Challenging (-Hindering) Employment and Employee Health

Summary

Research has struggled with the task of distinguishing high from low-quality employment. Making the distinction between challenging and hindering job demands in a context of social exchange, our study develops a generalizable heuristic for employment quality research. Latent class analysis with mixture modelling was applied to a sample of 2,143 adults from a diversity of occupations. A two-factor model provided substantial support for the distinction between challenging and hindering employment. Challenging employment was characterized by hard and emotionally demanding work and by provision of greater resources. Hindering employment involved several hindering demands and fewer resources. As predicted, challenging employment was associated with better self-reported general health and less psychological distress. The positive associations between higher education levels and longer work experience and challenging employment also supported the challenging/hindering heuristic.

Abstract

Research has struggled with the task of distinguishing high from low-quality employment. Making the distinction between challenging and hindering job demands in a context of social exchange, our study develops a generalizable heuristic for employment quality research. Latent class analysis with mixture modelling was applied to a sample of 2,143 adults from a diversity of occupations. A two-factor model provided substantial support for the distinction between challenging and hindering employment. Challenging employment was characterized by hard and emotionally demanding work and by provision of greater resources. Hindering employment involved several hindering demands and fewer resources. As predicted, challenging employment was associated with better self-reported general health and less psychological distress. The positive associations between higher education levels and longer work experience and challenging employment also supported the challenging/hindering heuristic.

Keywords:

• employment,
• health,
• job quality,
• resources,
• stress,
• well-being,
• work design

Résumé

La recherche a eu du mal à distinguer les emplois de bonne qualité des moins bons. En faisant la distinction entre les exigences professionnelles stimulantes et entravantes dans un contexte d'échange social, notre étude développe une heuristique généralisable pour la recherche sur la qualité de l'emploi. L'analyse des classes latentes avec modélisation des mélanges a été appliquée à un échantillon de 2 143 adultes issus de diverses professions. Un modèle à deux facteurs permet un soutien substantiel à la distinction entre les emplois demandants et les emplois entravants. L'emploi stimulant se caractérise par un travail dur et émotionnellement exigeant et par l'octroi de ressources plus importantes. Un emploi gênant implique plusieurs exigences entravantes et moins de ressources. Comme prévu, un emploi stimulant est associé à une meilleure santé générale et à une détresse psychologique moindre. Les associations positives entre un niveau d'éducation plus élevé et une expérience professionnelle plus longue et un emploi stimulant ont également soutenu l'heuristique stimulant/entravant.

Mots-clés :

• emploi,
• santé,
• qualité de l'emploi,
• ressources,
• stress,
• bien-être,
• conception du travail