Search results

Within the digital era, agile working is imperative for organisations and workers to meet the needs of customers, service-users and ever-changing markets. This needs to be achieved whilst meeting goals of effectiveness and well-being. In this book, state-of-the-art theory is used to understand how to optimise agile working by addressing key issues around personality, team-working and management. The authors define the concept of agile working and unpack often-misunderstood terms associated with this, such as remote working and telework. The book explores the well-being consequences of agile work including sedentary behaviours, digital distraction, and digital resistance before offering insights for the future. Examining current practice in the context of established and emerging theory, the book paves the way towards further advances in the field and supports organisations seeking to make agile working work for them. Agile Working and Well-being in the Digital Age provides a valuable new resource for practitioners and scholars in the fields of occupational and organizational psychology, human resource management, organisational development, mental health and well-being.

Success Strategies from Women in Stem: A Portable Mentor, Second Edition, is a comprehensive and accessible manual containing career advice, mentoring support, and professional development strategies for female scientists in the STEM fields. This updated text contains new and essential chapters on leadership and negotiation, important coverage of career management, networking, social media, communication skills, and more. The work is accompanied by a companion website that contains annotated links, a list of print and electronic resources, self-directed learning objects, frequently asked q

PurposeThis paper aimed to revise and further validate the published e-work life (EWL) scale. The EWL scale was originally developed to assess theoretically relevant aspects of the remote e-working experience related to four main areas: organisational trust, flexibility, work–life interference and productivity.Design/methodology/approachA number of changes were implemented to the scale (i.e. including new items, rewording of existing items) following a recent qualitative study conducted by the authors. The two studies outlined in this paper, conducted within discrete remote e-working populations, resulted in a validated and adjusted 20-item version of the scale.FindingsStudy 1 performs confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from a sample of 399 remote e-workers (57.9% female) in UK to check the factor structure of the revised version of the EWL scale and the reliability of the posited dimensions. Results provided support for a 20-item scale, replicating the factorial structure of the original version. Study 2 tests and confirms the factorial structure of the final 20-item EWL scale in an independent sample of 366 remote e-workers (48.6% female) in UK. Study 2 provides further evidence of EWL scale's reliability and validity, with the four factors of the scale being significantly correlated with positive mental health, detachment from work and technostress.Originality/valueThe EWL scale is a very timely and important tool which provides an overall framework of the key areas that are affecting remote e-workers' life; whose greater understanding may better prepare organisations to adapt work arrangements and introduce support policies and guidance.

PurposeThis present qualitative study explores the impact of the remote e-working experience on employees' well-being.Design/methodology/approachForty (23 male) remote e-workers working for a British IT company were interviewed about their work-related well-being. Semi-structured interviews were framed within an existing theoretical of work-related well-being; hence, questions targeted five distinct dimensions of affective, professional, social, cognitive and psychosomatic well-being. However, data collection was not constrained by this model, allowing the exploration of other aspects interviewees considered relevant to their work-related well-being. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis, where key themes emerged.FindingsFindings support the relevance of a multidimensional approach to understanding remote e-workers' well-being as it provides an in-depth understanding of the inter-connectedness between relevant dimensions. Further insight into the overlooked issues of detachment from work and health-related behaviours when e-working remotely is also provided.Practical implicationsThis study proposes practical implications related to the organisational, managerial and individual level; providing individuals tailored guidance on how to remote e-work effectively and raising the importance of cultural change to support remote e-workers to be open about their working preferences.Originality/valueAn original contribution to the field of remote e-working is provided, by adopting a holistic approach to explore well-being, disentangling the interconnections between different well-being dimensions and discussing pivotal contributing factors that seemed to be understudied within extant remote e-working literature.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of remote e‐working on the key research areas of work‐life balance, job effectiveness and well‐being. The study provides a set of generalisable themes drawn from the key research areas, including building trust, management style and the quality of work and non‐working life.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an exploratory study into the psychological factors affecting remote e‐workers using qualitative thematic analysis of eleven in‐depth interviews with e‐workers, across five organisations and three sectors. All participants worked remotely using technology independent of time and location for several years and considered themselves to be experts.FindingsThe paper provides insights into the diverse factors affecting remote e‐workers and produces ten emerging themes. Differentiating factors between e‐workers included access to technology, ability to work flexibly and individual competencies. Adverse impacts were found on well‐being, due to over‐working and a lack of time for recuperation. Trust and management style were found to be key influences on e‐worker effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the exploratory nature of the research and approach the research requires further testing for generalisability. The emerging themes could be used to develop a wide‐scale survey of e‐workers, whereby the themes would be further validated.Practical implicationsPractical working examples are provided by the e‐workers and those who also manage e‐workers based on the ten emerging themes.Originality/valueThis paper identifies a number of generalisable themes that can be used to inform the psychological factors affecting remote e‐worker effectiveness.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and provide initial validation for the new E-Work Life (EWL) Scale. This measure assesses a range of theoretically relevant aspects of the e-working experience related to four main areas: job effectiveness, relationship with the organisation, well-being and work-life balance.


Design/methodology/approach
This study presents structured item development. Internal validity and reliability were tested on a sample of 260 e-workers (65 per cent female, age range 25–74). Correlations of the EWL scale with a measure of general health were tested on a subsample of 119 workers to provide initial evidence of construct validity.


Findings
Exploratory factor analysis supported a 17-item scale assessing four factors: work-life interference, productivity, organisational trust and flexibility. Individual well-being was measured and a pattern of significant correlations against four factors as indicators of general health were found, including mental health and vitality.


Research limitations/implications
A new sample would confirm the strength of the EWL scale alongside further tests of validity. Coping strategies related to the scale would aid mapping of individual competencies for remote e-working to promote e-workers' self-management, management style and organisational policy.


Practical implications
The EWL scale helps organisations to evaluate and support the well-being of remote e-workers. It provides measurement on three levels: individual, supervisory and organisational, whereby practical strategies for improvement can be linked to the scale.


Originality/value
The EWL scale completes a gap in the research by providing a measure aiding organisations to evaluate and support remote e-worker well-being.

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. This work was supported by an EASTBIO BBSRC PhD studentship to F.H.M., L.M.W., C.G., A.C.M., G.W.H. and F.M.C. are supported by Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS). ; Peer reviewed ; Publisher PDF