There is a paucity of diagnostic instruments for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R), an 80-item self-rating scale designed to assist clinicians diagnosing ASD in adults. It was administered to 75 adults with ASD and 197 comparison cases. Also, a subset completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Three out of four subscales had high internal consistency. Sensitivity was 91% and specificity was 93%. The ASD subjects had significantly higher mean scores on all subscales. ASD females had higher scores than ASD males on the sensory motor subscale, a dimension not included in the AQ. RAADS-R showed promising test re-test reliability.

The work climate has gone through immense changes during the recent decades, due to industrial reformation, economic recessions, technical advancements, and an increased global competition (Howard, 1995). The so-called New Public Management movement has inspired many European countries and has among other things led to changes in the way that wages are distributed (Pfeffer, 1997; Wikman, 2001). Wage distribution systems partly based on individual performance are increasingly taking over traditional wage distribution systems in many organizations in Europe (OECD, 1995). Employers appear to have great expectations that individualized performance-based wages will bring about higher employee motivation and performance etc (Lawler, 1991). The aim of this study is to investigate attitudes towards individualized pay among human service workers in the public sector and try to identify some of the factors behind their attitudes. Questionnaire data show that employees with the most positive attitudes towards individualized pay already had part of their salary based on performance. A person’s attitude towards individualized pay also seems to be positively related to perceived workload and mental health complaints. Older employees and employees with longer tenure reported the most negative attitudes towards individualized performance based wages. This study contributes to a better understanding of some of the factors underlying attitudes towards individually based wages among human service employees.

The use of individualized pay has increased during the last decades. Employers expect individualized pay systems to bring about more efficient and motivated employees, who are willing to heighten their work efforts in order to achieve organizational goals. A certain amount of cooperation and communication between supervisor and employee throughout the different parts in the individualized pay-setting process is required. Although research on leadership and its impact on employees perceptions are extensive (Pfeffer, 1997), there is need to study whether interpersonal competency of leaders in the pay-setting process affects outcomes such as employee satisfaction, performance and well-being. It would be reasonable to assume that employees who have a positive view of the supervisor-employee relationship and regards the supervisor’s conduct in the pay-setting process as fair, also would experience a greater satisfaction, commitment, and are less inclined to quit than individuals with more negative perceptions of the relationship with their supervisor and his/her conduct in the pay-setting process. Questionnaire data was collected among 721 health care workers. The response rate was 81 percent (N=582). The proportion of women was 88 percent, and the mean age 48 (SD=10) years. The results indicate that a clear communication concerning expectations and goals is probably the most important supervisor quality for all five outcomes, followed by supervisor legitimacy and competency, respectful treatment and gender equality.

The public sectors in many developing countries have undergone major restructuring over the past decades. Earlier research suggests that such restructuring is inherently linked to feelings of ambiguity and insecurity among employees, undermining behavioral support for change, and thus, chances of change success. Using survey data from a restructured public sector organization in Pakistan, this study investigated the mediating role of commitment to change on the relationship between role ambiguity/job insecurity and behavioral support for change. The results show that role ambiguity and job insecurity were negatively related to both commitment to change and behavioral support for change. More importantly, however, the results support the notion that the negative effects of role ambiguity and job insecurity on behavioral support for change are fully mediated by individuals’ commitment to change. The study emphasizes the importance of mobilizing commitment to change in restructuring processes.

Book information: What is a sustainable career and how can individuals and organizations develop pathways that lead to them? With current levels of global unemployment and the need for life-long learning and employability enhancement these questions assume a pressing significance. With twenty-eight chapters from leading scholars, the Handbook of Research on Sustainable Careers makes an important contribution to our understanding of sustainable careers and lays the foundation for the direction of future research.

Under perioder där arbetsmarknaden erbjuder färre alternativ är det troligt att fler människor accepterar arbetsplatser där de inte trivs eller stannar kvar på arbeten som de inte vill ha och känner sig inlåsta i. Tidigare forskning har kopplat inlåsning till sämre välbefinnande. Hur inlåsning och välbefinnande förändras när människor byter jobb är mindre känt. Föreliggande studie belyser förändringar i inlåsning, upplevd anställningsbarhet och välbefinnande vid en svensk myndighet efter en organisationsförändring som medfört organisationsinterna arbetsplatsbyten. Resultaten visar på negativa effekter av inlåsning: att stanna kvar på eller flytta till en arbetsplats som man inte önskar ha i framtiden är inte gynnsamt för hälsan.

Planned organizational changes often aim to secure organizational sustainability through the means of optimising structures and strategies. However, for employees such organizational changes often imply job changes and the loss of familiar routines. 

Plausibly, this increases perceived uncertainty and may have negative effects on employees’ organizational attitudes and well-being during the change. If levels of well-being and organizational attitudes are negatively affected in the long run, this may pose threats to the initial aim to secure organizational sustainability. This may even more so be the case if employees such as managers show long-term negative reactions, since managers are in key positions to promote the organizations aims vis à vis employees. Whereas there is much research on employees’ reactions towards organizational change, few studies have specifically analysed managers’ reactions at different organizational levels. Also, many studies focus on certain aspects of uncertainty, but few inspect the consequences of (unwanted) job, task or responsibility changes.

Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate managers’ well-being and organizational attitudes after organizational changes of management structures. More specifically, it studied how changes in managers’ organizational attitudes and well-being related to changes in job positions, tasks and responsibilities shortly after the organizational restructuring, and more than a year later.

The study used questionnaire data collected from managers in a Swedish governmental agency undergoing structural changes. During this period all managers had to go through a new recruitment process. Questionnaires were sent out at T1 (summer 2011, one month before the change process started), T2 (spring 2012, two months after the organizational change was finalised) and T3 (summer 2013, 18 months after the organizational change was finalised).

Data are currently being analysed cross-sectionally (N = 173, 144, and 125) and longitudinally (N = 91 with complete date for t1, t2 and t3). The preliminary findings show the percentage of managers who rated their job positions favorably steadily decreased from T1 to T3, and this related to a significant decrease in self-rated health and job satisfaction. Interestingly, perceptions of tasks and responsibilities of their old and new jobs were still rather similar at T2. How the perceptions of changes in tasks and responsibilities relate to attitudes and well-being a year later (T3) is currently under analysis.

Enkätmetodik ger såväl teoretisk som praktisk kunskap om enkätundersökningar från att identifiera ett problem och formulera lämpliga frågor, till att analysera och tolka resultatet. Boken har ett evidensbaserat perspektiv där läsaren får lära sig olika verktyg som bidrar till undersökningens tillförlitlighet.

Fokus ligger på metodiken, som förklaras och sätts in i sitt sammanhang med hjälp av många exempel, faktarutor och tydliga beskrivningar. Läsaren får således god förståelse för centrala områden såsom mätteori, reliabilitet, validitet och faktoranalys.

Gender equality in the labourmarket has been emphasized as an important factor several times in European community (EU Commission, 1997; 2010). Nevertheless, differences in career opportunities have been found in previous research, indicating that women report more barriers then men regarding career aspects (Hawley McWirther, 1997). In this respect, a number of possible explanations has been put forward, for example work-family conflict (WFC) (Gali Cinnamon, 2006). In the present study we are interested in investigating possible predictors of career opportunities and more specifically the aim of the present study is to investigate antecedents of career opportunities and perceived employability.

The present study comprised a representative sample of 1,609 Swedish workers (716 men and 883 women) in the ages of 26 to 51, who answered two questionnaires, one in 2005 and one in 2006. The study comprised questions regarding career opportunities and perceived employability (outcomes) and age, mental well-being, education, tenure, children at home, working hours (per week) and WFC (predictors). The data was analyzed by means of a regression analysis.

Preliminary results indicate that women reported lower levels of employability as well as career opportunities. They also had a higher level of education, shorter tenure and worked fewer hours per week. Regarding the regression analysis, the results displayed a significant association between WFC and the outcomes for men but not for women. For women part-time work predicted both outcomes. It could also be found that tenure had a negative effect on both outcomes, suggesting that for both men and women (although somewhat stronger for men) working longer in one organization affects perceived career prospects in a negative way. In addition, the results indicate that subjective mental well-being is an important predictor for employability as well as for career opportunities.

The results confirm earlier studies in that women report more career barriers. We also find it interesting that the results from the preliminary analyses suggest that WFC is primarily a problem for men. For women, the number of hours per week seems to be more important.

The construct of employability has been conceptually related to self-efficacy in different ways. Employability has sometimes been regarded as an equivalent to self-efficacy, or as a distinct but related phenomenon. Since the relationship between the two phenomena has not been subjected to empirical scrutiny, the aim of the present study is to analyze whether self-efficacy and employability are two distinct but related constructs, and if they are, to investigate the direction of their relationship. The data (N = 1730) were collected through a two-wave longitudinal survey with one year between each data collection (2005 and 2006). The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the measures of employability and self-efficacy were distinct from one another, within and over measurement points, indicating that these are related but separate constructs. The results of latent variable cross-lagged analysis showed that employability predicted subsequent self-efficacy, even after controlling for age, gender, educational level, and regional differences. Thus, employability is not an expression of efficacy beliefs, but rather, the strengthening of employability perceptions may have beneficial effects on more general efficacy beliefs.

Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect as employee responses to companies in decline have been investigated in several studies. When individuals work and act in an environment that is turbulent with organizational changes, volatile working conditions and job insecurity, they may respond to these environmental circumstances either by leaving the organization (exit), by staying and actively affect the situation (voice), by staying and be loyal to management’s decisions (loyalty) or by staying and being passive (neglect). With respect to the individualization of the labour market, it cannot be expected that people react in similar ways to organizational events. Rather, it has been suggested that employability may have a moderating effect on the responses of for example job insecurity. Consequently, the aim of the present study is to investigate if employability moderates the effects of job insecurity on the outcomes of the framework of exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect. Data (questionnaires) was gathered in four different companies (administrative staff of a manufacturing company, one accounting firm, administrative section of a community, teachers of a community), comprising 725 white-collar workers. The data of the present study was analysed by means of hierarchical regression analyses, one for each of the four outcome variables. The results indicate that individuals who are high in employability may have greater opportunities for gaining control over their working life. Job insecurity was found to be associated with increased exit as well as with decreased voice and loyalty, although these effects were stronger among individuals who perceived themselves to be employable. Thus, people that perceived high levels of employability, as opposed to those who perceived lower levels of employability, under the circumstance of high job insecurity also reported stronger exit intentions together with weaker tendencies to use their voice and be loyal to their company. No association was found between neglect and job insecurity or employability. In conclusion, instead of making employees more likely to use voice in times of uncertainty, employability appears to primarily induce vocational mobility.

Exit, voice, loyalty, or neglect as employee responses to organizations in decline have been investigated in several studies. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether employability moderates the effects of job insecurity on exit, voice, loyalty and neglect. The results, based on questionnaire data from white-collar workers in Sweden (N = 725), indicate that individuals who are high in employability may have greater opportunities for gaining control over their working life. Job insecurity was found to be associated with increased exit as well as with decreased voice and loyalty, although these effects were stronger among individuals who perceived themselves to be employable. Thus, instead of making employees more likely to use voice in times of uncertainty, employability appears to primarily induce vocational mobility.

Several researchers have emphasized that the labour market is being restructured and characterized by more frequently occurring organizational changes. In this sense, it has also been maintained that employability is a gradually more important asset for individuals in contemporary working life. It has been argued that the modern way of job security should be seen in the light of employability, the so called employability security, where security comes from the feeling of being able to get a new job rather than from the feeling of maintaining the current employment position.

Employability is defined as an individual’s perception of his or her possibilities of getting new employment. Feeling employable thus reflects the perception of having great possibilities to get a new job, if necessary. In earlier research employability has been described as a concept depending on individual assets as well as contextual prerequisites. For instance, Fugate, Kinicki and Ashforth (2004) argued that employability is comprised of three distinct dimensions, one motivational component, one component reflecting adaptability and a third component formed by the human and social capital. Berntson, Sverke and Marklund (in press), on the other hand, argued that employability also shall be seen in the light of the context of the individual. Thus, national economic situation as well as local labour markets are important predictors of an individual’s employability.

Although the concept of employability has been argued to be dependent on individual assets, few or no studies have been made to investigate if employability is something else than a dispositional characteristic such as efficacy beliefs. It is important to know if employability shall be viewed as a dispositional factor or if it shall be seen as something apart from dispositional traits when it comes to reinforcing employability. The first aim of the present study is to investigate if employability is a concept distinct from self-efficacy. It is however also of importance to investigate if employability gives rise to efficacy beliefs or if it is feelings of efficacy that influence the levels of employability. A second aim, therefore, is to investigate if self-efficacy affects employability or the other way around.

Questionnaire data is being used comprising white-collar workers in a Swedish organization. The results of the initial confirmatory factor analysis (on Wave 1 data) indicate that employability is distinct from self-efficacy. Longitudinal data are being collected with the specific aim of performing a cross-lagged analysis. However, the cross-sectional data imply that the two concepts are positively correlated, indicating that individuals experiencing high levels of self-efficacy also report higher levels of employability.

The present study investigates the relationship between felt jobinsecurity and union membership accounting for potential differencesbetween temporary and permanent workers. Consistentwith the idea that felt job insecurity leads workers to seek socialprotection from the unions, and with earlier studies, we hypothesizea positive relationship between felt job insecurity and unionmembership (Hypothesis 1). Furthermore, we argue that thisrelationship may be stronger among temporary compared withpermanent workers (Hypothesis 2): insecure temporary workersare in a situation of 'double vulnerability', hence they have strongmotives for unionization. Hypotheses are tested in a cross--sectional sample of 560 Flemish (Dutch-speaking part ofBelgium) workers. Our results were as follows: the relationshipbetween felt job insecurity and union membership was not significant.The interaction term between contract type and felt jobinsecurity was significantly related to union membership: the relationship between felt job insecurity and union membership waspositive among temporary workers, but not among permanentworkers. This pattern of results may inspire unions to target futurerecruitment strategies on temporary workers. A route for futureresearch could be to test our hypotheses also longitudinally.

Most studies on the relationship between job insecurity and well-being have focused on the effects of employees’ overall concerns about the continued existence of the job as such (quantitative job insecurity). Comparatively little research has examined perceived threats to valued job features (qualitative job insecurity). The overall aim of this study was to investigate the relative strength of associations of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity with job-related (job satisfaction and burnout) and general (psychological distress and psychosomatic complaints) well-being, and health-related behavior (absence and medical consultation). Controlling for socio-demographics, negative affectivity and job characteristics, these relationships were tested in a sample of 7,146 Belgian employees from the banking sector. The results suggest that both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity are important stressors.

In this article the consequences of job insecurity among union members are explored. Having established that most employees have instrumental motives for joining a union, and using psychological contract theory, we hypothesize that job insecurity among union members correlates with a lower level of perceived union support, lower satisfaction with the union, reduced (affective) commitment towards the union, and a higher intention to resign union membership. These hypotheses were tested in Belgium and the Netherlands. Evidence was found to support the assumed association between job insecurity and a reduction in perceived union support. In Belgium, job insecurity was also associated with reduced union satisfaction and intention to resign membership. In neither country job insecurity was associated with union commitment. These results partly support the hypothesis that union members experience job insecurity as a violation of their psychological contract with the union.

Book Description: This major work offers a broad insight into the field of industrial relations, taking into account the economic, political, and social influences and the relative power of capital and labor that shape relations between people at work. Aided by an international editorial advisory board, the collection takes a broad interdisciplinary approach, which includes the interactions between employers, workers, their collective organizations, and the state. Key concepts and foundational readings on industrial relations are covered by the first volume, while the second comprises readings on the principal actors in industrial relations. The third volume focuses on industrial relations processes and conflict resolution, leaving the fourth and final volume to deal with outcomes of the industrial relations processes.

This contribution analyses whether temporary work and (the subjective perception of) job insecurity are associated with a reduction in job satisfaction and organizational commitment, as proposed in the literature. An interaction between temporary work and job insecurity is also tested. Data from four European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden) are used to test the robustness of the hypotheses. The results show that temporary work is not associated with a reduction in job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Job insecurity is associated with a lower score on both outcome variables, as hypothesized. In two countries, an interaction was found: job insecurity was only associated with a reduction in job satisfaction and organizational commitment among workers with a permanent contract, suggesting that the psychological contract was violated for this category of workers.

This article uses psychological contract theory to explore the consequences of job insecurity among union members. We hypothesize that the perception of job insecurity will correlate with a lower level of perceived union support and a higher intention to resign union membership. We also test whether the relationship between job insecurity and membership turnover is mediated by (a lack of) perceived union support. In Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, an association is found between job insecurity and a reduction in perceived union support, and between job insecurity and the intention to resign membership; this association is also fully mediated by (a lack of) perceived union support. None of these hypotheses are corroborated in Sweden. We discuss implications of these findings for future research and for unions in Europe.

In the post-industrial working life - characterised by job intensification, blurred boundaries between work life and non-work life and postponed statutory retirement age - it is more necessary than ever that organisations and employees find a way to work highly efficiently and at the same time in a sustainable manner.

Work characteristics have often been the focus in research intending to understand organisational behaviour and how employee health and well-being may be shaped by characteristics of the work environment. Both perceptions of organisational justice as well as perceptions of work characteristics pertain to the work environment domain; both have also been handled as psychosocial predictors for health outcomes and shown to be related to relevant work and health outcomes. Missing from the current picture is how these two different domains of the work environment interact, and together shape work and health outcomes. When employees make a judgment about the organisation as a whole – that the organisation is fair and can be trusted – and because of this are inclined to engage in their work, and may even feel healthy and happy at their workplace, does it matter what work characteristics they face? Previous studies show a mixed picture, with only few studies available at all, some studies with no significant interaction effects, most of the studies done on the control component, very few studies that investigated the interplay with the demand and support component. Also, the previous studies only studied relations with cross-sectional data, and there is not one study that predicted work and health outcomes. The current study first reviews the limited available evidence on the combined effect of justice and work characteristics, and then tests interaction effects between organisational justice and the Job-Demand-Control-Support model components as predictors of two work outcomes (organisational commitment, intention to stay) and two health outcomes (mental health, somatic health). Data from Swedish accountants are used, cross-sectionally and longitudinally after one year. While not all interactions are significant, there are significant interactions for each of the work characteristics, for each of the four outcome variables and for both time points. The results are presented and interpreted with the help of four different mechanisms: reduction, amplification, aggravation, and compensation.

In the constant strive for competitiveness, organizations try to deliver their products and services at a faster pace and with higher quality, resulting in increased demands for employee effectiveness and competence. High demands are known to be a risk factor for stress. Employees who perceive their work situation as stressful are likely to experience negative consequences, such as negative work-related attitudes and deteriorated health. The extent of the negative consequences of a stressful work situation most likely depends on the strategies employees use to cope with the situation. Some studies indicate that problem-focused strategies may be the most effective to cope with stressful situations, while other studies have shown emotion-focused strategies to be more effective. The aim of this study is to further investigate the role of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies in reducing negative consequences of the work stressors quantitative and qualitative workload for work-related attitudes and health. The study also investigates potential synergy effects of a combination of the two coping strategies.