Talent management has been recognised as a central human resource strategy in organisations. However, considerable debate remains regarding its implementation, and organisations often struggle to communicate the meaning of 'potential'. Drawing on the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework, we examine the meaning and implementation of potential in the Singaporean public sector. Using a qualitative research design based on 57 interviews conducted in two organisations, we find that, contrary to common approaches to potential, these organisations tend to identify employees' potential within the first year of employment and do not revisit this status as careers unfold. This early designation of potential significantly shapes access to AMO-enhancing practices. Such an approach is problematic because it limits other employees' opportunities to attain potential status and may undermine organisational agility in talent management. We highlight the temporal paradox inherent in potential designation and argue for the adoption of a temporal lens that shifts from fixed to more fluid designations of individuals.

ABSTRACT The Australian construction industry is characterized by elevated suicide risk and widespread exposure to psychosocial hazards. The Northern Territory (NT) presents a particularly high‐risk context, with the highest suicide rates nationally and a geographically dispersed, highly mobile workforce. This study examines mental health outcomes in the NT construction workforce and evaluates a workplace mental health accreditation model implemented across construction sites. A mixed‐methods quasi‐experimental design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 12 construction sites at different stages of the accreditation (accredited, partially accredited, and non‐accredited) across two time points. Qualitative data were obtained from a focus group and semi‐structured interviews with 14 industry stakeholders and workers. Baseline findings indicate that NT construction workers experience higher psychological distress and suicidal ideation, and lower help‐seeking, relative to interstate comparison samples. Quantitative analyses across accreditation stages showed no statistically significant differences between groups over the study period, likely reflecting limited statistical power. In contrast, qualitative findings indicate perceived improvements in mental health awareness, peer support, and workplace culture among participants at sites engaged in the accreditation process. The findings indicate a high burden of mental health risk in the NT construction workforce and provide limited quantitative evidence of short‐term accreditation effects. Qualitative insights, however, indicate perceived changes in awareness, support, and cultural change. Together, the results highlight the need for sustained, context‐specific strategies and more robust longitudinal evaluation of workplace mental health interventions in remote construction settings.

ABSTRACT While commitment‐eliciting HR practices (CEHR) are known to enhance employee well‐being, control‐oriented HR practices (COHR) remain underexplored. This study investigates the joint effects of CEHR and COHR on employee well‐being through the lens of self‐determination theory. We propose that basic psychological need satisfaction mediates the positive effects of both HR systems. Additionally, we examine COHR as a moderator of the CEHR–need satisfaction relationship and individual power distance orientation as a moderator of the COHR–need satisfaction link. Using a three‐wave survey of 424 academic staff and PLS path modelling. We test a mediated moderation model in which basic psychological need satisfaction mediates the effects of both HR systems on well‐being, while COHR and individual power distance orientation serve as moderators. We recommend that practitioners in China adopt a hybrid HRM approach—blending commitment with clear, fair control—to foster a need‐supportive environment. This study advances HRM literature by identifying the cultural boundary conditions under which structured guidance enhances well‐being in transitional economies.

"Workcation" can be understood as a strategic HR intervention that integrates work responsibilities with vacation, signifying a paradigm shift in the traditional delineation between professional responsibilities and leisure time. Drawing upon the job demand-resource model, this study investigates how and under what conditions workcation experience impacts employee retention within Chinese internet-based enterprises. Analyzing data from 377 employees with prior workcation experience, the findings reveal that workcation has both direct and indirect effects on retention through job crafting. However, perceived compulsory citizenship behavior fails to significantly mediate the nexus between workcation and retention. Moreover, a supportive culture emerges as a critical moderator, amplifying the positive effects of workcation on job crafting while reducing the adverse influence of perceived compulsory citizenship behavior. These results illuminate the strategic significance of leveraging workcation as an innovative and transformative HRM paradigm to address talent retention challenges within the intensely competitive milieu of the Chinese internet sector. The study delves into the intricate mechanisms underpinning workcation, contributing to theory and practice while charting advanced strategies for sustainable organizational success in rapidly evolving professional landscapes.

Work intensification and job insecurity undermine the quality of working life. To what extent can different types of employee involvement in decision-making ameliorate their impacts on employee well-being? Deploying job demands-resources theory and interrogating the European Working Conditions Survey 2021, this study shows that work intensification and job insecurity reduce well-being via lower work engagement and higher exhaustion. While each enhances job quality, individual organizational influence has a greater effect than task discretion in suppressing the negative effects of work intensification. The largest gains for employee and societal well-being will come through greater worker involvement at this level of participation.

The domain of people management responsibilities has expanded beyond the HR department, and frontline managers (FLMs) are increasingly expected to perform many people management tasks. Recognizing this shift, scholars frequently research how to prepare and motivate FLMs for their devolved HR role; however, evidence has often affirmed that FLMs show limited enthusiasm and readiness to fulfill HR responsibilities. Although much is written to address this concern, little attention, if any, is heeded to FLMs' career development. Addressing this gap, this article considers FLMs' career development in HRM devolution literature. Thematic analysis of data from 29 semi-structured interviews with FLMs in Australia revealed eight underlying themes. Together, these themes indicate that FLMs often feel sidelined by their organization. They consider themselves overwhelmed with a wide array of HR responsibilities, while their needs and aspirations are often ignored or disregarded. Our findings point to sources of FLMs' career Stagnation and, consequently, their subsequent reluctance to accept their role as HR agents. This article offers novel insights into the FLMs' actual experience of career development opportunities in contemporary organizations and, relatedly, provides opportunities for organizations to develop so that FLMs are willing to embrace and work effectively in their people management duties.

Purpose This study compares psychosocial hazards across residential and commercial construction settings and examines whether sector context conditions the relationship between job demands and psychological distress. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods design was used, integrating survey data from 1,450 construction workers with interviews from 30 workers across residential and commercial sites. Quantitative analyses examined sector differences in psychosocial demands and resources using MANOVA, and moderation analysis tested whether sector type altered the association between psychosocial demands and distress. Qualitative data were thematically analysed to interpret sector differences. Findings Sector differences were modest; only three psychosocial hazards differed significantly. Supervisor relationship conflict showed a sector-specific association with psychological distress, significant for commercial workers only. Qualitative findings indicate residential workers experienced conflict as brief/relational, whereas commercial workers described continuous, workflow-embedded supervision. Time pressure and external stressors related to finances and family were consistent across sectors. Overall, organisational structures shape how psychosocial hazards are experienced and how conflict translates into distress. Research limitations/implications Findings are based on an imbalanced sample, with a smaller residential cohort, and cross-sectional data, limiting generalisability and causal inference. Practical implications Psychosocial risk management should be tailored to sector context, focussed on supervisory practices and how conflict is structured/ experienced across environments. Originality/value This study provides one of the first direct quantitative comparisons of sector-specific psychosocial conditions in construction, offering mixed-methods evidence that demand–strain relationships may be context-dependent, particularly regarding supervisory dynamics.

This article contributes to debates on the importance of the provision of different channels for employee participation in decision-making in organisations in the unfolding context of organisational change. We explore how information-based, downward communication participation compares to structural-orientated, representative participation in an M&A context. Additionally, we explore how different channels are related to employee outcomes of job satisfaction, job stress and job insecurity at different stages of an integration process following an acquisition. Utilising a three-wave longitudinal survey design before and during integration of a multinational M&A in the manufacturing sector (total N = 620 employees), our results show that both forms of participation are related to subsequent levels of satisfaction, stress and job insecurity, as the integration unfolds. However, the temporal sequence of the relationships across the study timeline differs with the two participation forms. Whilst downward communication appears to have a positive early effect on employees, provision of representative participation shows a longer-term positive impact on employees through and beyond the M&A integration. The apparent variation in the temporal effects across the two channels demonstrate how important it is to utilise a longitudinal design when exploring the impact of the provision of opportunities for employee participation in decision-making.

PurposeDrawing from the human resource management (HRM) literature and framed with self-determination theory, this article seeks to investigate the impact of a hybrid system of HRM, characterized by the integration of practices from high-involvement work systems (HIWS) and high-compliance work systems (HCWS), on employee well-being in China.Design/methodology/approachWe hypothesize there is a positive relationship between the hybrid system and employee well-being, mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs as proposed by self-determination theory. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 337 employees from both an agricultural company and a bank in China.FindingsOur dataset provides support for the hypotheses, indicating that hybrid human resource (HR) systems positively relate to employee well-being, with a positive association with work engagement and a negative association with emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, our findings reveal that this relationship is mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the HRM literature in three significant ways. First, it explores the hybrid HRM system, which integrates high-involvement work systems (HIWS) and high-compliance work systems (HCWS), enhancing the theorization of HRM in a more comprehensive manner. Second, it utilizes self-determination theory (SDT) to illuminate the underlying mechanisms connecting hybrid HRM to employee well-being – a topic that has received limited attention in prior research. Lastly, we operationalize employee well-being by examining both work engagement and emotional exhaustion, thereby offering a comprehensive understanding of its multidimensional nature.

Psychosocial factors are well-known determinants of workers' health and well-being, and considerable research exists on how organisations can manage stress at work. Most existing research draws on theories from psychological sciences and applies them using a narrow approach, and consequently, recommendations usually involve organisations minimising demands on employees and maximising organisational resources. Despite these advances, research continues to find differences between the well-being of workers operating under similar working conditions, suggesting a broader understanding of the mechanism through which psychosocial hazards impact well-being is needed. Based on survey data from over 800 employees in Malaysia, we find that deterioration in worker well-being resulting from psychosocial hazards at work is moderated by how safe employees feel to speak up about interpersonal problems at work (known as psychological safety). We conclude that a broader HR approach that looks beyond individual factors in work demands and resources is needed to manage stress at work.

Background: Understanding of hazardous alcohol drinking and insomnia among Australian ambulance personnel is limited. Australian ambulance organizations have strengthened their organizational human resource management (HRM) to promote their employees' healthy lifestyles, health and well-being. Aims: To describe the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption and insomnia among Australian ambulance personnel and to explore their associations with the organizational HRM strength. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 492 ambulance personnel randomly selected from three Australian states. The Alcohol Use Disorders tool, The Insomnia Severity Index and the Perceived HRM System Strength instrument measured alcohol consumption, insomnia and HRM strength. Descriptive analyses, bivariate association analyses and general linear models were used for data analysis. Results: Twenty per cent of Australian ambulance personnel consumed alcohol at a hazardous level and 68% experienced clinically significant insomnia. There was no significant association between organizational HRM strength and ambulance personnel's hazardous alcohol consumption. There was a significant association between organizational HRM strength (consensus) and ambulance personnel's insomnia experience. Conclusions: Hazardous alcohol consumption and insomnia were concerns among Australian ambulance personnel. Even though strengthening the HRM system might reduce their experience of insomnia, simply strengthening the HRM system could not reduce their hazardous alcohol consumption.

This study presents a case study of a holistic, psychosocial hazard management intervention program in a project-based, remote workforce in the Australian construction industry. There is a dearth of research on targeted, integrative, multi-level wellbeing interventions, and we seek to address this gap. Given the high rates of psychological distress and suicide in construction, understanding these hazards and the responses needed to manage them is critical for prevention. Data were collected from workers before and after the implementation of an intervention using an empirically validated measure of the work environment underpinned by the job demands–resources framework to evaluate exposure to psychosocial hazards, and mental health indicators, including psychological distress and suicidal ideation. Results revealed that job demands and resources improved following the change initiative, and workers reported significantly lower levels of psychological distress compared to workers on similarly diverse remote sites. The findings highlight the need for targeted mental health interventions addressing specific workplace psychosocial risks that adopt a holistic approach to change across all levels of an organisation. The study contributes to a nuanced understanding of psychosocial risks in construction and informs strategies to mitigate mental health harms in high-risk occupational settings.

Purpose The well-being of employees in distributed work has never been of more importance. This study aims to investigate the factors that empower or undermine the connectivity agency of teleworkers. Connectivity agency is an important form of autonomy for managing work–home boundaries, recuperation from work and psychological detachment. With this in mind it becomes vital to understand how connectivity agency is shaped by various contextual factors. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study draws upon data collected from 27 teleworkers representing a variety of industries and roles. We employed a semi-structured interview protocol and analysed the data using Tracy’s (2013) iterative coding technique. Findings Factors that influence one’s likelihood or capacity to exercise connectivity agency exist at the individual, group or organisational level. Our data elucidate factors such as the provision of home and technological resources, the state of team norms and shared expectations and the level of organisational (dis)trust as having significant influence on whether a teleworker exercises connectivity agency, or whether attempts to do so fail altogether. Originality/value Whilst we have a comprehensive understanding of types of connectivity agency behaviours, it is unclear how one’s agency may be influenced by contextual factors. The originality and key contribution of our study is in enriching our understanding of connectivity agency to appreciate it as a dynamic phenomenon that is shaped by various contextual factors. This presents a variety of important insights for professionals leading, implementing or partaking in distributed work.

The dramatic increase in teleworking, or remote work facilitated by technology, has spurred debate regarding potential effects upon individual well-being. Whilst teleworking has been shown to provide many benefits for individuals, our review focuses upon its challenges. Research suggests that technological risk factors shape the well-being of teleworkers. This review synthesises knowledge regarding this problem and charts a course for future research. We systematically gather 105 studies and link technological challenges to five dimensions of well-being: cognitive, social, professional, affective and psychosomatic. We identify three key areas through which technology reduces well-being: (1) connectivity ; (2) communication and (3) capabilities . We examine contemporary risk factors such as digital surveillance, problematic availability expectations, mediated communication difficulties and access or dependability of technological resources. Our discussion elucidates pressing human resources concerns and offers practical insights. Furthermore, we consider future avenues for scholarly inquiry, for instance, the gap between quantitative and qualitative efforts.

ABSTRACT This cross‐sectional study aims to explore the exposure to sexual harassment and assaults, coping, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their associations among Australian ambulance personnel. The study was conducted on 492 stratified and randomly selected ambulance personnel across three Australian states in 2017. A telephone interview administered questionnaire was used to collect data on exposure to sexual harassment and assault (Life Event Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM‐5)), coping (Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE)), and PTSD (PTSD checklist for DSM‐5). Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used for data analysis. The study found that female ambulance personnel were more likely to be exposed to sexual harassment and assault directly and to sexual harassment as part of their jobs than their male colleagues. Female staff were more likely to use religious, emotional and instrumental support, and self‐blame as their coping strategies. Frequent exposure to sexual harassment was significantly associated with an increased risk of PTSD. Greater use of maladaptive coping strategies was significantly associated with an increased risk of PTSD. Greater use of adaptive coping strategies was not significantly associated with a reduced risk of PTSD. Findings from this study suggest that strategies to manage frequent exposures to sexual harassment and its impacts, especially for female ambulance personnel, should be implemented to reduce the risk of PTSD. Further investigation into the effective use of adaptive coping strategies may provide explanations for the insignificant associations between a greater use of adaptive coping strategies and PTSD.

Purpose This study aims to explore the intention to quit and its associations among ambulance personnel and to compare the intention to quit and its associations between paramedic and non-paramedic staff. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted on 492 Australian ambulance personnel. Participants were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using phone interview-administered questionnaires. Descriptive analyses, bivariate associations and structural equation modelling were performed for data analysis. Findings The study found that 70% of ambulance personnel intended to quit their jobs. Intention to quit was similar between paramedics and non-paramedic staff. In both staff groups, supervisors' and colleagues' support was associated with mental health symptoms; job satisfaction was associated with the intention to quit. Supervisors' and colleagues' support was indirectly associated with the intention to quit via increasing job satisfaction and reducing the experience of mental health symptoms among paramedics only. Mental health symptoms were directly associated with the intention to quit and indirectly associated with the intention to quit via reducing job satisfaction among paramedics only. Practical implications The study findings provide evidence for resource allocation in human resource management. The findings suggest that interventions to increase job satisfaction may reduce the intention to quit for all ambulance personnel. Interventions to improve supervisors' and colleagues' support and to manage depression, anxiety and stress symptoms may help to reduce the intention to quit for paramedics only. Originality/value This is the first study to model and compare the direct and indirect associations of intention to quit between paramedics and non-paramedic staff in ambulance personnel.

PurposeOur study had three key objectives. First, to investigate the role of telepressure as a moderating factor between technostress and employee well-being. The second aim was to examine the various dimensions of well-being separately and provide insight into their interrelations, and the third was to examine how technostress influences them differently.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through online surveys completed by a total of 264 Malaysian employees in the electronics and engineering industries. We employed the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to test our study hypotheses.FindingsWe found that technostress creators reduce life well-being through the mechanisms of psychological and work well-being. Additionally, workplace telepressure moderated technostress when predicting work well-being, but not psychological well-being. As such, our study provides an important insight for future technostress research, indicating that technostress amplifiers may exist alongside inhibitors as demands and resources within the job.Originality/valueThe contributions of our study are three-fold: (1) our findings demonstrate that workplace telepressure can amplify the negative impacts of technostress, (2) we show that technological stressors can impact work and psychological well-being dimensions differently and (3) work and psychological well-being serve as mechanisms between technological stressors and life well-being. Technostress researchers typically do not conceptualise well-being through its various dimensions. Our study takes a critical stance of this approach and demonstrates the value of paying attention to the varying dimensions of well-being in order to uncover the complex and multi-faceted relationships that occur.

Employee voice at its simplest refers to having a say in the workplace. The concept of employee voice has gathered interest from the employment relations, human resource management and organisational behaviour disciplines over recent years. We take an inclusive view of voice in this article rather than one from a single discipline. We discuss the importance of examining the various dimensions and attributes of voice and with a process model of voice, conduct two studies to develop, test and produce 15 voice scales. Theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationships between various frontline management (FLM) styles, human resource management system (HRM) system strength and employees' helping behaviours as a form of organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). The research also examines the moderating role of workgroup loyalty in the association between HRM system strength and employees' helping behaviours. Design/methodology/approach The research uses survey data collected from 315 government workers in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesised relationships. Findings Two FLM styles, “policy enactor” and “employee coach,” positively predict employees' helping behaviour. However, the “organisational leader” FLM style did not significantly lead to employees' helping behaviour. HRM system strength significantly mediates the relationship between the three FLM styles and employee helping behaviours. Finally, workgroup loyalty significantly moderates the relationship between HRM system strength and employees’ helping behaviours as OCB. Practical implications With a wealth of literature demonstrating the importance of FLMs in the implementation of HRM and a growing body of literature demonstrating the robust nature of the “system strength” argument, human resource (HR) practitioners are increasingly able to focus their attention on the way the system and FLMs contribute to employee outcomes and organisational performance. Our results indicate that HRM system strength does indeed enhance the impact of FLM styles on employee helping behaviours. Originality/value The originality of this paper is that it acknowledges and empirically examines the heterogenous nature of FLM styles, through signalling theory in enacting HRM policies and links the growing FLM literature to the HRM system strength research. These concepts have also been tested for the first time in a Malaysian context.