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Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 34709

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Prof. Dr. Espen Olsen

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Department of Innovation, Leadership and Marketing, University of Stavanger Business School, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway
Interests: organizational psychology; leadership and management; compliance; occupational health and safety; change management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Maria Therese Jensen

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Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway
Interests: occupational health; psychology; leadership; work stress; burnout
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

A major trend in modern working life is the digitalization of organizations as means to meet demands and be competitive. Transitions involving digitalization challenge current working life practices and management on how to ensure occupational health and safety. As part of the digital changes taking place in today’s organizations, there are several relevant questions which arise, e.g., how will the emergence of new business models and non-standard work arrangements affect workers? How can work be organized and regulated to achieve sustainable working conditions for all workers, including vulnerable groups? How will technological change and developments toward autonomous systems influence health and safety? How will technological changes influence tripartite collaboration, and what are the consequences of this? What is the level of compliance in relation to health and safety regulations, and what are the roles of management and training? How do new ways of organizing work relate to workers’ work–life balance, creativity, and wellbeing? Papers dealing with these topics and questions are of particular interest in this Special Issue. Studies can include different methodological approaches as well as intervention studies.

Prof. Dr. Espen Olsen
Prof. Dr. Maria Therese Jensen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

wellbeing
health
safety
human resource management
digitalization
working conditions
management and leadership
compliance and regulation

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Superior Developmental Feedback with Employee Job Satisfaction? A Conservation of Resources Perspective

by Zhongqiu Li, Haoqi Qin, Xue Zhang, Qiwen Zhang and Linshan Tang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3211; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043211 - 12 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1479

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that superior developmental feedback (SDF) has a mixed impact on employees’ long-term development, but its effect on job satisfaction (JS) has been generally ignored. Therefore, this study proposes and tests a model based on the conservation of resources theory to shed light on how feedback from a leader or superior may increase employees’ JS. In this study, researchers analyzed responses from a two-stage questionnaire distributed to 296 employees to test the proposed hypotheses using MPlus 7.4 software. The results show that employee resilience (ER) partially mediates the link between SDF and JS. The results also indicate that the relationship between SDF and ER is strengthened by job complexity (JC). The results provide novel avenues for further study and practice in the areas of SDF and JS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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15 pages, 795 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Work Time Control Tradeoff in Flexible Work: Competitive Pathways to Need for Recovery

by Johanna Edvinsson, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Sofie Bjärntoft, Helena Jahncke, Terry Hartig and David M. Hallman

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010691 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

Work time control may offer opportunities, but also implies risks for employee recovery, influenced by increased work-related ICT use and overtime work. However, this risk–opportunity tradeoff remains understudied. This study aimed to test two different models of associations between work time control, work-related ICT use, overtime work, and the need for recovery. These models were constructed based on data on office workers with flexible work arrangements. Cross-sectional data were obtained with questionnaires (n = 2582) from employees in a Swedish multi-site organization. Regression models treated the three determinants of the need for recovery either as independent, or as linked in a causal sequence. The test of independent determinants confirmed that more work time control was associated with less need for recovery, whereas more ICT use and overtime work were associated with a higher need for recovery. In a test of serial mediation, more work time control contributed to a greater need for recovery through more ICT use and then more overtime work. Work time control also had a competitive, indirect effect through a negative association with overtime work. Our results suggest that work time control is beneficial for employee recovery, but may for some be associated with more work-related ICT use after regular working hours, thus increasing recovery needs. Policies that support work time control can promote recovery, but employers must attend to the risk of excessive use of ICT outside of regular working hours. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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12 pages, 1114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Competence Development and Collaborative Climate as Antecedents of Job Performance, Job Commitment and Uncertainty: Validation of a Theoretical Model across Four Hospitals

by Maria Therese Jensen, Olaug Øygarden, Aslaug Mikkelsen and Espen Olsen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010425 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1556

Abstract

Knowledge is lacking regarding how organizational factors are associated with uncertainty in patient treatment. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate how competence development and collaborative climate relates to job performance and job commitment, and further whether job performance and job commitment relate to uncertainty. Additionally, we examined whether these associations differed between four different hospitals. We applied data from 6445 hospital workers who provided care to patients. Basic statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to test the validity of the theoretical model developed in the study and the hypothesized associations. All hypothesized paths between the latent variables were significant and in accordance with the model across the four hospitals. The current study has implications for practical human resource management and indicates that competence development should be strengthened at the individual level and collaborative climate should be strengthened at the ward level. Strengthening competence development and collaborative climate can increase job performance and job commitment of individual workers and reduce uncertainty during care in hospital settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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14 pages, 354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changing the Office Design to Activity-Based Flexible Offices: A Longitudinal Study of How Managers’ Leadership Behaviours Are Perceived

by Johan Larsson, Stig Vinberg and Helena Jahncke

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013557 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1985

Abstract

This longitudinal study examines the impact of office type on employees’ perception of managers’ leadership behaviours, which is an unexplored area. The expanding research related to activity-based flexible offices (AFOs) has mainly focused on employees’ working conditions and health outcomes, not on the changes in leadership behaviours when moving from traditional offices to AFOs. Office workers (n = 261) from five office sites within a large Swedish government agency were included in a controlled study of a natural intervention. At four sites, traditional offices were replaced by AFOs, while workers at one site with no relocation acted as the control. The same employees rated different leadership behaviours in a web-based questionnaire at baseline and at one follow-up. The analyses showed that relocations from cell and open-plan offices to AFOs were clearly related to a decrease in the perception of relation-oriented leadership behaviours. However, coming from open-plan offices to AFOs also decreased the perception of the other leadership dimensions. As expected, the control group was stable over time in their perceptions. This emphasises the need for organisations to provide managers with prerequisites so they can keep up with behaviours that support employees’ performance and health when office designs and ways of working are changed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

15 pages, 982 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Job Demands and Resources Relate to Experiences of Bullying and Negative Acts among University Employees

by Gunhild Bjaalid, Elena Menichelli and Dian Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8460; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148460 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1921

Abstract

This article addresses a gap in the work psychology literature regarding psychosocial working conditions and bullying among staff in academic organizations. We examine the influences, institutional demands, and resources attached to given academic positions, such as how the level of social support and cooperation influence the level of experienced negative acts at work and bullying in different work groups in an academic work environment. We also examine whether some professions or positions in an academic organization are more vulnerable due to organizational structure, perceived and experienced resources, and demands to bullying or experiencing more negative acts at work. A common division of different employees in the university sector is between administrative/technical staff and scientific personnel. Our hypothesis in this study is that there are significant differences among these two groups regarding levels of experienced social support and cooperation, as well as levels of experienced negative acts at work. We postulate that differences in job demands and resources lead to significantly different levels of self-reported bullying for the two main groups of personnel. We expect scientific personnel to be more exposed to negative acts at work and bullying due to differences in the demands and resources associated with these positions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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16 pages, 560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Self-Care Make You a Better Leader? A Multisource Study Linking Leader Self-Care to Health-Oriented Leadership, Employee Self-Care, and Health

by Katharina Klug, Jörg Felfe and Annika Krick

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116733 - 31 May 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4571

Abstract

Leadership plays an important role in employee well-being. In light of a growing research interest in leaders’ resources as determinants of healthy leadership, it is not yet clear how leaders’ behavior regarding their own health (self-care) may trickle down to employees. Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory and the model of Health-Oriented Leadership, this study tests two mechanisms through which employees may benefit from self-caring leaders: (a) through staff care, that is, concern for their employees’ health (improved leadership hypothesis); and (b) through a direct relationship between leaders’ and employees’ self-care (role-modeling hypothesis). In turn, both staff care and employee self-care would relate positively to employee health. Multilevel path models based on a sample of N = 46 supervisors and 437 employees revealed that leader self-care was positively related to leader-rated staff care at Level 2, which was positively related to employee-rated staff care at Level 1. In turn, employee-rated staff care was positively related to employee health. The findings support the improved leadership hypothesis and underline the importance of leader self-care as a determinant of healthy leadership. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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23 pages, 1562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Taming Proteus: Challenges for Risk Regulation of Powerful Digital Labor Platforms

by Marie Nilsen, Trond Kongsvik and Stian Antonsen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6196; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106196 - 19 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2226

Abstract

The platform economy’s emergence challenges the current labor regulations hinged upon the binary employer–employee relations established during the industrial age. While this burgeoning phenomenon presents several possibilities for workers, customers, and businesses alike, scholars from various fields have sounded alarms regarding pitfalls in platform-mediated work (PMW). The regulation of working conditions, health, and safety risks are integral to these worries. Drawing upon existing research and empirical data from 49 qualitative interviews with several stakeholders, this paper explores the various dimensions of power exerted by platforms and the mismatch with the current risk regulatory framework. Four regulatory gaps are identified and the concept ‘regulatory escape’ is introduced. The study posits that taming powerful platforms requires harnessing adequate regulatory capacity grounded on developing an expansive view of regulation that encompasses all forms of socio-economic influence. The paper invokes reflection on the existing regulatory systems in society and calls for a more profound and inclusive debate on platform-mediated work and how regulatory gaps can be closed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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13 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Impact of Generation Z on Risk Management—A Preliminary Views on Values, Competencies, and Ethics of the Generation Z in Public Administration

by Zbysław Dobrowolski, Grzegorz Drozdowski and Mirela Panait

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3868; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073868 - 24 Mar 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 9243

Abstract

Gen Z, people born in the Internet age, are entering the labour market and soon will be responsible for public administration. Such a situation creates the need to study their professional motivations and competencies. We aim to determine: (1) What are the motivating factors of Gen Z representatives? (2) What is the factor’s structure of competencies of Gen Z employees? (3) Do Gen Z’s interest in public administration result from their needs to realise the public interest? These questions are fundamental for the strategy of hiring and training newcomers. This original paper’s insights have emerged iteratively based on a systematic literature searching method and data obtained from the surveys (n = 335). Research of Polish representatives of Gen Z showed that their expectations are similar to those found in other countries. However, their responses suggest that ethical issues are not the most important for them. The presence of generation G on the labor market will generate a paradigm shift in the activity of companies and public institutions that will be the employers of these young people. Reconfiguration of the principles of human resource management is necessary so that organizations benefit from the qualities of generation Z—they gravitate towards gamified processes because of mobile-centricity; they are natives of global communication, self-learners, and self-motivators; they appreciate transparency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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17 pages, 605 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Telework and Face-to-Face Work during COVID-19 Confinement: The Predictive Factors of Work-Related Stress from a Holistic Point of View

by Iduzki Soubelet-Fagoaga, Maitane Arnoso-Martinez, Edurne Elgorriaga-Astondoa and Edurne Martínez-Moreno

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073837 - 23 Mar 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2524

Abstract

This article explores the socio-labor conditions in which people worked during confinement, analyzing the predictors of work-related stress, according to work modality (face-to-face or teleworking), from a holistic and quantitative (n = 328) point of view. To identify predictors of stress, correlational analyses and multiple hierarchical regressions were conducted with individual, organizational, and societal variables. Furthermore, to analyze the possible modulating role of gender, caregiving, and the level of responsibility in organizations in the relationship between predictor variables and work stress, the macro process of Hayes was used. Our results show that work–family conflict and ruminative thoughts predict stress in both modalities. In teleworking modality, the hours dedicated to work predicted stress, and in face-to-face modality, safety measures and perceived economic threat (tendentially). Being in charge of persons moderated the relationship between ruminative thoughts and economic threat, and stress in face-to-face. Results are discussed by identifying good practices that can improve workplace risk prevention strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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12 pages, 649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision-Making under Risk: Conditions Affecting the Risk Preferences of Politicians in Digitalization

by Jean Roisse Rodrigues Ferreira

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3036; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053036 - 4 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1867

Abstract

Public officials are constantly facing decisions under risk, particularly in digitalization policies, the consequences of which are hard to predict given their multiple dimensional nature. Since scholarly research has not yet addressed this phenomenon, we do not know what influences the risk preferences of politicians in digitalization policies. Prospect theory—widely used to explain political decisions—can help us describe politicians’ potential risk references and the conditions affecting their decisions. Accordingly, this paper aims to answer the following question: what are the conditions affecting the risk preferences of politicians in digitalization policies? I address this question by employing two important assumptions of prospect theory: the value function and the probability weighting function. Particularly, I discuss the effects of loss/gain frames and probability weighting on the risk preferences of politicians in digitalization with outcomes in multiple dimensions (e.g., data privacy and economy). I argue that whether an outcome is perceived as a gain or as a loss depends on how the situation is framed and how the probabilities are weighted. I conclude with a brief discussion of how prospect theory can leverage our understanding of political decisions in highly complex policy environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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14 pages, 366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Business Leaders’ Formal Health and Safety Training on the Establishment of Robust Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems: Three Studies Based on Data from Labour Inspections

by Øyvind Dahl, Torbjørn Rundmo and Espen Olsen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031269 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3471

Abstract

The impact of occupational safety and health (OSH) training is a neglected topic in safety research. In Norway, such training is mandatory for all business leaders. Hence, the Norwegian working life forms a particularly interesting case for studying the impact of OSH training. On the basis of data from labour inspections performed by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (NLIA), this article examines the impact of business leaders’ mandatory OSH training on the establishment of robust OSH systems. Three separate studies have been conducted. In study 1, cross-sectional data from inspections of 29,224 companies are analysed. In study 2 and 3, longitudinal data from inspections of 1119 and 189 companies, respectively, are analysed. The analyses reveal that mandatory OSH training of business leaders is positively associated with compliance with legal requirements related to the minimum content of OSH systems. This means that mandatory OSH training is important for the establishment of robust occupational safety and health management systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Workplace Trends and Their Impact on Occupational Health and Safety)

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