Purpose Although humility is often considered in the context of leadership, it can also be an important individual resource for employees' mental health. Humility can be shaped by both social and work-related factors. This study aims to examine the indirect effects of gender, job recognition and workload through humility to better understand how gendered norms and workplace conditions relate to employees' mental health.Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study used data collected from L & eacute;ger Opinion's (LEO) online panel in Quebec, Canada, between April 20 and May 2, 2022 (n = 1,801). Mediation analyses were conducted using Mplus.Findings Being a woman was associated with greater humility, which was, in turn, linked to lower psychological distress. Meanwhile, perceiving greater job recognition and reporting a heavier workload were also associated with greater humility.Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional, self-reported design restricts the ability to draw causal inferences regarding workload and recognition and may introduce perception biases. Multi-source and longitudinal studies are required.Practical implications Understanding how gendered dynamics and working conditions influence humility can inform initiatives that promote mental health equity. Fostering humility among employees alongside enhancing job recognition and workload management may contribute to healthier, more inclusive and resilient workplaces.Originality/value This study broadens the scope of humility research beyond leaders by focusing on employees and demonstrating that expressed humility among employees serves as an individual resource during the distress process. Specifically, this study shows that humility is a key mechanism that links gender, job recognition and workload to psychological distress.

Purpose Addressing gender disparities in career advancement and emotional well-being has become increasingly crucial, given the importance of gender equality as a key pillar of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender equality fosters social justice, well-being, economic growth and sustainability. Ensuring this equality at work is essential for achieving these broader objectives and creating more inclusive workplaces. In this context, human resource management functions, such as performance management, can play a pivotal role. This study aims to examine the gendered pathways to job promotion and emotional exhaustion through performance management (PM) practices, specifically in small and medium-sized organizations (SMOs).Design/methodology/approach This study uses a cross-sectional quantitative design, based on data collected from 264 employees working in 18SMOs in Quebec (Canada). Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata and Mplus. Hypotheses were tested using path analysis.Findings The results showed that in SMOs, being a woman is associated with a positive perception of performance management and a greater possibility of job promotion through the positive effect on performance management. Also, being a woman is associated with a lower level of emotional exhaustion through its positive/beneficial effects on performance management and promotion opportunities.Practical implications This study provides insights and recommendations for managers and Human resource management practitioners in SMOs. It highlights the importance of understanding the gendered pathways to job promotion and emotional exhaustion through the lens of performance management practices, which is essential for developing strategies that support women's career progression and well-being, ensuring gender equality.Originality/value Studies examining gendered pathways to job promotion and emotional exhaustion through performance management are sparse. This study not only fills a significant research gap but also offers insights for future research on this topic. Addressing both job promotion and emotional exhaustion is crucial for ensuring gender equality at work, particularly in SMOs. By exploring these issues, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how performance management practices can be leveraged to promote a more equitable, inclusive and supportive work environment for women.

Teleworking expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to remain widespread. While it offers benefits such as greater autonomy and improved work–life balance, teleworking also poses challenges related to workload, social isolation, and blurred boundaries between work and personal life, shaped by the psychosocial work environment. These contrasting effects raise questions about whether teleworking promotes or undermines workers’ health. This systematic review synthesizes longitudinal evidence on the relationship between teleworking and workers’ health, with particular attention to the role of the psychosocial work environment as an explanatory framework. Specifically, it addresses two questions: (1) What is the impact of teleworking on health (physical and mental) when psychosocial work environment factors are considered? (2) How have longitudinal studies examined the relationship between teleworking and health, including direct, mediation, and moderation effects, and how the role of teleworking in these relationships has been studied? This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42024599518). We searched five electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus) and bibliographies for longitudinal studies published between 2005 and 2024 in OECD countries. Eligible studies examined teleworking and workers’ health (physical and/or psychological) in combination with psychosocial work environment factors. Study quality was assessed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Quality Assessment Tool. Data from 20 studies published between 2017 and 2024 were extracted and synthesized based on study and psychosocial work environment characteristics, as well as the nature of the association between telework and health outcomes. All 20 studies were rated fair or good in methodological quality. Teleworking effects on health were heterogeneous and context-dependent, increasing psychological distress, exhaustion, and anxiety under high psychosocial risk (i.e., adverse work conditions such as high workload or work intensification, low autonomy, limited social support, job insecurity, reduced psychological detachment, and blurred work–nonwork boundaries) or mandatory arrangements, but protective with autonomy, supportive psychosocial conditions, or individual resources. Psychosocial work environment factors such as autonomy, job security, workload, and social support emerged as central determinants of health outcomes. Effects operated through moderation and mediation involving psychosocial work environment factors. Important gaps remain, particularly the limited investigation of physical health outcomes. Teleworking is neither uniformly beneficial nor harmful. Its health impact depends on psychosocial work environment factors, individual characteristics, and contextual conditions. Longitudinal research should expand the range of psychosocial work environment factors examined, consider physical health outcomes, and investigate effects across pre-, during-, and post-pandemic periods. These insights are critical to inform evidence-based workplace interventions and organizational policies that promote employee health.

Purpose: Using a cross-sectional design, this study aimed to examine the associations between personal resources and emotional exhaustion, with anxiety as a potential variable consistent with a mediating role. Methods: Data was collected in Lebanon over a six month period using validated self-report questionnaires. Workers aged 18 to 64 years (N = 295) were recruited using a non-randomized snowball sampling approach. Multiple regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Results: The findings indicate that personal resources (sleep quality (b = -0.224, 95% CI [-0.286, -0.165]), emotional intelligence (b = -0.061, 95% CI [-0. 112, -0.007]), and internal locus of control (b = -0.216, 95% CI [-0. 351, -0.075]) were all negatively associated with anxiety, supporting Hypothesis 1. Sleep quality (b = 0.073, 95% CI [-0.125, -0.029]) and internal locus of control (b = -0.071, 95% CI [-0.140, -0.018])) were also associated with lower emotional exhaustion through their associations with lower anxiety levels (i.e., indirect association via anxiety). In contrast, emotional intelligence (b = -0.020, 95% CI [-0.046, 0.002]) showed no significant indirect association with emotional exhaustion (i.e., no indirect association via anxiety). Conclusion: The results of this study highlight that not all personal resources have uniformly positive effects.

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 Leaders play a crucial role in employees’ career advancement and well-being at work, which can be significantly challenged under abusive leadership, particularly in a teleworking context. This study empirically examines the direct effects of abusive leadership on subordinates’ job promotion and its indirect effects through emotional exhaustion (EE). It also investigates whether teleworking strengthens this pathway by testing its moderating effect and its conditional indirect (moderated mediation) effect. Design/methodology/approach Multivariate and moderation regression analyses were performed using Stata 13 and Mplus. Data were collected from 19 Canadian organizations, with a sample of 269 employees. Findings Results demonstrated that abusive leadership has no direct effects on subordinates’ job promotion. Nevertheless, it has indirect, significant negative effects on the latter through emotional exhaustion (a full mediator). This influence is strengthened when subordinates telework. Practical implications This study contributes to raising organizations’ awareness about the importance of addressing abusive leadership by developing relevant interventions to prevent leaders’ destructive behaviors, reduce the risk of conflict, ensure decent work conditions and enhance employees’ well-being and sustainable careers. This study presents some insights and practical recommendations for organizations. Originality/value There is a notable scarcity of studies examining the direct effects of abusive leadership on subordinates’ job promotion, as well as its indirect effects through emotional exhaustion, in a teleworking context. This study contributes to expanding management and leadership research by examining these effects, taking into consideration the teleworking work arrangement and mobilizing an interdisciplinary approach involving human resource management and psychology.

PurposeThis study aims to examine what are the different configurations of organisational and individual factors that are associated with high job performance within small and medium-sized organisations (SMOs). In doing so, this study highlights what are the optimal combinations for achieving such performance.Design/methodology/approachA confirmatory factor analysis was first conducted to validate measurement models and assess convergent and discriminant validity using average variance extracted criteria. A configurational approach was then applied using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) with the QCA package in R 4.3.0. This method, based on equifinality and Boolean algebra, identifies multiple causal pathways leading to high job performance.FindingsHigh job performance in SMOs typically emerges from combined effects of key resources. Self-esteem and decision authority are key, supporting high job performance even when other key factors are limited. Psychological well-being also plays an important role. Skill utilisation and job promotion contribute to performance, but it can also be achieved in their absence. Teleworking shows a context-dependent effect, with most high-performance configurations occurring without it.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by its cross-sectional, self-reported and a restricted set of variables, indicating the need for future research.Practical implicationsThe findings are especially relevant for SMOs navigating uncertain and changing environments, offering concrete insights into fostering high job performance through flexible and context-sensitive resource combinations.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study advances a multilevel, integrative framework for understanding high job performance in SMOs, highlighting how distinct configurations of organisational and individual resources jointly influence high job performance.

This study investigates the association between locus of control, emotional intelligence, and psychological well-being, with insomnia as a mediating factor. Data was collected in Lebanon from 328 workers (60.7% women; mean age = 33.17) over a 6-month period in 2022. Regression-based mediation analyses revealed that internal locus of control was linked to lower insomnia and, in turn, greater psychological well-being. Emotional intelligence showed no significant effects. Exploratory analyses indicated that the "use of emotion" dimension of emotional intelligence was associated with increased insomnia and, indirectly, with lower psychological well-being. These findings underscore the nuanced role individual resources play in shaping health outcomes. More specifically, not all individual resources have uniformly positive effects. Given the potentially detrimental impact of the "use of emotion" dimension, interventions should prioritize strengthening internal locus of control and encouraging more constructive and balanced use of emotion strategies to reduce insomnia and enhance psychological well-being.

Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), we found that previous research suggests cognitive trajectories following retirement exhibit heterogeneity (Gosselin & Boller, 2022). One potential explanatory factor is the complexity of one’s profession, which has been linked to cognitive reserve theory. However, the specific structure of occupational complexity within this cohort remains to be fully characterized. This study aims to identify and define the key dimensions of occupational complexity among participants from the CLSA using a data-driven approach. The sample consisted of 8,243 workers (M = 54.18, SD = 6.09). Occupational information was classified using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) to derive complexity scores based on levels of interaction with data, people, and materials. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to extract underlying dimensions of occupational complexity. PCA revealed two distinct dimensions of occupational complexity, explaining 82.5% of the variance: the first, “Coordination and Support” (51.4%), encompasses professions characterized by high levels of social interaction, mentoring, and personnel management (e.g., psychologists). The second, “Autonomous Management” (31.1%), comprises professions requiring elevated autonomy in decision-making and the performance of specialized, often technical, tasks (e.g., engineers). These dimensions highlight distinct patterns of professional task demands within the CLSA cohort. By identifying key occupational complexity profiles, this study enhances our understanding of the professional backgrounds within the CLSA. These findings provide a foundation for future research examining the potential long-term cognitive and health-related implications of occupational characteristics.

La crise de la COVID-19 a mis en lumière l’importance de reconnaître le travail des femmes, notamment celles qui fournissent les services essentiels et de proximité et qui oeuvrent en particulier dans le domaine du care . Cette crise a aussi exacerbé la difficulté des conditions de travail et de l’organisation du travail des personnes exerçant ces métiers et professions. Nous examinons l’impact de la crise de la COVID-19 sur les personnes oeuvrant dans les métiers et professions du care à l’aide de méthodes mixtes. Des entrevues et un questionnaire soumis à un certain nombre d’entre elles révèlent qu’en temps de crise, certains services et certaines tâches ont été réorganisés de manière ponctuelle, ce qui a eu pour effet de dégrader les conditions de travail et de l’organisation du travail de ces personnes, entraînant notamment une hausse de l’utilisation des compétences féminisées et une augmentation du stress ressenti. Quelques modifications temporaires se sont également avérées bénéfiques et représentent des pistes de solution prometteuses. Nous concluons en proposant de telles pistes de solution et de réflexion afin de favoriser une meilleure valorisation des emplois du care , notamment dans le secteur de la santé et des services sociaux.

In an increasingly digital world, understanding the relationship among information and communication technologies (ICTs), gender, marital status, and employability is crucial for advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly, gender equality. Disruptive crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, pose significant challenges to this goal. This study examines the impact of ICT use and gender on low perceived employability during the pandemic, as well as the moderating effects of gender and marital status. Using data from 586 respondents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including students and workers, this study reveals that ICT use reduces low perceived employability, whereas being a woman is associated with greater perceived employability challenges. However, neither gender nor marital status was found to moderate the relationship between ICT use and perceived employability. This study contributes to research on gender equality, digitalization, and employability, providing evidence that while ICT use can enhance perceived employability during crises, women continue to face greater obstacles. These findings support the SDGs and provide valuable insights for managers, human resource management practitioners, and policymakers in promoting more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

People in Lebanon have been facing what has been dubbed one of the most severe socio-economic crisis in its history. Over the past few years, suicide rates have spiked, fueled by deteriorating working and living conditions. Research conducted on the mental health of populations residing in low-income countries is meager. Amongst these countries, very little research has examined the repercussions of a severe socio-economic crisis on Lebanese people's mental health. This study is based on a community sample of 220 workers residing in Lebanon. The workers were between 18 and 64 years of age and were either English/and or Arabic literate. In terms of their profession, participants worked in various professions and work sectors. For the purpose of this study, we conducted a multiple regression analysis. We used STATA 16 to run these analyses. The multiple regression analysis allowed us to verify the association between several independent variables (work-related, reduced access to electricity, the internet and gas due to the socio-economic crisis, life stressors and family income) and our dependent variables (stress and psychological distress). We also ran mediation analysis to examine the indirect role our variables could play on psychological distress via their effect on stress. We used MPlus Version 8 software to run mediation analysis. Through a community sample of workers, lack of access to electricity due to the crisis was found to be associated with stress. Similarly, stress related to the crisis, deteriorating working conditions, job insecurity, lack of internet access, and other life stressors were also found to be associated with a higher level of psychological distress. Higher family income and recognition at work seemed to be associated with a lower level of psychological distress. Lastly, lack of access to electricity seemed to be positively associated with psychological distress. The repercussions of the current situation could have broad implications for a large number of low-income countries.

Purpose Obesity is a serious workplace issue that imposes considerable burdens on both employees and organizations. Notably, its prevalence increased significantly among employees transitioning to working from home during the recent pandemic. As telework, whether full-time or hybrid, is poised to become a standard feature of future workplaces, it is imperative to examine its impact on obesity thoroughly. This scoping review explores how telework influences employees’ obesity, a topic that has been insufficiently addressed in management literature. Design/methodology/approach This study is a scoping review. Scopus was used to identify studies in the field. In total, 17 papers published in the last two decades were examined. Findings The results showed that the effects of telework on employees’ obesity are understudied in management research. There is heterogeneity related to these effects. Employees’ habits and lives are significant factors that explain these effects. There are differences related to socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics. Moreover, most examined outcomes are related to employees’ health. Organizational outcomes are overlooked in the reviewed studies. Practical implications This study provides insights and recommendations for researchers, managers, HRM practitioners and policymakers. Prioritizing interventions and strategies to prevent obesity among teleworkers is necessary to ensure employees’ health and the sustainability of their careers and performance at work. Originality/value There is a shortage of studies examining the effects of telework on employees’ obesity. Most studies are from health sciences, and these effects are largely ignored in management literature, especially within human resource management (HRM). At the same time, this field is expected to be a natural home for this topic, as it concerns employees’ health and has a significant impact on their behaviors and performance at work. This study adds evidence and broadens the scope of occupational health and human resource management research.

PurposeThis cross-sectional study had several objectives. This paper aims to study the direct effect of teleworking on interpersonal conflict, the mediating role that interpersonal conflict can play between teleworking and psychological well-being, the moderating role emotional intelligence (EI) can play between teleworking and interpersonal conflict and whether this moderation effect can, in turn, be associated with psychological well-being (moderated mediation effect).Design/methodology/approachPath analyses using Mplus software were performed on a sample of 264 employees from 19 small- and medium-sized organizations.FindingsWhile teleworking was associated with lower interpersonal conflict, it was not associated with enhanced psychological well-being. Interestingly, workload seemed to be associated with higher interpersonal conflict, while decision authority and support garnered from one's supervisor seemed to be associated with lower interpersonal conflict. Teleworking was indirectly associated with higher psychological well-being via interpersonal conflict. Finally, EI played a moderating role between teleworking and lower interpersonal conflict. This was, in turn, associated with higher psychological well-being.Practical implicationsEI is an essential skill to develop in the workplace.Originality/valueA deepened understanding of the role played by EI at work could help organizations to provide positive work environments, both in person and online. This is especially relevant today, with the continued increase in teleworking practices and the resulting rapidly changing interpersonal relationships.

IntroductionThis study aims to examine the mediating role of psychological well-being in the relationships between human resources management practices and job performance. Also, this study aims to assess the moderating role of humility on these relationships.MethodsMultiple regression, mediation, and moderation analyses were conducted with MPlus software on a sample of 569 workers who filled out a questionnaire at both Time 1 and Time 2. Both data collections took place between April 20, 2022, and May 2, 2022, for Time 1, and between June 20, 2022, and July 3, 2022, for Time 2. Data were collected through the Leger Opinion (LEO) online panel, with respondents required to be workers.ResultsWe found that psychological well-being at T1 did not play a mediating role between human resources management practices at T1 and job performance at T2. Also, humility did not moderate the relationships between human resources management practices at T1 and psychological well-being at T1 but did significantly moderate the longitudinal relationships between human resources management practices at T1 (i.e., dotation, formation, career management, autonomy, occupational health and safety, diversity management, indirect compensation, flexibility, performance management), and job performance at T2.DiscussionFor all significant interactions, the results indicated that when humility was high, the longitudinal effect of good human resources management practices led to high in-role job performance.

PurposeIn many parts of the world, labor shortages are likely to affect the activities of SMEs. Consequently, SMEs needs to adopt attractive HRM practices. This study analyzes the impact of one type of sustainable HRM (SD-HRM) on employees’ attraction and retention factors such as employees’ motivation, the quality of image and customer satisfaction in SMEs context. It also looks at the impact of SME managers’ value-intentions, calculative (egoist-strategic) and non-calculative (altruist-institutional) on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on part of a survey of 409 Quebec SME managers’ commitment to sustainability, a mediation model is used to consider the impact of the manager’s values-intentions on potential workforce attraction and retention factors.FindingsThe results show that the implementation of SD-HRM practices has a positive impact on the outcomes considered, as it was expected, but show the counterintuitive results that it is altruistic values (non-calculative), rather than egoistic values, that helps to maximize the desired effects.Practical implicationsSME managers could adopt SRHRM practices to attract and retain employees. To maximize positive impacts, they might strategically integrate this approach while remaining authentic to their altruistic values. Purely institutional intentions are insufficient. By being both personally committed and strategic, managers can improve both employee well-being and organizational performance.Originality/valueThe original aspect of this research is the integration of expectations of spin-offs (positive or neutral) in relation to SD-HRM, based on the values and intentions of SME managers. This allows to recognize the multiple profiles, justifications and objectives of SMEs, which do not form a monolithic whole and need to be understood and supported by considering their differences.

Abstract Purpose People in Lebanon have been facing what has been dubbed one of the most severe socio-economic crises since the 21st century. Over the past few years, suicide rates have spiked, fueled by deteriorating working and living conditions. Research conducted on the mental health of populations residing in low-income countries is meager. Amongst these countries, very little research has examined the repercussions of a severe socio-economic crisis on Lebanese people's mental health. Methods For the purpose of this study, we conducted a multiple regression analysis. The multiple regression analysis allowed us to verify the association between several independent variables (work-related, macro-economic variables, life stressors and family income) and our dependent variables (stress and psychological distress). We also ran mediation analysis to examine the indirect role our variables could play on psychological distress via their effect on stress. Results Through a community sample of workers, lack of access to electricity due to the crisis was found to be associated with stress. Similarly, stress related to the crisis, deteriorating working conditions, job insecurity, lack of internet access, and other life stressors were also found to be associated with a higher level of psychological distress. Higher family income and recognition at work seemed to be associated with a lower level of psychological distress. Lastly, lack of access to electricity seemed to be positively associated with psychological distress via stress related to the socio-economic crisis. Conclusion The impact of the current situation could have broad implications for a large number of low-income countries.

Using data from research on the undervaluing of predominantly female occupations, we found that the usual procedures for setting wages, notably job evaluation methods, may undervalue care work, which is predominantly done by women. Such work is difficult to analyze and evaluate because the current labor market is described by a static language of specialization and skills, whereas care workers should be judged more by their experience, which varies with the context and the situation. It is also difficult to appreciate and evaluate the true value of their work, which is sometimes invisible and often unquantifiable. According to Dejours and Gernet, care work relies on less noticeable abilities. A care worker must be able to anticipate another person's needs-an ability too often noticed only when absent-and be able to foresee, interpret, and understand the person's circumstances. The usual job evaluation methods seem confined to more objective and rational criteria.

BACKGROUND:Few studies have examined the mental health needs of African children and teenagers. Based on this gap, this scoping review aims to identify barriers to mental health services, treatments and services sought, and where mental health services are received.METHODS:To pursue the stated objectives, we searched the following databases a) PsycINFO, b) CINAHL, c) Medline, and d) Web of Science. The search yielded 15,956 records in total.RESULTS:Studies included in this review were conducted in six African countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The majority of the studies were conducted in South Africa (33.32%), followed by Ethiopia (25%), and Egypt (16.67%). In terms of treatments and services sought, both professional and traditional/alternative treatments were reported. The most frequently noted services were psychiatric treatments (25%), screening and diagnostic assessment (16.67%), as well as psychiatric and psychological consultations (16.67%). The most frequently reported treatment centers were psychiatric hospitals. As for treatment barriers, the three most frequently encountered barriers were: a preference for traditional/alternative and complementary treatments (33.33%), followed by stigma (25%), and a lack of knowledge/unfamiliarity with the mental health condition (25%).CONCLUSION:The results of this study are alarming due to the significant barriers to accessing mental health services coupled with the use of potentially harmful interventions to treat those mental health conditions. We hope this scoping review will help shed light on this important issue and help tomorrow's generation reach its full potential.