A significant portion of the working population faces economic injustices, precarious work, and exclusion from career development opportunities. Despite the growing scholarly concern for precarious workers, previous studies have pointed out the need for broader conceptualizations of what positive work experiences represent for them because individuals strive for work that provides a sense of worth and dignity in addition to minimal conditions. Building on the Dignity at Work Framework, the present study aimed to investigate dignity at work among paid domestic cleaning (PDC) workers in Switzerland, identify the strategies, resources, and hindrances to secure or enhance favorable conditions, and report participants' propositions for improving their working conditions. We analyzed four focus groups with 15 PDC workers using Consensual Qualitative Research analysis. Results show a diversity of experiences on a continuum ranging from dignity to indignity at work. Workers employed various strategies, from resignation and demanding adaptation to more resistant responses to dignity threats. Moreover, PDC workers showed critical consciousness at various stages by proposing pragmatic changes, increased contextual support, or more liberatory aspirations and actions. Our findings contribute to bridging precarious work literature with precarity and dignity research and help adapt policies and counseling interventions for precarious workers.

: Work-related boredom is a topic of increasing interest, and a growing amount of empirical research has investigated its correlates over the last few decades. This article extends previous research by providing a systematic review of the literature on job boredom, examining the applied definitions and measures, its most common correlates, antecedents, and outcomes as well as the processes linking job boredom to these correlates. The results revealed significant inconsistencies at the most fundamental levels, in terms of conceptual, theoretical, and methodological divergence among studies. Based on the findings of this systematic literature review, we provide an overarching definition of job boredom and integrate it into a general model of workplace well-being, thus contributing to the development of an integrative theoretical framework of job boredom. We specifically offer a systematic overview of psychological processes underlying the experience of job boredom and its associations and provide future research directions. Zusammenfassung: Arbeitsbezogene Langeweile ist ein Thema von wachsendem Interesse. In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat eine zunehmende Zahl empirischer Studien deren Zusammenh & auml;nge mit diversen Konstrukten untersucht. Der vorliegende Beitrag erweitert die bisherige Forschung, indem er eine systematische Literatur & uuml;bersicht zur arbeitsbezogenen Langeweile vorlegt. Dabei werden die verwendeten Definitionen und Messinstrumente, ihre h & auml;ufigsten Korrelate, Antezedenzien und Konsequenzen sowie die Prozesse untersucht, die arbeitsbezogene Langeweile mit diesen Korrelaten verbinden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen erhebliche Inkonsistenzen auf grundlegender Ebene, insbesondere hinsichtlich konzeptioneller, theoretischer und methodischer Unterschiede zwischen den Studien. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse dieser systematischen Literatur & uuml;bersicht schlagen wir eine & uuml;bergreifende Definition arbeitsbezogener Langeweile vor und integrieren sie in ein allgemeines Modell des Wohlbefindens am Arbeitsplatz. Damit leisten wir einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung eines integrativen theoretischen Rahmens f & uuml;r arbeitsbezogene Langeweile. Dar & uuml;ber hinaus bieten wir einen systematischen & Uuml;berblick & uuml;ber die psychologischen Prozesse, die der Erfahrung arbeitsbezogener Langeweile und deren Zusammenh & auml;nge zugrunde liegen, und formulieren Implikationen f & uuml;r zuk & uuml;nftige Forschung.

Marginalized youth aged 15-25 who experience challenging school-to-work transitions (STWT) and are not in employment, education, or training (NEET) face long-term risks of exclusion from decent and dignified work. Although career interventions during STWT are well documented, most research concentrates on individual-level outcomes, leaving system-focused approaches underexplored. Guided by critical paradigm, this comparative qualitative study examines career practitioners' potential for challenging inequality and marginalization, exploring how experts' perceptions shape their practice in two contrasting socioeconomic contexts. Drawing on a STWT model based on Psychology of Working Theory, and adopting a life-course perspective on vulnerability, four focus groups were conducted with Swiss and Brazilian practitioners supporting youth at risk of NEET status. The study aimed to (a) investigate practitioners' understanding of youth's vulnerabilities, (b) identify their strategies to facilitate STWT, and (c) compare perceptions and practices between countries. Through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, findings indicate shared perceptions of key vulnerabilities, alongside context-specific nuances spanning individual and structural attributions. However, strategies were mainly person-focused across both countries, revealing lack of system-focused strategies to challenge marginalization. This study underscores the potential of cross-national collaborations and the need for practitioner-researcher partnerships to develop innovative, system-focused career counseling strategies that address structural barriers in STWT.

Both individual and social factors contribute to the risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training (NEET) and to lower self-perceived employability, yet few studies have examined their relative importance. We compared 197 NEETs aged 16–25 years enrolled in a vocational support program and 205 peers in education or employment. Measures included personality traits, adaptive resources, and marginalization factors (e.g., nationality, school background). Results indicate that marginalization factors were more strongly associated with NEET status, whereas personality traits were more strongly associated with perceived employability—highlighting the relevance of integrated, personalized approaches in vocational guidance, and related public policies.

In the present study, we wish to investigate the workers’ experience of boredom at work in an exploratory fashion to allow for the constitutive elements of the experience of boredom to emerge, to confront these elements with the existing quantitative literature, and to enrich it with new elements of reflection for further research. In this article, we adopt an inductive qualitative approach, using consensual qualitative research. The sample was composed of 235 answers. Among the several elements that emerged from the analysis, some confirmed the existing literature while others contributed to enriching it and suggested directions for future research.

Guided by vulnerability and precarity frameworks, we investigated the career trajectories of paid domestic cleaning (PDC) workers in Switzerland with two specific aims: (a) investigate the accumulation of vulnerabilities through former educational, life, and work experiences and (b) explore the career decisions and volitional constraints that have led to PDC. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main vulnerabilities were identified: restricted possibilities to obtain education (e.g., unequal access, difficulties during educational years), marginalization experiences (e.g., gender inequalities, racism), exposure to precarity-prone contexts and life events (e.g., insecure country, divorce), and precarious work periods and career disruptions (e.g., short-term contracts, job loss). Decisional strategies leading to PDC stemmed from (a) prioritizing survival needs with PDC as easy and quick access to income, (b) weighing available options and choosing the more attractive possibility, and (c) postponing career aspirations, considering PDC a bridge to better career prospects. For each strategy, an illustrative case was provided. This study's contribution stems from the description of person-related and context-related challenges for the career development of workers facing important structural barriers in their careers. In short, our study may change societal views on how workers become involved with precarious work. Practical implications are proposed at the policy and occupational levels, such as more accessible state support, stronger labor regulations, and monitoring. Concerning career counseling, recommendations consist of improving inclusivity, advocacy, and collective and social justice-oriented initiatives, such as interdisciplinary collaborations, developing critical consciousness, and mutual support among counselees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Background and aims Despite the last decade's significant development in the scientific study of work addiction/workaholism, this area of research is still facing a fundamental challenge, namely the need for a valid and reliable measurement tool that shows cross-cultural invariance and, as such, allows for worldwide studies on this phenomenon. Methods An initial 16-item questionnaire, developed within an addiction framework, was administered alongside job stress, job satisfaction, and self-esteem measures in a total sample of 31,352 employees from six continents and 85 cultures (63.5% females, mean age of 39.24 years). Results Based on theoretical premises and psychometric testing, the International Work Addiction Scale (IWAS) was developed as a short measure representing essential features of work addiction. The seven-item version (IWAS-7), covering all seven components of work addiction, showed partial scalar invariance across 81 cultures, while the five-item version (IWAS-5) showed it across all 85 cultures. Higher levels of work addiction on both versions were associated with higher job stress, lower job satisfaction, and lower self-esteem across cultures. The optimal cut-offs for the IWAS-7 (24 points) and IWAS-5 (18 points) were established with an overall accuracy of 96% for both versions. Discussion and conclusions The IWAS is a valid, reliable, and short screening scale that can be used in different cultures and languages, providing comparative and generalizable results. The scale can be used globally in clinical and organizational settings, with the IWAS-5 being recommended for most practical and clinical situations. This is the first study to provide data supporting the hypothesis that work addiction is a universal phenomenon worldwide.

Decent education is a new construct grounded within the psychology of working theory (Duffy et al., 2022), referring to high-school education that ensures adequate physical safety, psychological safety, an equitable environment, social belongingness, quality instruction, and postgraduation programming. In this multistudy research, we report the development and validation of the French and English versions of the Decent Education Scale (DES) and Retrospective DES (RDES), assessing students' perceptions of their current and past educational experiences. Study 1 gathered data from 445 French-speaking Swiss high-school students to refine items and provide evidence for the psychometric properties of the French DES. Study 2 gathered data from 284 U.S. high-school students to validate the English DES. In addition, to develop and validate the RDES parallel efforts were implemented among U.S. college students in Study 3 (N = 656) and Study 4 (N = 543). Consistent findings across studies resulted in an 18-item DES and RDES with six three-item subscales. Structural analyses revealed that a correlational model best fit the six-subscale DES and RDES. However higher order and bifactor models, both with a general factor, also yielded strong fit. Validity was further demonstrated with scale scores predicting school need satisfaction and school burnout (Study 1), college-going self-efficacy and outcome expectations (Study 2), as well as social support, academic self-efficacy, work volition, and college readiness (Study 4). Implications and recommendations for using the DES in research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The present study investigates longitudinal relationships between job insecurity and a set of work, career, and life outcomes. Using an integrative theoretical framework that combines the principles of conservation of resources and sustainable career development, we aim to unravel the scope and dynamics of stressor-strain pathways that undermine employee well-being in these domains. To that end, latent curve modelling with structured residuals was performed on a large heterogeneous sample (N = 1134) of individuals living and working in Switzerland. Based on seven annual measurement points, the results revealed yearly within-person dynamics through which job insecurity may hinder sustainable well-being in different areas of life. Furthermore, our findings allow for contrasting short-term (yearly) versus long-term (7-year) effects. They uncover potential protective mechanisms through which between-person differences in the initial levels of sustainable well-being resources might mitigate the risks of being increasingly exposed to job insecurity over time, as reflected in within-person growth patterns. Research, policy, and practical implications are discussed based on these findings.

Orientation: Most stress models emphasise the impact of adverse work conditions on psychological strain. Despite considerable support for these additive models, the role of personal characteristics moderating the stress-strain sequence is under-researched. Research purpose: The study investigated the indirect and curvilinear effects of personal resources on the stress-strain sequence. Motivation for the study: Personal agency may play an important role in changing work conditions, through job crafting and other pro-active work activities. This study's results may enhance popular work strain models through the incorporation of personal characteristics Research approach/design, and method: The study made use of a cross-sectional and ex post facto research design and convenience sampling of 879 South African employees across various industries and job levels. The data were collected through a quantitative survey and analysed using latent interaction analysis. Main findings: Broad support was found for the buffering role of sense of coherence on the relationship between job demands and cynicism, and between job demands and exhaustion. Practical/managerial implications: The results suggest that the existence of resource-rich environments alone may not be enough to guarantee thriving and engaged employees. The motivating potential of resources is enhanced when employees experience a certain degree of challenge in their work. Contribution/value-add: The study makes a theoretical contribution by highlighting the importance of personality traits as buffers in the stress-strain sequence. Moreover, latent interaction analysis is seldom used in structural equation modelling, despite holding numerous benefits compared to moderated regression analysis.

Boredom at work occurs in the context of low demands and resources and can have a host of negative outcomes for employees. However, the existing literature is lacunary concerning the mechanisms underlying the link between boredom and its negative outcomes. Based on the concept of tedium, this study examines the link between boredom at work and burnout, with a particular attention to the possibility of indirect effects. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 452 adults working in Switzerland. Our study's results showed that the link between boredom at work and exhaustion was mediated by cynicism, representing a disengagement from work. These findings are discussed based on the conservation of resources theory and several practical implications for organisations are highlighted.

Introduction Teleworking is one of the most significant legacies of the pandemic. Great attention is now being paid to its effects on workers’ health. One of the arguments that emerged on this issue is that ‘working away from the office’ affects the time we spend with significant others. This calls into question all those processes that make relatives and colleagues important to our health, such as forms of mentoring and social support, but also conflicts, work interruptions or control over workers’ activities. So far, no study has evaluated the impact that teleworking has on these processes using data on personal networks. The Empty Office is the first study to use social network analysis to measure the impact that telework has on social relations and, in turn, workers’ health and well-being.Methods and analysis The project draws on a total sample of 4400 participants from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany (n=1100 per country). The choice of these countries is due to their specificity and diversity in socioeconomic features, which make them particularly interesting for studying teleworking from a comparative point of view. The research is conceived as a sequential mixed-method design. First, quantitative data collection will administer an online questionnaire to gather information on telework modalities, health and well-being markers, and data on personal networks collected by a name generator. A qualitative module, administered one year later, will consist of in-depth interviews with a subsample (n=32) of teleworkers selected for delving narratively into the mechanisms identified with the quantitative analyses.Ethics and dissemination This study has obtained 2 years of funding from the Swiss Network for International Study and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Geneva (CUREG-20230920-292-2). All participants will be asked to provide informed consent to participate in this study. The results will be shared with international organisations and disseminated in scientific journals and conferences. Fully anonymised data will be made available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) data-repository platform.

Work precarity, referring to the work-related psychological state of insecurity, instability, and powerlessness, is on the rise. Despite being employed, workers are increasingly exposed to work precarity due to the global disparities of access to decent work. Paid domestic cleaning (PDC) workers represent a vulnerable group, exposed to adverse employment conditions and limited labor rights and protections. Yet, the working conditions in PDC have not been studied in the light of precariousness and precarity. Drawing from the work precarity framework (WPF), the present study utilizes semi-structured interviews with 24 PDC workers in Switzerland to investigate if and how they experienced work precarity in the face of adverse working conditions, and to what extent they could access protective resources against such precarity. Experiences of precarity stemmed from insufficient and insecure income, lack of labor protections and rights, lack of social recognition, and unsafe physical and psychological working conditions. Participants reported negative work-related outcomes in terms of health impairment, social stigmatization, and ambivalent attitudes towards their job. Moreover, protective personal, social, and institutional resources were identified as limited or inconsistent. Among the study’s contributions, we highlight precarity-derived challenges vulnerabilized workers face. Implications for research, policy, and practice will be discussed.