Purpose This research study explores how Indian IT professionals experience and manage the heavy work investment (HWI). Further, this study examines employees’ perceptions of current workplace wellbeing-oriented practices and their expectations from their organisations in addressing the negative outcomes of HWI. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a qualitative research approach and conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 38 Indian IT professionals. Thematic analysis was conducted to understand the management practices, employees’ experiences and expectations in the Indian IT context. Findings This thematic analysis reveals that Indian IT professionals mainly followed self-regulatory recovery practices to manage the negative outcomes of HWI. However, Indian IT professionals perceived that their organisations offer limited wellness-oriented programmes. Importantly, Indian IT employees expect organisations to provide a psychologically safe work environment, a supportive work culture, a fair and transparent reward and appraisal system, supportive leadership, open communication and participatory management practices to address unmet needs in order to manage the negative outcomes resulting from HWI. Originality/value This research contributes to the HWI literature beyond the Western context and provides qualitative, context-specific insights into the underexplored Indian IT context, proposing a research framework for further empirical testing. The novelty of this research lies in exploring how Indian IT professionals experience and manage HWI at the individual and organisational levels. Further, this research identified current practices and unmet expectations among employees in the Indian IT context.
Purpose Adverse social behavior (ASB) perpetrated by organizational outsiders is a longstanding and significant problem within many organizations, including human service organizations (HSOs). Preventing such behaviors is critical to employee health, well-being, and organizational functioning. Although intervention research is expanding, it remains fragmented, shows variability in implementation quality, and rarely addresses digitally delivered or technology-mediated contexts. To address these gaps, we conducted a systematic scoping review of interventions designed to mitigate ASB across HSOs, synthesizing evidence across sectors to examine intervention approaches, implementation features and potential transferability, including relevance for emerging digital service contexts. Design/methodology/approach Four academic databases were searched using a PICO structure, yielding 13,075 records. Additional studies were identified via snowball searching. Following title/abstract and full-text screening, 42 studies across 41 papers were included in the final analysis. Findings Healthcare was the sole industry represented in ASB intervention studies (n = 41), and no studies addressed ASB perpetrated via digital platforms. De-escalation training and awareness campaigns were the most common intervention components, and fewer than a quarter of studies used primary-level approaches such as risk identification, environmental or informational modifications or policy change. Interventions were typically evaluated only during implementation, limiting evidence on longer-term effectiveness. Four key themes for future research and practice were identified. Originality/value Existing interventions are highly similar in their target populations, professional focus, intervention type and evaluation methods. The review highlights the need for multi-level strategies that safeguard HSO workers and address emerging risks such as digitally perpetrated ASB, providing a foundation for developing more effective evidence-based interventions.
Purpose This study investigated sickness absence trends and economic outcomes of a multiyear comprehensive workplace health promotion (WHP) program.Design/methodology/approach The nine-year WHP program was implemented emphasizing lifestyle behaviours as key targets in 2010-2013, whereas the latter half focused on stress management and mental health resources in 2014-2018. Sickness absence data was collected from the employer's HR system from 2009 to 2019. The investment and employer costs data were collected from the service provider's and employer's data basis. Economic impact was estimated for the actual nine-year program period by comparing implementation costs to estimated savings from sickness absences only.Findings Sickness absence rate reduced by 38 percent from 2009 to 2019. The average investment was 331 EUR in the program per employee per year. Altogether, the employer invested 1.65 MEUR in the intervention and gained sickness absence savings of approximately 0.78 MEUR.Originality/value This study found a moderate decrease in sickness absence data and a positive curve of financial outcomes in a long-term analysis. Estimated program savings, limited to sickness absence benefits only, were not sufficient to cover the employer's costs of the program. Future research should explore other potential long-term savings beyond sickness absence.
Purpose This study examines which psychosocial work characteristics, drawn from multiple theories of work stress and work design, retain predictive relevance for objectively recorded sickness absence when considered jointly rather than in isolation.Design/methodology/approach Using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), 19 work characteristics were assessed in 1,935 employees from 63 organizational units in the German construction materials sector. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to aggregated unit-level data to predict sickness absence rate, frequency, and duration recorded 12 months after baseline.Findings Results revealed distinct predictor constellations across absence metrics. Gender composition was the sole predictor of absence rate (R 2 = 0.12). Absence frequency (R 2 = 0.21) was additionally predicted by work-privacy conflict and social support, while absence duration (R 2 = 0.24) was associated with role clarity, social support, quality of leadership, and trust and justice. Sensitivity analyses excluding gender confirmed that psychosocial predictors were robust and not reducible to demographic composition effects.Practical implications The findings inform targeted approaches to psychosocial risk assessment and workplace health management, suggesting that organizational climate and justice factors are particularly relevant for reducing prolonged absences.Originality/value Unlike prior research relying on narrow sets of work characteristics from single theoretical frameworks and treating absence as a unitary construct, this study integrates predictors from multiple work stress theories and demonstrates that sickness absence rate, frequency, and duration are shaped by different work characteristics.
PurposeThis study aims to develop and validate a real-time, computational framework for evaluating ergonomic risks associated with repetitive manual tasks, with a focus on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The research seeks to bridge the gap between traditional ergonomic assessments and modern, data-driven approaches by integrating machine learning and digital human modeling techniques. Design/methodology/approachThis study introduces a pilot computational framework that combines 2D pose estimation, geometric joint angle modeling, Machine learning (clustering) and automated ergonomic scoring. Using OpenPose, worker postures were extracted from video footage without wearable sensors. Ovako Working Posture Analyzing System (OWAS) was implemented as the primary ergonomic measure, and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) were automated for comparative benchmarking. The pipeline was applied to a case study of packaging bag preparation, a multistage manual task involving repetitive retrieval, cutting and arranging. FindingsResults showed sustained trunk flexion, frequent upper-limb elevation, and repetitive forearm cycles, yielding average scores of OWAS Category 3–4 (high risk), RULA 5.27 (moderate risk and action required) and REBA 5.13 (moderate risk and intervention required). These findings align with epidemiological evidence linking packaging tasks to high MSD prevalence. Practical implicationsThis pilot study demonstrates the potential of AI, computer vision and ML to enable scalable, continuous ergonomic monitoring. The framework offers a practical pathway toward data-driven intervention design and proactive prevention of work-related MSDs, pending broader validation. Originality/valueThis study introduces a novel ergonomic evaluation pipeline that offers a reproducible, real-time alternative to conventional observational methods. By using data-driven techniques to assess ergonomic risks, this study provides a foundation for developing strategies to improve worker safety, prevent musculoskeletal disorders and enhance the ergonomics of industrial tasks. In contrast to traditional approaches, the framework enables detailed, quantitative risk assessment in dynamic work environments, making it particularly suitable for industrial applications where wearable sensors are impractical or intrusive.
Purpose - This study aims to examine managers' conditions for workplace alcohol prevention in Sweden, where employers are legally required to address organizational and social risks. Despite this obligation, prevention often remains fragmented. The study investigates how organizational structures, workplace cultures and managerial practices intersect to shape prevention efforts and what conditions enable more sustained preventive action and how these conditions can be understood as part of everyday organizational practices rather than isolated policy measures. Design/methodology/approach - Six focus groups with managers from diverse workplaces were conducted. Data were analyzed thematically, moving from empirical coding to thematic categories and theoretical abstraction. The analysis draws on social practice theory and sociological perspectives on stigma, power and gender, which were used as sensitizing concepts to interpret how prevention is enacted in practice. Findings - Managers reported multiple, intersecting barriers, including limited time and training, high turnover and unclear routines. Policies frequently remained symbolic, functioning as formal documents rather than integrated practices. Stigma, hierarchical relations and gendered norms further constrained action and contributed to silence around alcohol use. Prevention was largely reactive, initiated only after visible problems. Variation across organizations showed that when alcohol prevention was embedded into routines, such as onboarding, annual cycles or alcohol-free events, more proactive practices became possible, even in challenging cultural environments, highlighting how routinization functions as a key mechanism for enabling preventive action. Originality/value - The study contributes in three ways. First, it identifies a persistent policy-practice gap, showing how alcohol policies risk remaining symbolic without continuous reinforcement. Second, it conceptualizes alcohol prevention as a social practice sustained through organizational routines, hierarchies and generational identities. Third, it demonstrates how stigma, gender norms and power dynamics limit managers' ability to act. By highlighting four conditions that enable preventive action - time, knowledge, supportive routines and a culture where alcohol can be discussed openly - the study provides actionable insights for human resources and leadership. While grounded in the Swedish regulatory context, the findings offer analytically transferable insights into mechanisms shaping workplace alcohol prevention across different organizational settings.
Purpose This study examines how leadership quality relates to employee outcomes in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under contemporary work conditions characterized by increasing remote work. Specifically, the study investigates whether innovation climate mediates the relationship between leadership quality and employee outcomes (commitment, communication and collaboration), and whether the proportion of remote work moderates these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave longitudinal survey design was used with white-collar employees from 16 Swedish SMEs at baseline (T1, N = 489) and 14 SMEs at follow-up (T2, N = 276). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to test cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation and moderated mediation models. Innovation climate was examined as a mediator between leadership quality and employee outcomes, while remote work was modeled as a contextual moderator. Findings Leadership quality was positively associated with innovation climate across cross-sectional and longitudinal models. Innovation climate mediated the relationship between leadership quality and employee commitment, communication and collaboration. Remote work strengthened the relationship between leadership quality and innovation climate and consequently intensified the indirect effects of leadership on employee outcomes via innovation climate. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of leadership capabilities that foster innovation-supportive climates, particularly in remote settings where informal interaction is reduced. Originality/value This study advances workplace health management research by showing how leadership quality may contribute to psychosocially sustainable work environments in SMEs through innovation-supportive climates that strengthen employee commitment, communication, and collaboration, particularly under higher levels of remote work.
Purpose This study examines the role of line managers in supporting workplace mental health within non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the West of Ireland, a predominantly rural and coastal region comprising counties Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, addressing a critical yet under-researched area. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed to capture the lived experiences of five NGO line managers through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step framework, was used to identify key themes related to current practices, perceived barriers and opportunities for improvement in mental health support. Findings Line managers are positioned as crucial enablers of workplace mental health, particularly in developing trust, empathy and early intervention. However, their ability to fulfil this role is hindered by insufficient training, policy ambiguity, workload pressures and inconsistent organisational commitment. Participants expressed a need for structured, ongoing training and clearer guidance to navigate their responsibilities confidently. The study also highlights the positive impact of even small-scale mental health initiatives when leadership engagement and communication are strong. Originality/value This research adds context-specific evidence to the literature on workplace mental health by focusing on the NGO sector in a distinct regional setting. It offers practical recommendations for improving line manager capacity and provides insights transferable to other mission-driven, resource-constrained sectors. The findings support a growing recognition that line managers require sustained structural and cultural support to effectively champion mental health in the workplace.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between feminized skills, job recognition, psychological distress and absenteeism. It also aimed to assess whether job recognition mediates the relationship between feminized skills and psychological distress and absenteeism. Design/methodology/approach The responses of a sample of 2,323 workers in Québec, Canada, who completed a questionnaire that included items about workload, use of feminized skills, job recognition, psychological distress and absenteeism, were used to conduct path analyses using MPlus software to test direct and indirect associations. Findings The results indicate that using feminized skills is directly and negatively related to job recognition and indirectly related to psychological distress and absenteeism through job recognition. Practical implications Given the prevalence of work-related mental health issues, understanding the relationships between specific job characteristics is essential to proposing appropriate prevention strategies. Understanding the indirect associations between feminized skills, job recognition, psychological distress and absenteeism highlights the importance of providing adequate job recognition to workers who use feminized skills. Increasing job recognition is one way to reward predominantly female jobs adequately, but redressing the historic undervaluation of these jobs requires both organizational and societal changes, including the use of more accurate tools to measure their worth. Our work aspires to help address this need by proposing an exploratory index of feminized skills. Originality/value We propose a measure of feminized skills that allows for a more precise measurement of the efforts and demands associated with predominantly female jobs, which contributes to expanding the job demands-resources and effort-reward imbalance frameworks. We also provide empirical support for an explanatory mechanism behind the relationship between feminized skills and psychological distress and absenteeism.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between empowering leadership (EL) and public employees’ well-being (EWB) through mediating mechanism of psychological empowerment (PE). Moreover, the moderating role of collectivist orientation (CO) is also investigated in the proposed model. Design/methodology/approach To test the research hypotheses, data were collected from 643 public employees working in wards in Vietnam at three-time points. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was utilized to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Empirical findings indicate that EL and PE impact significantly positively on EWB. In addition, PE has a complementary effect on this relationship while CO plays the moderating role. Practical implications This study provides significant insights for public administrators. The results indicate that public managers can enhance the well-being of employees by practicing EL and fostering PE. Originality/value This inquiry is the first attempt to explore the mechanism linking EL and EWB through PE and exploring the moderating role CO on the relationship between EL and PE.
PurposeWorkplace well-being programs are often spearheaded by champions as part of formal or informal workplace roles. This study explored how workplace well-being champions perceived their roles in supporting workplace well-being, as well as their successes and challenges. Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative, exploratory design, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured Zoom interviews with 22 workplace well-being champions from across Canada. Participants were recruited using online advertisements and e-mails to professional networks. Participants discussed their understanding of workplace well-being, their role as champions, strategies for promoting well-being, challenges faced and sources of support. Data were examined using thematic analysis. FindingsFour themes were identified: (1) champion motivation, role and sustainability; (2) recognition, credibility and organizational support; (3) organizational structures and competing organizational priorities and (4) promoting and maintaining engagement among colleagues. Informal champions reported being self-motivated, driven by personal wellness values and a desire to support peers. They often created their roles independently, compared to formal champions who benefited from recognition and leadership access but faced more bureaucratic constraints. Champions promoted participation by tailoring activities, maintaining privacy and building trust, though efforts often targeted already-engaged staff. Both groups faced challenges such as burnout, low participation and perceptions that well-being work was not a legitimate part of their job. Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are aligned with the Motivational Theory of Role Modeling and the Self-Determination Theory. While formal and informal champions are intrinsically motivated role models, their impact is often limited by organizational barriers. The findings provide a contextual insight from the perspectives of champions and future studies should triangulate the findings with alternative viewpoints such as those from leadership and employees. Practical implicationsThis study underscores the need for multi-level support, formal role integration and broader engagement strategies to potentially enhance their effectiveness. Originality/valueThere is limited research on workplace well-being champions, particularly informal and formal champions and their motivations, jobs and experiences.
PurposeHybrid work is increasingly common, yet little is known about how employees' physical health behaviors differ on work-from-home (WFH) versus office days. Prior research has largely relied on between-person designs, which may confound individual differences in WFH frequency with health behaviors. This study uses a within-person approach to examine how work location relates to multiple physical health behaviors.Design/methodology/approachFifty-nine hybrid employees completed an experience sampling survey over five consecutive workdays, yielding 236 data points. Daily measures included physical activity, eating behaviors, relaxation and sleep. Workplace health culture (WHC) was examined as a potential moderator of work location effects. Multilevel modeling was used to account for within-person variability.FindingsVigorous physical activity and relaxation were higher on WFH days, while levels of the other health behaviors did not significantly differ across work locations. WHC did not significantly moderate these relationships. These findings suggest that vigorous exercise and relaxation are especially supported by the autonomy and flexibility of WFH, in line with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, where job resources foster engagement in discretionary, health-promoting behaviors.Practical implicationsOrganizations can enhance hybrid employees' health by promoting autonomy and flexibility on WFH days, encouraging short movement or relaxation breaks and fostering a culture that encourages healthy behaviors.Originality/valueGrounded in the JD-R model, this study offers the first empirical results using a within-person design to examine four physical health behaviors across work locations.
PurposeThis study investigates how employees affected by bereavement (e.g. dead of a loved one or colleague) can be supported within the workplace. It examines which grief support offerings are considered helpful while differentiating regarding age group, gender, industry and company size.Design/methodology/approachRelevant support offerings were identified based on literature and expert interviews. These were quantitatively surveyed online (N = 246) among Austrian employees with and without bereavement experience. Data were analysed descriptively, regarding hypotheses, plus qualitative statements.FindingsMost participants experienced loss of one or more persons. Younger employees expressed high interest in psychosocial support (e.g. grief counselling, psychological services), though access was limited. Older individuals used more formal support offerings, such as sick leave or absence from work. Women showed greater preference for emotional and psychological support. While organisational size und industry showed no significant effects, qualitative data emphasized the importance of leadership behaviour and organisational and societal culture.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies should explore long-term effects and test intervention models.Practical implicationsCompanies should address bereavement with fitting and accessible support offers plus provide manager training.Social implicationsThe study contributes to destigmatising grief in the workplace and highlights the importance of fostering a compassionate work environment.Originality/valueThere is limited research on the extent organisations should support grieving employees. This study shows which measures are considered helpful by an Austrian sample.
PurposeUncertainty in income, working hours and platform governance is widely documented in platform work, yet workers' capacity to tolerate future uncertainty may vary substantially. Understanding how intolerance of uncertainty relates to mental health outcomes may provide deeper insight into psychological vulnerability under structurally uncertain work conditions. This study examines levels of intolerance of uncertainty (IU), work anxiety and depressive symptoms among Chinese platform workers, and assesses whether support from family, co-workers, platforms and government/society shows distinct direct and buffering associations with these outcomes. Design/methodology/approachUsing longitudinal survey data collected from 566 platform workers across 18 cities in Henan Province, China, the study describes the distribution of IU and mental health indicators and tests longitudinal associations via hierarchical OLS regressions with interaction terms. Simple-slope analyses are used to illustrate significant moderation effects. FindingsPlatform workers reported relatively high levels of IU, work anxiety and depressive symptoms, with vulnerability varying across socio-demographic and job groups. IU was positively associated with both work anxiety and depressive symptoms. Social support showed differentiated roles: government/society support was directly associated with lower work anxiety, whereas co-worker support and platform support attenuated the positive association between IU and depressive symptoms. Family support showed no robust associations in this sample. Practical implicationsInterventions should prioritise strengthening work-proximal and institutional supports, including peer networks, platform-provided assistance, and broader regulatory and societal protections, as these forms of support may be particularly consequential for reducing anxiety and uncertainty-related distress. In addition, taking into account platform workers' levels of intolerance of uncertainty may help to better understand potential vulnerability to psychological distress and inform supportive health-promotion initiatives. Originality/valueThe study advances understanding of platform workers' well-being by highlighting that social support is not uniform in function: support sources closer to the work process and platform governance are more likely to buffer intolerance of uncertainty and its mental health consequences, whereas more distal forms of support may be less effective in contexts of chronic uncertainty.
PurposeThis project explored COVID-19 workplace hazards and factors influencing the implementation of risk mitigation approaches among small businesses in a high-risk community. Design/methodology/approachUsing a novel framework, data were collected from 90 workplaces through site visits and consultations with at least one owner, manager or supervisor (“employer”) and at least one non-managerial staff member (“employee”). A risk assessment and mitigation plan were prepared based on site-specific hazards; later, a follow-up visit assessed whether recommendations had been implemented and factors influencing these decisions. FindingsA total of 84 businesses (93.3%) implemented at least one recommendation, citing ease and staff and/or customer preferences as motivating factors; businesses that did not implement controls doubted their effectiveness and/or reported lack of feasibility. Although employers and employees generally agreed on job-related exposures, discrepancies existed that may have underestimated employees' time at risk. Importantly, this project provides evidence that small business owners are receptive to – and, often, eager for – targeted occupational health and safety information and support. Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first effort to provide small businesses with worksite-specific respiratory disease risk assessments and tailored remediation plans as well as the first to assess their willingness to implement such recommendations.
Purpose Multilevel interventions may prevent the negative consequences of emotional demands. However, a known barrier to implementing multilevel interventions is high workload, an increasing problem in the healthcare sector due to staff shortages and an aging population. This study investigates key factors for implementing a multilevel intervention targeting emotional demands at an entire hospital with staff shortages. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a process evaluation drawing on concepts from realist evaluation. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews before and after the intervention (39 in total) with managers, employees, the board of management, and intervention consultants. We also observed intervention activities, collected attendance registrations for all planned intervention activities, and analyzed data using thematic analysis. Findings In the context of staff instability, overcrowding and staff groups with low power distances we found that top-management support and a strong connection to patient safety could support a high degree of implementation. We found that the intervention activities led to participants experiencing improvements in social support, knowledge, action possibilities and prevention practices. Further quantitative analyses are needed to establish the effects of the intervention on more distal outcomes. Originality/value The study identified key factors for successful implementation of a multilevel intervention in hospitals allowing for implementation in a resource-scares environment. This knowledge is key for future efforts to prevent and manage emotional demands in healthcare.
PurposeContact centre advisors face significant health risks due to poor working conditions. Workplace health initiatives can improve advisor wellbeing, yet the factors influencing their adoption, implementation and evaluation remain underresearched. This two-phased mixed methods study explored UK contact centre health and wellbeing decision-makers' perspectives on these processes.Design/methodology/approachPhase one involved interviews with 11 decision-makers to explore factors influencing health initiative adoption and implementation and evaluation methods and outcomes considered important. Interviews were inductively coded using reflexive thematic analysis and mapped to behaviour change theory (COM-B and TDF). Phase two surveyed 38 decision-makers to assess consensus on phase one findings.FindingsKey factors influencing adoption included leadership buy-in, listening to advisors, money and resource availability, and the perceived need to support employees. Effective implementation relied on manager and team leader buy-in, time for leaders to prioritise initiatives, experienced leadership and adaptability to employee needs. Centres employed diverse evaluation methods and considered multiple outcomes.Originality/valueThese findings provide novel insights to guide the effective adoption, implementation and evaluation of workplace health initiatives in contact centres, ultimately supporting advisor wellbeing.
PurposeThis paper describes the development of a toolkit that explicitly encourages an intersectionality-informed sex and gender perspective in the development and implementation of policies, programs and services supporting workplace mental health. Design/methodology/approachBuilt on a rapid and targeted assessment of the evidence applying a sex and gender lens to workplace mental health topics in the published and grey literatures and informed by feminist and critical race theory, a toolkit was developed in partnership with knowledge users in a Canadian government department. Interviews with 10 stakeholders and 31 focus group participants (FGPs) informed the development of the toolkit, its content, format, target audience, design and modalities of delivery. The knowledge-to-action framework guided the development, transfer and implementation of the toolkit. FindingsStudy participants identified persons in supervisory and managerial positions as the primary targets, and the toolkit was tailored to this audience. The toolkit underwent several revisions based on partner feedback and was subsequently revised to incorporate evidence relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workplace mental health. Practical implicationsThe toolkit is useful to practitioners looking for translational resources in workplace mental health using an intersectional and sex and gender-based analytic approach – and to managers who want to help build, sustain a healthy, respectful, inclusive, safe and productive workplace. Originality/valueGiven the general scarcity of the workplace mental health toolkits that explicitly integrate an intersectional sex and gender-based analysis approach, our toolkit makes a unique contribution to both research and practice.
PurposeMental health issues are highly prevalent among younger employees, yet evidence of worksite health promotion interventions targeting this group is scarce.Design/methodology/approachThe "Stress or Bless" intervention trained younger employees as change agents to identify mental health challenges and develop actionable plans within their organizations. This responsive evaluation explored key themes for worksite mental health promotion and understand factors influencing implementation in two organizations (care and public service). Data sources included interviews with change agents, participant observations, document analyses of intervention materials, and interviews with past participants. We analyzed data inductively and deductively using the JD-R model for themes and Normalization Process Theory for implementation factors.FindingsHigh workload emerged as a central theme, exacerbated by staff shortages and administrative burdens in the care organization versus organizational culture in the public service organization. Key facilitators for implementation were shared support for addressing workplace mental health among younger employees and the presence of a younger employee association to sustain intervention practices and organize feedback on mental health to the organization. Participants' reflections during interviews and observations suggest that the Stress or Bless intervention increased awareness of the link between organization-specific job characteristics and younger employees' mental health, and placed this on the organizational agenda.Originality/valueThis study highlights the value of involving younger employees as change agents in promoting workplace mental health and identifies critical factors to inform interventions that address employees' needs across the life course.
Purpose The aims of this study were primarily to develop a revised version of the Virtuous Organizational Practices inventory (VOPi-R), by integrating inclusive and sustainable practices, and by assessing its invariance across gender and managerial functions. We also aimed to identify which synergistic approach out of virtuous overlaps or efficient complementarities was the most suitable to explain the VOP effects on work engagement, emotional exhaustion, job stress and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a sample of 800 French employees. Findings Results demonstrated that the two new sub-dimensions enrich the VOPi and confirmed the measurement invariance of our revised tool across gender and managerial functions. Analyses also revealed that the bifactor-ESEM fitted the data better than the hierarchical-ESEM to represent VOP and explained more of the variance of workers' work engagement, emotional exhaustion, job stress and job satisfaction. Originality/value The complementarities synergistic approach thus explains better the VOP effects on work engagement, emotional exhaustion, job stress and job satisfaction than the virtuous overlaps approach. These results represent a major advance in the study of the effects of VOP on employees' outcomes because they demonstrate the need to consider the specificities of each practice beyond their common variance.
