Search Results (906)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative review of Positive Psychology in contemporary organizational contexts, examining how psychological resources such as Psychological Capital, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Psychological Safety, Self-Determination Theory, and Positive Leadership contribute to employee well-being, flourishing, and organizational effectiveness. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts a narrative integrative literature review approach, synthesizing recent theoretical and empirical research in Positive Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resource Management. The review integrates foundational theories with contemporary empirical findings published in high-impact academic journals to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework. Findings: The findings indicate that Positive Psychological constructs are consistently associated with higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, performance, resilience, and flourishing, while reducing burnout, stress, and turnover intentions. Psychological Capital emerges as a key malleable resource, while Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence enhance self-regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Originality: The paper integrates multiple streams of Positive Psychology into a unified conceptual model, combining individual-level psychological resources with motivational and organizational-contextual factors. Research limitations/implications: As a narrative review, the study does not include primary empirical data or statistical testing. Future research should empirically validate the proposed integrative framework using longitudinal and cross-cultural designs. Practical implications: Organizations can enhance employee well-being and performance by implementing Psychological Capital Interventions, mindfulness-based programs, strengths-based development, and psychologically safe leadership practices. Social implications: The findings highlight the broader societal value of fostering psychologically healthy workplaces that promote sustainable employment, mental health, and human flourishing. Full article

Background: Micromanagement is an extensively prevalent yet relatively under-theorized management process in healthcare organizations. This narrative review synthesizes the literature on micromanagement and related leadership practices in healthcare, focusing on its antecedents, manifestations, consequences, and mitigation strategies. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted on 10 May 2024 across eight electronic databases. Eligible studies included qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and applied studies published between 2003 and 2024. The main outcomes were the underlying causes and behavioral measures of micromanagement, examined directly, or closely related constructs such as excessive supervision, reduced autonomy, authoritarian leadership, toxic leadership, and controlling managerial behavior. The secondary outcomes involved organizational and patient-related effects and their respective interventions. Results: A total of twelve studies were selected. The identified antecedents of micromanagement were authoritarian leadership styles, autocratic and toxic leadership personality traits, overly intrusive supervisory practices, poor employee empowerment, complicated regulation, unclear definition of professional roles, and inherent structural challenges. Micromanagement behavior was seen in authoritative decision-making, transactional supervision, systematic reduction in employee autonomy, and institutionalized distrust. The consequences recorded include high levels of occupational stress, poor organizational productivity, poor quality of healthcare services, high employee turnover rates, and psychological problems. Conclusions: This review represents a preliminary conceptual synthesis of the literature that addresses micromanagement in healthcare. The evidence base is inconsistent, with many studies focusing on constructs that relate to micromanagement while not studying it directly. In future research, validated tools to assess micromanagement should be designed, as well as leadership interventions that benefit both workplace and patient outcomes. Full article

Background: Fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and oral glucose tolerance testing remain central to the diagnosis and monitoring of dysglycemia, but they mainly reflect the average glycemic exposure or discrete time-point measurements and may not capture intraday and interday glucose fluctuations. Glycemic variability (GV) has been associated with oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and diabetes-related complications, although much of the evidence derives from experimental, clinical, and diabetes-care settings rather than occupational cohorts. Aim: This narrative review examines the physiological basis, measurement, and potential occupational relevance of GV and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in working populations. Methods: Literature was narratively selected from biomedical databases, major guidelines, consensus statements, and occupational-health sources, prioritizing reviews, clinical guidelines, cohort studies, mechanistic studies, and CGM studies. No systematic search, risk-of-bias assessment, or quantitative synthesis was performed. Main findings: CGM is an established technology in selected diabetes-care contexts and provides metrics such as coefficient of variation, time in range, time above range, and time below range. Its use in occupational medicine, however, remains investigational outside selected clinical circumstances. Work-related factors such as shift work, circadian disruption, sleep loss, psychosocial stress, irregular meal timing, sedentary behavior, and variable physical workload may influence glucose regulation, but direct evidence linking these exposures to CGM-measured GV in workers remains limited. Implications: Potential applications include research on occupational determinants of metabolic health, monitoring of workplace lifestyle interventions, and individualized management of workers with diabetes in safety-sensitive roles, provided that consent, confidentiality, clinical follow-up, equity, and data-governance safeguards are ensured. Conclusions: GV assessment may complement traditional metabolic markers in selected occupational-health contexts, but routine CGM-based surveillance of general worker populations is not currently supported by sufficient evidence. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are required. Full article

Teacher job satisfaction is a key component of teacher well-being and educational quality, particularly in early childhood education settings. This study examined how different dimensions of job satisfaction are associated with individual factors (sociodemographic characteristics and meaning at work) and work-related factors (perceived stress, workplace relationships, and satisfaction with training experiences) among Italian early childhood educators and preschool teachers. Participants were 259 professionals working with children aged 0–6 years who completed an online questionnaire assessing meaning at work, teacher stress, support from colleagues, and conflictual workplace relationships. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Positive Meaning was the strongest and most consistent predictor across all dimensions of job satisfaction. Perceived support from colleagues positively predicted intrinsic, relational, and working conditions satisfaction, whereas conflictual workplace relationships negatively affected relational and working conditions satisfaction. Age, years of teaching experience, and work setting selectively influenced specific dimensions of job satisfaction. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of collaborative workplace climates and meaningful work in promoting teacher well-being in early childhood education contexts, suggesting that interventions should address both individual resources and the quality of workplace relationships. Full article

Challenging work conditions and a predominantly male workforce have intensified concerns about worker well-being in the U.S. construction industry. Although these issues are increasingly acknowledged, empirical evidence on how management perceives and addresses employees’ psychological needs remains limited. This study seeks to fill that gap by examining managerial awareness and responsiveness to workplace mental health challenges, as well as the implementation of targeted well-being interventions across construction organizations. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating quantitative data from a nationwide survey of construction professionals with qualitative insights from open-ended responses. Results indicate that workers experience moderate levels of psychological strain, with notable differences across demographic and occupational groups. Women, non-white professionals, and site supervisors reported higher stress and lower overall well-being, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and tailored interventions. While both senior leaders and frontline supervisors demonstrated moderate awareness of these challenges, supervisors were perceived as less consistent in taking action to address them. Among existing workplace practices, transparent compensation structures and opportunities for skill diversification were identified as the most established supports for well-being. In contrast, mentoring programs, employee recognition, and open feedback mechanisms emerged as promising yet underutilized strategies. Overall, the study contributes by shifting attention from documenting construction-related mental health stressors to understanding how leadership recognition is translated into organizational response. Therefore, the findings provide practical guidance for construction leaders seeking to strengthen workers’ well-being and build a more resilient work environment. Full article

Prolonged sitting is a common occupational exposure among administrative and office workers and is associated with increased postural muscle stiffness, fatigue, and musculoskeletal discomfort. This study aimed to evaluate whether a dedicated physiotherapeutic training programme can reduce biomechanical indicators of muscle overload in sedentary administrative staff. Forty-five female administrative employees were allocated to an intervention group (n = 22) or a control group (n = 23). The intervention group completed a four-week supervised physiotherapeutic programme comprising three 45 min sessions per week, including stretching, strengthening, and sensorimotor exercises targeting postural muscles. Muscle stiffness was assessed using myotonometry, while muscle fatigue was evaluated with surface electromyography based on median frequency slope analysis. The intervention effect was assessed using ANCOVA, with post-intervention values adjusted for corresponding baseline values. The intervention group showed significant reductions in muscle stiffness and fatigue, particularly in the upper trapezius and thoracic erector spinae, with moderate-to-large effect sizes. These findings indicate that targeted physiotherapeutic training can improve neuromuscular function and fatigue resistance in sedentary workers. Incorporating structured physiotherapeutic exercise into workplace health programmes may support musculoskeletal resilience and reduce the biomechanical consequences of prolonged sitting. Full article

Background/Objectives: Retention of healthcare professionals in the workforce, their employment, and the improvement of working conditions largely depend on identifying the factors that influence their departure and their health. The study was conducted during the period from January to June 2021. This study aimed to examine the association between specific work-related stressors and work ability. The initial hypothesis was that general and specific occupational stressors negatively associate with work ability among healthcare professionals in emergency medical intervention teams. Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional comparative study. It was conducted among nurses and physicians in pre-hospital emergency medical services, employed full-time in intervention teams, while the control group consisted of employees from dispatch and call-receiving units. The study was conducted on the 840 participants, representing 43.3% of all healthcare professionals employed in pre-hospital emergency medical services in the Republic of Croatia. In addition to questions on participants’ personal characteristics, the following instruments were used: 1. a validated Questionnaire on Workplace Stressors among hospital healthcare professionals; and 2. the international standardized Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire for assessing work ability. Participants completed the questionnaires in paper form. Results: On average, the participants demonstrated lower levels of stress compared to reference values, both for overall stress and for individual stress factors, while their work ability, assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI), ranged from very good to excellent. The control group showed higher levels of stress across all factors and lower work ability. However, the control group was older on average, generally had lower levels of education, and consisted more often of women—personal characteristics that may influence the examined variables. Lower stress levels and better work ability were associated with job satisfaction, ambition, and the fact that participants were working in their desired profession. Frequent sick leave (absenteeism) was highly correlating with both higher stress levels and poorer work ability. Conclusions: Greater job satisfaction and higher motivation have a positive impact on stress levels and employees’ work ability. The study results can serve as a starting point for institutional management in designing feasible decisions aimed at improving satisfaction, health, the work environment, and the work ability of emergency medical service personnel, as well as making these institutions more attractive for recruitment and retention of employees both in their positions and within the profession. Full article

Background/Objectives: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and occupational stress substantially affect workforce health and productivity. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of the Pilates method as a biopsychosocial intervention for employees, examining its impact on physical, psychological, and occupational outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across major electronic databases and search engines (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PEDro, and Google Scholar) following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The review protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261390771). Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and observational designs involving employees participating in Pilates programs. Outcomes were categorized into three domains: physical health, mental well-being, and occupational performance. Results: Twenty-three studies (n = 1179 participants) met the inclusion criteria. The evidence indicates that Pilates may reduce pain intensity and disability in workers with chronic low back or neck pain, with moderate certainty based on randomized controlled trials. Improvements in psychological outcomes, including anxiety and job-related stress, were also reported, although the certainty of evidence was lower. Occupational benefits included enhanced job satisfaction and, in limited cases, favorable cost-utility findings. Conclusions: Pilates appears to be a feasible multidimensional intervention for workplace health, with potential benefits across physical and psychosocial domains. Further high-quality trials are needed to clarify long-term effects, economic impact, and optimal implementation strategies within occupational settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study sought to investigate the relationship between workplace violence exposure and job burnout among Korean paramedics and the moderating roles of different sources of social support, including family, coworker, and organizational support, on this relationship. Methods: Participants were 175 paramedics working in B city, South Korea. Data were collected through an online survey conducted from 15 July to 30 July 2025. Workplace violence exposure, family support, coworker support, organizational support, and job burnout were assessed using validated self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and three-step hierarchical regression analyses were performed using the SPSS program. Results: Workplace violence exposure was positively associated with job burnout among paramedics. Among the three sources of social support, organizational support was associated with lower levels of job burnout. Family support moderated the association between workplace violence exposure and job burnout, whereas the moderating effects of coworker support and organizational support were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings suggest that organizational support and family-based support strategies may be important resources for addressing job burnout among paramedics exposed to workplace violence. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of support mechanisms associated with job burnout among paramedics and inform future intervention development and organizational support strategies. Full article

Background: Type II workplace violence by patients, relatives, or visitors is an occupational health and patient-safety concern in primary care. Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic (CRMC), a single urban family medicine and walk-in primary care clinic in Calgary, Alberta, plans to implement a universal, risk-informed workplace-safety bundle that is based on observable behaviour, situational risk, and documented safety concerns rather than demographic profiling. Methods: This article describes a single-site internal quality improvement and workplace-safety evaluation protocol. The comparison is CRMC usual practice during the pre-implementation baseline period; there is no concurrent external control group. The planned evaluation will use aggregate, de-identified operational data from a 12-month pre-implementation baseline, a four-week implementation period, and 12 months of post-implementation monitoring. All clinic staff will receive workplace-safety training as part of routine implementation. No staff, patients, or visitors will be recruited as research participants, and the evaluation will not use individual-level staff survey, interview, or focus-group data. Patient/visitor information will be used only as aggregate operational monitoring data when needed to assess safety, access, patient flow, and complaints. Intervention and analysis: The bundle includes worksite analysis, staff training, a brief arrival safety screen, a response algorithm, standardized reporting, monthly safety huddles, and post-incident support. The primary metric will be the Type II workplace-violence incident rate per 1000 clinic visits. Planned analyses include run charts, pre–post rate ratios, and Poisson or negative binomial segmented regression if monthly counts are sufficient. Implementation learning will be summarized from routine training records, safety-huddle summaries, post-incident debrief themes, and other aggregate de-identified operational indicators. Expected contribution: The protocol contributes a transparent, equity-sensitive, and operationally feasible model for balancing staff safety with patient access in primary care. Full article

Seasonal workers in the tourism sector are exposed to significant psychosocial risks, such as work overload, emotional exhaustion, and precarious employment conditions. Despite growing interest in positive organizational psychology, little is known about how organizational culture impacts perceptions and experiences of seasonal workers in Italy. This study explores the role of positive organizational culture in promoting well-being among seasonal workers in the tourism sector, examining their direct perspectives on organizational climate, work challenges, and individual and organizational resources. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with seasonal workers employed in the hospitality industry in Italy. Data were analyzed through an integrated mixed-method approach combining Grounded Theory methodology with quantitative lexical analysis using T-LAB software, ensuring both analytical rigor and interpretive depth. Five macro-categories emerged inductively from the data: trust and relations, coping strategies and emotions, perceived justice, teamwork, and meaning of work. These were integrated into a core category defined as flourishing at work, interpreted through the lens of Seligman’s PERMA model. These findings suggest that well-being in seasonal work is an active and relational achievement, sustained by emotional self-regulation, perceived fairness, and collective identity. The results carry direct implications for organizational policies and psychosocial risk prevention strategies in precarious work contexts. In particular, positive organizational culture and environments can act as protective factors against psychosocial risks, with direct implications for organizational policies, psychosocial risk prevention, and evidence-based workplace interventions. The specificity of the analysis method offers an original contribution by integrating qualitative and quantitative textual analysis to investigate psychosocial well-being in an under-explored population: Italian seasonal workers. Full article

Why are essential workers (also known as key workers) priced out of the urban areas where essential services are concentrated? This paper addresses that question by linking residential sorting to the governance of land and housing markets in Auckland, New Zealand. Drawing on bid rent theory and motivated by Crane’s theoretical framework, this study examines how households trade off urban accessibility against housing costs with varying degrees of job location uncertainties and time pressure. The analysis uses the micro-level household data from Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ)’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to examine how key-worker households position themselves within the city’s rental market relative to other working households. The results show a clear urban land rent gradient: rents fall with distance from the city centre. However, access to the central location is not evenly distributed across workers. Key workers, whose jobs are typically tied to more fixed workplaces, are more inclined to live farther from the city centre to lower housing costs. By contrast, workers facing tighter time constraints, especially those working longer hours, show a stronger preference for living near the CBD to improve work proximity and reduce commuting burdens. This pattern remains evident among private vehicle commuters, suggesting that time pressure, rather than transport mode alone, is an important factor shaping residential location choice. The paper argues that this is not simply a housing market outcome but also a land-governance problem. When central land values rise without corresponding housing options for key workers, cities risk pushing socially necessary labour towards peripheral areas. The findings highlight the need for land-use and housing interventions that improve the spatial match between where key workers live and where urban services are most needed. Full article

Retail service workers face complex occupational demands across psychosocial, environmental, and physical domains; however, integrated multidomain workload assessments remain limited. A cross-sectional study among 253 retail workers used the Find My Stress Progressive Web Application (PWA)—a digital tool assessing subjective workload (Subjective Workload Index; SWI), psychosocial factors, environmental discomfort, musculoskeletal symptoms, and handgrip strength. Hierarchical multiple regression identified four significant SWI predictors: postural difficulty (β = 0.176, p = 0.012), workplace bullying (β = 0.175, p = 0.008), task duration (β = −0.179, p = 0.004), and air quality (β = 0.171, p = 0.011; Adjusted R² = 0.199, ΔR² = 0.227, p < 0.001; VIF: 1.03–1.57). Grip strength was retained as a functional capacity indicator. Sex-stratified analyses revealed distinct risk profiles: postural difficulty and task duration predicted SWI in men (Adjusted R² = 0.224); workplace bullying was the sole predictor in women (Adjusted R² = 0.170). The PWA demonstrated excellent reliability (α = 0.97) and usability (87%; n = 359). The Find My Stress PWA provides a scalable platform for multidomain stress screening. Integrated ergonomic, organisational, and environmental interventions guided by digital screening offer targeted strategies for reducing occupational workload burden in retail settings. Full article

Workplace violence and hetero-aggressive behavior represent significant occupational hazards in mental health settings, particularly for psychiatry and psychology trainees who are frequently exposed yet often insufficiently prepared. This scoping review aimed to map and critically describe existing educational approaches to violence risk assessment, prevention, and management in mental health training programs, with a focus on psychiatry and psychology education. A scoping review identified 17 eligible studies examining curricular content, pedagogical modalities, and training outcomes related to violence education. Included studies encompassed surveys, curricular descriptions, and educational interventions employing didactic, simulation-based, and blended learning formats. Overall, the literature revealed variability and fragmentation in training, with most programs lacking structured or longitudinal curricula. Didactic approaches improved conceptual understanding but were consistently perceived as insufficient for skill acquisition and confidence. In contrast, blended and simulation-based modalities, particularly those using standardized patients and structured debriefing, were associated with greater gains in applied skills, confidence, and perceived clinical readiness. Core competencies emphasized across curricula included de-escalation strategies, violence risk assessment frameworks, communication skills, and, less consistently, legal and institutional considerations. These findings highlight persistent educational gaps and support the integration of experiential, longitudinal, and system-informed training models to better prepare mental health trainees for violence-related clinical challenges. Full article

The objective of this research was to examine the effects of sexual and generalized harassment in the workplace on risk for all-cause mortality in a sample (n = 1745) originally drawn from a university workplace and followed over a 24-year period after baseline. Eleven timepoints of data on self-reported workplace harassment were collected between October 1996 and February 2021, at time intervals ranging from one year to 13 years, and linked to mortality data (n = 249 deaths) from the National Death Index through December 2021. We used proportional hazards modeling to examine the risk for all-cause mortality associated with workplace harassment (as measured by a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire and the Generalized Workplace Harassment Questionnaire) occurring in the previous time period. We also examined differential risk by gender for White and Black study participants. In fully adjusted models, experiencing generalized harassment (GH) was associated with significantly increased hazard of mortality at the next time point for White women (HR = 1.03, p < 0.01). Experiencing sexual harassment (SH) was associated with a trend-level increase in the hazard of next-time-point mortality for Black women (HR = 1.05, p = 0.09). Neither SH nor GH was associated with increased hazard of mortality for men. Workplace interventions to address harassment, stronger enforcement of sexual harassment policy and law, and enactment of policy and law to prevent generalized harassment and bullying may contribute to the reduction of all-cause mortality among working women. Full article