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Cimpoeru, Smaranda (2023): Impact of income and unemployment on happiness: panel data evidence for European countries. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 30, H. 8, S. 1047-1051. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2035666

Abstract

"This study examines the short-run and long-run relationships between happiness and two economic variables, namely income and unemployment. Drawing from a sample of eleven European countries over a time period of 36 years spanning 1985–2020, we find that both income and unemployment have a significant impact on happiness levels. In particular, the results show that higher income leads to higher happiness in the long-run, but the short-run impact is rather weak. Moreover, unemployment decreases people’s happiness levels both in the short and in the long-run, emphasizing the need for European policies directed to job creation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Clark, Andrew E. & Michal Kozák (2023): Twenty Years of Job Quality in OECD Countries: More Good News? (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16597), Bonn, 37 S.

Abstract

"The distribution of job quality across workers and the change in job quality over time can be measured by job-domain indices or single-index job-satisfaction. This paper takes both approaches to establish the evolution of job quality over a period from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s in 13 OECD countries, using data from the three latest ISSP Work Orientation modules. The rise in job satisfaction from 1997 to 2005 has continued through 2015, despite the 2008 Great Recession. This improvement is also found in most of the job-outcome domains, despite some evidence of work intensification. Job security was the most-important job aspect every year, and the percentage of workers with secure jobs rose over time. There has been a small rise in the dispersion of job satisfaction, but the good news regarding better job quality over a 20-year period does not seem to be dampened by large changes in its inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Joshanloo, Mohsen (2023): A New Index of Perceived Job Quality in 116 Countries: Associations with Working Hours and Other National Characteristics. In: Social Sciences, Jg. 12, H. 9. DOI:10.3390/socsci12090492

Abstract

"The main purpose of this study was to create a global index of perceived job quality that assesses individuals’ perceptions of enjoyment, meaning, and engagement at work, as well as freedom of choice in job selection. The study also explored the correlation between weekly working hours and perceived job quality. A sample of 121,207 individuals from 116 countries was used, sourced from the Gallup World Poll. Additionally, variables from other sources were incorporated to establish the nomological net of the new index. Perceived job quality was highest in South and North America, while it was lowest in East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Perceived job quality was weakly associated with cultural characteristics at the national level, while it was more strongly associated with experienced positive affect, psychosocial well-being, and optimism. No evidence was found that countries with higher levels of wealth have higher average levels of perceived job quality. The number of hours worked per week was not significantly related to perceived job quality at the national level. Working hours were found to be longer in collectivist, hierarchical, and less free countries, as well as in countries where work is valued over leisure. Weekly working hours was largely unrelated to economic indicators at the national level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lemberg, Jason (2023): Selbstverwirklichung im Beruf. Zur Geschichte eines Mythos. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, Jg. 73, H. 46, S. 41-46.

Abstract

"Das Ideal der beruflichen Selbstverwirklichung ist allgegenwärtig. Obschon über die damit verbundenen Verheißungen oft nur mit deutlichen Einschränkungen gesprochen wird – so müssten wichtige Kriterien hinsichtlich der beruflichen Qualifikation und der biografischen Grundvoraussetzungen erfüllt sein –, ändere dies nichts an der Macht der damit verbundenen Bilder, Vorstellungen und Fantasien. Ganz im Gegenteil: Ein Großteil der Menschen sehnt sich nach einer erfüllenden Arbeit, und sagte nicht schon Konfuzius: "Wähle einen Beruf, den du liebst, und du brauchst keinen Tag in deinem Leben mehr zu arbeiten"?" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Sypniewska, Barbara, Małgorzata Baran & Monika Kłos (2023): Work engagement and employee satisfaction in the practice of sustainable human resource management – based on the study of Polish employees. In: International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Jg. 19, H. 3, S. 1069-1100. DOI:10.1007/s11365-023-00834-9

Abstract

"Sustainable human resource management (SHRM) views employees as a very important resource for the organisation, while paying close attention to their preferences, needs, and perspectives. The individual is an essential element of SHRM. The article focuses on analyzing selected SHRM issues related to the individual employee's level of job engagement and employee satisfaction. The main objective of our study was to identify individual-level correlations between factors affecting employee satisfaction, such as: workplace well-being, employee development, employee retention, job engagement, and employee satisfaction. Based on the results of a systematic literature review, we posed the following research question: is there any relation between factors affecting employee satisfaction (employee workplace well-being, employee development, employee retention, work engagement) and employee satisfaction in the SHRM context? To answer the research question, we have conducted a quantitative study on the sample of 1051 employees in companies in Poland and posed five hypotheses (H1-H5). The research findings illustrate that higher level of employee workplace well-being (H1), employee development, (H2), employee retention (H3) was related to higher level of employee engagement (H4), which in turn led to higher level of employee satisfaction. The results show the mediating role of employee engagement in the relationship between workplace well-being, employee development, employee retention, and employee satisfaction (H5). The presented results contribute to the development of research on work engagement and job satisfaction in the practice of SHRM. By examining the impact of individual-level factors on job satisfaction, we explain which workplace factors should be addressed to increase an employee satisfaction and work engagement. The set of practical implications for managers implementing SHRM in the organization is discussed at the end of the paper." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Asuyama, Yoko (2022): Doing boss-like tasks and worker well-being: Job enrichment revisited. In: Labour, Jg. 36, H. 2, S. 196-230. DOI:10.1111/labr.12217

Abstract

"This study revisits the relationship between job enrichment and worker well-being by analysing worker-level data from around 20 countries. Job enrichment, which vertically expands jobs, is primarily measured by the novel ‘boss-like tasks’ indicator, constructed from 42 task-frequency data. The aim of job enrichment is to motivate workers. However, the study finds that even though average non-boss workers doing more boss-like tasks earn higher wages, they are not necessarily more satisfied with their jobs. The non-positive or slightly negative association with satisfaction becomes positive when workers have low-skilled blue-collar jobs or when tasks involving planning and organizing are enriched." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Boehnlein, Philipp & Matthias Baum (2022): Does job crafting always lead to employee well-being and performance? Meta-analytical evidence on the moderating role of societal culture. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 647-685. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2020.1737177

Abstract

"We quantitatively summarize existing studies on job crafting and its effects on well-being and individual in-role and extra-role performance. We differentiate job crafting behaviors by target of impact (individual vs. work environment) and regulatory focus (prevention vs. promotion focus). Drawing on 60 independent samples with a total of 20,547 participants, we use meta-analysis to show that promotion-oriented job crafting can be associated with increased well-being and both in-role and extra-role performance. Prevention-oriented crafting yielded partially significant results for well-being while showing non-significant relationships with both performance outcomes. Drawing on previous findings of the GLOBE study, we further show that the effects of job crafting on both in-role and extra-role performance are partially moderated by the cultural practices of in-group collectivism, future orientation, performance orientation, and uncertainty avoidance. By doing so, we illuminate the cultural circumstances under which job crafting behaviors are more suitable and where job crafting is less effective as a way to improve individuals’ performance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))"We quantitatively summarize existing studies on job crafting and its effects on well-being and individual in-role and extra-role performance. We differentiate job crafting behaviors by target of impact (individual vs. work environment) and regulatory focus (prevention vs. promotion focus). Drawing on 60 independent samples with a total of 20,547 participants, we use meta-analysis to show that promotion-oriented job crafting can be associated with increased well-being and both in-role and extra-role performance. Prevention-oriented crafting yielded partially significant results for well-being while showing non-significant relationships with both performance outcomes. Drawing on previous findings of the GLOBE study, we further show that the effects of job crafting on both in-role and extra-role performance are partially moderated by the cultural practices of in-group collectivism, future orientation, performance orientation, and uncertainty avoidance. By doing so, we illuminate the cultural circumstances under which job crafting behaviors are more suitable and where job crafting is less effective as a way to improve individuals’ performance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))756k

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Dicu, Andreea, Irma Rybnikova & Thomas Steger (2022): How do employees cope with mandatory working from home during COVID-19? In: German Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 300-324. DOI:10.1177/23970022221079049

Abstract

"How do employees who are coerced to work from home during COVID-19 cope with this unprecedented situation? Drawing upon the job-demands-resources (JD-R) model and upon the literature on coping, we analyse empirical qualitative material which stems from two-stage interviews with and online diaries prepared by 15 white-collar employees in Romania. We identify four initial coping types in relation to mandatory working from home: ‘explorers’, ‘statics’, ‘chaotics’ and ‘irremediables’. In the follow-up stage of the field work, the ‘chaotic’ type of coping disappears. These findings in relation to the unique pandemic situation represent a significant contribution to the literature on working from home as well as on coping with stress." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gaye, Maimouna (2022): Job satisfaction: towards internalizing the feeling of inequality between men and women. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 54, H. 33, S. 3823-3839. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2021.2016589

Abstract

"The more pronounced job satisfaction among women is generally observed despite their less favorable work situation compared to men. However, regression analysis alone in a sample of non-comparable men and women may be subject to model misspecification. Our work uses an innovative matching procedure, Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), to address this issue and analyze the reasons for the differential in job satisfaction between men and women with the same characteristics. Data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey are considered including five measures of satisfaction with career development prospects taken as a new measure. The results show that women are more satisfied with job security, while they seem less satisfied with their career development prospects. A similar level of satisfaction is observed between men and women with regard to social relations, overall satisfaction and salary. Exceptionally, the youngest women, or those with higher education, or employed at a higher hierarchical level, or working in male-dominated sectors, expressed levels of satisfaction that were the opposite of the other women. This is likely due to the fact that these women align their job expectations with those of their male counterparts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Homocianu, Daniel, Octavian Dospinescu & Napoleon-Alexandru Sireteanu (2022): Exploring the Influences of Job Satisfaction for Europeans Aged 50 + from Ex-communist vs. Non-communist Countries. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 159, H. 1, S. 235-279. DOI:10.1007/s11205-021-02754-z

Abstract

"The paper deals with the analysis of the influences of job satisfaction among Europeans aged 50 + (SHARE-ERIC's data set-Wave7) filtered on main residences and education before 1989. Besides confirming the leading role of the workplace atmosphere and own efforts recognition (dual-core), it further validates the assumption that education and residence in former communist countries count when analyzing job satisfaction and brings two particular types of models. We used many methods based on data mining and variable selection, ordinal and binary logistic and probit regressions, cross-validations via LASSO and mixed-effects modeling with random effects on countries, average marginal effects, and logistic-based prediction nomograms. We discovered seven common influences that count the most when analyzing job satisfaction in these circumstances. It is about the dual-core above and the ones corresponding to older respondents, the better-educated ones (ISCED2011), those with computer skills, the ones endowed with thoroughness, and the ones having higher values of the CASP index of life quality. Depending on each of the two specific models, we discovered peculiarities related to the role of some economic (GDP and SMC to GDP) and institutional (WGI) indicators. For the ex-communist models, we found significant negative influences for both categories while, for non-communist ones, only the second category matters and has a positive role." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Lucifora, Claudio & Federica Origo (2022): Performance-related pay and productivity. Do performance-related pay and financial participation schemes have an effect on firms' performance? (IZA world of labor 152), Bonn, 11 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.152.v2

Abstract

"Richtig gestaltet können leistungsbezogene Vergütungssysteme die Unternehmensproduktivität und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit wirksam steigern. Auf den individuellen Erfolg bezogene Modelle sind mit einem stärkeren Produktivitätsanstieg verbunden, während Gruppenanreize und Gewinnbeteiligung geringere Effekte haben. Allerdings sollten negative Auswirkungen auf die Arbeitsintensität und die physische wie psychische Belastung der Arbeitnehmer nicht außer Acht gelassen werden, zumal neue Formen mobilen Arbeitens den Stellenwert leistungsbezogener Entlohnung eher noch vergrößern werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Nikulin, Dagmara, Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz & Aleksandra Parteka (2022): Working Conditions in Global Value Chains: Evidence for European Employees. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 36, H. 4, S. 701-721. DOI:10.1177/0950017020986107

Abstract

"This article investigates a sample of almost nine million workers from 24 European countries in 2014 to conclude how involvement in global value chains (GVCs) affects working conditions. We use employer–employee data from the Structure of Earnings Survey merged with industry-level statistics on GVCs based on the World Input-Output Database. Given the multidimensional nature of the dependent variable, we compare estimates of the Mincerian wage model with zero-inflated beta regressions focused on other aspects of working conditions (overtime work and bonus payments). Wages prove to be negatively related to involvement in GVCs: workers in the more deeply involved sectors have lower and less stable earnings, implying worse working conditions. However, they are also less likely to have to work overtime. We prove that the analysis of social implications of increasing involvement of countries in global production must compare wage effects of GVCs with other aspects of complex changes in workers’ well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pohlig, Matthias, Sabine Israel & Irene Dingeldey (2022): Does the household context matter for job satisfaction among low-wage workers? In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 43, H. 3, S. 1028-1058. DOI:10.1177/0143831X20975865

Abstract

"Previous research has established that low-wage earners have on average lower job satisfaction. However, several studies have found personal characteristics, such as gender, age and educational level, moderate this negative impact. This article demonstrates additional factors at the household level, which have not yet been empirically investigated, and which may exacerbate gender differences. The authors analyse the job satisfaction of low-wage earners depending on the contribution of individual earnings to the household income and on household deprivation using the 2013 special wave of the EU-SILC for 18 European countries. The study finds that single earners in low-wage employment report lower job satisfaction whereas low-wage employment does not seem to make a difference for secondary earners. Furthermore, low-wage earners? job satisfaction is linked with the ability of their household to make ends meet." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schlägel, Christopher, Robert L. Engle & Guido Lang (2022): The unique and common effects of emotional intelligence dimensions on job satisfaction and facets of job performance: an exploratory study in three countries. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 33, H. 8, S. 1562-1605. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2020.1811368

Abstract

"Previous empirical studies have either used a unidimensional or a multidimensional analytical approach to examine the consequences of emotional intelligence (EI). In this exploratory study we integrate and extend these two approaches, using a novel perspective to better understand the structure of the EI-job satisfaction and the EI-job performance relationship. Using commonality analysis and data from Germany, India, as well as the U.S. we partition the explained variance for job satisfaction, in- role performance, and extra-role performance into the variance that is uniquely explained by the individual EI dimensions and the variance that is common to sets of EI dimensions. We provide evidence that the EI dimensions are differently related to job satisfaction and job performance facets. Furthermore, the findings offer insights on how unique and common effects vary across countries. Partitioning the unique and commonly shared variance allows us to assess the true predictive power of individual EI dimensions and of sets of EI dimensions. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for theory development and provide future research directions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Justo, Raquel, Emilio Congregado & Concepción Román (2021): Becoming self-employed from inactivity: an in-depth analysis of satisfaction. In: Small business economics, Jg. 56, H. 1, S. 145-187. DOI:10.1007/s11187-019-00212-2

Abstract

"Inactive individuals represent a pool of potential labour whose activation entails economic and social advantages. Additionally, being active allows individuals to cover their basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence and relatedness—which leads to greater satisfaction through self-determination. We posit that self-employment may be an attractive alternative because its nonpecuniary aspects may suit their needs better. Using data from the European Community Household Panel, we applied propensity score matching techniques to analyse the change in satisfaction with main activity of inactive individuals becoming self-employed compared to those becoming employees and those remaining inactive. We further perform separate analyses for homemakers, retirees and students to account for heterogeneity within inactivity. We find that self-employment is associated with more satisfaction than remaining inactive in the case of retirees and homemakers, while students tend to experience a larger increase in satisfaction when entering self-employment compared to paid employment. The implications of these results for activation and entrepreneurship policies are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Martin, Albert & Luca Cardinali (2021): Soziographie der Arbeitszufriedenheit. (Schriften aus dem Institut für Mittelstandsforschung / Universität Lüneburg 61), Lüneburg, 246 S.

Abstract

"Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit der Soziographie der Arbeitszufriedenheit. In Studien zur Arbeitszufriedenheit werden soziographische Merkmale oft als Kontrollgrößen eingesetzt. Ihre Berücksichtigung bei der Datenanalyse soll die Frage beantworten, ob sich der Einfluss von Determinanten der Arbeitszufriedenheit (Arbeitsinhalte, Arbeitsbedingungen, persönliche Dispositionen usw.) für unterschiedliche Personengruppen und Situationen jeweils anders darstellt. Die Berücksichtigung von Kontrollgrößen macht aber nur dann Sinn, wenn diese selbst eine empirische Beziehung entweder zu den Determinanten der Arbeitszufriedenheit und/oder zu der Arbeitszufriedenheit selbst aufweisen. Dem vorliegenden Beitrag geht es um die Frage, ob sich Zusammenhänge zwischen bedeutsamen soziographischen Merkmalen und der Arbeitszufriedenheit aufzeigen lassen. Als Datengrundlage dienen die 35 Erhebungswellen des Sozioökonomischen Panels (SOEP) von 1984 bis 2018. Im Einzelnen betrachtet werden die Variablen Erwerbsstatus, Geschlecht, Alter, Schulabschluss, Hochschulabschluss, Berufsstatus, Betriebszugehörigkeit und Unternehmensgröße. Für die meisten dieser Größen ergeben sich, wenn überhaupt, nur sehr schwache statistische Beziehungen mit der Arbeitszufriedenheit. Eine Ausnahme macht der Berufsstatus. Die Qualifikationsanforderungen, die sich damit verknüpfen und die hierarchische Position haben einen beachtlichen Einfluss auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit. Bemerkenswert ist die große Stabilität der Befunde über alle Erhebungsjahre von 1984 bis 2018 hinweg." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Nikolova, Milena, Boris Nikolaev & Christopher Boudreaux (2021): Being Your Own Boss and Bossing Others. The Moderating Effect of Managing Others on Work Meaning and Autonomy for the Self-Employed and Employees. (IZA discussion paper 14909), Bonn, 37 S.

Abstract

"We examine the moderating role of being a supervisor for meaning and autonomy of self-employed and employed workers. We rely on regression analysis applied after entropy balancing based on a nationally representative dataset of over 80,000 individuals in 30 European countries for 2005, 2010, and 2015. We find that being a self-employed supervisor is correlated with more work meaningfulness and autonomy compared with being a salaried supervisor working for an employer. Wage supervisors and self-employed supervisors experience similar stress levels and have similar earnings, though self- employed supervisors work longer hours. Moreover, solo entrepreneurs experience slightly less work meaningfulness, but more autonomy compared with self-employed supervisors. This may be explained by the fact that solo entrepreneurs earn less but have less stress and shorter working hours than self- employed supervisors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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O'Higgins, Niall & Luis Pinedo Caro (2021): Crowdwork for Young People: Risks and Opportunities. (IZA discussion paper 14933), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"In recent years, crowdworking has emerged as a small but rapidly growing source of employment and income principally for young(er) people. Here, we build on previous work in identifying the determinants of crowdworkers' earnings. We focus on the reasons why young crowdworkers earn significantly higher hourly wages than their older counterparts. We show that this is due to the higher returns to experience accruing to younger crowd-workers. Educational attainment does not explain this age-based differential, as education is a negligible factor in determining crowdworkers' earnings. We also analyse why young women earn around 20% less than their male counterparts despite blind hiring. We confirm that this is partly explained by constraints on working time faced by women with children. The analysis also shows that 'freely chosen' crowdwork - as opposed to, young people crowd-working because of a lack of alternative employment opportunities - is conducive to higher levels of job satisfaction. Moreover, young crowdworkers in middle income countries earn less than their counterparts in high income countries but report higher levels of job satisfaction. This is entirely attributable to the lower quality of their options outside of crowdwork." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pita, Cristina & Ramón José Torregrosa (2021): The gender-job satisfaction paradox through time and countries. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 28, H. 12, S. 1000-1005. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2020.1792402

Abstract

"Much has been written about the so-called gender-job satisfaction paradox, derived from the fact that a significant number of empirical studies found that women reported higher levels of job satisfaction than their male counterparts, although they had what were considered ‘worse’ jobs in terms of pay and other nonmonetary working conditions. In this article, we use a procedure to compare the relative performance of groups when their achievements are described by distributions of outcomes over an ordered set of categories, the Balanced Worth Vector (BWV), to analyse whether women consistently report to be more satisfied at work than men in different periods of time and countries. The BWV offers a cardinal, complete and transitive evaluation that is based in the likelihood of getting better results. In our setting, the BWV methodology provides a complete ranking of the countries covered by the European Working Conditions Survey according to the relative levels of job satisfaction with working conditions that women and men in each country report. Our results indicate a decreasing gender differential over time and substantial differences across countries, proving that the gender-gap paradox cannot be considered a widespread phenomenon." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Richardson, Nela & Sara Klein (2021): People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View. Roseland, 48 S.

Abstract

"This report provides a starting point to understand the situation facing employees today across five dimensions of working life: worker confidence and job security; workplace conditions; pay and performance; worker mobility; and gender and family." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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OECD (2020): How's life? 2020. Measuring well-being. (How's life? 05), Paris, 244 S. DOI:10.1787/9870c393-en

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Avgoustaki, Argyro & Hans T. W. Ffrankort (2019): Implications of work effort and discretion for employee well-being and career-related outcomes. An integrative assessment. In: ILR review, Jg. 72, H. 3, S. 636-661. DOI:10.1177/0019793918804540

Abstract

"How does work effort affect employee outcomes? The authors bridge distinct literatures on the well-being versus career-related implications of work effort by analyzing the relation of overtime work and work intensity to both types of outcomes. They also extend examination of the role of discretion in modifying the effects of work effort from well-being to career-related outcomes. Using data from the fifth and sixth European Working Conditions Surveys, the authors show that greater work effort relates strongly to reduced well-being and modestly to inferior career-related outcomes, while discretion may attenuate these adverse implications. Even with discretion, work intensity generally is a stronger predictor of unfavorable outcomes than is overtime work. Implications include the need for employees to become aware of the broader limitations of excessive work effort, for employers to give discretion when viable, and for public policy to devise strategies that help limit the adverse consequences of work intensity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Corgnet, Brice, Ludivine Martin, Peguy Ndodjang & Angela Sutan (2019): On the merit of equal pay: Performance manipulation and incentive setting. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 113, H. April, S. 23-45. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2018.12.006

Abstract

"Work performance is often difficult to assess thus leaving room for manipulation of commonly-used metrics. We created a laboratory workplace in which we can precisely assess both work performance along with manipulation activities. Using two independent experiments we show that, whenever pay for performance is used, manipulation is pervasive leading to both a waste of organizational resources and a weakening of incentives. By contrast, paying organizational members equally effectively deters manipulation attempts leading to higher organizational production." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Fritsch, Michael, Alina Sorgner & Michael Wyrwich (2019): Types of institutions and well-being of self-employed and paid employees in Europe. (IZA discussion paper 12336), Bonn, 43 S.

Abstract

"This paper analyzes the role of different types of institutions, such as entrepreneurshipfacilitating entry conditions, labor market regulations, quality of government, and perception of corruption for individual well-being among self-employed and paid employed individuals. Well-being is operationalized by job and life satisfaction of individuals in 32 European countries measured by data from EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). We find that institutions never affected both occupational groups in opposite ways. Our findings indicate that labor market institutions do not play an important role well-being. The results suggest that fostering an entrepreneurial society in Europe is a welfare enhancing strategy that benefits both, the self-employed and paid employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jochims, Thorsten (2019): Arbeitszufriedenheit als soziales Problemlösen. In: Arbeit. Zeitschrift für Arbeitsforschung, Arbeitsgestaltung und Arbeitspolitik, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 177-204. DOI:10.1515/arbeit-2019-0011

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Lepinteur, Anthony (2019): The shorter workweek and worker wellbeing. Evidence from Portugal and France. In: Labour economics, Jg. 58, H. June, S. 204-220. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2018.05.010

Abstract

"Using data from the European Community Household Panel, this paper evaluates the impact of the exogenous reductions in weekly working hours induced by reforms implemented in Portugal and France on worker wellbeing. Difference-in-differences estimation results suggest that reduced working hours generated significant and robust increases in job and leisure satisfaction of the workers affected in both countries (from 0.07 to 0.15 standard deviation increases), with the rise in the former mainly being explained by greater satisfaction with working hours and working conditions. Further results suggest that staff representative bodies are important for ensuring that working-time reductions lead to welfare gains." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Markus, Bönisch, Peterbauer Jakob & Stöger Eduard (2019): Skills mismatch, earnings and job satisfaction among older workers. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 68, H. 4, S. 339-370. DOI:10.3790/sfo.68.4.339

Abstract

"Kompetenzen stellen einen wichtigen Bestandteil wissensbasierter Gesellschaften dar. Individuelle Kompetenzen können den Erfolg am Arbeitsmarkt unterstützen und das Einkommen und die Arbeitszufriedenheit beeinflussen. Sie müssen jedoch auf effiziente Weise eingesetzt werden, um diese positiven Arbeitsmarktergebnisse zu erzielen. Trotz der Tatsache, dass in den letzten Jahren viele Forschungsarbeiten zum Verhältnis der individuell vorhandenen Kompetenzen und den Arbeitsplatzanforderungen (Skill Mismatch) durchgeführt wurden, ist wenig über den Zusammenhang zwischen Alter und Skill Missmatch bekannt. Daher untersuchen wir die Unterschiede zwischen jüngeren (25 - 49) und älteren Arbeitnehmern (50 - 65) anhand des PIAAC-Datensatzes für fünf Länder (Österreich, Deutschland, Spanien, Belgien und Vereinigtes Königreich). Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ältere Arbeitnehmer im Allgemeinen über niedrigere Kompetenzen verfügen als jüngere Arbeitnehmer, jedoch diese stärker nutzen. Diese stärkere Nutzung (overutilization) führt im Allgemeinen zu einem Lohnvorteil." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Messenger, Jon C. (Hrsg.) (2019): Telework in the 21st Century. An Evolutionary Perspective. (The ILO Future of Work series), Cheltenham: Elgar, 352 S. DOI:10.4337/9781789903751

Abstract

"Technological developments have enabled a dramatic expansion and also an evolution of telework, broadly defined as using ICTs to perform work from outside of an employer’s premises. This volume offers a new conceptual framework explaining the evolution of telework over four decades. It reviews national experiences from Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, the United States, and ten EU countries regarding the development of telework, its various forms and effects. It also analyses large-scale surveys and company case studies regarding the incidence of telework and its effects on working time, work-life balance, occupational health and well-being, and individual and organizational performance." (Author's abstract, © Edward Elgar Publishing) ((en))

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Perugini, Cristiano & Marko Vladisavljevic (2019): Gender inequality and the gender-job satisfaction paradox in Europe. In: Labour economics, Jg. 60, H. October, S. 129-147. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2019.06.006

Abstract

"Despite being paid less than men and facing worse working conditions, lower promotion opportunities and work-place discrimination, women typically report higher levels of job satisfaction. Twenty years ago Andrew Clark (Clark, 1997) suggested that this might be due to their lower expectations, driven by a number of factors related to current and past positions in the labour market. Although this hypothesis is one of the leading explanations of gender differences in job satisfaction, cross-country research on the relationship between gender inequality and the gender-job satisfaction gap is rare and only descriptive. In this paper, we use the data from EU-SILC module on subjective well-being from 2013 to analyse adjusted gender-job satisfaction gaps in 32 European countries and we relate them to country differences in gender inequalities. Our results provide extensive and robust evidence of a relationship between exposure to more gender equal settings in the early stages of life and smaller gender gaps in job satisfaction. This corroborates the hypothesis that women who grew up in contexts with higher gender equality have expectations increasingly aligned to those of their male counterparts. Our results also show that being employed in typically male occupations enables this alignment too, whereas higher levels of education do not play a similar effect." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Redmond, Paul & Séamus McGuiness (2019): Explaining the gender gap in job satisfaction. (IZA discussion paper 12703), Bonn, 7 S.

Abstract

"In general, women report greater job satisfaction than men. The existing literature cannot fully explain the nature of this difference, as the gap tends to persist even when controlling for job characteristics. In this paper, we study job satisfaction using recent data for 28 EU countries. Women, on average, are more satisfied than men and the gap remains even when we account for a wide range of personal, job and family characteristics. However, the gap disappears when we include job preferences, as women place greater importance on work-life balance and the intrinsic desirability of the work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Scholz, Christian & Lisa-Dorothee Grotefend (Hrsg.) (2019): Generation Z im Vier-Länder-Vergleich. Ein empirischer Vergleich von Deutschland, den Niederlanden, Österreich und Schweiz. (Strategie- und Informationsmanagement 36), Augsburg: Hampp, 346 S. DOI:10.978.395710/3246

Abstract

"Mit der Generation Z - geboren ab Anfang der 1990er Jahre - tritt zurzeit eine neue Generation in die Arbeitswelt ein, wird von ihr geprägt, aber prägt sie auch selbst. Diese Publikation befasst sich mit dem Phänomen 'Generation Z' - und zwar als Befragung von 3.610 Jugendlichen der Generation Z in Deutschland, den Niederlanden, Österreich sowie der Schweiz. Diese Publikation basiert auf den Masterarbeiten von Sabrina Eilers, Martin Elizen, Kathrin Meier und Claudia Karaca, geschrieben am Lehrstuhl für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Organisation, Personal- und Informationsmanagement der Universität des Saarlandes in Saarbrücken. Beantwortet werden unter anderem folgende Fragen: - Was erwartet die Generation Z vom Arbeitsleben? - Warum entscheidet sie sich für oder gegen einen Arbeitgeber? - In welcher Büroarchitektur will sie arbeiten? - Träumt sie wirklich vom Großraumbüro und vom Desksharing? - Welche Lebensträume hat sie? - Wie stellt sie sich Work-Life-Balance vor? - Wie sollten Arbeitszeitmodelle aussehen? - Wovor hat sie Angst? -Wie steht sie zu Politik und zu Tagespolitik? Hinzu kommt noch eine weitere und ganz wichtige Frage: Ist 'Generation Z' ein nationales beziehungsweise regionales Phänomen oder ist sie weltweit identisch? Ganz konkret: Was kommt dabei heraus, wenn man vier benachbarte Länder aus Mitteleuropa miteinander vergleicht?" (Verlagsangaben)

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Sironi, Emiliano (2019): Job satisfaction as a determinant of employees' optimal well-being in an instrumental variable approach. In: Quality & quantity, Jg. 53, H. 4, S. 1721-1742. DOI:10.1007/s11135-019-00835-3

Abstract

"The correlation between measures of a high level of job satisfaction and well-being is well documented in the literature; however, such a relationship may be potentially bidirectional. If an increase in job satisfaction affects optimal well-being, the reverse relationship can also be hypothesized. In addition, the relationship between job satisfaction and well-being may be polluted by the presence of omitted variables that can be correlated both with the satisfaction in the workplace and with a measure of optimal wellbeing. Using the sixth round of the European Social Survey, this paper utilizes an instrumental variable approach to isolate the effect of job satisfaction on optimal well-being variation that is independent of unobserved individual characteristics. After having controlled for the role of socio-economic profiles of interviewed individuals, our findings confirm a strong and significantly positive influence of job satisfaction on optimal well-being. The novelty of our analysis is twofold: firstly, we employ an instrumental variable approach to correct for endogeneity that might the effect of job satisfaction on well-being. Secondly, we use an innovative measure of optimal well-being, which we adopt as an outcome variable for measuring a multi-dimensional definition of well-being dealing with both hedonic and eudemonic streams." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Bryson, Alex, Lucy Stokes & David Wilkinson (2018): Are schools different? Wellbeing and commitment among staff in schools and elsewhere. (IZA discussion paper 11456), Bonn, 49 S.

Abstract

"Using nationally representative linked employer-employee data for Britain in 2004 and 2011 we find school staff are more satisfied and more contented with their jobs than 'like' employees in other workplaces. The differentials are largely accounted for by the occupations school employees undertake and perceptions of job quality. School employees are also more committed to their organization than non-school employees, a difference that remains large and statistically significant having conditioned on job quality, human resource management practices (HRM), managerial style and other features of employees' working environment. Using panel data for workplaces and their employees observed in 2004 and 2011 we find increases in organizational commitment are linked to improvements in workplace performance in schools, but not in other workplaces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Duarte, Henrique & Diniz Lopes (2018): Career stages and occupations impacts on workers motivations. In: International journal of manpower, Jg. 39, H. 5, S. 746-763. DOI:10.1108/IJM-02-2017-0026

Abstract

"Purpose
The career concept has become fuzzier due to changing work patterns, the ageing workforce and the environmental changes occurring during workers lifespans. Together this requires a renewed and broader reaching contextualization of this concept. The purpose of this paper is to set out an integrative approach arguing that the integration of career stage models with occupational groups proves more explanative of intrinsic and extrinsic worker motivations.
Design/methodology/approach
Secondary data from 23 European countries were drawn from the European Social Survey 2006. The construct validity and reliability of indicators was analyzed. Hypotheses were tested using discriminant analysis.
Findings
Results showed that neither occupations nor career stages are determinants per se of intrinsic motivations, but are better explained by their mutual integration. Career stages were shown to predict per se extrinsic motivations.
Research limitations/implications
The recourse to the European Social Survey pre-determined scales and the application of age ranges as proxies for careers stages suggested the usage of more specific measures in future studies.
Practical implications
Career management and compensation policies might be better tailored to worker motivations by considering the age ranges (as proxies of career stages) and workers' occupations.
Originality/value
Findings evidenced the explanatory value of occupations for worker motivations and allowed putting into perspective the contextualization of not only boundaryless and protean career concepts, but also career stage theories. Data support the ecological validity of applying a career stages and occupations framework to a highly diversified and representative sample of European countries." (Author's abstract, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Green, Colin P., John S. Heywood, Parvinder Kler & Gareth Leeves (2018): Paradox lost: The disappearing female job satisfaction premium. In: BJIR, Jg. 56, H. 3, S. 484-502. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12291

Abstract

"Using the original data source of Clark, we show that over the last two decades the female satisfaction gap he documented has vanished. This reflects a strong secular decline in female job satisfaction. This decline happened both because younger women became less satisfied as they aged, and because new female workers entered with lower job satisfaction than their early 1990s peers. Decompositions make clear that the decline does not reflect changing job characteristics for women but rather their increasingly less favourable evaluation of job characteristics. These findings fit with the suggestion that women in the early 1990s had a gap between their labour market expectations and actual experience that has since closed and that the gender satisfaction gap has vanished as a consequence." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Mateos-Romero, Lucía & María del Mar Salinas-Jiménez (2018): Labor mismatches: Effects on wages and on job satisfaction in 17 OECD countries. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 140, H. 1, S. 369-391. DOI:10.1007/s11205-017-1830-y

Abstract

"This study analyzes the effects of labor mismatches on wages and on job satisfaction in seventeen OECD countries by distinguishing between educational mismatch and skills mismatch. Using data from PIAAC, the results suggest that whereas educational mismatch shows greater effects on wages, the effects of labor mismatch on job satisfaction are generally better explained by skills mismatches. Both phenomena appear to be relevant for understanding the economic effects of labor mismatch and suggest that educational mismatch is not an accurate proxy for skills mismatch, mainly when the non-monetary effects of labor mismatch are addressed." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Punzo, Gennaro, Rosalia Castellano & Mirko Buonocore (2018): Job satisfaction in the "Big Four" of Europe. Reasoning between feeling and uncertainty through CUB models. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 139, H. 1, S. 205-236. DOI:10.1007/s11205-017-1715-0

Abstract

"The paper offers a comparative investigation of objective and subjective driving forces behind the satisfaction that people feel in their job in four representative countries of Western Europe. The main element of this work's novelty is its linking the research of cross-country similarities and differences in the leading determinants of global job satisfaction to methodological issues that arise when responses to survey questions are detected on a rating scale through self-evaluation. In particular, this paper is one of the first attempts to test the potentialities of CUB models on EWCS data in a broader conceptual framework in which the response on overall job satisfaction depends on some psychological dynamics of the evaluation process. Although overall job satisfaction is significantly higher for British and German employees, the subjective factors - the amount of socio-economic security embodied in a job, the working conditions and the aspects of work-life balance - are the most relevant in shaping job satisfaction, disregarding the myth that considers earnings as the dominant factor." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Zito, Margherita, Federica Emanuel, Monica Molino, Claudio Giovanni Cortese, Chiara Ghislieri & Lara Colombo (2018): Turnover intentions in a call center. The role of emotional dissonance, job resources, and job satisfaction. In: PLoS one, Jg. 13, H. 2, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0192126

Abstract

"Background: Turnover intentions refer to employees' intent to leave the organization and, within call centers, it can be influenced by factors such as relational variables or the perception of the quality of working life, which can be affected by emotional dissonance. This specific job demand to express emotions not felt is peculiar in call centers, and can influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions, a crucial problem among these working contexts. This study aims to detect, within the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the role of emotional dissonance (job demand), and two resources, job autonomy and supervisors' support, in the perception of job satisfaction and turnover intentions among an Italian call center.
Method: The study involved 318 call center agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company. Data analysis first performed descriptive statistics through SPSS 22. A path analysis was then performed through LISREL 8.72 and tested both direct and indirect effects.
Results: Results suggest the role of resources in fostering job satisfaction and in decreasing turnover intentions. Emotional dissonance reveals a negative relation with job satisfaction and a positive relation with turnover. Moreover, job satisfaction is negatively related with turnover and mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover.
Conclusion: This study contributes to extend the knowledge about the variables influencing turnover intentions, a crucial problem among call centers. Moreover, the study identifies theoretical considerations and practical implications to promote well-being among call center employees. To foster job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions, in fact, it is important to make resources available, but also to offer specific training programs to make employees and supervisors aware about the consequences of emotional dissonance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frederiksen, Anders (2017): Job satisfaction and employee turnover. A firm-level perspective. In: German journal of human resource management, Jg. 31, H. 2, S. 132-161. DOI:10.1177/2397002216683885

Abstract

"In this article I study how companies can use their personnel data and information from job satisfaction surveys to predict employee quits. An important issue discussed at length in the article is how employers can ensure the anonymity of employees in surveys used for management and human resources (HR) analytics. I argue that a simple mechanism whereby the company delegates the implementation of job satisfaction surveys to an external consulting company can be optimal. In the subsequent empirical analysis, I use a unique combination of firm-level data (personnel records) and information from job satisfaction surveys to assess the benefits for companies using data in their decision-making. Moreover, I aim to show how companies can move from a descriptive to a predictive approach." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hammermann, Andrea & Oliver Stettes (2017): Qualität der Arbeit in Europa. Eine empirische Analyse auf Basis des EWCS 2015. (IW-Report / Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln 2017,24), Köln, 46 S.

Abstract

"Die Arbeitszufriedenheit signalisiert, ob die Beschäftigten die Qualität des eigenen Arbeitsplatzes als gut einschätzen. Der Anteil der Arbeitnehmer in einem Land, die mit ihrer Arbeit zufrieden sind, ist damit ein Gradmesser für die Qualität der Arbeitsplätze in einer Volkswirtschaft insgesamt. Die Qualität der Arbeit ist vor diesem Hintergrund in der Europäischen Union und in den einzelnen Mitgliedstaaten hoch. Rund 86 Prozent der Arbeitnehmer in der Europäischen Union sind mit ihrem Beschäftigungsverhältnis zufrieden. In Deutschland sind es mit 88 Prozent etwas mehr. Dies entspricht dem Wert aus dem Jahr 2010. In vielen Ländern, insbesondere in Ostmitteleuropa, ist das Ausmaß der Arbeitszufriedenheit zwischen 2010 und 2015 von einem relativ niedrigen auf ein vergleichbares Niveau wie in Deutschland angestiegen. Für eine schleichende Verschlechterung der Qualität der Arbeit fehlt daher sowohl hierzulande als auch in der Europäischen Union insgesamt der empirische Beleg. Politischer Handlungsdruck existiert von dieser Seite nicht. Ökonometrische Schätzungen mit den Beschäftigtenstichproben für die Europäische Union und für Deutschland zeigen, dass die Wertschätzung und die Anerkennung, die in Geld, Aufstiegsperspektiven und Worten ausgedrückt werden, ein hohes Gewicht bei der Frage erhalten, ob ein Arbeitnehmer mit dem Job zufrieden ist. Eine ähnlich hohe Bedeutung fällt einem guten sozialen Umfeld am Arbeitsplatz zu. Die empirischen Befunde lassen zudem vermuten, dass vielerorts als eher belastend empfundene Arbeitsplatzmerkmale, die für sich genommen mit einer niedrigeren Arbeitszufriedenheit einhergehen, durch andere als unterstützend empfundene Arbeitsbedingungen kompensiert werden. Dadurch wird die Qualität der Arbeit von den Beschäftigten in diesen Fällen bei einer ganzheitlichen Betrachtung als gut wahrgenommen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Sánchez-Sellero, María C., Pedro Sánchez-Sellero, María M. Cruz-González & Francisco J. Sánchez-Sellero (2017): Stability and satisfaction at work during the Spanish economic crisis. In: Prague economic papers, Jg. 26, H. 1, S. 72-89. DOI:10.18267/j.pep.596

Abstract

"This paper analyses temporary work and job satisfaction among salaried workers during the Spanish economic crisis of 2008. Using data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) 2013 Economically Active Population Survey (EAPS), we find that temporary workers lost their job more than others during this period. However, salaried workers have higher average levels of satisfaction in 2007-2010, possibly due to the lower requirements of workers. We find a positive relationship between the unlikeliness of keeping a job and low job satisfaction levels in data from the Survey of Quality of Life at Work (2010) through a correspondence analysis. A linear model with a level of job satisfaction as a dependent variable shows negative coefficients for a level of job satisfaction if the probability of keeping the job is somewhat unlikely or very unlikely. Finally, an ordinal probit regression finds that the estimated likelihood to reach high job satisfaction is lower in temporary workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tims, Maria & Jos Akkermans (2017): Core self-evaluations and work engagement. Testing a perception, action, and development path. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0182745

Abstract

"Core self-evaluations (CSE) have predictive value for important work outcomes such as job satisfaction and job performance. However, little is known about the mechanisms that may explain these relationships. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to CSE theory by proposing and subsequently providing a first test of theoretically relevant mediating paths through which CSE may be related to work engagement. Based on approach/avoidance motivation and Job Demands-Resources theory, we examined a perception (via job characteristics), action (via job crafting), and development path (via career competencies). Two independent samples were obtained from employees working in Germany and The Netherlands (N = 303 and N = 404, respectively). When taking all mediators into account, results showed that the perception path represented by autonomy and social support played a minor role in the relationship between CSE and work engagement. Specifically, autonomy did not function as a mediator in both samples while social support played a marginally significant role in the CSE - work engagement relationship in sample 1 and received full support in sample 2. The action path exemplified by job crafting mediated the relationship between CSE and work engagement in both samples. Finally, the development path operationalized with career competencies mediated the relationship between CSE and work engagement in sample 1. The study presents evidence for an action and development path over and above the often tested perception path to explain how CSE is related to work engagement. This is one of the first studies to propose and show that CSE not only influences perceptions but also triggers employee actions and developmental strategies that relate to work engagement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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OECD (2017): How's life? 2017. Measuring well-being. (How's life? 04), Paris, 458 S. DOI:10.1787/how_life-2017-en

Abstract

"Alle zwei Jahre stellt die OECD die Frage: Wie ist das Leben? Wie steht es um Einkommen und Beschäftigung, aber auch Wohnen, Gesundheit, Bildung, den sozialen Zusammenhalt oder die Work-Life-Balance? Die aktuelle Untersuchung zeigt: In den letzten zehn Jahren hat sich die Lebensqualität in vielen Bereichen verbessert, doch es gibt auch rückläufige Entwicklungen und vor allem Unterschiede nach Geschlecht und Bildungsniveau.
Die OECD-Studie 'How's Life? 2017' analysiert mithilfe von 50 international vergleichbaren Indikatoren jenseits des Bruttoinlandsprodukts die Lebensbedingungen der Menschen in den 35 OECD- und sechs Partnerländern. Ein Kapitel befasst sich mit der Situation von Migranten. Ein weiteres Kapitel präsentiert die Ergebnisse der einzelnen Länder." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Antón, José-Ignacio, Enrique Fernández-Macías & Rafael Munos de Bustillo (2015): Job quality in Europe in the first decade of the 21st century. (Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre Linz. Arbeitspapier 1509), Linz, 34 S.

Abstract

"Using a recently developed aggregate indicator of job quality and three waves of the European Survey of Working Conditions (2000, 2005 and 2010) this paper explores the evolution job quality in the EU15 during the first decade of the 21st century, including the initial impact of the Great Recession. After a careful study of the evolution of job quality across the different dimensions and components of the proposed job quality index, differentiating between changes in the composition and changes in the means, we do not detect any major decline in job quality during the period, even during the early years of the economic crisis. The most significant change is a small increase in job quality in peripheral European countries, suggesting some convergence which may be undone in later years. We compare our findings with the conclusions of other authors and discuss several hypotheses for explaining the remarkable stability of job quality during such turbulent times." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brenke, Karl (2015): Die große Mehrzahl der Beschäftigten in Deutschland ist mit ihrer Arbeit zufrieden. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 82, H. 32/33, S. 715-722.

Abstract

"Die allermeisten Erwerbstätigen bewerten ihre berufliche Tätigkeit positiv; nur jeder Achte ist mit ihr unzufrieden. An diesem Bild hat sich in den vergangenen 20 Jahren nichts verändert. Es zeigen sich kaum Unterschiede im Ausmaß der Zufriedenheit zwischen den Geschlechtern, zwischen den Beschäftigten in Westdeutschland und Ostdeutschland sowie zwischen den verschiedenen Altersgruppen. Auch die Höhe der Entlohnung sowie die Art der ausgeübten Tätigkeit haben keinen starken Einfluss auf die Zufriedenheit mit dem Job. Bei der Bewertung einer beruflichen Tätigkeit spielen nicht nur deren Eigenschaften eine Rolle, sondern auch die Einschätzungen der Beschäftigten darüber, was der Job ihnen bieten sollte. Dem entsprechend wird die Arbeitszufriedenheit erheblich von Gefühlen und persönlichen Eigenheiten beeinflusst. Unzufrieden mit ihrer Arbeit sind relativ häufig Personen, die oft ängstlich oder ärgerlich sind, die sich vergleichsweise selten glücklich fühlen und die weniger optimistisch in die Zukunft schauen. Personen, die mit ihrer Arbeit unzufrieden sind, neigen häufiger zum Jobwechsel, und dadurch steigt in vielen Fällen die Zufriedenheit. Es gibt aber auch nicht wenige Personen, die an ihrer Stelle festhalten, und dennoch im Laufe der Zeit zufriedener werden. Vermutlich arrangieren sie sich mit den Gegebenheiten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Brown, Sarah, Daniel Gray & Jennifer Roberts (2015): The relative income hypothesis. A comparison of methods. In: Economics letters, Jg. 130, H. May, S. 47-50. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2015.02.031

Abstract

"Studies of the relative income hypothesis find positive and negative effects of relative income. To facilitate comparisons we use a large household panel and highlight the sensitivity of the relative income effect to the definition of the reference group and to the estimation strategy employed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chaudhuri, Kausik, Kevin T. Reilly & David A. Spencer (2015): Job satisfaction, age and tenure. A generalized dynamic random effects model. In: Economics letters, Jg. 130, H. May, S. 13-16. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2015.02.017

Abstract

"This paper examines the effects of age and tenure on job satisfaction. We estimate a generalized dynamic random effects ordered probit model using the British Household Panel Survey. Contrary to previous literature, we find that age has no significant impact on job satisfaction for females, and a limited impact for males who report higher levels of job satisfaction. We also find that tenure shares a non-monotonic relationship with job satisfaction for females. For males, the same result is found only at higher levels of job satisfaction. Our results suggest that age and tenure effects on job satisfaction vary with gender." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Frederiksen, Anders (2015): Job satisfaction and employee turnover. A firm-level perspective. (IZA discussion paper 9296), Bonn, 25 S.

Abstract

"In this paper, I study an employment situation where the employer and the employees cooperate about the implementation of a job satisfaction survey. Cooperation is valuable because it improves the firm's ability to predict employee quits, but it is only an equilibrium outcome because the employer-employee relation is repeated and long-term. Using a unique combination of firm-level data and information from job satisfaction surveys, the empirical analysis reveals that the cooperation reduces the firm's employee turnover costs significantly by improving its ability to predict quits. This cost reduction may easily exceed the cost of conducting the survey. The analysis also reveals that the firm is willing to sacrifice profits in a given year to be able to sustain the cooperative relationship with the employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Goerke, Laszlo & Markus Pannenberg (2015): Direct evidence for income comparisons and subjective well-being across reference groups. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 137, H. December, S. 95-101. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2015.10.012

Abstract

"This note provides evidence for the relationship between income comparisons and subjective well-being (SWB), using novel German data on self-reported comparison intensity and perceived relative income for seven reference groups. We find negative correlations between comparison intensity and SWB for colleagues, people in the same occupation and friends, but not for other reference groups, such as neighbours. Work-related income comparisons are mostly upwards and there is a strong negative correlation between perceiving to earn less than the reference group and SWB." (Author's abstract, © 2016 Elsevier) ((en))

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Haile, Getinet Astatike (2015): Workplace job satisfaction in Britain. Evidence from linked employer-employee data. In: Labour, Jg. 29, H. 3, S. 225-242. DOI:10.1111/labr.12054

Abstract

"The paper examines the nature of workplace job satisfaction in Britain using an 'overall' and domain-specific job satisfaction outcomes from linked employer - employee data. A measure of aggregate job satisfaction alone might mask domain-specific differences in satisfaction, something the combined approach in this paper addresses. As well as controlling for a rich set of correlates on employees and their workplaces, the paper deploys alternative empirical models that account for employee- and workplace-level unobserved heterogeneity. The paper reports interesting results on the link between job satisfaction and observed as well as unobserved characteristics of employees and their workplaces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lange, Thomas (2015): Social capital and job satisfaction. The case of Europe in times of economic crisis. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 21, H. 3, S. 275-290. DOI:10.1177/0959680114542907

Abstract

"This study uses data for 23 countries elicited from the 2010/11 wave of the European Social Survey to examine the stability of social capital as a predictor of job satisfaction at a time of economic crisis. The analysis reveals a remarkably resilient impact of social capital and its constituent components during the economic downturn. However, this resilience is much less pronounced when the focus is on countries where the crisis was most severe, suggesting an economic development threshold below which certain social capital components lose their associational impact. However, religious activity is significantly associated with workers' job satisfaction in these economies, providing comfort during times of socio-economic difficulty. The extent of organizational trust, measured by proxy variables for participative decision-making, has by far the strongest association with job satisfaction. This suggests that employers need to think again about the way they treat their employees to maximize the benefits of social capital and, ultimately, improve the job satisfaction scores of their workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Nübling, Matthias, Hans-Joachim Lincke, Helmut Schröder, Petra Knerr, Irene Gerlach & Inga Laß (2015): Gewünschte und erlebte Arbeitsqualität. Abschlussbericht. (Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales. Forschungsbericht 456), Bonn, 148 S.

Abstract

"Die vorliegende Studie, die von einem Forschungskonsortium aus Freiburger Forschungsstelle Arbeits- und Sozialmedizin (ffas), dem Forschungszentrum Familienbewusste Personalpolitik (FFP) und dem Institut für angewandte Sozialforschung (infas) im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Arbeit und Soziales durchgeführt wurde, beruht auf der Befragung von 5004 repräsentativ ausgewählten sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten mit einer Wochenarbeitszeit von mindestens zehn Stunden.
Die Befragung erfolgte mittels telefonischer Interviews. Inhaltliche Grundlage des Fragenkataloges waren im Kern das Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) sowie der FFP-Index.
Die Ergebnisse der 2012-2015 durchgeführten Studie beinhalten zahlreiche Analysen zu den Anforderungen, Einfluss- und Entfaltungsmöglichkeiten sowie den sozialen Beziehungen bei der Arbeit in Deutschland. Sie zeigen auf der Basis empirischer Erkenntnisse wichtige Aspekte, die die Zufriedenheit und Gesundheit der Beschäftigten mitbestimmen und weisen damit aktuell auf Ansatzpunkte zur Verbesserung der Arbeitsqualität in Betrieben hin." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Pagán-Rodríguez, Ricardo (2015): Disability, training and job satisfaction. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 122, H. 3, S. 865-885. DOI:10.1007/s11205-014-0719-2

Abstract

"This study analyses the effects of participating in further training on the levels of job satisfaction reported by workers without and with disabilities in Germany. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel which covers the period 1989 - 2008, we estimate a 'Probit Adapted OLS (POLS)' model which allows us to identify the determinants of job satisfaction for people without and with disabilities. The results show that the participation in further training increases the levels of job satisfaction reported by all workers, although this increase is significantly lower among workers with disabilities. In addition, no significant differences in terms of job satisfaction were found according to the number of courses attended by disability status. However, significant differences were found between participants without and with disabilities if the duration of training was more than 1 month. From a public policy perspective, these findings show the need to redesign and implement innovative training programs for people with disabilities which contribute to increasing their levels of job satisfaction within the German labour market." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Smithers, Samuel (2015): Goals, motivation and gender. In: Economics letters, Jg. 131, H. June, S. 75-77. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2015.03.030

Abstract

"I present an experiment on non-binding goals and motivational effects. Consistent with results from psychology, I find that goals increase output. This is due to improved speed and accuracy. Men are more responsive to goals than women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barnay, Thomas (2014): Health, work and working conditions. A review of the European economic literature. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1148), Paris, 32 S. DOI:10.1787/5jz0zb71xhmr-en

Abstract

"Economists have traditionally been very cautious when studying the interaction between employment and health because of the two-way causal relationship between these two variables: health status influences the probability of being employed and, at the same time, working affects the health status. Because these two variables are determined simultaneously, researchers control endogeneity bias (e.g., reverse causality, omitted variables) when conducting empirical analysis. With these caveats in mind, the literature finds that a favourable work environment and high job security lead to better health conditions. Being employed with appropriate working conditions plays a protective role on physical health and psychiatric disorders. By contrast, non-employment and retirement are generally worse for mental health than employment, and overemployment has a negative effect on health. These findings stress the importance of employment and of adequate working conditions for the health of workers. In this context, it is a concern that a significant proportion of European workers (29%) would like to work fewer hours because unwanted long hours are likely to signal a poor level of job satisfaction and inadequate working conditions, with detrimental effects on health. Thus, in Europe, labour-market policy has increasingly paid attention to job sustainability and job satisfaction. The literature clearly invites employers to take better account of the worker preferences when setting the number of hours worked. Overall, a specific 'flexicurity' (combination of high employment protection, job satisfaction and active labour-market policies) is likely to have a positive effect on health. This Working Paper relates to the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Clark, Andrew E., Sarah Flèche & Claudia Senik (2014): Economic growth evens-out happiness. Evidence from six surveys. (CEP discussion paper 1306), London, 36 S.

Abstract

"In spite of the great U-turn that saw income inequality rise in Western countries in the 1980s, happiness inequality has dropped in countries that have experienced income growth (but not in those that did not). Modern growth has reduced the share of both the 'very unhappy' and the 'perfectly happy'. The extension of public amenities has certainly contributed to this greater happiness homogeneity. This new stylized fact comes as an addition to the Easterlin paradox, offering a somewhat brighter perspective for developing countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dahlmanns, Andreas (2014): Generation Y und Personalmanagement. (Praxisorientierte Personal- und Organisationsforschung 18), München: Hampp, 112 S.

Abstract

"Wer ist die Generation Y und welche Bedeutung hat sie für das Personalmanagement in einem Unternehmen? Dieses Buch verschafft den Lesern einen Überblick über die Generation Y und einzelne Einflussfaktoren, welche diese geprägt haben. Es werden konkrete Anforderungen der Generation Y an einen Arbeitgeber sowie deren Auswirkung auf das Personalmanagement aufgezeigt. Darüber hinaus werden ausgewählte Aufgabenfelder des Personalmanagements hinsichtlich einer generationsspezifischen Gestaltung beschrieben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Day, Arla, E. Kevin Kelloway & Joseph J. jr. Hurrell (Hrsg.) (2014): Workplace well-being. How to build psychologically healthy workplaces. Chichester: Wiley, 338 S.

Abstract

"Workplace Wellbeing is a complete guide to understanding and implementing the principles of a psychologically healthy workplace for psychologists and other practitioners. Grounded in cutting-edge theory and research, it introduces the core components of psychologically healthy workplaces, including health and safety, leadership, employee involvement, development, recognition, work-life balance, culture, and communication. In addition to reviewing the theory and research for these principles, the contributors delve into practical concerns with coverage of best practices, case studies, and proven implementation techniques.
The contributors integrate both traditional and contemporary views of healthy workplaces, discussing factors that influence employees' physical safety, physical health, and psychological health. They also address important contextual issues, such as the role of unions, the importance of leadership, healthy workplaces in small businesses, respectful workplace cultures, and corporate social responsibility. Drawing together the leading scholars and practitioners from around the world, this book incorporates the latest theory and research, while providing practical examples and actions to effect organizational change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Enste, Dominik & Mara Ewers (2014): Lebenszufriedenheit in Deutschland. Entwicklung und Einflussfaktoren. In: IW-Trends, Jg. 41, H. 2, S. 43-58. DOI:10.2373/1864-810X.14-02-04

Abstract

"Die Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland ist auf dem niedrigsten Stand seit der Wiedervereinigung. Dies hat auch zur Folge, dass die Lebenszufriedenheit in Deutschland auf einen Höchststand angestiegen ist. Denn erwerbstätige Menschen geben eine signifikant höhere allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit an als Arbeitslose. Auf Basis der neuesten Befragung des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels zeigt sich, dass rund die Hälfte der Deutschen mit ihrem Leben in hohem Maß zufrieden sind. Nur eine kleine Gruppe von weniger als zwei Prozent der Befragten gibt eine niedrige Zufriedenheit an. Das Ausmaß der Zufriedenheit bleibt im Lauf des Lebens nicht konstant, sondern verläuft sinusförmig. Junge Menschen und Ruheständler kurz vor und nach Renteneintritt sind besonders zufrieden. Personen im Alter von 50 bis zu 60 Jahren sowie Menschen über 80 Jahre sind im Durchschnitt am unzufriedensten. Ein Zusammenhang zwischen Höhe des Einkommens und Ausmaß der Lebenszufriedenheit besteht nur mittelbar. Wer gesund ist, einen Hochschulabschluss erworben hat oder anderen vertraut, ist auch zufriedener. So weisen zum Beispiel 64 Prozent der Personen, die Vertrauen in andere Menschen haben, eine hohe Lebenszufriedenheit auf. Unter den misstrauischeren Befragten sind es nur 30 Prozent. Auch ehrenamtliches Engagement scheint glücklich zu machen. Zwar engagieren sich nur 10 Prozent der Deutschen regelmäßig, ohne hierfür ein Entgelt zu beziehen, dafür sind sie signifikant zufriedener als andere." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gerdes, Johann & Alexandra Wagner (2014): Arbeitsqualität aus der Sicht von jungen Beschäftigten. 5. Sonderauswertung zum DGB-Index Gute Arbeit. Berlin, 35 S.

Abstract

"Die Studie 'Arbeitsqualität aus der Sicht von jungen Beschäftigten' wertet die Daten des aktuellen DGB-Index Gute Arbeit aus und zeigt, wie Beschäftigte unter 35 Jahren ihre Arbeits- und Einkommensbedingungen beurteilen. So zeigt die Auswertung etwa, dass zwei von drei Beschäftigten unter 35 Jahren regelmäßig Überstunden machen - mehr als ein Drittel sogar über fünf Stunden jede Woche.
Fast ein Drittel (29 Prozent) der Beschäftigten dieser Altersgruppe arbeiten in atypischen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen. Zum Vergleich: Bei den über 35-Jährigen sind es nur 18 Prozent.
Weiteres Ergebnis: 57 Prozent der jungen Beschäftigten unter 35 Jahren geben an, oft oder sehr oft unter Zeitdruck arbeiten zu müssen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Kulic, Nevena (2014): European women. The link between money, career, and financial satisfaction. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 30, H. 3, S. 287-301. DOI:10.1093/esr/jct030

Abstract

"This study goes beyond economic research on women's economic independence, which relies only on income in explaining women's economic well-being within a household, and adopts a perspective that recognizes the importance of their actual employment patterns and occupational choices (Gerson, 1993, Hakim, 2000). Using the data on financial satisfaction from the European Community Household Panel from 1994 - 2001, this article compares married and cohabiting women from five industrialized European countries. Analyses indicate that it is not relative income or pure employment that matters the most for a woman's financial satisfaction but, more likely, the choice of continuous and full-time labour market involvement. The data also offer other interesting findings: a homemaking career may be as beneficial for a woman's financial satisfaction as continuous employment, while a discontinuous employment path seems to be detrimental for a woman's financial satisfaction. Cross-country comparison shows that institutions alter women's economic well-being independently of their individual achievements, suggesting that more research is needed to disentangle the institutional components that most influence the relation between women's paid and unpaid employment, and their economic well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Roeters, Anne & Lyn Craig (2014): Part-time work, women's work-life conflict, and job satisfaction. A cross-national comparison of Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 55, H. 3, S. 185-203. DOI:10.1177/0020715214543541

Abstract

"This study uses the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2013 'Family and Changing Gender Roles' module (N?=?1773) to examine cross-country differences in the relationship between women's part-time work and work - life conflict and job satisfaction. We hypothesize that part-time work will lead to less favorable outcomes in countries with employment policies that are less protective of part-time employees because the effects of occupational downgrading counteract the benefits of increased time availability. Our comparison focuses on the Netherlands and Australia while using Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden as benchmarks. Part-time employment is prevalent in all five countries, but has the most support and protection in the Dutch labor market. We find little evidence that country of residence conditions the effects of part-time work. Overall, the results suggest that part-time work reduces work-life conflict to a similar extent in all countries except Sweden. The effects on job satisfaction are negligible. We discuss the implications for social policies meant to stimulate female labor force participation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vecernik, Jiri & Martina Mysíková (2014): (Un)happy transition? Subjective well-being in European countries in 1991-2008 and beyond. (WIFO working papers 467), Wien, 24 S.

Abstract

"This paper contributes to the debate about the impact of the transition to subjective well-being. After reviewing the relevant literature the authors draw on the surveys of the European Values Study between 1991 and 2008 to describe the trends in life satisfaction in 13 'Western' and 11 'Eastern' countries. The analysis finds that life satisfaction levels in transition countries have come to approach those in the West: the 'rather unhappy' 1990s were followed by the 'rather happy' 2000s. The correlation between life satisfaction and GDP reflects this process of convergence: the two separate lines in 1991 merge to become a single continuum later on. The characteristics of respondents are however more important than GDP, and a regression of life satisfactions with basic demographic and stratification variables shows their reinforcing effect in both Eastern and Western countries. As a result, the explained variance of life satisfaction was increasing. The findings of other surveys reporting on developments of attitudes since 2008 vary but are far from proving a uniform negative impact of economic recession on life satisfaction. The paper concludes by suggesting that various surveys have to be compared in order to obtain more reliable information on the development and factors of subjective well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Biørn, Erik, Simen Gaure, Simen Markussen & Knut Røed (2013): The rise in absenteeism. Disentangling the impacts of cohort, age and time. In: Journal of population economics, Jg. 26, H. 4, S. 1585-1608. DOI:10.1007/s00148-012-0403-2

Abstract

"In recent years, a number of welfare state economies, including Norway, have experienced substantial increases in sickness absence. Using longitudinal individual register data for virtually all Norwegian employees, we examine the remarkable rise since the early 1990s, with emphasis on disentangling the roles of cohort, age, and time. We show that individual age-adjusted absence propensities have risen even more than aggregate absence rates from 1993 to 2005, which casts doubt on the popular hypotheses that the rise was due to the inclusion into the workforce of young or marginal workers with weaker work-norms or poorer health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hanglberger, Dominik (2013): Arbeitszufriedenheit und Flexibilität. Europäischer Vergleich und Adaptions- und Antizipationseffekte. (Schriften des Forschungsinstituts Freie Berufe 21), Baden-Baden: Nomos, 311 S.

Abstract

"Die Fähigkeit flexibel auf veränderte Marktbedingungen reagieren zu können hat durch die Globalisierung an Bedeutung gewonnen. Infolgedessen ist eine zunehmende Verbreitung flexibler Arbeitszeiten und Beschäftigungsverhältnisse zu konstatieren. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Entwicklung wird in der Studie der Frage nachgegangen, welche Rolle Flexibilität für die Qualität der Arbeit aus Sicht von Arbeitnehmern und Selbstständigen spielt. Dazu werden in einem ersten Schwerpunkt regionale Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede hinsichtlich des Einflusses arbeitgeber- und arbeitnehmerorientierter Flexibilität auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit analysiert. In einem zweiten Schwerpunkt wird der zeitliche Verlauf des Effekts auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit (kurz- und langfristige Wirkung) untersucht. Mit Gleitzeitregelungen und Wechselschichtarbeit sowie mit (un)befristeter Beschäftigung und Selbständigkeit werden je zwei zentrale Formen flexibler Arbeitszeiten und Beschäftigungsverhältnisse betrachtet. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen auch allgemein die Bedeutung der Berücksichtigung von Antizipations- und Adaptionseffekten bei der Analyse subjektiver Wohlfahrtsmaße wie der Arbeitszufriedenheit." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hauret, Laetitia & Donald R. Williams (2013): Cross-national analysis of gender differences in job-satisfaction. (CEPS-INSTEAD working paper 2013-27), Esch-sur-Alzette, 26 S.

Abstract

"Research over the past two decades has found significant gender differences in subjective job-satisfaction, with the result that women report greater satisfaction than men in some countries. This paper examines the so-called 'gender paradox' using data from the European Social Survey for a subset of fourteen countries in the European Union. We focus on the hypothesis that women place higher values on certain work characteristics than men, which explains the observed differential. Using estimates from Probit and ordered Probit models, we conduct standard Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions to estimate the impact that differential valuations of characteristics have on the gender difference in self-reported job satisfaction. The results indicate that females continue to report higher levels of job satisfaction than do men in some countries, and the difference remains even after controlling for a wide range of personal and job characteristics and working conditions. The decompositions suggest that a relatively small share of the gender differential is attributable to gender differences in the weights placed on working conditions in most countries. Rather, gender differences in job characteristics contribute relatively more to explaining the gender job-satisfaction differential." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Krenn, Manfred (2013): Well-being and work. Dublin, 9 S.

Abstract

"Well-being, health and safety at work and work-related health problems have been attracting growing public attention in Austria in recent years. An indicator for this rise in interest is the implementation of the Austrian Occupational Health Monitor by the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour. The survey tries to analyse the links between working conditions and the health status of employees on the basis of very rich data. Some of the most interesting results are presented in this report." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Linz, Susan & Anastasia Semykina (2013): Job satisfaction, expectations, and gender. Beyond the European Union. In: International journal of manpower, Jg. 34, H. 6, S. 584-615. DOI:10.1108/IJM-06-2013-0149

Abstract

"Do gender differences in expected rewards contribute to gender differences in job satisfaction?
Design/methodology/approach - This paper utilizes data collected from over 9,400 employees in five economically and culturally diverse former socialist economies, first, to determine whether there are gender differences in desired and expected rewards, and second, to assess whether the link between job satisfaction and expected reward varies by gender or reward desirability.
Findings - This paper finds that for women, job satisfaction is positively linked to both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, but for men, job satisfaction tends to be positively linked to extrinsic rewards. When reward desirability is included, more often for women than for men, non-monetary rewards are positively linked to job satisfaction regardless of whether they are viewed as desirable. Among men, the link between job satisfaction and a particular reward tends to be stronger if the reward is desired, although for job security this result holds for women as well. While own earnings tend to be positively linked to job satisfaction, comparison earnings are not statistically significant among most groups of respondents. Finally, we find that the magnitude of the estimated partial effect of increasing the expectation of receiving a particular reward tends to be greater for men than for women.
Research limitations/implications - By focussing on gender difference results that are common across these five diverse countries, we are able to add information that will prove useful in developing a more global perspective of factors influencing job satisfaction and worker performance.
Originality/value - This paper identifies gender differences in desired and expected rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, enabling us to more systematically explore gender differences in the link between job satisfaction, expectations, and reward desirability. Because our data come from employees in over 600 workplaces, we are able to control for an extensive number of worker, job, and workplace characteristics, which allows us to investigate in more detail, not only our primary objective - gender differences in the link between job satisfaction and expected rewards - but also several related topics: the proposition that women generally have lower workplace expectations, the link between job satisfaction and comparison earnings, for example." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Millán, José María, Jolanda Hessels, Roy Thurik & Rafael Aguado (2013): Determinants of job satisfaction. A European comparison of self-employed and paid employees. In: Small business economics, Jg. 40, H. 3, S. 651-670. DOI:10.1007/s11187-011-9380-1

Abstract

"The job satisfaction of self-employed and paid-employed workers is analyzed using the European Community Household Panel for the EU-15 covering the years 1994 - 2001. We distinguish between two types of job satisfaction: job satisfaction in terms of type of work and job satisfaction in terms of job security. Findings from our generalized ordered logit regressions indicate that self-employed individuals as compared to paid employees are more likely to be satisfied with their present jobs in terms of type of work and less likely to be satisfied in terms of job security. The findings also provide many insights into the determinants of the two types of job satisfaction for both self-employed and paid-employed workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Smith, Conal & Carrie Exton (2013): OECD Guidelines on measuring subjective well-being. Paris, 265 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264191655-en

Abstract

"Being able to measure people's quality of life is fundamental when assessing the progress of societies. There is now widespread acknowledgement that measuring subjective well-being is an essential part of measuring quality of life alongside other social and economic dimensions. As a first step to improving the measures of quality of life, the OECD has produced Guidelines which provide advice on the collection and use of measures of subjective well-being. These Guidelines have been produced as part of the OECD Better Life Initiative, a pioneering project launched in 2011, with the objective to measure society's progress across eleven domains of well-being, ranging from jobs, health and housing, through to civic engagement and the environment.
These Guidelines represent the first attempt to provide international recommendations on collecting, publishing, and analysing subjective well-being data. They provide guidance on collecting information on people's evaluations and experiences of life, as well as on collecting 'eudaimonic' measures of psychological well-being. The Guidelines also outline why measures of subjective well-being are relevant for monitoring and policy making, and why national statistical agencies have a critical role to play in enhancing the usefulness of existing measures. They identify the best approaches for measuring, in a reliable and consistent way, the various dimensions of subjective well-being, and provide guidance for reporting on such measures. The Guidelines also include a number of prototype survey modules on subjective well-being that national and international agencies can use in their surveys." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Walk, Marlene, Femida Handy & Heike Schinnenburg (2013): Expectations and experiences of young employees. The case of German nonprofits. In: Administration in Social Work, Jg. 37, H. 2, S. 133-146. DOI:10.1080/03643107.2012.667658

Abstract

"Nonprofits rely heavily on their employees, and employee performance depends on job satisfaction. Using qualitative research methods, this article examines employee expectations, work experiences, and job satisfaction in German nonprofits. Expectations do not match the workplace reality, and this gap leads to job dissatisfaction. Ways to ameliorate this are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Was bestimmt die Lebensqualität der Menschen? Die 'Better Life Initiative: Wohlergehen und Fortschritt messen' der OECD analysiert die Lebensbedingungen der Menschen auf der Grundlage von elf wesentlichen Indikatoren, um diese Frage zu beantworten. Sie reichen von herkömmlichen Maßstäben wie Einkommen, Beschäftigung, Gesundheit, Bildung und Umwelt bis hin zu persönlicher Sicherheit und allgemeiner Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben. Aber das Wohlergehen hängt vom Einzelnen ab und kann deshalb nicht nur auf Landesebene gemessen werden. Aus diesem Grund ermittelt die OECD auch das Wohlergehen auf der Ebene der einzelnen Gesellschaftsgruppen. So kann untersucht werden, wie das Wohlergehen, sei es nun in Bezug auf Einkommen, Bildung, Gesundheit oder allgemeiner Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben in der Gesellschaft, verteilt ist und ob zum Beispiel Unterschiede zwischen den Geschlechtern beobachtet werden können. Ein breites Spektrum an vergleichbaren Indikatoren für das Wohlergehen ermöglicht es, die relativen Stärken und Schwächen eines Landes im Bezug auf das Wohlergehen der Bevölkerung zu bestimmen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung können als Grundlage für politische Maßnahmen dienen. Es gibt allerdings keinen klar identifizierten Sieger in allen Aspekten des Wohlergehens, deshalb können die Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung des Wohlergehens in den einzelnen OECD-Ländern stark voneinander abweichen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Balz, Anne & Kristina Krell (2012): Unsicherheit des Arbeitsplatzes mindert Arbeitszufriedenheit besonders in Deutschland. Vergleichende Analysen zur Wahrnehmung und Bewertung der Arbeitsbedingungen in Europa. In: Informationsdienst Soziale Indikatoren H. 48, S. 11-15.

Abstract

"Die Arbeitsbedingungen und Qualität von Arbeitsplätzen sind immer wieder Gegenstand öffentlicher Diskussionen. Auf der einen Seite sind durch äußere Zwänge wie technischer Fortschritt und die Globalisierung induzierte Veränderungen der Arbeitswelt unvermeidbar, auf der anderen Seite stellt sich die Frage, was den Erwerbstätigen zugemutet werden kann. Besonders von Gewerkschaftsseite wird der Fokus immer wieder auf die Belastungen gerichtet, denen Erwerbstätige heute ausgesetzt sind. Zunehmende Befristungsquoten und daraus entstehende Jobunsicherheit, flexiblere Arbeitszeiten und eine mit dem technischen Wandel einhergehende permanente Erreichbarkeit sowie die verlängerte Lebensarbeitszeit durch Erhöhung des Rentenalters sind nur einige Beispiele für veränderte Belastungen, denen Erwerbstätige heute ausgesetzt sind. Da die Erwerbstätigkeit einen zentralen Aspekt des Lebens darstellt, nicht zuletzt weil die Menschen einen Großteil des Tages damit verbringen und Arbeit neben ökonomischen Ressourcen auch Status und Sinn vermittelt, sind die Arbeitsbedingungen für die Lebensqualität und das Wohlbefinden der Erwerbstätigen insgesamt von erheblicher Bedeutung. In welchem Umfang die Erwerbstätigen in Deutschland und den übrigen Ländern der EU tatsächlich von belastenden Arbeitsbedingungen betroffen sind und wie sie ihre Arbeitsplatzsituation subjektiv wahrnehmen und bewerten, wird im vorliegenden Beitrag näher untersucht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Lucidi, Federico, Gabriele Ruiu & Gaetano Lisi (2012): Data report on work attitudes. Background paper. (Eurofound working paper), Dublin, 53 S.

Abstract

"This report aimed to assess the main dimensions of work attitudes in the European Union and in a selected sample of extra-EU countries, by analysing several data sources in a comparative way. Some preliminary conclusions can be drawn. It seems that countries at different stages of industrial development experience different combinations of preference for work, job characteristics, work ethics and life satisfaction. Developing countries seem to put work before family and leisure time, while assigning a lower overall importance to social life and relational goods. On the other hand, advanced, post-industrial economies seem to assign a higher relevance to social life, while showing a preference for intangible job characteristics, higher levels of life satisfaction and weaker work ethics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sirgy, M. Joseph (2012): The psychology of quality of life. Hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia. (Social indicators research series 50), Dordrecht: Springer London, 622 S.

Abstract

"The updated edition of this popular book covers up-to-date research on hedonic well-being (emotional well-being, positive/negative affect, affective dimension of happiness, etc.), life satisfaction (subjective well-being, perceived quality of life, subjective well-being, and cognitive dimension of happiness), and eudaimonia (psychological well-being, self-actualization, self-realization, growth, mental health, character strengths, etc.).
The book is divided in six major sections. Part 1 begins with a chapter that covers much of the history and philosophical foundations of the psychology of quality of life in terms of three major pillars: hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia. This part also covers much of the research that has successfully made distinctions among these three major constructs and its varied dimensions. To establish to the importance of the topic (the psychology of quality of life), this part also covers much of the literature on the positive benefits of hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia on the individual, the community, organizations, and society at large. Part 2 focuses on capturing much of research dealing with the effects of objective reality (objective factors grounded in real, environmental conditions) on hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia. Specifically, this part captures the quality-of-life literature related to biological and health-related effects, income effects, other demographic effects, effects of personal activities, and socio-cultural effects. Part 3 shifts gears to focus on the effects of subjective reality on hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia. In this context, the book reviews research on personality effects, effects of affect and cognition, effects of beliefs and values, effects of goals, self-concept effects, and social comparison effects. Part 4 focuses on quality-of-life research that is domain specific. That is, the book covers the research on the psychology of life domains in general and delves in some depth to describe research on work well-being, residential well-being, material well-being, social well-being, health well-being, leisure well-being, and the well-being of other life domains of lesser salience. Part 5 focuses on covering much of the psychology of quality-of-life literature dealing with specific populations such as the elderly, women, children and youth, and specific countries. Part 6 is essentially an epilogue. This part discusses a variety of theories proposed by quality-of-life scholars designed to integrate much of the literature on the psychology of quality of life. The last chapter covers the author's own integrative theory." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2012): Sick on the job? Myths and realities about mental health and work. (Mental health and work), Paris, 210 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264124523-en

Abstract

"Jeder fünfte Arbeitnehmer leidet unter psychischen Erkrankungen. Drei Viertel der Betroffenen geben an, dieser Zustand beinträchtige ihre Produktivität und das Arbeitsklima. Das Buch wertet Daten aus zehn OECD-Ländern aus (darunter Österreich und die Schweiz) und kommt zu dem Schluss, dass es neuer Ansätze bedarf, um psychisch labile Arbeitnehmer zu entlasten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bohulskyy, Yan, Marcel Erlinghagen & Friedrich Scheller (2011): Arbeitszufriedenheit in Deutschland sinkt langfristig. (IAQ-Report 2011-03), Duisburg, 9 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/45674

Abstract

"'Seit Mitte der 1980er Jahre nimmt die Arbeitszufriedenheit von Beschäftigten in Deutschland in einem langfristigen Trend ab.
- Besonders stark ist der Rückgang bei älteren Arbeitnehmern jenseits des 50. Lebensjahres. Ansonsten zeigt sich ein Rückgang der Arbeitszufriedenheit in allen Qualifikationsstufen und in Betrieben unterschiedlicher Größe in ähnlicher Form.
- Im internationalen Vergleich weisen Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland eine besonders geringe Arbeitszufriedenheit auf.
- Die Ursachen dafür sind in Entwicklungen wie der Intensivierung der Arbeit in den Betrieben, Problemen der Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf, geringen Lohnsteigerungen und wachsender Unsicherheit bezüglich der beruflichen Zukunft zu suchen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Clark, Andrew E. (2011): The organisational commitment of workers in OECD countries. In: Management Revue, Jg. 22, H. 1, S. 8-27. DOI:10.1688/1861-9908_mrev_2011_01_Clark

Abstract

"The degree to which workers identify with their firms, and how hard they are willing to work for them, would seem to be key variables for the understanding of both firm productivity and individual labour-market outcomes. This paper uses repeated cross-section ISSP data from 1997 and 2005 to consider three of measures of worker commitment. There are enormous cross-country differences in these commitment measures, which are difficult to explain using individual- or job-related characteristics. These patterns do, however, correlate with some country-level variables. While unemployment and inflation are both associated with lower commitment to an extent, economic and civil liberties are positively correlated with worker effort and pride in the firm." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brückner, Gunter, Erik Schäfer, Uwe Reim, Stefan Brings, Eckhard Priller, Olga Pötzsch, Angelika Scheuer, Weert Canzler, Joachim Frick, Silvia Deckl, Gabriela Fuhr, Dominik Asef, Patrick J. Droß, Reinhard Pollak, Claudia Finke, Heiko Pfaff, Michael Blohm, Tanja Mucha, Thomas Ziese, Dirk Mohr, Bernhard Weßels, Johanna Mischke, Stefan Weick, Heiner Meulemann, Martina Wasmer, Ursula Lauber, Ingrid Tucci, Thomas Lampert, Bettina Sommer, Benjamin Kuntz, Renate Schulze-Steikow, Christiane Krüger-Hemmer, Mareike Alscher, Lars Eric Kroll, Jörg Dittmann, Sascha Krieger, Mirjam Bick, Peter Krause, Christian Wingerter, Elle Krack-Roberg, Karl Weichs, Kristina Kott, Annette Spellerberg, Udo Kleinegees, Sebastian Czajka, Elke Holst, Klaus-Jürgen Duschek, Regina Hoffmann-Müller, Julia Weinmann, Ralf Himmelreicher, Jürgen Schupp, Roland Habich, Karin Böhm, Claire Grobecker, Hanfried H. Andersen, Markus Grabka, Jessica Walter & Jan Goebel (2011): Datenreport 2011. Ein Sozialbericht für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Band I und II. (Datenreport / Statistisches Bundesamt 13), Bonn, 448 S.

Abstract

"Der Datenreport ist ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt des Statistischen Bundesamtes (Destatis), des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB) und des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW). Im Datenreport werden die Ergebnisse des Statistischen Bundesamtes und der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung zusammengeführt, so dass ein differenziertes Bild der Lebensverhältnisse in Deutschland entsteht. Die amtliche Statistik ist mit ihren umfangreichen, vielfältigen und kontinuierlich durchgeführten Erhebungen nach wie vor der wichtigste Anbieter von Informationen über die Lebensverhältnisse und gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen in Deutschland. Eine leistungsfähige sozialwissenschaftliche Datengrundlage ergänzt und bereichert das Informations- und Analysepotential der amtlichen Daten. Ein farbiges Leitsystem erleichtert die Unterscheidung der Beiträge des Statistischen Bundesamtes und der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschungsinstitute." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Hanglberger, Dominik (2011): Arbeitszufriedenheit im internationalen Vergleich. (FFB-Diskussionspapier 86), 43 S.

Abstract

"Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, Niveaus und Bestimmungsfaktoren der Arbeitszufriedenheit von abhängig Beschäftigten in Europa zu vergleichen. Dafür werden Daten aus dem European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) 2005 für 31 europäische Staaten ausgewertet. Neben detaillierten Informationen über Art und Ausgestaltung der Arbeit liegen dafür Personen- und Haushaltsinformationen sowie objektive und subjektive Einkommensinformationen vor. Ordered-Probit Regressionsmodelle für alle 31 Länder sowie getrennte Schätzungen für fünf Ländergruppen mit unterschiedlichen Wohlfahrtsniveaus und unterschiedlicher Ausgestaltung der Wohlfahrtsstaaten zeigen, dass die Erklärungsmuster der Arbeitszufriedenheit nicht einheitlich sind. Über alle Länder zeigt sich ein starkes Gewicht der subjektiven Bewertung des Einkommens, die nur in Skandinavien und Kontinentaleuropa nicht die stärkste Einflussgröße darstellt. Bezüglich der Arbeitszeiten zeigt sich in Ländern mit niedrigerem Wohlstandsniveau ein geringerer negativer Einfluss, wenn Arbeitszeiten mit privaten Verpflichtungen kollidieren. In Großbritannien und Irland spielt die Sicherheit des Arbeitsplatzes eine größere Rolle als in den übrigen betrachteten Ländern. Die Autonomie bei der Organisation der Arbeitsaufgaben findet sich nur in Staaten mit hohem Wohlstandsniveau (Großbritannien, Irland, Kontinentaleuropa und Skandinavien) unter den zehn stärksten Einflüssen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Herzer, Dierk & Peter Nunnenkamp (2011): Income inequality and health. New evidence from panel data. (Kieler Arbeitspapier 1736), Kiel, 34 S.

Abstract

"This paper argues that previous cross-country (panel) studies on the relationship between income inequality and health suffer from significant biases due to (i) omitted country-specific factors, (ii) endogeneity, and (iii) cross-country heterogeneity in the impact of inequality on health. Using panel cointegration techniques that are robust to omitted variables, endogenous regressors, and slope heterogeneity, we find that income inequality has, on average, a small, but robust and statistically significant positive impact on population health. Also, there is some evidence that inequality is endogenous in the sense that poor health leads to increased income inequality. Finally, we find that there are large cross-country differences in the effect of income inequality on health (in about 35 percent of the cases, the effect is negative)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Holman, David & Charlotte McClelland (2011): Job quality in growing and declining economic sectors of the EU. (Walqing working paper 2011-03), Manchester, 138 S.

Abstract

"To provide a detailed review and analysis of job quality in new and growing sectors of the EU economy, it is necessary to conduct a review of the current literature on job quality in Europe and also to conduct new analyses on this topic. As such, this report has three main aims. The first aim is to review the current literature for evidence of the nature and effects of job quality in growing and declining sectors within the EU. In particular, we seek to identify the level of job quality within growing and declining sectors and to compare the level of job quality between growing and declining sectors. The second aim is to examine how the level of job quality varies between growing sectors and sub-sectors of the economy in the European Union and Norway using the European Working Conditions Survey data set from 2005. The third aim is to develop a taxonomy of job types in the European Union, to establish the job quality of these job types, and to then examine the distribution of job types in growing sectors of the European economy. Examining the distribution of job types in this way will help to provide a more nuanced understanding of the distribution of job quality in Europe. To meet these aims, the report has four parts. Part 1 discusses the concept of job quality and provides a definition that is used throughout the report. Parts 2, 3 and 4 address the first, second and third aims of the report respectively.
In this report we define job quality as the extent to which a job has factors that promote valued outcomes for the employee. The main factors of a job are areas and dimensions of job quality are (1) work quality, which includes the dimension of work organisation, (2) employment quality, which includes the dimensions of wages and payment system, and security and flexibility, (3) and empowerment quality, which includes the dimensions of skills and development, and engagement and representation. The main valued outcomes of job for an employee are defined as well-being (i.e., physical and psychological well-being) and performance. In this report we focus in particular on employee well-being as the main valued outcome of the job." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Krause, Annabelle (2011): Work to live or live to work? Unemployment, happiness, and culture. (IZA discussion paper 6101), Bonn, 20 S.

Abstract

"Happiness drops when individuals become unemployed. The negative impact of the unemployment shock, however, may differ by cultural background. To test the hypothesis of a 'Teutonic work ethic', this paper takes advantage of Switzerland in its cultural diversity. By comparing different cultural groups in the same institutional setting, I empirically test whether such deep psychological traits have an influence on how unemployment is perceived. It is found that unemployment has a significantly negative effect on life satisfaction in Switzerland. I furthermore present evidence which confirms to some extent the hypothesis that Swiss German individuals suffer more from unemployment, although for the most part, these results are without statistical significance. Swiss Germans are additionally found to be happier than their French-speaking compatriots - independent of whether they are unemployed. This difference between Romanic and Germanic cultural backgrounds is in line with previous findings, but deserves further research attention." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Vandekerckhove, Sem & Monique Ramioul (2011): Patterns of growth and changing quality of work in Europe. (Walqing working paper 2011-02), Leuven, 44 S.

Abstract

Die Bestrebungen der EU laufen darauf hinaus, Wirtschaftswachstum durch eine wissensintensive Wirtschaft mit mehr und besseren Arbeitsplätzen zu erreichen. In der Arbeit wird ausgeführt, dass die Qualität der Jobs eine sehr große Bedeutung für die Lebensqualität hat und von größerer Bedeutung ist als das Wachstum. Für einige Branchen (Bauwesen, Handel, Hotel und Restaurants, Informationstechnik, Gesundheitswesen) werden empirische Daten verwendet, um Wachstumsmuster zu erkennen. Mit Ausnahme der Informationstechnik (die überall wächst) sind die Wachstumsmuster geographisch unterschiedlich. (IAB)

Abstract

"This second annual Yearbook on Living and working in Europe 2010 aims to convey the main findings of some of Eurofound's key currents of research - in particular, results and analysis from its three pan-European surveys on company practices, working conditions and quality of life. All the surveys now enable us to paint some pictures of trends over time, crucial for understanding how Europe is developing and the changing challenges it is encountering. Not least among these challenges is the creation of a truly multicultural European society, a task being undertaken daily by both majority and minority communities. As detailed in last year's publication, European governments and social partners are still dealing with the effects of the economic crisis; in many countries, short-time working schemes were extended or introduced as one response. Eurofound's Yearbook also outlines how such responses to the crisis may also provide an opportunity, highlighting ways of adapting such schemes to combine both greater flexibility and greater security. Such adaptation can only take place with the cooperation of the social partners: the Yearbook 2010 looks at how both trade unions and employer organisations are adapting to meet the challenges of changing times." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Bryson, Alex & John Forth (2010): The evolution of the modern worker. Attitudes to work. (CEP discussion paper 1030), London, 31 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines how employees' experiences of, and attitudes towards, work have changed over the last quarter of a century. It assesses the extent to which any developments relate to the economic cycle and to trends in the composition of the British workforce. Many of the findings are broadly positive, particularly when compared with a picture of deterioration in the late 1980s and 1990s. The onset of a major recession in the late 2000s might have been expected to herald a fundamental shift in employees' attitudes to paid work and their working environment. The impression at the time of writing is, instead, of a more muted reaction than was seen in the early 1990s - in keeping with the more muted impact of the current recession on the labour market as a whole." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Diener, Ed, John Helliwell & Daniel Kahneman (Hrsg.) (2010): International differences in well-being. (Series in positive psychology), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 489 S.

Abstract

"This is a major compendium of the principles and practice of well-being research explaining international differences in well-being. It combines psychology, political science, and economics to examine the well-being of nations. This book draws together the latest work from scholars around the world using subjective well-being data to understand and compare well-being across countries and cultures. Starting from many different vantage points, the authors reached a consensus that many measures of subjective well-being, ranging from life evaluations through emotional states, based on memories and current evaluations, merit broader collection and analysis. Using data from the Gallup World Poll, the World Values Survey, and other internationally comparable surveys, the authors document wide divergences among countries in all measures of subjective well-being, The international differences are greater for life evaluations than for emotions. Despite the well-documented differences in the ways in which subjective evaluations change through time and across cultures, the bulk of the very large international differences in life evaluations are due to differences in life circumstances rather than differences in the way these differences are evaluated." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Fuchs, Tatjana, Karl Ullrich Lipproth, Gerd Peter, Norbert Breutmann, Klaus Pickshaus, Yasmin Fahimi, Stephan Sandrock, Arno Georg, Hans-Joachim Schulz, Kurt Landau, Manfred Schweres, Uwe Dechmann, Sascha Stowasser, Holger Kloft & Klaus J. Zink, Fuchs, Tatjana, Karl Ullrich Lipproth, Gerd Peter, Norbert Breutmann, Klaus Pickshaus, Yasmin Fahimi, Stephan Sandrock, Arno Georg, Hans-Joachim Schulz, Kurt Landau, Manfred Schweres, Uwe Dechmann, Sascha Stowasser, Holger Kloft & Klaus J. Zink (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2010): DGB-Index "Gute Arbeit". In: Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft, Jg. 64, H. 1, S. 1-58.

Abstract

"Der DGB-Index Gute Arbeit, der zu sehr viel Aufmerksamkeit bei den Sozialpartnern und auch in der Arbeitswissenschaft geführt hat, misst Arbeitsqualität einmal jährlich bundesweit, differenziert nach Arbeitsdimensionen. Dazu werden die Beschäftigten befragt. Es ging und es geht dabei nicht nur um die Arbeitszufriedenheit oder die Arbeitsplatzzufriedenheit im engeren, sondern tatsächlich um das Arbeitsleben im weiteren Sinne. Also auch um Erwartungen und Einschätzungen von wirtschaftlichen Entwicklungen, die über den eigenen Arbeitsplatz hinausgehen.
Dieser Index wurde auf den Tagungen der Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft und auch in dieser Zeitschrift heftig und sehr kontrovers diskutiert, sodass sich die Schriftleitung entschlossen hat, ein eigenes Themenheft 'Gute Arbeit' mit Thesen und Antithesen herauszubringen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Giaccone, Mario (2010): Annual review of working conditions 2009-2010. Dublin, 53 S.

Abstract

"This seventh annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career development and employment security, health and well-being, skills and competence development, and work - life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace during the period 2009-2010." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Greenan, Nathalie, Ekaterina Kalugina & Emmanuelle Walkowiak (2010): Trends in quality of work in the EU-15. Evidence from the European Working Conditions Survey (1995-2005). (Centre d'Etudes de l'Emploi. Document de travail 133), Noisy-le-Grand, 41 S.

Abstract

"This paper has three main objectives: to provide a mapping of quality of work across European countries, to measure its evolution between 1995 and 2005 and to explain the observed trends. This general assessment of quality of work is based on three waves of European Working Conditions Surveys carried out with employed persons in 1995, 2000 and 2005. We analyze the quality of work by measuring the working conditions as well as the intensity and complexity of the work. We find evidence of a decreasing trend in the quality of work in the EU-15 over the 1995-2005 period. Over that period, quality of working conditions has deteriorated, while at the same time, technical and market constraints have become more intense and work complexity has decreased. It is known that work contexts that are very demanding, with high work intensity and low decision latitude, generate stress. Thus, we may infer from the work intensity and complexity trends that mental strain has been on the rise in Europe, while physical working conditions have not improved. To understand the observed trends, we investigate country-level and individual-level heterogeneity in quality of work indicators using multilevel modeling. This permits measuring the sensitivity of descriptive trends to composition effects and testing the significance of 'country effects'." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Grimshaw, Damian & Steffen Lehndorff (2010): Anchors for job quality. Sectoral systems of unemployment in the European context. In: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation, Jg. 4, H. 1, S. 24-40.

Abstract

"This paper argues that we can improve our understanding of the factors that shape job quality by interrogating the challenges facing sectoral systems of employment in diverse country contexts. Drawing on the work of the EU-funded Dynamo (Dynamics of national employment models) project, we describe an approach that includes paying attention to the set of social actors, product market rules, mix of technologies and skills and the character of the workforce in any given sector. Sectoral characteristics are shaped by the 'core' institutions constitutive of each national model but also retain distinguishing features. We then develop the argument that job quality is strengthened and sustained by key 'institutional anchors' and that these anchors vary in presence and strength by sector and country. A review of research on two specific sectors - care of the elderly and the automotive industry - shows that an inclusive model of industrial relations is a crucial anchor for job quality, but that its effects are contingent upon the specific production, employment and welfare characteristics of each sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Guest, David E., Kerstin Isaksson & Hans De Witte (Hrsg.) (2010): Employment contracts, psychological contracts, and employee well-being. An international study. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 327 S.

Abstract

"Temporary employment has become a focus of policy debate, theory, and research. The book addresses as its core concern the relationship between temporary employment contracts and employee well-being. It does so within the analytic framework of the psychological contract, and advances theory and knowledge about the psychological contract by exploring it from a variety of perspectives. It also sets the psychological contract within the context of a range of other potential influences on work-related well-being including workload, job insecurity, employability, and organizational support. A key aim of the book is to identify the relative importance of these various potential influences on well-being.
The book covers seven countries; Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, as well as Israel as a comparator outside Europe. Data were collected from over 5,000 workers in over 200 organizations; and from both permanent and temporary workers as well as from employers.
The book's conclusions are interesting and controversial. The central finding is that contrary to expectations, temporary workers report higher well-being than permanent workers. As expected, a range of factors help to explain variations in work-related well-being and the research highlights the important role of the psychological contract. However, even after taking into account alternative explanations, the significant influence of type of employment contract remains, with temporary workers reporting higher well-being. In addition to this core finding, by exploring several aspects of the psychological contract, and taking into account both employer and employee perspectives, the book sheds new light on the nature and role of the psychological contract. It also raises some challenging policy questions and while acknowledging the potentially precarious nature of temporary jobs, highlights the need to consider the increasingly demanding nature of permanent jobs and their effects on the well-being of employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Olsen, Karen M., Arne L. Kalleberg & Torstein Nesheim (2010): Perceived job quality in the United States, Great Britain, Norway and West Germany, 1989-2005. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 16, H. 3, S. 221-240. DOI:10.1177/0959680110375133

Abstract

"This article examines cross-national differences and trends in perceived job quality, defined in terms of five dimensions - extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards, work intensity, working conditions and interpersonal relationships - as well as overall job satisfaction. We analyse country differences in 1989, 1997 and 2005, using data for four countries from the International Social Survey Programme. Job security, the ability to work independently and the quality of working conditions and interpersonal relationships tend to be greater in Norway and West Germany than in the USA and Great Britain; American workers tend to be most satisfied with advancement opportunities, intrinsic rewards and overall job quality. We find convergence in job in security and work intensity over time, which may reflect increased market pressures that encourage a 'lean and mean' management strategy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Watson, Dorothy, Florian Pichler & Claire Wallace (2010): Second European quality of life survey. Subjective well-being in Europe. Dublin, 98 S.

Abstract

"What are the factors that give rise to a feeling of satisfaction with one's life and do these vary from country to country across Europe? This report explores the role of different aspects of an individual's life - such as income, age, employment, marital status and health - in shaping the quality of their lives. Drawing on findings from the second European Quality of Life Survey, carried out by Eurofound in 2007, it gives a wide-ranging picture of the diverse social realities in Europe today." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"What is quality of employment? What indicators should be used to assess it? These questions are not easy to answer objectively. Our interpretation depends largely on our experience and participation in the labour market.
This publication presents a concept paper and 9 country pilot reports (Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Moldova and Ukraine). They are primarily designed to measure quality of employment from the perspective of employed individuals, but also include some societal aspects.
Although the conceptual structure for measurement itself is still work in progress, the publication is the first to address the measurement of quality of employment on the technical and empirical levels." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Anderson, Robert, Branislav Mikulic, Greet Vermeylen, Maija Lyly-Yrjanainen & Valentina Zigante (2009): Second European quality of life survey. Overview. Dublin, 108 S.

Abstract

"This report is based on the second EQLS carried out in 2007-8 and offers a wideranging view of the diverse social realities in the 27 Member States, as well as covering Norway and the candidate countries of Turkey, Macedonia and Croatia. The report presents the views and experiences of people living in Europe across a set of key domains: employment and income, family and community life, health and housing. It looks at factors influencing wellbeing and happiness and reflects people's views on the quality of the society in which they live." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Badura, Bernhard, Helmut Schröder & Christian Vetter (Hrsg.) (2009): Fehlzeiten-Report 2008. Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement: Kosten und Nutzen. Zahlen, Daten, Analysen aus allen Branchen der Wirtschaft. (Fehlzeiten-Report), Heidelberg: Springer Medizin-Verl., 492 S.

Abstract

"Der Fehlzeiten-Report, der vom Wissenschaftlichen Institut der AOK (WIdO) und der Universität Bielefeld herausgegeben wird, informiert jährlich umfassend über die Krankenstandsentwicklung in der deutschen Wirtschaft. Er beleuchtet detailliert das Arbeitsunfähigkeitsgeschehen in den einzelnen Branchen und stellt aktuelle Befunde und Bewertungen zu den Gründen und Mustern von Fehlzeiten in Betrieben vor. In seinem Schwerpunkt beschäftigt sich der Fehlzeiten-Report 2008 mit dem Thema 'Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement: Kosten und Nutzen'. Neben einem Überblick über den aktuellen Forschungsstand zur Evidenzbasis von Maßnahmen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention wird aufgezeigt, wie der wirtschaftliche und Gesundheitliche Nutzen von betrieblichen Gesundheitsmaßnahmen aus der Sicht von Unternehmen und Arbeitnehmern bewertet wird. Darüber hinaus geht der Report der Frage nach, wie sich Wirksamkeit und Nutzen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung bestimmen lassen und welche in Betrieben vorhandenen Daten und Kennzahlen dafür herangezogen werden können. Dabei geht es insbesondere auch darum, wie sich instabile Vermögenswerte von Unternehmen - als Treiber von Wohlbefinden und Gesundheit - sichtbar und messbar machen lassen. Vorgestellt werden sowohl Ergebnisse aus aktuellen Forschungsprojekten als auch Erfahrungen aus der Unternehmenspraxis. Umfassende Daten und der aktuelle Schwerpunkt machen den Fehlzeiten-Report zu einem wertvollen Ratgeber für alle, die Verantwortung für den Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutz in Betrieben tragen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Badura, Bernhard, Helmut Schröder, Joachim Klose & Katrin Macco (Hrsg.) (2009): Fehlzeiten-Report 2009. Arbeit und Psyche: Belastungen reduzieren - Wohlbefinden fördern. Zahlen, Daten, Analysen aus allen Branchen der Wirtschaft. (Fehlzeiten-Report), Heidelberg: Springer Medizin-Verl., 466 S.

Abstract

"Der Fehlzeiten-Report, der vom Wissenschaftlichen Institut der AOK (WIdO) und der Universität Bielefeld herausgegeben wird, informiert jährlich umfassend über die Krankenstandsentwicklung in der deutschen Wirtschaft. Er beleuchtet detailliert das Arbeitsunfähigkeitsgeschehen in den einzelnen Branchen und stellt aktuelle Befunde und Bewertungen zu den Gründen und Mustern von Fehlzeiten in Betrieben vor. In seinem Schwerpunkt beschäftigt sich der Fehlzeiten-Report 2009 mit dem Thema 'Psychische Belastungen reduzieren - Wohlbefinden fördern'. Psychische Erkrankungen als Ursache für eine Arbeitsunfähigkeit haben in den letzten Jahren stetig zugenommen. Vielfach gehen diese Erkrankungen mit langen Fehlzeiten einher, was für Arbeitnehmer wie auch Arbeitgeber erhebliche Belastungen bedeutet. Neben einem Überblick über die Verbreitung, Kosten und Formen psychischer Belastungen und Beeinträchtigungen wird anhand aktueller Studien und Erfahrungen aus der Unternehmenspraxis aufgezeigt, wie Unternehmen einerseits psychische Belastungen reduzieren und andererseits psychisches Wohlbefinden der Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter fördern können. Zudem wird beschrieben, welche Chancen diese Investitionen in das Sozialkapital für Betrieb und Beschäftigte bieten.
Der Report umfasst:
- Aktuelle Statistiken zum Krankenstand der Arbeitnehmer in allen Branchen,
- Die wichtigsten für Arbeitsunfähigkeit verantwortlichen Krankheitsarten,
- Anzahl und Ausmaß der Arbeitsunfälle,
- Vergleichende Analysen nach Bundesländern, Betriebsgrößen und Berufsgruppen,
- Verteilung der Fehlzeiten nach Monaten und Wochentagen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Borooah, Vani K. (2009): Comparing levels of job satisfaction in the countries of Western and Eastern Europe. In: International journal of manpower, Jg. 30, H. 4, S. 304-325. DOI:10.1108/01437720910973025

Abstract

"This paper aims to provide a comparison of job satisfaction levels between countries of Western and Eastern Europe by first examining the extent of difference between the two sets of countries and then explaining these differences in terms of differences in job characteristics between the countries. The methodology employed is to use the estimates from an ordered logit model to decompose the probability of being at a particular level of satisfaction into its 'attributes' and 'coefficients' parts. The empirical foundation for the study is provided by data for over 20,000 employed respondents, pertaining to the year 2000, obtained from the 1999-2002 Values Survey Integrated Data File. Compared to East European countries, job satisfaction levels were considerably higher in West European countries. Moreover, there was considerably greater inequality in the distribution of job satisfaction in East European, compared to West European, countries. Job satisfaction depended critically on the constellation of job-related attributes that employees regarded as being 'important'. The greater the weight that one placed on the external aspects of a job - pay, holidays, promotion chances etc. - the more likely one was to be dissatisfied. The greater the weight one placed on the internal aspects of a job - responsibility, usefulness, social interaction - the more likely one was to be satisfied." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Bosau, Christian (2009): Arbeitszufriedenheitsmessung im interkulturellen Vergleich. 310 S.

Abstract

Die Dissertation geht der Frage nach, inwieweit Messungen der Arbeitszufriedenheit länderübergreifend verglichen werden können. Im theoretischen Teil der Arbeit wird zunächst das Konstrukt der Arbeitszufriedenheit dargestellt und die Thematik der Messung von Arbeitszufriedenheitsurteilen problematisiert. Ferner wird erläutert, wie die Kultur eines Landes als Sozialisationsfaktor für das Kommunikationsverhalten angesehen werden kann. Fragen, die für die Vergleichbarkeit über Ländergrenzen hinweg von besonderer Bedeutung sind, werden herausgearbeitet. Zusammenhänge von Arbeitszufriedenheit, Kultur und Antworttendenzen werden aus theoretischer Sicht dargestellt. Es schließt ein empirischer Teil mit länderübergreifenden Sekundäranalysen zum Zusammenhang von Arbeitszufriedenheitsniveau, Kultur und Antworttendenz-Normen sowie eine experimentelle Überprüfung an. Abschließend werden die Ergebnisse der empirischen Analysen diskutiert und Schlussfolgerungen für die Unternehmenspraxis und die weitere Forschung gezogen. (IAB)