The purpose of this paper is to present a study that examines the underlying stucture of work/family conflict. Research has shown that reducing work/family conflict is beneficial to both employees and the organization by reducing turnover and increasing satisfction, production and commitment to the organization.

Introduction. The concept of emotional labour can be described as the strategies used to express emotions required of a job, and the strategies used to suppress those emotions that are inappropriate in the workplace. This paper aims to examine the emotional labour of Swedish high school librarians. Method. For this study, six high school librarians were interviewed about emotional situations in the workplace and how they handle their emotions. The interview transcripts were analysed thematically, using QDA Miner Lite software. Analysis and results. Emotional labour theories and role theory were used to understand the librarians' emotional labour. The findings show that emotional labour occurs in interactions with students, teachers/colleagues and managers. Situations that require emotional labour include students that make a racket in the library, students in need of support in personal matters and challenges of instructional work. However, the most prominent theme concerns teachers/colleagues and managers who do not have accurate knowledge of the librarians' competencies. The librararians use deep and surface acting strategies to handle their emotions, as well as situation modification, situation selection and venting. These strategies are used both during interaction and before/after (outside of) situations. Conclusion. Interactions with students are not the primary cause of the librarians' emotional labour. Rather, the main reason for emotional labour is managers' and colleagues' limited knowledge of school library work and the competencies of school librarians. One effect of this limited knowledge is that the librarians do not always get the opportunity to practice their competence. Another effect is the risk that the students do not get equal access to the librarys' and the librarians' services – in turn, the risk of this inequality affects the librarians' emotional health negatively. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Depuis le début des années 90, le réseau de la santé au Québec est soumis à une vaste restructuration qui a eu des conséquences négatives sur la qualité de vie au travail (QVT) des infirmières et infirmiers. Les hommes se retrouvent en nombre croissant dans toutes les sphères de la pratique infirmière, mais les études existantes ne font malheureusement pas mention de la qualité de vie au travail de ceux-ci. Alors, il apparaît pertinent de s’attarder au phénomène de la qualité de vie au travail des hommes infirmiers dans la profession infirmière, et ce, plus précisément en CSSS mission CLSC. Le but de cette étude phénoménologique consiste à décrire et à comprendre la signification de la qualité de vie au travail pour des infirmiers œuvrant en CSSS mission CLSC. L’essence du phénomène, les huit thèmes et les 35 sous-thèmes qui se dégagent directement des entrevues énoncent que la signification de la qualité de vie au travail pour des infirmiers œuvrant en centre de santé et des services sociaux (CSSS), mission CLSC et déclarant avoir une qualité de vie positive au travail, signifie « un climat empreint de caring qui favorise l'épanouissement de l'infirmier en CLSC en œuvrant pour le maintien de l'harmonie entre les sphères professionnelle et familiale ». Si certains résultats corroborent ceux d’études antérieures, d’autres apportent des éléments nouveaux favorisant la santé des infirmiers par le biais de la qualité de vie au travail. Enfin, des avenues concrètes visant la mise en place de programmes d’optimisation de la qualité de vie au travail, sont proposées. / In the 1990s, health care organizations in Québec underwent sweeping reforms that disrupted the work climate and practices of nurses (Bourbonnais et al., 2000; Pérodeau et al., 2002). These reforms had a negative impact on nurses’ quality of working life (QWL), leading decision makers and researchers to investigate the QWL phenomenon from several perspectives (Delmas, 1999; 2001; Gascon, 2001; O’Brien-Pallas & Baumann, 1992). Most of the studies of this phenomenon were conducted in hospital settings and were based on paradigms of psychological distress (Bourbonnais et al., 1998, 2000) or burn-out (a pathogenic perspective) (Duquette et al., 1995) rather than a health paradigm (a salutogenic perspective) (Gascon, 2001). A salutogenic perspective represents a positive vision of an approach to health (Antonovsky, 1996; Delmas, 2001, Duquette & Delmas, 2002). The scientific literature (Brooks et al., 1996; Ekstrom, 1999; Evans, 2001) suggests that, in addition to living through the same upheavals as their female colleagues, some male nurses also have negative feelings related to sex discrimination, feelings of isolation, and the conflict between masculine values (strength, aggressiveness) and the feminine values (gentleness, flexibility) of the nursing profession. These feelings can only hamper nurses’ QWL, yet they are not mentioned in studies of male nurses (Boughn, 2001; Ekstrom, 1999; Evans, 1997, 2001). The aim of the study, using Giorgi’s (1985, 1997a) descriptive phenomenology as a method, is to describe and understand the significance of phenomena through people’s experiences. The findings were derived from semi-structured individual interviews of 60 to 90 minutes with five male nurses who reported a positive quality of life at work. Data analysis consisted of: collecting the data, reading and rereading the results, dividing the data into meaningful units, organizing and stating the raw data in the language of the discipline and, finally, synthesizing the findings and letting the essence of the phenomena emerge. Watson’s (1988, 2005) human caring philosophy served as a backdrop for the entire process. The analysis of verbatim transcripts revealed eight themes that defined the significance of the quality of working life for male nurses practising in community settings: 1) autonomy in their professional practice; 2) job satisfaction; 3) a healthy workplace setting; 4) relations with the administration characterized by support and respect; 5) caring relationships with other members of the interdisciplinary team; 6) working in partnership with female peers; 7) commitment to clients and their families; and 8) professional work-life balance. The essence of the phenomenon stems directly from the themes that emerged during the interviews; it states that for male nurses working in health and social service centres (CSSSs), as part of CLSCs, working life means “a caring climate that fosters the vitality of male CLSC nurses by trying to maintain a balance between their professional and family lives.” If some of the findings confirm what has been reported in other studies, others have added new information on how to promote the health of male nurses by targeting quality of working life. Concrete avenues are proposed for implementing quality of working life optimization programs.

Ce travail de recherche vise à comprendre quelles sont les principales atteintes à la santé mentale des policiers de voie publique afin de dégager des pistes d’action managériales et organisationnelles. Nous avons pour cela cherché à identifier les principales contraintes et ressources qui entourent l’activité policière et son encadrement en nous basant sur une démarche de théorisation enracinée, au plus proche des acteurs de terrain, et sur la triangulation de méthodes qualitatives (observation directe et participante, entretiens individuels et collectifs, questionnaires). En croisant les travaux issus de la psychologie, de la sociologie des organisations et de la sociologie de la police, nous avons élaboré un modèle d’analyse systémique et multiniveau permettant de mieux comprendre les dynamiques organisationnelles sous-jacentes au « malaise policier ». Il ressort de cette recherche que l’encadrement policier est lui-même soumis à d’importantes sources de tensions qui le placent notamment dans une situation de management empêché. En somme, il apparaît que les cadres de l’institution sont directement victimes d’un mode d’organisation générateur de souffrance qui ne leur permet pas de répondre efficacement aux attentes formulées par leurs collaborateurs. Ne parvenant pas à agir sur les causes des tensions, la prévention des risques psychosociaux se focalise finalement sur la prise en charge des agents en difficultés. La notion actuelle de qualité de vie au travail, en cohérence avec les travaux issus de la clinique du travail, constitue selon nous un moyen d’action à privilégier pour améliorer la santé des policiers et la qualité du service public. / This research work aims to understand the main occupational injuries for the police officers’ mental health to identify managerial and organizational actions. To this end, we sought to identify the main demands and resources in police activity and its supervision. We based this work on a grounded theory approach, as close as possible to the actors in the ground, and on the triangulation of qualitative methods (direct and participant observation, individual and group interviews, questionnaires). By combining researches from psychology, organizational sociology and police sociology, we built a systemic and multilevel model to understand the organizational dynamics behind the French "police malaise". This research shows that police superintendents are subject to significant sources of tension and are in a situation of “barred management”. It appears that these managers are directly victims of an organizational structure that generates mental suffering and prevent them to respond effectively to their employees’ expectations. Unable to act on the causes of tensions, the psychosocial risks prevention focuses on staff in difficulty. The current concept of quality of working life, consistent with clinical researches in the workplace, is in our opinion a preferred means of action to improve the police officers health and the quality of public service.

Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives and consequently brought about a re-evaluation of the QWL these employees experience, as well as their trust in the organisation to support them. Responses to an internet-based survey methodology were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling. Results confirm a positive relationship between Managerial Practices and Organisational Trust, and a lower relationship between the dimensions of Personality and Organisational Trust. A positive relationship was noted between QWL and Managerial Practices, and a lower relationship between QWL and the Personality constructs. This study accentuates the importance of management to be aware of the trust employees have in the organisation as well as their experience of QWL, as it seems as though the Personality traits and Managerial Practices of managers influences both the trust relationship and QWL experienced by employees. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Workplace interventions provide a practical and important means of providing support for employees' work-family needs. However, work-family interventions are rare and are generally not thoroughly evaluated. The current study seeks to better understand the impacts of STAR ("Support. Transform. Achieve. Results."), the large-scale work-family intervention developed and implemented by the Work, Family, & Health Network (see Bray et al., 2013). Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this study examines supervisors' participation in STAR through assessment of three primary supervisor-specific outcomes: training-related views and behaviors, well-being, and the work-family interface. The sample, consisting of 184 supervisors from 30 extended-care facilities throughout the northeastern United States, comes from archival data that were collected by the Work, Family, & Health Network. Results show a lack of support for STAR intervention effects on supervisor-level outcomes. Despite the lack of statistically significant effects on supervisors, it is important to note the lack of iatrogenic effects, indicating that participation in the STAR intervention did not harm supervisor outcomes. Implications, future directions, and limitations of the study are discussed.

In 2008, there were more than 5,200 workplace fatalities in the United States (BLS, 2010b). During the same time period, U.S. employees missed almost 1.1 million days from work (BLS, 2010c). Accidents are unexpected outcomes that result not only from individuals' behaviors, but from contextual factors (Krause, 1997; Reason, 1990). Therefore, unsafe behaviors have to be interpreted according to a combination of what is occurring in the environment and what the individual is doing in that environment. The present study sought to create a more comprehensive model of safety by means of macroergonomics. Macroergonomics utilizes sociotechnical systems theory to posit that a work system is composed of a personnel subsystem (i.e., ways individuals perform tasks), a technological subsystem (i.e., tasks to be performed), and external factors (Hendrick, 2002a). Perceived control over work hours, an aspect of the technological subsystem, was examined as an antecedent of work-family conflict. Supervisor instrumental support, an aspect of the personnel subsystem, was examined as a moderator of the relationships between perceived control over work hours and work-family conflict. Supervisors have an imperative role in employees' perception of control over their work hours (Kelly & Moen, 2007). Supervisor instrumental support was also hypothesized to moderate the relationships between work-family conflict and safety performance. Supervisors who support their employees in their work-family matters exceed mandatory requirements set forth to protect workers' safety and health (Mearns, Hope, Ford, & Tetrick, 2010). A majority of the 360 participants in the present study were grocery store employees who worked in the front end of the store as cashiers. Job tenure in this particular grocery store chain was an average of 7 years (SD = 5.96) and the average number of hours worked per week was 31 (SD = 8.55). The employees were an average age of 38 years old (SD = 15.25). Two hundred and sixty-two (73%) of the participants were female, 330 (92%) were White, 196 (55%) employees were married or living as married, 146 (41%) employees identified themselves as parents with children living at home, and 58 (16%) employees provided elder care. The data were analyzed using a moderated mediation model. An employee's perceived control over his/her work hours was negatively associated with work-to-family and family-to-work conflict. Work-to-family conflict was not significantly associated with either safety compliance or participation. In contrast, family-to-work conflict was significantly associated with both safety compliance and participation. These findings replicate Cullen and Hammer's (2007) findings that family-to-work conflict, but not work-to-family conflict, is negatively associated with safety compliance and participation. The replication of these significant findings gives support to macroergonomics' assertion that external forces (i.e., family) can affect the safety of employees. All of the meditating and moderating relationships proposed in this dissertation were not significant. I conducted post hoc analyses to determine other possible significant paths in the model examined. The FSSB dimension of supervisor instrumental support was found to positively affect both safety compliance and participation. Supervisor instrumental support was also found to directly affect work-to-family conflict. Overall FSSB and its subdimensions demonstrated similar patterns in the hypothesized relationships and in additional relationships examined. Numerous implications can be recognized from this dissertation. First, interdisciplinary approaches to safety research are emerging and important in the pursuit of safer work environments. Macroergonomics and I/O psychology have commonalities that lend themselves to a good partnership where researchers can learn from each other and collaborate to advance the study of safety. Second, organizations need to focus on the stressors their employees experience as part of their safety programs, and numerous studies, including this dissertation, have found that family-to-work conflict impacts safety compliance and participation. Future safety research may incorporate macroergonomics, which emphasizes that focusing on one adverse aspect of the system may not be enough to create valuable change if there are other adverse factors still creating demands elsewhere in the system. This will allow for a more comprehensive model that ensures certain aspects of the system are not neglected, which can reduce effectiveness of constructs used to create positive changes.

The majority of literature on the work-family interface has focused on, and provided evidence of, the conflict associated with engagement in both work and family roles (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux, & Brinley, 2005). Research examining the positive aspects of work and family participation remains limited. The current study investigated how work-family positive spillover is transferred between members of the supervisor-employee dyad and subsequently how this affects employee sleep outcomes. It was hypothesized that work-to-family affective positive spillover experienced by supervisors would crossover to employees and increase their experiences of work-to-family affective positive spillover. In turn, this would allow for better employee sleep. It was also proposed that these relationships would depend on the level of employee perceptions of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB), such that higher levels of FSSB would result in higher levels of employee positive spillover and better employee sleep. As part of a larger study, survey data were collected in a sample of 696 workers supervised by 180 managers in the information technology sector. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that supervisor positive spillover was negatively related to employee positive spillover. Furthermore, FSSB moderated the association between supervisor positive spillover and employee sleep duration, such that the relationship between supervisor positive spillover and employee sleep duration was positive under high levels of FSSB, but negative under low levels of FSSB. Again, this finding was contrary to expectations. Alternative explanations are discussed.

The Master's thesis focuses on the complexities of quality of work life and work engagement among education staff. The introduction presents a general overview of key concepts and outlines the development of approaches and the wider context. Drawing on the theoretical background, the following text addresses specific problems in greater detail. While the first chapter deals with a more general understanding of quality of life in various disciplines, the second chapter narrows its focus to the concept of quality of work life introducing selected theories and contemporary research approaches. Another thematic part of the thesis explores work engagement - it defines the concept, its development and relation to other phenomena (for instance, work satisfaction, well-being, or the burn-out syndrome). The thesis also includes an empirical study with the intention to describe the subjectively perceived quality of work life and the level of work engagement among employees of educational organizations. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous measures needed to be adopted, which have profoundly transformed and influenced the way teachers perform their job tasks. The turbulent nature and low predictability of related changes represent an unprecedented challenge and can influence long-term quality of work life...

In contemporary society, work and home represent the two most significant domains in the life of working individuals. South Africa’s socioeconomic, political, and societal circumstances will influence employees’ experiences of work-life balance differently, compared to that of employees in other countries, suggesting that the construction of work-life balance amongst different race and cultural groups may differ. The present study used in-depth qualitative interviews with ten black women and men employed in a customer care environment, to explore their construction of work-life balance. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data and identify themes. This study suggests that work-life balance is a unique experience for individuals, which varies over time and in different situations. The study confirmed that attaining work-life balance is a process of balancing ever-changing experiences over time, and in different life stages. The results of this study are also discussed in relation to the relevant literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)