Widely recognized as an essential management practice that can meaningfully shape key employee attitudes and behaviors, family-supportive supervision (“FSS”) represents a form of managerial support aimed at helping employees effectively navigate the work-family interface. Despite the importance of perceived FSS for both individual and organizational outcomes, questions remain regarding the actual behaviors supervisors engage in to provide this targeted family support (or not). Consequently, substantive conceptual (e.g., ambiguity) and operationalization issues (e.g., confounded variance, abstraction) have stemmed from the lack of clarity and parsimony in the study of FSS. To address these limitations, we conducted a multi-phase mixed methods investigation with three unique samples of full-time employees to develop a behavioral typology of FSS behaviors. The resultant typology is distinguished by two dimensions (i.e., valence and effort) and organized into six categories that together span the full spectrum of unsupportive-supportive supervisor behaviors. This behavioral index and typological structure subsequently help to guide the refinement of the conceptualization of FSS and lays the groundwork for the creation of more objective FSS measures—a foundational step necessary for the advancement FSS research and practice.

The prevalence of stress occurs across various levels of the workplace can affect employees at any level of an organization. This study explored the role of meditation frequency on stress reduction in the workplace. Previous research emphasizes the role of personality traits in perceiving stressful situations (Childs et al., 2014), and this study investigated if conscientiousness and neuroticism personality traits helped to limit or enhance stress reduction. A sample of 40 participants was given the choice of both how frequently they choose to meditate and what style of meditation they chose to practice over two weeks. Results showed that meditation frequency had a significant impact on stress reduction. Additionally, the role of personality traits did not provide a significant impact on the participant's perceptual change in stress. The findings suggest that the frequency of meditation practice matters, and, in practical terms, future organizational policies may promote employee choice on meditation frequency and style.

The extant research on organizational socialization has primarily focused on newcomer perceptions of the socialization process, neglecting the perspective of insiders (veteran employees) who socialize newcomers. The veteran perspective is important to consider, as veterans take on additional work responsibilities to help newcomers assimilate to the organization. The current study examines how veterans’ perceptions of their personal resources (e.g., assimilation, job demands) may influence their own well-being during the socialization process, as well as newcomer outcomes (i.e., role clarity, job performance). Data from 108 matched veteran-newcomer pairs across a variety of occupations were analyzed using path analysis. Results suggest veteran assimilation and job demands during socialization are related to both veteran and newcomer outcomes, including veteran emotional exhaustion and newcomer role clarity. In addition, veteran assimilation was significantly related to newcomer performance. Implications of these findings for organizations are discussed.

Work-family management has become a highly salient issue for organizations as the world of work experiences ongoing changes due to globalization, technological advances, and new challenges spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past decade or so, the concept of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) has been recognized by management and organizational science scholars as an important resource for alleviating negative pressures related to work-family management. However, despite evidence suggesting organizations are heavily gendered (i.e., built upon and structured according to assumptions about gender) and that FSSB represent a set of gendered behaviors, the role of gender is largely missing from FSSB theorization. In addition, little is known regarding the antecedents of FSSB and the mechanisms responsible for the enactment or withholding of FSSB by supervisors. To address these gaps, we perform an interdisciplinary theoretical integration to develop a conceptual and process model of gendered antecedents of the FSSB decision-making process. We present theoretically driven propositions regarding how gender-related variables of the supervisory dyad influence both 1) if/how supervisors become aware of an FSSB opportunity, and 2) supervisors' FSSB decisions to enact, withhold, or neglect FSSB. We conclude with practical implications and opportunities for future FSSB research based on implications of our theoretical insights.

Although both cognitive ability and trait emotional intelligence (EI) have been shown to be predictors of important work outcomes, little research has examined how they work together as determinants of performance. Building on the perspective that emotionally intelligent employees can use emotion regulation and interpersonal skills to garner and retain resources (e.g., time, money, and energy), we hypothesized that trait EI would moderate the relationship between cognitive ability performance [both task performance and organizational citizenship behaviors directed toward individuals (OCBIs)] such that the relationship would be stronger at higher levels of trait EI. Based on trait EI and cognitive ability data from 102 human resource employees in a multinational company, we found the expected moderation effect for both task performance and OCBIs. In contrast, political skill, a construct that is similar to but distinct from trait EI, did not moderate the relationships between cognitive ability and performance, which provides discriminant validity evidence for the role of trait EI as the moderator. Taken together, our findings, which have implications for understanding employee performance and selection, indicate that higher levels of performance are associated with the combination of both higher levels of trait EI and cognitive ability.

Many jobs require workers to stand for prolonged periods of time while performing their job duties. Prolonged standing at work has been linked to negative health outcomes, particularly musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and fatigue. Reflexology is a complementary and alternative medicine technique that may be well-suited to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms, fatigue, stress, and anxiety in workers who stand for prolonged amounts of time because it involves stimulating reflex points on the feet purported to correspond to different bodily parts, increases relaxation, and reduces stress. Additionally, general relaxation techniques applied to the feet and lower leg, combined with passive relaxation time, may also provide some relief. In the current longitudinal, mixed-method intervention study, participants are randomized to either a reflexology condition or a passive relaxation condition, and their self-reported levels of MSS, fatigue, stress, and anxiety are assessed for two weeks at pre-test, two weeks during the intervention stage, and two-weeks post-intervention along with qualitative responses about their experiences. Multilevel analyses reveal participants in both groups reported significant reductions in scores across all measures from pre-test through intervention, but the decreases did not vary significantly by condition for any outcomes except anxiety. In addition, results from qualitative thematic analysis substantiate findings regarding the prevalence of negative health outcomes in standing workers and provide support for the use of reflexology or relaxation in helping to alleviate those outcomes.

PurposeThe purpose is to understand how affective events employees experience at work, and emotions those events elicit, influence within-person fluctuations in perceived organizational support (POS). The authors explore the possibility of socioemotional needs as a boundary condition of the effects. They integrate affective events theory with organizational support theory to develop their arguments.Design/methodology/approachUsing a diary study method, 55 working adults responded to three surveys per day for ten days (876 total datapoints).FindingsThe results suggest POS fluctuates daily. Furthermore, workplace affective events are significantly related to discrete emotions (happiness and anger), which are significantly related to fluctuations in POS. Indirect effects were generally stronger when socioemotional needs were high compared to low, though the moderation was not statistically significant.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors extend organizational support theory by integrating affective events theory; they highlight the role of affective events and transient emotion in relation to momentary changes in POS and explore socioemotional needs as a moderator of those relationships.Practical implicationsOrganizations can be mindful of employees' daily experiences when considering how to foster POS; minimizing negative affective events and maximizing supportive affective events may enhance POS.Originality/valueThis study is the first to consider predictors of short-term fluctuations in POS. Moreover, the authors integrate affective events and discrete emotions to consider the role of affect in organizational support theory.

This chapter provides an overview of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Guidelines for Education and Training in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The Guidelines take a competency-based approach to describing the content of graduate training in industrial-organizational psychology. The authors make recommendations on delivery options for master’s programs seeking to develop student competencies in the areas described in the Guidelines. These delivery options range from formal coursework to supervised internships to research activities. The authors address program characteristics, such as types of students (traditional versus nontraditional) and settings (urban versus rural), that may present unique opportunities and challenges in addressing the Guidelines.

According to organizational support theory (OST), employees develop a general perception concerning the extent to which their work organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being (perceived organizational support, or POS). We explain OST and review empirical POS findings relevant to OST's main propositions, including new findings that suggest changes to OST. Major antecedents of POS include fairness, support from leaders, and human resource practices and work conditions, especially to the extent that employees perceive these as the discretionary choices of organizations. Among more recent findings, the average level of POS has modestly increased over the past three decades in the United States. Furthermore, POS appears to have stronger positive outcomes in Eastern cultures than Western cultures. Some additional promising recent areas of research on POS include trickle-down effects, POS of groups, and POS as relevant to creativity and innovation, positive emotional outcomes, and well-being.

We provide practical, evidence-based recommendations derived from organizational support theory to enhance the effectiveness of human resource (HR) strategies designed to treat employees well. We also include the first ever benchmarking information for perceived organizational support (POS), the extent to which employees believe their organization cares about them and values their contributions. We discuss what is distinct about POS compared with fairness and employee engagement. We then discuss 5 principles from organizational support theory to enhance the effectiveness of HR strategies, followed by specific examples and information on how to support each principle within one's work organization. We hope this article serves as a resource for HR practitioners interested in theoretically derived HR principles and examples to help enhance PUS. We also hope this article facilitates collaborations between researchers and practitioners for developments in POS research.

According to social exchange theory, felt obligation after being treated justly is key to explaining why justice perceptions influence behaviors important to organizations, such as task performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Perhaps those who believe in a just world (Just World Hypothesis, JWH) are more likely to feel obligated to reciprocate just treatment with behaviors benefiting the organization. Thus, our goal was to investigate whether belief in the JWH influences to what extent people feel obligated after being treated justly and the importance of felt obligation in regard to behavioral outcomes, such as OCB and task performance. Based on 160 university alumni and their supervisors, results provide support that justice perceptions can relate to both job performance and OCB via felt obligation, providing empirical support for the theoretical role of felt obligation in the social exchange theory explanation of how justice perceptions can translate into employee behaviors benefiting the organization. Results also suggest that endorsement of the JWH interacts with procedural and distributive justice perceptions, but not interpersonal justice perceptions, to influence felt obligation and that the indirect effect of distributive and procedural justice perceptions on both OCB and task performance via felt obligation is only significant for individuals with relatively high levels of endorsement of the JWH. Implications are discussed.

The power of words to persuade, degrade, and implicate others is undeniable. Previous research (e.g. Lindquist, Satpute, & Gendron, 2015; Schnuerch et. al., 2016)support the hypothesis that emotions impact situational interpretation through studies of factors including perception of facial expression and tone of voice. The current study focused on the role of emotion in influencing word perception, specifically the perception of neutral words apparently void of positive or negative connotation. The research was governed by the hypothesis that when asked to rate the positivity of neutral words, participants’ ratings would mirror their levels of happiness. In other words, it was expected that a participant who was in a good mood during this study would rate neutral words more positively than a participant who was in a bad mood during this study. Sixty-two undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, aged 18-53, took part in this study. In an online survey, participants completed the Oxford Happiness Inventory quantifying their emotional state. They then rated the positivity of 25 neutral words on a scale where 1= extremely negative and 6 = extremely positive. This study found a significant, moderate positive correlation in the expected direction, supporting the hypothesis.

Surveys are one of the most popular ways to collect employee information. Because of their widespread use, data quality is an increasingly important concern. The purpose of this paper is to (1) introduce the intra-individual response variability (IRV) index as an easily calculated and flexible way to detect insufficient effort responding (IER); (2) examine the extent to which various IER indices detect the same or different respondents engaging in IER behavior; and (3) investigate relationships between individual differences and commonly used IER indices to better understand systematic and theoretically relevant IER behavior. In a two-part study, 199 undergraduates responded to questionnaires online, and various IER indices were calculated. The IRV index identifies different respondents than other IER indices. Values on the IRV index (as well as other IER indices) are related to scores on theoretically meaningful individual differences in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and boredom proneness. This study provides researchers with a robust, easily calculated, and flexible means for screening questionnaire data for IER behavior. Practical recommendations for finding and making decisions about IER behavior patterns are provided. This study introduces the IRV index, an extension of the long string, used to identify survey research participants who likely engaged in one type of IER behavior. It is also one of the first studies to evaluate the extent to which IER indices identify different respondents as having engaged in IER and provides additional evidence that values on these indices are related to individual differences.

This study examines organizational support theory as it extends to supervisor support by (1) testing two explanations for the relationship between supervisors’ perceived organizational support and their supportive supervision and (2) examining perceived supervisor support in relation to subordinate performance and commitment. Multisource survey data from a correctional facility, with a matched sample of 51 supervisors and 283 subordinates, were collected. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used for analysis. Supervisors were more supportive when they felt supportive treatment was preferred by the organization and less supportive when they felt obligated to help the organization. Perceived supervisor support was associated with subordinate performance and commitment at the subordinate level (i.e., among employees reporting to the same supervisor) but not at the supervisor level (i.e., across supervisor-follower groups). Employees who feel supported by their supervisor perform better and are more committed to their employer. To encourage supervisor support, organizations should both model support to supervisors and communicate the expectation for supervisor support. Supervisors who feel obligated to reciprocate to a supportive organization may be less inclined to support their subordinates. This study examines the prevailing, yet untested, mechanism (felt obligation) used to explain the relationship between supervisor’s perceptions of organizational support and their supportive supervision, as well as an alternative explanation based on social information processing. The study provides a nuanced multilevel analysis of perceived supervisor support as related to subordinate outcomes and extends previous models by including subordinate withdrawal and commitment.

The present study builds on prior research involving organizational support theory and the trickle-down effects of supervisors’ perceived organizational support (POS). We examine benefits of supervisor POS for the supervisors themselves (enhanced affective commitment and in-role performance), and a behavioral mechanism through which supervisors’ POS may lead to subordinate dedication, a multifaceted conceptualization of performance.

The labor force in the United States is increasingly becoming diverse, fueled by a growth in Latino/as, which increases the prevalence of cross-cultural interactions at work. The purpose of the current study is to understand the implications of microaggressions and communication values for Latino/as' interpersonal and informational justice. Qualtrics Panels were used to recruit 259 working Latino/a adults in the United States. Regression analyses and polynomial regression with response surface analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Discrimination, in the form of microaggressions, is negatively related to interpersonal justice. Though, the relationship is buffered if subordinates trust their supervisor. Furthermore, the greater the discrepancy in a cultural values regarding communication style preference (High-Context/Low-Context [HCLC]) between supervisors and subordinates, the lower levels of perceived informational justice. Our findings contribute to the limited literature on managing Latino/as in the U.S. workforce, and in particular, the cultural implications for fairness. The current study answers a call to understand U.S. Latino/as' experiences at work while being among the first to apply the concept of microaggressions to a work context. In addition, we add to the justice literature by investigating cultural predictors of justice.

Top executives hold positions that convey power, prestige, and competence as predicted by status characteristics theory. Nevertheless, the impressions generated through this status characteristic may be vulnerable when executives also possess characteristics that reflect a devalued social identity, such as obesity. Data from health examinations and multisource evaluation surveys of 757 CEOs, vice presidents, and upper managers suggest that the observable cue of umbilical waist circumference is negatively associated with evaluations of leaders across hierarchical levels, even after controlling for Body Mass Index, physical activity, personality, and demographic characteristics. Thus, hierarchically based status characteristics are insufficient in overcoming the stigma of obesity: even CEOs are subject to the pernicious effects of obesity stigma. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This study adds to the growing body of research on the interactive effects of personality traits and trait activation research. Despite conscientiousness being a consistent predictor of high task performance, we challenged this relationship and hypothesized that the positive relationship between conscientiousness and task performance would decrease for individuals who are exposed to an anxiety-provoking, achievement situation compared to individuals in an achievement situation. We examined two interactions and hypothesized that 1) when individuals were conscientious and exposed to an anxiety-provoking, achievement situation, task performance would decrease and 2) the relationship between conscientiousness and task performance would be lowest when highly conscientious and highly neurotic individuals were in an achievement-oriented, anxiety-provoking situation. Results support the idea that highly conscientious individuals have lower task performance when placed in an anxiety-provoking, achievement situation. Although not statistically significant, the results of the three-way conscientiousness x situation x neuroticism regression was in the hypothesized direction. This study was unique in using an experimental design to manipulate task-relevant cues to activate conscientiousness and neuroticism. One potential practical implication of this study is that organizations should consider the context in which each individual is going to be working when using selection systems based on traits.