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Working from home has become standard for employees with a university degree. The most common scheme, which has been adopted by around 100 million employees in Europe and North America, is a hybrid schedule, in which individuals spend a mix of days at home and at work each week 1 , 2 . However, the effects of hybrid working on employees and firms have been debated, and some executives argue that it damages productivity, innovation and career development 3 , 4 – 5 . Here we ran a six-month randomized control trial investigating the effects of hybrid working from home on 1,612 employees in a Chinese technology company in 2021–2022. We found that hybrid working improved job satisfaction and reduced quit rates by one-third. The reduction in quit rates was significant for non-managers, female employees and those with long commutes. Null equivalence tests showed that hybrid working did not affect performance grades over the next two years of reviews. We found no evidence for a difference in promotions over the next two years overall, or for any major employee subgroup. Finally, null equivalence tests showed that hybrid working had no effect on the lines of code written by computer-engineer employees. We also found that the 395 managers in the experiment revised their surveyed views about the effect of hybrid working on productivity, from a perceived negative effect (−2.6% on average) before the experiment to a perceived positive one (+1.0%) after the experiment. These results indicate that a hybrid schedule with two days a week working from home does not damage performance. A trial investigating the effects of a hybrid working schedule in a Chinese technology firm in 2021–2022 shows that working from home two days a week improved job satisfaction, reduced quitting and did not affect performance.

The effects of Pokémon GO, a new mobile game application which utilizes augmented reality, on risky behavior and health have already been discussed in anecdotal evidence. However, there have been no studies about its effects on mental health. This study investigated the relationships between Pokémon GO and psychological distress from an existing workers’ cohort in Japan. Online surveys were conducted to 3,915 full-time workers, at baseline (Nov 26, 2015–Feb 18, 2016) and at follow-up (Dec 1–4, 2016), using a self-report questionnaire. Pokémon GO players were defined as participants who had played Pokémon GO for one month or longer. Psychological distress was measured using validated scales. Of the completers, 246 (9.7%) had continued to play Pokémon GO. They were significantly younger than non-players. From the results of the general linear modeling, improvement in psychological distress was significantly greater among Pokémon GO players than among non-players ( p  = 0.025). Cohen’s d for the difference in psychological distress was −0.20 (95% CI, −0.33, −0.07). Pokémon GO may be effective for improving psychological distress among workers. Although its effect size is small, the game could have positive effects on the mental health of the adult working population.

BackgroundThis study examined the prospective association of workplace social capital (WSC) with major depressive episode (MDE) among Japanese employees.MethodsA 3-year prospective cohort study was conducted among 1058 employees from a private think-tank company who participated in a baseline survey; after excluding those with MDE in the past 12 months, 929 were followed up. WSC at baseline was measured using a 3-item scale. MDE was assessed at baseline and at follow-up every year, by using a web-based, self-administered version of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI) 3.0 depression section, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition: Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)/DSM-5 criteria. Cox discrete-time hazards analyses were used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs, adjusting for covariates.ResultsA group with middle-level WSC scores had the lowest risk of MDE after being fully adjusted (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.84, p=0.02). The relationship between WSC and MDE was U-shaped, although a non-linear model fit better than a linear model, with only marginally statistical significance (p=0.06). Dichotomised and continuous variables of WSC scores were significantly and negatively associated with MDE (p=0.03 and p<0.01, respectively).ConclusionsThe current study replicated a previous finding from Finland that WSC was a protective factor of the onset of MDE in Japan. The slightly U-shaped relationship, that is, the group with high WSC having a small elevated risk of MDE, may reflect a dark side of WSC in a country with collectivity-oriented and hierarchy-oriented culture, such as Japan.

Under the new normal, the economic development mode and growth momentum of China has brought about fundamental changes, which means that the development of enterprises has gradually shifted from being factor-and investment-driven to being innovation-and talent-driven. As the foundation of corporate innovation, employee creativity plays an important role in this process. In the field of strategic human resource management, high-performance work system is the embodiment of its core competence. Although some research has begun to try to explore the impact of high-performance work system on employee creativity, the underlying mechanism and the boundary condition is not yet fully understood. According to the Job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study theorized and examined whether and when high-performance work system stimulate employee creativity. Using a sample of large and medium-sized enterprises in China, we collected data, which are time-lagged and multilevel, from 266 employees in 61 departments. Results of the hierarchical linear model found that (1) High-performance work system is positively related to employee creativity; (2) High-performance work system positively affects employee work well-being; (3) Work well-being positively affects employee creativity; (4) Employee work well-being partially mediates the relationship between high-performance work system and creativity; (5) Transformational leadership, which represents an important contextual variable in the workplace, moderates the relationship between work well-being and employee creativity; (6) Moreover, we have also revealed that transformational leadership can moderate the indirect effect of high-performance work system on employee creativity. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Productivity growth in smallholder agriculture is an important driver of rural economic development and poverty reduction. However, smallholder farmers often have limited access to information, which can be a serious constraint for increasing productivity. One potential mechanism to reduce information constraints is the public agricultural extension service, but its effectiveness has often been low in the past. Digital technologies could enhance the effectiveness of extension by reducing outreach costs and helping to better tailor the information to farmers’ individual needs and conditions. Using primary data from India, this study analyses the association between digital extension services and smallholder agricultural performance. The digital extension services that some of the farmers use provide personalized information on the types of crops to grow, the types and quantities of inputs to use, and other methods of cultivation. Problems of selection bias in the impact evaluation are reduced through propensity score matching (PSM) combined with estimates of farmers’ willingness to pay for digital extension. Results show that use of personalized digital extension services is positively and significantly associated with input intensity, production diversity, crop productivity, and crop income.

This study aims to explore the influence of role stress (role ambiguity and role conflict) on job burnout and job performance in construction project managers in the Chinese construction industry. Based on the JD-R (Job Demands Resources) model, this study introduces career calling as the moderating variable, in order to develop a theoretical model. The theoretical model is then tested with structural equation modeling. This work uses data from 191 owners, contractors, subcontractors, and supervisors in the Chinese construction industry. The results indicate that: (i) role ambiguity has a negative and significant effect on job burnout and job performance; (ii) role conflict has a negative effect on job burnout, but has a non-significant influence on job performance; (iii) job burnout has a negative impact on job performance; (iv) career calling negatively moderates the relationship between role ambiguity and job burnout, and positively moderates the relationship between role conflict and job performance. Furthermore, the results also show that career calling can positively moderate the effect of role conflict on job burnout. This study expands the existing body of knowledge by reasonably controlling role stress and appropriately introducing career calling. In addition, the study provides some suggestions relevant to construction project management.

Background Healthy lifestyles play an important role in the prevention of premature death, chronic diseases, productivity loss and other social and economic concerns. However, workplace interventions to address issues of fitness and nutrition which include work-related outcomes are complex and thus challenging to implement and appropriately measure the effectiveness of. This systematic review investigated the impact of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions, which include components aimed at workplace’s physical environment and organizational structure, on employees’ productivity, work performance and workability. Methods A systematic review that included randomized controlled trials and or non-randomized controlled studies was conducted. Medline, EMBASE.com, Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched until September 2016. Productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, work performance and workability were the primary outcomes of our interest, while sedentary behavior and changes in other health-related behaviors were considered as secondary outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full-texts for study eligibility, extracted the data and performed a quality assessment using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials and the Risk-of-Bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Findings were narratively synthesized. Results Thirty-nine randomized control trials and non-randomized controlled studies were included. Nearly 28% of the included studies were of high quality, while 56% were of medium quality. The studies covered a broad range of multi-level and environmental-level interventions. Fourteen workplace nutrition and physical activity intervention studies yielded statistically significant changes on absenteeism ( n  = 7), work performance ( n  = 2), workability ( n  = 3), productivity ( n  = 1) and on both workability and productivity ( n  = 1). Two studies showed effects on absenteeism only between subgroups. Conclusions The scientific evidence shows that it is possible to influence work-related outcomes, especially absenteeism, positively through health promotion efforts that include components aimed at the workplace’s physical work environment and organizational structure. In order to draw further conclusions regarding work-related outcomes in controlled high-quality studies, long-term follow-up using objective outcomes and/or quality assured questionnaires are required. Trial registration Registration number: PROSPERO CRD42017081837 .

Background This study investigates the adverse effects of industrial noise below permissible limits on hearing health, work performance, and work stress among workers in medium-sized enterprises. Methods The study included two medium-sized enterprises and a total of 172 workers. A comprehensive noise assessment was conducted in both enterprises. Workplace noise levels were recorded using a Larson Davis SoundAdvisor™ Model 831C sound level meter, following ISO 1996–2:2017 standards. The enterprises were categorized as low-noise (mean: 60.55 dB(A), range: 55.6–66.7 dB(A)) and high-noise (mean: 78.22 dB(A), range: 76.5–80.1 dB(A)) groups. Participants' air conduction hearing thresholds (0.5–8 kHz) were measured using an Interacoustics AS608 audiometer. Sociodemographic data were collected, and auditory complaints were assessed through face-to-face interviews. Workers completed the Job Stress Scale, while their supervisors evaluated their performance using the Job Performance Scale. Statistical significance was set at P  < 0.05. Results Our analysis revealed elevated hearing thresholds at 2000 and 4000 Hz in both ears and at 6000 Hz in the left ear among workers in the high-noise group. Additionally, employees exposed to higher noise levels demonstrated lower work performance ( P  < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found in work stress levels between the low- and high-noise groups ( P  > 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between age and hearing thresholds in both groups, whereas no relationship was found between age and work stress or work performance. Furthermore, no correlation was detected between work stress and work performance. Conclusion This study highlights the serious health risks associated with industrial noise, even when exposure remains below permissible limits. The findings emphasize the need for effective noise control measures to protect workers’ health and performance.

Goal: Recent efforts to push hospitals to provide high-value care have relied on payment incentives. However, evidence indicates that 70% to 90% of performance improvement projects do not achieve their desired goals. Therefore, in addition to managing external industry pressures, hospitals need to develop performance improvement (PI) capabilities that enable them to capitalize on improvement opportunities, effectively develop and adopt solutions, and ensure the sustainability of improvements over time. While operational capabilities enable hospitals to produce and deliver services, more is needed to attain and sustain superior performance. Dynamic capabilities drive changes in operational capabilities to meet environmental demands. Dynamic capabilities also enable hospitals to renew and reconfigure their resources to optimize performance. This paper proposes the dynamic-capabilities framework as an appropriate way to develop and manage PI capabilities in hospitals, and it discusses the implications of shifting to a strategy that is driven by dynamic-capabilities PI. Methods: The research team designed a semi-structured interview based on a review of the literature to understand whether hospitals were engaging in the activities outlined in the dynamic-capabilities framework. Nine study participants were recruited from a convenience sample of hospital PI staff at hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. De-identified transcripts were entered into NVivo12 qualitative data analysis software, and data were thematically indexed and coded following the principles of content analysis. Principal Findings: PI structures, improvement methodologies, and weaknesses did not vary significantly among hospitals. Most hospitals had a PI department and were more likely to adopt PI projects initiated by top management. While PI staff were trained in improvement methodologies, no programs were in place that required the rest of the hospital staff to become familiar with PI methods. Common areas of weakness were PI project selection, communication, coordination, learning from current and former PI projects, and systematic approaches to sustain improvements. Practical Applications: Dynamic PI capabilities provide an opportunity to systematically identify improvement opportunities, seize on and learn from those opportunities, and renew and reconfigure resources to optimize performance. Ad hoc PI projects are insufficient to enable a hospital to sustain superior performance. Internal and external pressures to deliver high-value patient care and services require hospitals to exceed their current PI efforts. By developing dynamic PI capabilities, hospitals will adopt a more systematic and effective approach to PI, which will likely result in superior performance.

The present study examines the effect of service employees’ job insecurity on job performance through emotional exhaustion. We identified workplace incivility (i.e., coworker and customer incivility) as a boundary condition that strengthens the positive relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. To test this moderating effect, we collected online panel surveys from 264 Korean service employees at two time points three months apart. As predicted, the positive relationship between job insecurity and job performance was partially mediated by emotional exhaustion. Of the two forms of workplace incivility, only coworker incivility exerted a significant moderating effect on the job insecurity–emotional exhaustion relationship, such that this relationship was more pronounced when service employees experienced a high level of coworker incivility than when coworker incivility was low. Coworker incivility further moderated the indirect effect of job insecurity on job performance through emotional exhaustion. These findings have theoretical implications for job insecurity research and managerial implications for practitioners.