Objectives: Specific work processes and management structures that contribute to high rates of occupational illness and injury in agricultural industries are not well described in academic literature. This qualitative study of work organization in the U.S. fresh tomato industry investigates how work processes and management structures impact tomato workers’ occupational health. Methods: After conducting literature review and key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 36 individuals with experience working in the U.S. fresh tomato industry. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: These data indicate that participants endured income insecurity and hazardous supervisory practices, including wage theft, retaliation, intimidation, and humiliation, that put them at risk of preventable illness and injury. Support from workers’ organizations and health-conscious supervisory practices helped mitigate some of these occupational hazards. Conclusion: Participants’ adverse work experiences may be considered sequelae of workers’ lack of job control and positions of socioeconomic structural vulnerability. Other aspects of tomato work organization, including health-conscious supervisory practices and the involvement of workers’ organizations, indicate that modifying work organization to better safeguard health is possible. Such modifications present compelling opportunities for employers, employees, organizations, community and government leaders, and health care professionals to help create healthier occupational environments for tomato workers.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Recent literature on well-being of physicians in general, and residency program directors (PD) specifically, has demonstrated those meeting the criteria of burnout reaching almost 50% in physicians, and 20-30% in PDs. However, few studies have explored engagement, or the positive or meaningful aspects, in physicians and no studies have explored engagement in the PD and Assistant PD community. Therefore, this study employed a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of PDs and APDs as they encountered burnout, engagement, and every combination in between through their multifaceted, roles, responsibilities, and tasks embedded in their institutional context and personal lives. Phase 1 participants (n=3) included two PDs and one APD from Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). Participants in Phase 1 took part in three semi-structured interviews at 6-month intervals, and direct observations in their clinical, administrative, and education roles. Phase 2 participants (n=5) were PDs from IUSM who completed a single semi-structured interview based on preliminary results and exploration of Phase 1 participants’ experiences. Interviews and field notes from observations were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, followed by a deductive application of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. Document analysis was incorporated to add context, understanding, and a rich description of the participants’ experiences. This study found multiple sub-themes situated within four major themes: It Takes a Village, Integration of the “Hats” They Wear, Motivation and the Meaning of Their Career, and Coping. Exploring the sub-themes to JD-R theory allowed contextualization of how job demands, job resources, personal resources, absence of resources, job crafting, recovery, self-undermining, and strain, interact to add context, nuance, and broader conceptualization of how PD and APD experienced their multifaceted roles. This study provides a rich description of the experiences of PDs and APDs embedded in their social context of roles, tasks, and responsibilities. These results indicated that understanding how the individual experiences their job demands as they interact with their experiences of job and personal resources, and how the individual proactively engages with their environment through job crafting and recovery enables for a nuanced appreciation of engagement and burnout.

Tidigare studier visar att arbetsförhållandena för anställda inom psykiatrisk vård i Sverige har tydliga brister. Utifrån krav- och resursmodellen undersöktes hur krav respektive resurser påverkar psykiatripersonals arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetshälsa. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med tre psykiatrisjuksköterskor och fem skötare från sex olika slutenvårdsenheter runt om i Mellansverige. Materialet analyserades tematiskt. Studiens resultat belyser att de krav som påverkar personalens arbetsvillkor är: underbemanning, okunniga kollegor, emotionella krav, vårdtyngd, dokumentationskrav och hot och våld. Studiens resultat om resurser som kan underlätta arbetsvillkoren är: allians med patienter, kollegialt stöd, säkerhet och arbetsutrymme. Resultatet visade på att de krav som ställs på personal inom psykiatrisk vård var övervägande i förhållande till de resurser som fanns till hands. De krav som inte anpassades med adekvata resurser var underbemanning, dokumentationskrav och okunniga kollegor.

Denna studie ämnar undersöka om det existerar ett samband mellan självskattad arbetsbelastning och välbefinnande. Ytterligare ämnar studien undersöka hur stort detta samband är och i vilken riktning sambandet är. Tidigare undersökningar visar att nästan alla svaranden ansåg att normen på arbetsplatsen var att ha en hög arbetsbelastning och att de inte vågade ta upp sina bekymmer kring arbetsbelastning och välbefinnande. Ytterligare visar forskning att en tredjedel av svaranden upplevde en mycket hög arbetsbelastning. Detta är därmed ett aktuellt problem. För att undersöka syftet har en enkätundersökning genomförts med 60 respondenter mellan åldrarna 20–64 (M=34.07; SD=11.48), varav alla hade ett arbete. Resultatet visar att det existerar ett signifikant samband mellan självskattad arbetsbelastning och välbefinnande. Sambandet indikerar att låga skattningar på välbefinnande är relaterat till höga skattningar på arbetsbelastning. Resultatet visar även att det existerar olika bakgrundsfaktorer som påverkar välbefinnandet, dessa faktorer är ålder och om den anställda är heltidsanställd eller deltidsanställd. Slutsatserna är att det existerar ett signifikant samband mellan självskattad arbetsbelastning och välbefinnande på en måttlig nivå. Ytterligare slutsatser är att välbefinnandet även påverkas av anställdas ålder och typ av anställning.

The present study examines the joint roles of leadership and stressors for presenteeism of scientific staff. Leaders may have an impact on employees’ health, both directly through interpersonal interactions and by shaping their working conditions. In the field of science, this impact could be special because of the mentoring relationships between the employees (e.g., PhD students) and their supervisors (e.g., professors). Based on the job demands-resources framework (JD-R), we hypothesized that the pressure to be present at the workplace induced by supervisors (supervisorial pressure) is directly related to employees’ presenteeism as well as indirectly via perceptions of time pressure. The conservation of resources theory (COR) states that resource loss resulting from having to deal with job demands weakens the resource pool and therefore the capacity to deal with other job demands. Thus, we hypothesized that accumulation of work moderates the relationship between supervisorial pressure and time pressure, such that the relationship is stronger when accumulation of work is high compared to if accumulation of work is low. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 212 PhD students and postdocs of 30 scientific institutions in Germany. Analysis was performed using the SPSS macro PROCESS (Hayes, 2013). Supervisorial pressure was directly associated with higher presenteeism of employees and indirectly through increased time pressure. Moreover, supervisorial pressure and accumulation of work interacted to predict time pressure, but in an unexpected way. The positive relationship between supervisorial pressure and time pressure is stronger when accumulation is low compared to if accumulation of work is high. It seems possible that job stressors do not accumulate but substitute each other. Threshold models might explain the findings. Moreover, specific patterns of interacting job demands for scientific staff should be considered in absence management.

Hög arbetsbelastning har i tidigare forskning lyfts fram som särskilt påtagligt i skolkuratorers arbetsmiljö. Yrkesrollen beskrivs som ensam och på grund av komplexa arbetsuppgifter finns inte tid för främjande och förebyggande arbete. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur skolkuratorer upplever sin organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med 11 skolkuratorer i åldrarna 26-57 år. Materialet analyserades med tematisk analys. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten var krav- och resursmodellen. Resultatet visade att skolkuratorerna upplevde ansvar över ett stort antal elevärenden vilket gav upphov till kvantitativa krav, samt komplexa arbetsuppgifter som krävde stor kognitiv ansträngning. Dessutom hade skolkuratorerna en otydlig arbetsbeskrivning och upplevde rollkonflikt. Gällande resurser upplevde skolkuratorerna gott socialt stöd från kollegor och genom handledning, samt emotionellt stöd från ledningen. Ytterligare framträdande resurser var upplevd autonomi och återkoppling från elever. Trots en jämn fördelning mellan antalet funna krav och resurser beskrevs kraven som något tyngre vilket resulterade i en obalanserad arbetsmiljö.

Ambivalence is the experience of both positive and negative evaluations regarding an object such as a person or an event. Although interest in leadership ambivalence has been growing among researchers, there is still little understanding of what distinguishes it from poor leadership. The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to the leadership ambivalence literature by examining ambivalence in the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship through the lens of occupational stress. Specifically, I used the job demands-resources model as a theoretical foundation and presented leadership ambivalence as a unique job demand that is associated with emotional exhaustion as a symptom of strain after controlling for LMX quality. I also examined the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of various personal resources. While leadership ambivalence was not a significant direct predictor of emotional exhaustion, the results supported rumination as a mediator of a significant indirect relationship between the two variables. Optimism, tolerance for ambiguity, and neuroticism were not significant moderators of the effect of leadership ambivalence. However, internal locus of control moderated the relationship between leadership ambivalence and rumination such that the relationship was stronger for those with low internality. In further supplementary analysis, the results were validated using an alternative measure of leadership ambivalence.

This study is a novel application of I/O Psychology principles to the U.S. swine industry. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) recently identified caretaker motivation related to compliance with biosecurity behaviors as a priority needing to be better understood. This exploratory study seeks to identify if there is indeed a worker motivation issue within the industry that is impacting compliance with biosecurity, and if so, establish both a baseline of motivation and a better understanding of the primary influencing factors. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Job Demands/Resources Model of Burnout as a framework, an online survey was developed using items, adapted or in original form, from previous research and established measures. A total of 139 caretakers from five pork production companies participated in the survey and form the study's sample population. Results suggest the swine industry's problem with biosecurity compliance is not a motivationally driven issue, but findings were unable to provide evidence supporting a conclusive determination. Results for attitude (TPB) and job resources (JD-R) suggest further investigation into the rewards, supervisor support, and performance feedback categories of job resources could be promising avenues for continuing to explore what drives biosecurity non-compliance. Valuable insight was obtained about the swine industry and the caretaker role, and results are promising for improving quality of data collected as the research continues applying I/O theories and models to the swine industry for the purpose of investigating worker resources and attitudes. Continuing this research will help one of the largest industries in the United States to better understand the interactions and motivations behind worker attitudes and perceptions towards biosecurity adherence and to enhance positive outcomes for employees, farms, and consumers.

Studien baserades på ett uppdrag från Länsstyrelsen Dalarna att undersöka den psykosociala arbetsmiljön inom organisationen med avgränsning till arbetsbelastning, arbetstakt och måltydlighet. Syftet med studien var att skapa förståelse för förhållandet mellan offentlig sektor som kontext, psykosocial arbetsmiljö och humankapital. Vidare var syftet att utforma en handlingsplan till Länsstyrelsen Dalarna för att förbättra den psykosociala arbetsmiljön inom organisationen. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna bestod av teorier kring offentlig sektor med fokus på tillsyns- och förvaltningsmyndigheter, och psykosocial arbetsmiljö. En grundläggande teori för studien var Job Demands-Resources Theory. Teorier kring humankapital och kunskapsintensiva medarbetare har också använts. Studien var kvalitativ och personliga intervjuer genomfördes med sex (6) medarbetare, och två gruppintervjuer gjordes med två (2) fackliga representanter respektive tre (3) chefer. Resultat och analys visade att medarbetarna upplevde en hög arbetsbelastning och otydliga mål. Individuella och subjektiva åsikter och upplevelser hade inverkan på resultatet. Slutsatserna var att det finns ett komplext förhållande mellan offentlig sektor, humankapital och medarbetarnas uppfattningar om den psykosociala arbetsmiljön, och att det förekommer olika förhållanden på olika nivåer inom den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Att beakta organisationens resurser och krav visade sig ha betydelse för den psykosociala arbetsmiljön och arbetet med att förbättra den. Åtgärder som föreslogs var bland annat en bredare syn gällande kompetensförsörjning. / The study was based on an assignment from the County of Dalarna to examine the psychosocial work environment within the organization, with limitation to work load, work rate and goal clarity. The aim of the study was to create an understanding for the relationship between public sector as a context, psychosocial work environment and human capital. Furthermore, the aim was to design an action plan to the County of Dalarna to improve the psychosocial work environment within the organization. The theoretical base consisted of theories regarding public sector with focus supervisory and administrative authorities, and psychosocial work environment. A fundamental theory for the study was Job Demands- Resources Theory. Theories concerning human capital and knowledge intense co-workers were also used in the study. The study was qualitative, and individual interviews were conducted with six (6) co-workers. Two group interviews were also conducted with two (2) trade-union representatives respectively three (3) managers. The result and analysis showed that the co-workers experienced high work load and a low degree of goal clarity. Furthermore, individual and subjective views and experiences had an impact on the outcome. The conclusions were that there is a complex relationship between public sector, psychosocial work environment and human capital, and that there are different relationships on different levels within the psychosocial work environment. Taking account of the organization's resources and requirements has proven to be of importance for the psychosocial work environment and the work to improve it. Proposed measures were changed views on skills supply among others.