PurposeThe present study aims to examine the mediating role of (in)voluntariness in teleworking in explaining the relationship between employees’ fit to telework and work well-being (i.e. work engagement and exhaustion).Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. The sample comprised 222 individuals performing telework in Portugal. Statistical analyses employed were descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, confirmatory factor and structural equation analyses, and mediation analysis using Hayes Process macro.FindingsThe findings confirmed the hypothesis that employees’ fit to telework raises the voluntariness in telework and decreases involuntariness in telework. However, contrary to expectations, no significant relationships were found between voluntariness in telework, work engagement and exhaustion. Yet, involuntariness in telework showed a significant role in decreasing work engagement and increasing workers’ exhaustion. The mediating role of involuntariness in telework was confirmed in explaining the relationship between employees’ fit to telework and exhaustion.Practical implicationsManagers in global firms can draw from the results to understand how employees’ fit to telework directly and/or indirectly contributes to work well-being and develop human resource (HR) management practices aiming to increase employees’ fit to telework.Originality/valueAlthough teleworking is already studied, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies have analyzed the same conceptual model employees’ fit to telework, (in)voluntariness in teleworking and work well-being.

Purpose This study aims to examine the associations among mastering new technologies, teleworkers’ voluntariness and involuntariness and employee well-being (i.e. work engagement and exhaustion). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies have explored the relationships among these constructs in the same conceptual model. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a sample of 451 individuals performing telework in Portugal. AMOS was used to test all hypotheses of the study. Findings The findings showed a positive relationship between mastering new technologies and teleworkers’ voluntariness and a negative relationship between mastering new technologies and teleworkers’ involuntariness. However, contrary to expectations, voluntariness in teleworking was not significantly related to either work engagement or exhaustion. However, consistent with the theoretical background of self-determination theory, involuntariness in teleworking was negatively related to work engagement and positively related to exhaustion. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by addressing the analysis of telework-related variables that may impact workers’ well-being. Implications for human resource management policies and knowledge management are discussed.

Recent research has suggested that teachers' burnout is growing and, consequently, affecting their overall satisfaction with life and professional involvement. The goal of this study was to assess burnout in Portuguese teachers and to explore whether burnout levels are associated with teachers' personal and professional characteristics. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI; Demerouti, Bakker, Vardakou and Kantas 2003) were used to collect data from a sample of 262 teachers, who were mostly female (66.0%), were aged between 26 and 63 years (mean=44, std. dev.=7.95), and had an average of 18 years of experience in teaching regular classes (std. dev.=9.22) and an average of 2 years of experience in special education (std. dev.=4.97). The results suggested the adequate psychometric properties of the OLBI in Portuguese teachers. Moreover, the older the teachers were, the higher the levels of burnout they reported. Burnout was positively associated with the number of years of experience but only in regular education teachers. Although no differences in burnout as a function of experience in inclusive classrooms were found, a positive correlation of teachers' burnout with the number of students with special needs in the classroom was identified. The results are discussed according to the literature, and suggestions for future studies are presented.

Purpose Firefighters are daily confronted with adverse, unpredictable and demanding situations. It is a dangerous profession that puts firefighters at risk of developing burnout. Although the literature has already identified personal and work-related factors of burnout, the examination of specific factors explaining burnout among volunteer and career firefighters is still needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the explaining role of personal and work-related factors on volunteer and career firefighters’ burnout. Design/methodology/approach A nonrandom convenience sample of 250 firefighters (67% volunteer; Mage = 31.88) completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, the Proactive Coping Scale and a standard of living subscale item. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were tested. Fisher’s criterion was considered, with p-values lower than 0.05 interpreted as statistically significant. Findings Personal and work-related factors accounted for 18% of volunteer and 31% of career firefighters’ variations in burnout. Personal factors offered a greater contribution explaining volunteer and career firefighters’ burnout. Still, variations in the role played by age, family responsibilities, proactive coping and satisfaction with standard of living on burnout were found among volunteer and career firefighters. Taking the work-related factors into account, working in rotative shifts constituted a risk factor for career firefighters’ burnout. Research limitations/implications This study advances the understanding about the role of personal and work-related factors in volunteer and career firefighters’ burnout. Originality/value This study adds information about specific factors explaining burnout among voluntary and career firefighters. It deepens existing knowledge on variations in the role played by age, family responsibilities, work conditions, proactive coping and satisfaction with standard of living on the burnout of volunteer and career firefighters.

Resumo Desde há vários anos, a família tem sofrido mudanças significativas, resultando numa maior probabilidade de coexistência e convivência de várias gerações familiares. Consequentemente, as relações intergeracionais, nomeadamente entre avós e netos, têm assumido grande relevância na investigação nacional e internacional. O presente trabalho pretende adaptar a Escala de Significados da Grã-Parentalidade versão avós -ESGP-A - AbstractIn the last few years, family has been suffering significant changes, which result in a greater probability of several family generations coexisting and living together. As a consequence, intergenerational relationships, namelly between grandparent and grandchild, are gaining relevance Laboratório de Psicologia, 12(2): 99-112 (2014) doi: 10.14417/lp.855 © 2014 Adaptação da Escala de Carlos Manuel Gonçalves Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do PortoA correspondência relativa a este artigo deverá ser enviada para: