Employee turnover is a significant contributor to the overall loss of hundreds of billions of dollars in profitability for many business organizations in the United States and abroad combined. Grounded in Maslow's theory of human motivation, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee wages, number of employee referrals, and employee turnover intentions. The population was composed of employees working in the Southeastern region of the United States. A convenience sample of 92 participants answered questions regarding their wages, number of employee referrals, and completed the Turnover Intention Scale. Results of the multiple regression analysis indicated the model as a whole was able to significantly predict turnover intentions, F(2, 89) = 5.462, p = .006, R2 = .109. Within the final model, employee wages was a statistically significant predictor (t=-2.769, p=.007) and the number of employee referrals was not a statistically significant predictor (t=-1.712, p=.090). The knowledge gained from the findings in this study could have implications for social change among employees and consumers in society. Satisfied employees in low turnover work environments can provide the foundation for a more enjoyable customer experience. Both non-profit and for-profit organizations can implement business practices that will reduce turnover and increase job satisfaction among employees.

Despite research connecting the meaningfulness of work with positive organizational outcomes, such as increased employee well-being, job satisfaction, engagement, and retention, there remains a lack of adequate, inclusive research explaining differences in women's perceptions of the meaningfulness of work. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to address this gap in the literature by developing a theory about the formation of perceptions of the meaningfulness of work and about the impact of those perceptions. Research questions explored perceptions that women from diverse social classes have of the meaningfulness of work, what influenced those perceptions, the impact of those perceptions on their career choices, and the influence of those perceptions on workplace experiences and behaviors. Data for this study were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 women from different social classes. Transcribed interviews, results from a demographic screening survey, and researcher memos were analyzed using constant comparison in open, axial, and selective coding phases. Results indicated that perceptions of the meaningfulness of work are primarily defined by the potential impact of meaningful work and that the type, scope, and target of that impact are influenced by contextual and experiential factors, filtered through personal identity. The analogy of a stream was used to demonstrate the theory that blockages caused by negative workplace experiences and behaviors may prevent work from having a meaningful impact, but that channels can be created to bypass these blockages. Positive social change occurs when these channels allow employees' goals for impact to be realized, leading them to experience their work as meaningful and to engage in organizational citizenship behavior.

Successful formation of a self-chosen, purposeful identity in personal, social, educational and vocational areas is a primary task for emerging adults, with failure to do so often resulting in cycles of substance use, unemployment, and delinquent/criminal behavior. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine relationships between vocational identity, substance use, and criminal thinking within the population of emerging adults. The expectancy value theory of motivation, which states that identity may be a motivational construct between self-efficacy and subjective self-values, provided the foundation for the study. The online inventory platform PsychData was used to garner data from a sample of 78 emerging adults measuring vocational identity (using the Vocational Identity Status Assessment [VISA]), substance use (using the CAGE-AID questionnaire), and criminal thinking (using the General Criminal Thinking-GCT scale of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles). A bivariate correlational analysis using SPSS allowed for comparison of the 6 vocational identity statuses of Achieved, Searching Moratorium, Moratorium, Foreclosed, Diffused, and Undifferentiated, against the CAGE-AID scores and the GCT scores for possible relationships. The study did not result in significant correlations between variables; however, poststudy analysis revealed that the Diffused level of vocational identity, which is generally associated with the most negative life patterns, was strongly reflected in the responses of 25-year-old participants. Further research on the significance of vocational identity among older emerging adults may serve both the individual and society through encouraging successful transition to stable and healthy adult roles.

The United States is experiencing a severe shortage of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) paramedics. The job outlook for paramedics (EMT-P) for the years 2012-2022 is predicted to increase by 23%-33%, which is much faster than the 4% average increase of other first-response professions. The average tenure of paramedics is less than 4 years. There is a significant gap in the literature concerning paramedic personality traits and tenure. The primary objective of the current study is to provide empirical data on the personality traits possessed by long-term paramedics (5+ years), and compare them to those with shorter tenure (< 5 years). Using Allport's Trait Theory, I predicted that personality would affect paramedic longevity. The 6 personality traits tested were warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, liveliness, social boldness and openness to change. A socio-demographic questionnaire, determined the length of their EMS career, while the 16PF® Assessment, tested their personality traits. Using t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and a set of regression analyses, data were examined to determine if length of career and personality traits predicted paramedic tenure. The research sample consisted of long term paramedics and former paramedics. The results showed that of the 6 personality traits, only warmth was a significant predictor of paramedic tenure. A logistic regression showed for every additional point in warmth, the odds of leaving EMS prior to 5 years increased by a factor of 2.77. This study provides support for positive social change by helping EMS to learn how to increase recruitment and tenure. It also helps by advising EMS agencies to attend to the mental and emotional health of their paramedics by being aware of the level of their warmth personality trait.

Increased levels of stress in the workplace have led the American Psychological Association to predict a looming public health crisis. Critical care nurses (CCNs) are highly exposed to stressors in the workplace, more than other nurses. Tens of billion dollars were reported lost in productive work time yearly due to ill health from depression alone. An important gap remains in understanding the relationships of stressors with the amount of stress. Supported by the biopsychosocial stress theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between frequencies of perceived stressors (IVs) as a source of perceived levels of stress (DV) or allostasis. The mixed-methods study included an online questionnaire and an e-mail interview of 400 hospital-based CCNs from professional nurses' associations in the United States. The Nursing Stress Scale was used to determine the kinds and frequencies of IVs, while the Psychological Stress Measure was used to assess the DV. Multiple regression analysis assessed the strength and direction of the relationships between IVs and DV. Interviews fell short of the minimum sample size for saturation and were not analyzed. Quantitative findings indicated workload as the most frequently perceived stressor, correlating positively with allostasis (p = .0005). Death and dying, conflict with other nurses, and lack of support for CCNs were also statistically significant (p < .05). Implications to practice and social change include promoting changes in policy with management support to reduce workload, death and dying, conflict with other nurses, and lack of social support for CCNs. Personal behavior changes like relaxation and physical exercises as coping methods may also reduce levels stress.

Nursing education courses and professional development (PD) do not include coping and resilience training for registered nurses (RNs) who work in emergency departments (EDs). Exposure to traumatic events, death, and dying may lead to health issues, substance abuse, stress symptoms, nursing staff turnover, and compassion fatigue among ED RNs. Without training, the pattern of adverse outcomes may continue. The purpose of this study was to explore ED RNs' experiences with occupational traumatic stress (OTS), and their recommendations for change to nursing PD programs, using a qualitative bounded intrinsic case study. The conceptual framework for this study included social learning and experiential learning theories. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 7 licensed and employed ED RNs with more than 1 year in EDs and who volunteered to participate in the study. Data were examined analytically using descriptive, emotion, and patterns coding strategies and In Vivo to identify categories and themes. Based on nurses' experiences, ED RNs require a collaborative team training approach in learning and sharing opportunities regarding preparatory, de-escalation, and self-care strategies to overcome OTS. Based on the findings, a 3-day interactive PD workshop program was created for ED nurses to address those needs. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change by increasing wellness, cohesive ED teamwork, healthy stress management practices, better patient care, and reduced turnover for ED RNs. Furthermore, nurse educators may benefit from adding coping and resilience training to the nursing education curriculum to address and possibly mitigate the effects of OTS.

High voluntary attrition threatens the future of downsizing organizations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how employee layoff announcements reduces the perception of organizational commitment to experienced, skilled workers in central Wisconsin. The conceptual framework integrated stress response theories including Cannon's cognitive activation theory of stress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 journeyman level artisans who had witnessed the layoff process within 50 miles of Wausau Wisconsin. These interviews were analyzed via the modified van Kaam method to code, cluster, and group the findings into significant themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses suggesting layoff implementation strategies might reduce voluntary employee attrition. Among these 9 themes, job insecurity and mental and emotional stressors were the most prominent. A third theme, employee entitativity, defined as when members of a group share similar attributes and seen more readily as a distinct entity than as individuals, also emerged. These themes may be associated with employee voluntary attrition. Improving employee understanding of the layoff process might increase employee trust in leadership decisions, reduce voluntary attrition, increase knowledge retention, and improve organizational economic success. Employees who are equipped to endure the layoff process may suffer less stress, conceivably reducing the likelihood of drug, alcohol, and family abuse and their related social stressors.

In order to perform their duties, airline pilots must have no clinical diagnosis of mental illness or any substance use disorder. However, provisions have been in place since the 1970s that provide for a return to work for airline pilots with alcohol problems. To date, over 5,000 airline pilots have undergone rehabilitation for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and successfully returned to work. An important gap in the literature remains with regard to what extent improvements in cognitive performance may be experienced by airline pilots who complete treatment and to what extent age influences the amount of change. This study examined the archival data of 95 male Caucasian pilots who were assessed for cognitive performance shortly after entry to 30-day inpatient treatment and approximately 5 months later during the return to work evaluation. A nonexperimental within subjects design compared pre- and post-treatment scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) full scale and 4 index scores as well as differences for age groups (25 to 44, 45 to 54, and 55 to 64). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that there were significant gains on all WAIS-IV measures pre-post treatment for AUD. MANOVA results indicated no differences between age groups. These findings support current Federal Aviation Administration program practices with regard to returning airline pilots to work following rehabilitation and a sufficient period of abstinence. The potential of this study to promote the agenda of social change may be substantive for raising awareness of the cognitive deficits associated with AUD and how these may impact the safety of flight operations.

Researchers and economists have argued that the economic and social stagnation of African Americans is the result of their lack of self-confidence, initiative, and commitment toward their own advancement. This qualitative study examined whether historical conditioning and personal experiences have created a hypersensitivity in this population to events triggering behaviors that mirror the success fearing personality when seeking social, economic, and political advancement. It used Zuckerman and Allison's fear of success scale to identify the range of success fearing in 30 African American men and women aged 35 years or more; this group was also interviewed regarding their lived experiences when pursuing advancements in the United States workforce. The interview questions were formulated using Cohen's fear of success factors; responses were inductively coded and organized using ATLAS.ti 7 software program. Regardless of their fear of success scale (FOSS) scores, the participants' interview responses revealed that even in the absence of explicit or implicit discrimination, there was an unconscious expectation of racism, and that strong family, religious, and educational influences aided in preserving these expectations. The participants were also found to be hypersensitive to events that triggered behaviors mirroring the characteristics of success fearing personality. The findings of this study can have far-reaching implications for the overall social and psychological betterment of African Americans in organizations, educational institutes, and political/civic action groups. It should be used to begin an alternative conversation of personal and social reconciliation, emotional healing, and pride, which participants asserted was the cornerstone of African American progress in the 1960s.

The purpose of this research was to examine the patterns and themes of litigation in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) disability discrimination cases charged under the theory of disparate impact. Specifically, this study used Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR) to identify and review all U.S. Appellate Court ADA disparate impact cases as reported by Westlaw, a commercial electronic case law reporting system owned by Thomson Reuters. This study used a two-step, mixed methods approach to analyze the data relevant to the research questions and sub-questions. First, the researcher employed content analysis (Hall & Wright, 2008) to identify and characterize patterns and trends of litigation in all reported U.S. Appellate Court ADA cases charged under the theory of disparate impact from 1992 through 2012. Cases were analyzed chronologically, and variables included number of published and unpublished cases, distribution of jurisdiction, distribution of ADA titles, EEOC involvement, case fact patterns, and characteristics of charging and opposing parties. Frequency analyses were conducted on these data. Second, the researcher identified a subset of the ADA disparate impact cases analyzed in the first step: Title I, or employment discrimination cases. Qualitative analysis employing the constant comparative method (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) was used to identify and characterize patterns and themes of the judicial opinions in the Title I disparate impact cases. The researcher developed a framework for analysis based on a review of the literature of the sociopolitical perspective of disability to guide the analysis of the judicial opinions in the subset of disparate impact cases. The results of the frequency analyses conducted on these data revealed four trends: (a) Precedent, (b) Circuit and Judge Effects, (c) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Successes, and (d) Sutton Case Effect. The results of the qualitative analysis of the text of the judicial opinions produced four themes and three relationships among the themes. The four themes were accommodation(s); workplace culture, norms, and policies; judicial process; and policy space. The three relationships were gap-filling, weighing and balancing, and maintaining status quo versus effecting social change. The themes and relationships are depicted in a concept map that visually displays the conceptual framework revealed in the study. The findings in this study may inform disability and rehabilitation scholars about ADA disparate impact cases, a body of law about which little is known. The patterns and trends identified in ADA Title I disparate impact cases may provide information about the types of policies and practices that are most frequently litigated. Rehabilitation practitioners may be able to use the results of this research to develop education and outreach strategies for employers on best practices for hiring, accommodating, and promoting employees with disabilities. Because the workplace policies and procedures identified in the cases that comprise this study are neutral on their face rather than intentionally discriminatory, employers may benefit from information that assists them in evaluating their policies and procedures proactively, which may avoid costly and time-consuming litigation. Finally, workplace policies and procedures that fairly represent the essential functions of the job and are applied uniformly to workers with and without disabilities will contribute to a more diverse workforce.