Forget about ‘the ideal worker’: A theoretical contribution to the debate on flexible workplace designs,work/life conflict,and opportunities for gender equality

This study integrates insights from Self-Determination Theory and Boundary Theory to present scenarios on how flexible workplace designs can trigger multiple motivational processes underlying gendered work/nonwork integration behaviors, and how these affect work/life conflict. We disentangle processes underlying work engagement and work/life conflict, explaining the paradoxical outcomes found with regard to gender inequality in terms of work/life performance, satisfaction, and health. Policy makers and organizations need an increased understanding and a reconceptualization of these issues, realizing that the ideal worker does not exist. Instead, a long-term perspective is needed in order to truly realize the potential benefits of flexible workplace designs for all stakeholders. Organizations need to take responsibility for preventing individual workers’ depletion and stimulating the regeneration of workers’ resources.     

Legalization of drugs: Effects on the workplace

In the last few years bipartisan support for legalizing drugs has grown to a surprising level. Because of the lack of involvement of the business community in this debate, we surveyed the human resource managers of 127 firms about their perceptions of the effects of legalization. Their responses were uniformly negative, with expectations that drug use, absenteeism, worksite crime, and liability costs would increase, while the quality and quantity of work would decline. They also forecast increases in drug testing, performance monitoring, and education and rehabilitation programs as a result.     

Psychological safety climate and workplace bullying in Vietnam’s public sector

The bureaucratic and impersonal nature of public management can fertilize workplace bullying and risks for psychological health and safety. Psychological safety climate (PSC) is an important indicator to reduce psychological hazards. Yet, there have been few studies conducted to examine the existence of PSC in the public sector in non-Western economies. This study examined the implementation of PSC and its effects on 274 employees from six branches of a Vietnamese public sector organization. The results suggest that senior management in organizations should consider positive work conditions and an effective system of policies, procedures, and practices for the prevention of psychosocial hazards.     

Examining the relationship between academic performance and workplace position: does the glass ceiling exist among graduates from the same university?

This study examines the relationship between academic performance and workplace position. Academic performance is measured by undergraduate grade point average (GPA). A series of ordered probit regression models are estimated to isolate the impact of undergraduate GPA on the probability that female and male graduates from the same university hold middle or upper management jobs within their companies. After all potential heterogeneity and explanatory variables are controlled for, results of the pooled regression models suggest that women are less likely to hold both middle and upper management positions. Further analysis also suggests that lower GPA significantly decreases the probability that women hold these positions, while GPA seems to have no significant impact on workplace position for men. Moreover, most factors which positively impact the probability that women attain these positions also benefit men more at the highest level.     

How uncivil customers corrode the relationship between frontline employees and retailers

This study investigates the effects of customers’ uncivil treatments on frontline retail employees’ emotions, deviant behaviors and relationship with the retail organization. Our theoretical model is based on both marketing and personnel management literatures. 415 frontline retailing American employees answered our questionnaire. Employees treated uncivilly by customers feel angry but have to hide their negative emotions, which leads them to emotional exhaustion and deviant behaviors. Paradoxically, employees’ strong commitment to their retailing organization brings about more deviant behaviors. We propose some managerial strategies to cope with uncivil customers, as well as future research on this important and under-researched topic.     

Constructive deviance as a driver for performance in retail

A growing body of research is concerned with deviance in the workplace. While much research has explored negative forms of deviance, we examine constructive deviance: behaviour that deviates from salient norms and benefits the reference group. We empirically explore manifestations, determinants and performance outcomes of constructive deviance in standardised work processes. We do this through a mixed-methods study in bakery trading departments of an Australian retailer. We illustrate that constructive deviance occurs in these settings and show that some manifestations of constructive deviance improve organisational performance and pave the way for applying constructive deviance as a strategic tool in retail.     

Gender, emotion and power in work relationships

We offer a theoretical account of how gender and emotion combine to influence the development of power in work relationships. We document the profound impact gender has on the display, perception and evaluation of emotion in the workplace. We illustrate the reciprocal relationship between emotion and power, and identify cycles of powerlessness that prevent women from developing and leveraging power in their work relationships. By exploring the nexus of gender, emotion and power in work relationships, we offer new insights into how the gendering of emotion creates and perpetuates gender differences in power in organizations. Implications for research and practice are offered.     

工作场所无礼行为、工作满意度及离职意图关系的实证研究

本文运用问卷调查法收集数据,运用相关分析探讨工作场所无礼行为、工作满意度以及员工离职意图三者之间的关系。结果表明：工作场所无礼行为与工作满意度呈负相关关系,工作场所无礼行为与离职意图呈正相关关系,工作满意度与离职意图呈负相关关系。基于研究结果,本文为人力资源管理实践提出了几点建议。     

授权型领导-员工授权感知匹配对任务绩效的影响机制

基于领导-成员交换理论,从领导-员工匹配视角出发,探讨了授权型领导-员工授权感知匹配与任务绩效的关系。采用多项式回归、响应面分析和块变量分析方法,对261份领导和下属的配对数据进行分析。研究结果表明：授权型领导与员工授权感知越匹配,下属的任务绩效越高;在一致性匹配情况下,相比于“低授权型领导-低员工授权感知”,“高授权型领导-高员工授权感知下的员工任务绩效更高;在不一致性匹配情况下,相比于“低授权型领导-高员工授权感知”,“高授权型领导-低员工授权感知”下的员工任务绩效更高;领导-成员交换关系在授权型领导-员工授权感知评价匹配对任务绩效的影响中起部分中介作用;工作场所地位调节了领导-成员交换关系与任务绩效间的关系。 本研究从匹配视角出发揭示了领导授权效果异质性的原因,丰富了匹配研究在授权型领导效能发挥中的应用,为授权型领导相关研究提供了更加全面的视角。     

责任型领导对员工绿色行为的影响:道德反思的中介作用及同理心的调节作用

基于社会学习与情感事件理论视角,探讨了责任型领导对员工绿色行为的影响机制。通过对山东省、上海市多家企业317名人员的问卷调查,实证分析结果显示责任型领导显著正向影响员工绿色行为,道德反思在责任型领导与员工绿色行为之间起部分中介作用;同理心负向调节道德反思与员工绿色行为之间的关系,同理心越弱,道德反思对员工绿色行为的影响越显著;同理心还调节责任型领导通过道德反思影响员工绿色行为这一中介机制,同理心越弱,中介效应越显著。研究结果为责任型领导激发员工绿色行为提供了新的视角,对于增加组织的环保行为具有重要的现实意义。