The imperfections of employee involvement: harnessing the consequences of involvement practices on psychosocial risks at work

Abstract

Purpose Involving employees in making management decisions is a powerful way to enhance organizational performance. However, employee involvement (EI) might exacerbate psychosocial stress at work. This paper aims to investigate this issue, illuminating the implications of EI on work-related stress. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were collected from the third wave of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks. A conditional process analysis based on ordinary least square regression and bootstrap sampling was accomplished to obtain evidence of the implications of EI on psychosocial risks (PSR) at work, taking into consideration the mediating role of organizational health promotion initiatives (HPI). Findings EI increased the sources of psychosocial stress at work, adding to individual job demands. Involving employees was positively related to a greater organizational concern for HPI, which, in turn, lessened psychosocial strain. Practical implications Although it contributes to organizational performance, EI propels work-related stress, which undermines individual and collective wellbeing. Involvement practices should be coupled with tailored HPI to address the PSR at work triggered by involvement, empowering people to cope with strain. Originality/value Scientific literature emphasizes the positive implications of EI on organizational performance, but little is known about its side effects on work-related stress. The paper provides original insights into this topic, arguing that HPI are necessitated to address the drawback of involvement on work-related stress.

The new normal of remote work: exploring individual and organizational factors affecting work-related outcomes and well-being in academia

“…In recent years, remote working has more than doubled in the Italian context: from 570.000 workers in 2019 to 1.8 million in 2020 ( Eurofound and the International Labour Office, 2020 ; Observatory for Smart Working Italy, 2022 ). More broadly, public agencies have had to adapt their working environments to the unexpected challenges concerning COVID-19 ( Athanasiadou and Theriou, 2021 ; Palumbo et al, 2023 ), fuelling a reconfiguration of work already underway and putting the accent on the ability of public sector organizations to manage human resources effectively ( Boselie et al, 2021 ). More in detail, over the past decade, the public sector has undergone several changes, moving from a stable and predictable environment to one steeped in complexity and uncertainty ( Pyun and Edey Gamassou, 2018 ), exacerbated by the pandemic.…”