Taking a multifaceted approach toward establishing validity, we present evidence from four independent samples supporting the efficacy of a short-form (three-item) version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The measure provides a psychometrically sound instrument to facilitate both complex and longitudinal research designs on engagement, as well as in practice, where parsimony is vital. To this end, we examine the short-form measure for measurement invariance based on a large heterogeneous sample (Study 1 Sample 3), as well as temporal invariance based on six waves of data with two-week lags between assessments (Study 2). As such, to demonstrate the utility of the short measure, we provide a within-individual test of the concept of gain spirals within conservation of resources theory (Study 2) wherein we introduce the notion top-down versus bottom-up gain spirals. Collectively we present strong validity evidence for the short-form measure such that it is applicable for both practitioners and academics alike.

Despite the importance of India on the global scene, its unique culture, and the growing concerns about work-family balance in this country, existing work-family research in India is scarce. Moreover, it is predominantly quantitative and conducted using scales developed in Western developed countries, which limits our understanding of the work-family dynamics in the Indian context. Our research addresses these concerns through an emic study investigating idiosyncratic factors of the Indian context stemming from ancient philosophies as well as socio-economic structures. We conducted a qualitative, exploratory study of the work-family interface with 50 professional men and women in the private and public sectors in both large and small cities in India. Our findings reveal an intriguing combination of high family centrality, traditional gender roles, high work and family demands, with work construed as a means to support family, within a dense web of social support/obligations, and role integration being viewed as natural and organic. This combination resulted, perhaps surprisingly for the Westerners, in our interviewees feeling “happily exhausted”; that is, despite high role demands, they reported low work-family conflict (because they accepted spillover well) and high work-family enrichment. Nuances across more or less globalized cities and across the public and private industry sectors are discussed. This study contributes new knowledge on the work-family interface and opens future avenues for work-family research in other non-Western and less developed countries.

Between 57 and 93% of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders reported having experienced verbal or physical violence at least once in their career. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to develop a systems-level checklist for violence against fire-based EMS responders using findings from a systematic literature review and outcomes from a national stakeholder meeting. First, a literature review of violence against EMS responders resulted in an extensive list of 162 academic and industrial publications. Second, from these sources, 318 potential candidate items were developed. Third, Q-methodology was employed to categorize, refine, and de-duplicate the items. Fourth, ThinkLet systems facilitated consensus-building, collaboration, and evaluation of the checklist with diverse subject matter experts representing 27 different EMS organizations, government, academia, labor unions, and fire departments during a two-day consensus conference. The final SAVER checklist contains 174 items organized by six phases of EMS response: pre-event, traveling to the scene, scene arrival, patient care, assessing readiness to return to service, and post-event. So called pause points for the individual EMS responder were incorporated at the end of each of phase. Overall, 47.5% of votes across all phases rated items as most feasible, 33.7% as less feasible, and 11.6% as extremely difficult. The SAVER systems-level Checklist is an innovative application of traditional checklists, designed to shift the onus of safety and health from that of the individual first responder to the organization by focusing on actions that leadership can institute through training, policy, and environmental modifications.

There has been growing research interest in what we term empathy-based stress, a process of traumatic stressor exposure, empathic experience, and adverse reactions among particular empathy-related professions, captured in the literatures on compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious traumatization in trauma-related lines of work. Although these three empathy-based strain constructs are highly related, each represents different components of similar strain responses. Unfortunately, extant reviews of the empathy-based stress literature are non-comprehensive and/or out of date. This qualitative review thus aims to synthesize and summarize the current literature on empathy-based stress at work and contribute to theoretical, methodological, and practical improvements in this area of research and practice. After introducing empathy-based strain constructs and their defining characteristics, we detail our review methodology and the primary theoretical and empirical themes derived through our review of the past decade of published literature. Then, we summarize conceptual, methodological, and analytical gaps in the empathy-based stress literature, helping to generate recommendations for the literature moving forward.

Three studies experimentally investigated response formats of agreement (A) and frequency (F) to determine their effect on correlations between often used measures of job stressors and strains. Study 1 used a within-subject design where respondents were given two sets of the same 6 stressor measures that varied in A versus F formats, as well as measures of 6 strains. Study 2 replicated Study 1 using a between-subject design where each respondent was randomly assigned to either the A or F stressor scale format. Study 3 utilized a 2 (A vs. F for stressors) by 2 (A vs. F for strains) design to test the assumption that matched response formats would result in higher correlations than unmatched due to common method variance. The first two studies provide little evidence for a systematic difference between A and F formats in predicting strains. Study 3 found that matching formats more often resulted in lower, not higher, correlations between stressor and strain pairs. Taken together, these experimental studies suggest that response format has little effect on correlations, means, standard deviations, and internal consistencies, and is not a method variance concern, at least with these commonly used measures of job stressors and strains.

Please note that the Acknowledgements to this paper were inadvertently omitted in the original version of the online publication.

Safety concerns are a critical issue for individuals and teams in high reliability organizations (HROs). As HROs with positive safety climates often have fewer accidents and injuries, understanding which approaches can improve safety climate is paramount. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how leaders’ behavior in after-action reviews (AARs) relates to AAR quality, perceptions of team safety climate, and perceptions of organizational safety climate. We used a sample (N = 89) of firefighters to test the mediation model. Results indicated that AAR leader behaviors focusing on consideration and learning promote positive perceptions of team and organizational safety climate through AAR meeting quality.

Social exclusion has negative outcomes in the workplace, yet we know little about its antecedents. We argue that employees’ perceptions of psychological contract breach (by their organizations) lead them to perceive that they are being excluded by co-workers. We further argue that the individual-level cultural values of collectivism and individualism play important roles in determining the degree to which employees perceive co-worker exclusion. Using a sample of 265 employees across two points in time, we find a positive association between perceptions of psychological contract breach and perceptions of co-worker exclusion. We also find that employees’ collectivistic orientations weaken this positive relationship, while employees’ individualistic orientations strengthen this positive relationship. Our findings add to the growing body of research exploring the interconnectedness of social exchange relationships in the workplace, as well as how cultural values affect these social exchange relationships.

The purpose of this study was to explore the preferences regarding the medium of prospective ergonomic training delivery and views about self-directed online training modules to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders in information technology (IT) professionals. An inductive method was employed to examine the experiences of fifteen information technology professionals from a mid-Atlantic state organization. To accomplish this, a qualitative research design was used to analyze data from semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the participants were aware of the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders due to their work; and had made adjustments to their work-stations. Findings indicated that many of the participants had an initial preference of a one-on-one interactive approach for ergonomic education, while some preferred the online medium of delivery for future potential interventions in their workplace. A combination of delivery approaches along with follow-up was viewed as a future perspective. Participants perceived that the online medium of ergonomic delivery had the potential to be relevant and trustworthy and would empower them, if implemented by their organization. Implications for research and practice based on the findings are discussed along with identification of several pertinent future research questions emerging from the study.

Due to the increasing reliance on teamwork in the modern work environment featured by its fast pace and high pressure, research on how work teams perceive and manage stress has garnered growing attention. In an attempt to synthesize this literature, we summarized team stress research ranging from lab studies on ad hoc teams to field studies on intact work groups. We posited that research on team stress could benefit from an integrative overview of the theories and findings regarding teams’ reactions to stressors and their downstream consequences. Accordingly, we reviewed major theoretical frameworks used to explain perceptions and effects of stress in work teams. We then focused on empirical research that examined mediators and/or moderators of the team level stressor-strain relationships, due to their enhanced ability to inform underlying mechanisms. Finally, we concluded our review by proposing new theoretical directions to help guide further advancements in team stress research.