The focus of this study is to investigate if power type improves organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) through work engagement. Based on existing research, power can be classified into two main types: coercive and non-coercive power. Coercive power is divided into the categories of coercion, reward, and legitimate power, and non-coercive power can be divided into information, expert, and reference power. Therefore, this study examines what kind of relationship is formed in the work engagement of organization members based on power type, and ultimately empirically investigates the effects on OCB. Although it is very important in organizational research, no study has yet been conducted on the relationships between power type, work engagement, and OCB. The survey targets of this study were the companies listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), a stock market in South Korea. The companies listed on the KOSPI are the representative companies of South Korea, as announced by the South Korean government based on their market representativeness, liquidity, and industry representativeness. This study sheds new light on the relationships between power type, work engagement, and OCB which have been overlooked from both the academic and practical perspectives. Based on this study, it is expected that power types that have practical influence will be further investigated, and the plans required for the maintenance of better relationships in an organization could then be established. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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16 pages, 949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uncovering the Turnover Intention of Proactive Employees: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement and the Moderated Mediating Role of Job Autonomy

by Inyong Shin and Chang-Wook Jeung

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050843 - 8 Mar 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5346

Abstract

Retaining proactive employees with the potential to be high performers is recognized as an essential condition for an organization’s survival and prosperity. However, few studies have logically explained and empirically clarified the link between proactive personality, which represents a distal proactive tendency, and [...] Read more.

Retaining proactive employees with the potential to be high performers is recognized as an essential condition for an organization’s survival and prosperity. However, few studies have logically explained and empirically clarified the link between proactive personality, which represents a distal proactive tendency, and turnover intention to predict actual turnover behavior. With the research objective to address these research gaps, we expected that work engagement as a proximal motivational mechanism was likely to mediate the relationship between proactive personality and turnover intention, and that job autonomy as a critical job context was likely to moderate the relationship between proactive personality and work engagement. We developed a moderated mediation model incorporating these expectations. The results of the survey conducted on employees working for mid-sized manufacturing firms in Korea were consistent with our expectations. The findings of this study help uncover the intentions of turnover exhibited by proactive employees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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Review

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18 pages, 1146 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Scoping Review of Digital Tools to Reduce Sedentary Behavior or Increase Physical Activity in Knowledge Workers

by Ida Damen, Hans Brombacher, Carine Lallemand, Rens Brankaert, Aarnout Brombacher, Pieter van Wesemael and Steven Vos

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020499 - 13 Jan 2020

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 8493

Abstract

Background: There is increasing interest in the role that technology can play in improving the vitality of knowledge workers. A promising and widely adopted strategy to attain this goal is to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) and increase physical activity (PA). In this paper, [...] Read more.

Background: There is increasing interest in the role that technology can play in improving the vitality of knowledge workers. A promising and widely adopted strategy to attain this goal is to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) and increase physical activity (PA). In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art SB and PA interventions using technology in the office environment. By scoping the existing landscape, we identified current gaps and underexplored possibilities. We discuss opportunities for future development and research on SB and PA interventions using technology. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the Association for Computing Machinery digital library, the interdisciplinary library Scopus, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore Digital Library to locate peer-reviewed scientific articles detailing SB and PA technology interventions in office environments between 2009 and 2019. Results: The initial search identified 1130 articles, of which 45 studies were included in the analysis. Our scoping review focused on the technologies supporting the interventions, which were coded using a grounded approach. Conclusion: Our findings showed that current SB and PA interventions using technology provide limited possibilities for physically active ways of working as opposed to the common strategy of prompting breaks. Interventions are also often offered as additional systems or services, rather than integrated into existing office infrastructures. With this work, we have mapped different types of interventions and provide an increased understanding of the opportunities for future multidisciplinary development and research of technologies to address sedentary behavior and physical activity in the office context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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17 pages, 678 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Sustainable Employability: A Systematic Review

by Emmelie Hazelzet, Eleonora Picco, Inge Houkes, Hans Bosma and Angelique de Rijk

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(11), 1985; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16111985 - 4 Jun 2019

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 6901

Abstract

Background: Despite growing interest in sustainable employability (SE), studies on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at employees’ SE are scarce. In this review, SE is defined by four core components: health, productivity, valuable work, and long-term perspective. The aim of this review is [...] Read more.

Background: Despite growing interest in sustainable employability (SE), studies on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at employees’ SE are scarce. In this review, SE is defined by four core components: health, productivity, valuable work, and long-term perspective. The aim of this review is to summarize the effectiveness of employer-initiated SE interventions and to analyze whether their content and outcome measures addressed these SE components. Methods: A systematic search was performed in six databases for the period January 1997 to June 2018. The methodological quality of each included study was assessed. A customized form was used to extract data and categorize interventions according to SE components. Results: The initial search identified 596 articles and 7 studies were included. Methodological quality ranged from moderate to weak. All interventions addressed the components ‘health’ and ‘valuable work’. Positive effects were found for ‘valuable work’ outcomes. Conclusions: The quality of evidence was moderate to weak. The ‘valuable work’ component appeared essential for the effectiveness of SE interventions. Higher-quality evaluation studies are needed, as are interventions that effectively integrate all SE core components in their content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vital Worker: Towards Sustainable Performance at Work)

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