In recent years, researchers in work and organizational psychology have increasingly become interested in short-term processes and everyday experiences of working individuals. Diaries provide the necessary means to examine these processes. Although diary studies have become more popular in recent years, researchers not familiar with this method still find it difficult to get access to the required knowledge. In this paper, we provide an introduction to this method of data collection. Using two diary study examples, we discuss methodological issues researchers face when planning a diary study, examine recent methodological developments, and give practical recommendations. Topics covered include different types of diary studies, the research questions to be examined, compliance and the issue of missing data, sample size, and issues of analyses.

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Diary Studies in Organizational Research: An Introduction and Some Practical Recommendations

Abstract : A study is reported of the variations in organizational commitment and job satisfaction, as related to subsequent turnover in a sample of recently-employed psychiatric technician trainees. A longitudinal study was made across a 10 1/2 month period, with attitude measures collected at four points in time. For this sample, job satisfaction measures appeared better able to differentiate future stayers from leavers in the earliest phase of the study. With the passage of time, organizational commitment measures proved to be a better predictor of turnover, and job satisfaction failed to predict turnover. The findings are discussed in the light of other related studies, and possible explanations are examined. (Modified author abstract)

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Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Turnover Among Psychiatric Technicians. Technical Report No. 16.

Core self-evaluations (CSE) might account for relative gains in job resources across time, especially in situations when these individual differences affect behavior that is relevant for development of job resources. This longitudinal study tests CSE as an individual resource that predicts relative gain in job resources and job satisfaction among job beginners who change or stay with their employer. A questionnaire was filled in by 513 adolescents shortly before the end of vocational training and one year later. Our results replicate previous findings suggesting that job satisfaction is affected by CSE directly and indirectly through the perception of job resources. Multi-group structural equation analysis showed that only leavers had a longitudinal indirect effect of CSE on job satisfaction at the end of vocational training via job resources during their first year of employment. Our findings imply that turnover includes opportunities to optimize one’s circumstances and that CSE helps to attain resourceful jobs.

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Taking the chance: Core self-evaluations predict relative gain in job resources following turnover

Taking into account the changes that are currently taking place in our country, it is clear that these changes, which occur in almost all companies, lead to new stress factors for both employees and the organization. Occupational stress is a major problem for employees and managers, but also for the whole society. The issue of stress in organizations has given birth to many debates and studies. It is a common theme that is addressed by managers, employees and consultants from different perspectives. According to a study by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, in the European Union, work-related stress is the second work-related health issue after dorsal disorders. It affects 28% of EU employees. The European Parliament is fully involved in addressing issues related to the psychological support of the staff. Preventing work-related stress is one of the objectives set out in the Communique of the European Commission for Employment and Social Affairs regarding their new health and safety at work strategy. Manifestations of stress in organizations are easily observable, being manifested by behaviors such as: difficulties in adapting to the changes required to work or the dramatic drop in labor productivity. Also a double action is met: both the person who passes through the stressful situation and at the organization level on which it is reflected the existence of a stressful environment. This paper aims to address the implications of workplace stress, symptoms of stress in the workplace and strategies to eliminate and prevent stress at work This paper represents an exploratory research based on qualitative methods, being consulted various sources of information: the literature, case studies, media articles, reports of relevant organizations, etc.

Stress in organizations

Objective: This study examined the association between three conceptualisations of work-related rumination (affective rumination, problem-solving pondering and detachment) with sleep quality and work-related fatigue It was hypothesised that affective rumination and poor sleep quality would be associated with increased fatigue; and problem-solving pondering, and detachment would be associated with decreased fatigue The mediating effect of sleep quality on the relationship between work-related rumination and fatigue was also tested Method: An on-line questionnaire was completed by a heterogeneous sample of 719 adult workers in diverse occupations Results: The following variables were entered as predictors in a regression model: affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, detachment, and sleep quality The dependent variables were chronic work-related fatigue (CF) and acute work-related fatigue (AF) Affective rumination was the strongest predictor of increased CF and AF Problem-solving pondering was a significant predictor of decreased CF and AF Poor sleep quality was predictive of increased CF and AF Detachment was significantly negatively predictive for AF Sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between affective rumination and fatigue; and between problem-solving pondering and fatigue Conclusions: Work-related affective rumination appears more detrimental to an individual’s ability to recover from work than problem-solving pondering In the context of identifying mechanisms by which demands at work are translated into ill-health, this appears to be a key finding; and suggests that it is the type of work-related rumination, not rumination per se, that is important

Exploring the relationship between work-related rumination, sleep quality and work-related fatigue.

An association between stress at work and impaired sleep is theoretically plausible and supported by empirical evidence. The current study's main aim was to investigate how the influence of stressors is carried over into the evening and the night. We assume that this relationship is mediated by perseverative cognitions. We tested this assumption in two cross-sectional samples with structural equation modeling, using bootstrapped standard errors to test for significance. Effort–reward imbalance and time pressure were used as stressors, and rumination as a measure for perseverative cognitions. Results show that the stressors are related to perseverative cognitions, and these are related to impaired sleep in both samples. Indirect effects are significant in both samples. With rumination controlled, direct effects of stressors on sleep are only significant in one out of four cases. Thus, there is full mediation in three out of four cases, and partial mediation in the fourth one. Our results underscore the notion that perseverative cognitions are crucial for transferring negative effects of work stressors into private life, including sleep, thus hindering individuals to successfully recover.

Work stressors and impaired sleep: rumination as a mediator

As the central strain dimension of burnout, emotional exhaustion is a popular indicator of poor mental health in work and organizational psychology. Based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the present article focuses on antecedents of and processes leading to emotional exhaustion. We hypothesized that sickness presenteeism (conceptualized as active and problem-focused coping) would partially mediate the relationship between work characteristics (workload and coworker support) and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, we examined a potential interaction between workload and coworker support, hypothesizing that a combination of high workload and low coworker support would produce the highest levels of sickness presenteeism. Participants were 462 employees working in a research funding organization in Germany who were given a validated multi-item measure to assess sickness presenteeism. The results of structural equation modeling strongly supported most hypotheses: The effects of coworker support and workload on emotional exhaustion were fully or at least partially mediated by sickness presenteeism. However, hierarchical regression analyses did not support the proposed interaction effect. It is concluded that sickness presenteeism may help to deliver a better understanding of the effects of the working environment on emotional exhaustion. Implications for the JD-R model and for workplace health promotion are discussed.

How workload and coworker support relate to emotional exhaustion: The mediating role of sickness presenteeism

Objectives Research concerning the association between stress at work and body mass index (BMI) has mainly focused on two models (ie, job demand–control and effort–reward imbalance) as predictors and mostly been cross-sectional. The aim of our study is to extend previous research in two ways. First, social stressors – in the sense of social conflict and animosities at work – were included as an independent variable, arguing that they should be an especially promising predictor as they reflect a “social-evaluative threat”. Second, a longitudinal design was employed with a two-year follow-up. In addition, the variables specified by the job demand–control model and the effort–reward imbalance model were assessed as well.

Methods Participants comprised 72 employees (52 men, 20 women) from a Swiss service provider. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict BMI two years later with social stressors, effort–reward imbalance, demands, control, and the interaction of demands and control. Baseline BMI was controlled so that the dependent variable reflects the change in BMI over two years.

Results Regression analyses revealed control and social stressors to be statistically significant predictors of follow-up BMI, while effort–reward imbalance was marginally significant. 

Conclusions The results underscore the importance of social stressors and job control as predictors of stress-related impaired health.

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Does stress at work make you gain weight? A two-year longitudinal study

Confronted with progressively increasing demands for greater flexibility, organizations apply organizational and managerial practices that build on their employees’ self-organization and self-discipline, thereby increasing their employees’ control over achieving their everyday work tasks. Although these practices offer opportunities for personal growth and coordination of work and private life, the resultant demands for increasing autonomy and self-organization may overtax employees’ capacities, leading to stress. Furthermore, employees are increasingly reacting in ways that are self-exploitative and detrimental to their own health in response to large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization. This chapter introduces the concept of self-endangering work behavior; namely, behaviors that may be functional with regard to attaining work goals but dysfunctional with regard to health and long-term ability to work. We propose that self-endangering work behavior can be viewed as a form of coping reaction when workers are confronted with large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization. Based on the transactional stress model and regulation of behavior theory, we propose that self-endangering work behavior may mediate the effect of large work-loads and strong demands for self-organization on impaired well-being. We summarize empirical findings that confirm the detrimental role of self-endangering behaviors and their capacity to increase the detrimental effects of work demands. Finally, we discuss the benefit of assessing self-endangering behavior with the aim of taking preventive measures.

Martial Berset

Papers

Taking the chance: Core self-evaluations predict relative gain in job resources following turnover

Work stressors and impaired sleep: rumination as a mediator

How workload and coworker support relate to emotional exhaustion: The mediating role of sickness presenteeism

Does stress at work make you gain weight? A two-year longitudinal study

Self-Endangering Work Behavior