Open Access
Measuring job risks when hedonic wage models do not do the job
(Elsevier, 2025-01-10) Ferreira, Susana; Martínez de Morentin, Sara; Erro Garcés, Amaya; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía; Ekonomia
The theory of compensating differentials predicts that wages should compensate for differences in job characteristics, including the risk of death on the job. Empirically estimating these compensating differentials in real-world labor markets has, however, proven difficult. This paper explores the potential of job satisfaction regressions as an additional valuation approach to estimate the tradeoffs between wages and job amenities along the wage-amenity frontier. In this approach, job satisfaction scores act as a proxy for utility at work, and can be used to directly estimate the tradeoffs between wages and amenities at the job taken by the worker. Conventional hedonic wage regressions with data on thirty-five thousand workers across thirty European countries show limited evidence that European workers facing larger job risks and other workplace disamenities receive higher wages. On the other hand, using the same data, workers who perceive their jobs to be riskier, are absent more days from work due to work accidents, or are exposed to worse conditions at their workplace are less satisfied with their jobs, ceteris paribus, revealing a negative valuation of those job disamenities.
Open Access
Leader-follower gender and job satisfaction: a two-wave study from Europe
(Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado (FECAP), 2024-10-04) Erro Garcés, Amaya; Urien Angulo, Begoña; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Purpose – This paper studies leadership behavior in relation to leader gender, gender congruence, and their relationships with employee job satisfaction over time. Theoretical framework – Drawing on the perspective of gender stereotypes and the role congruity framework, this study examines how communal stereotypes socially attributed to females can compromise their assessment as competent leaders. Design/methodology/approach – Two sets of data from the European Working Conditions Survey were studied. Mean comparisons and multivariate regression analyses were carried out on samples of 25,649 at Time 1 and 26,047 at Time 2. Findings – The main findings show different leadership behaviors between male and female leaders. Contrary to expectations, females displayed more of both instrumental-and relationship-oriented behaviors, and this difference has increased over time. However, fewer differences are observed in instrumental-oriented behaviors. The results also suggest that employees' gender affects how some leadership behaviors are perceived. Finally, no gender differences were found in job satisfaction, as the behaviors studied positively relate to it. Practical & social implications of research – From a practical perspective, fostering a diverse array of leadership behaviors is important for enhancing employee job satisfaction within organizations. Female leaders are increasingly viewed positively in the workplace. Originality/value – Female leaders show a more versatile set of leadership behaviors compared to their male counterparts. Differences in relationship-oriented behaviors persist, and the gender of the employee is important in perceiving which behaviors male or female leaders engage in more.
Open Access
Mental wellbeing and work-related quality of life across European workers: characteristics and associated factors
(Emerald, 2024-11-25) Erro Garcés, Amaya; Iriarte Redin, Concha; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
Purpose: Mental well-being of employees has decreased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data collected by Eurofound in the electronic survey 'Living, working and COVID-19' (2020), this paper aims to identify which aspects of the work-related quality of life and other sociodemographic variables can explain the mental well-being of workers in, especially, convulsive times like those experienced during COVID-19 and beyond. The main objective is to improve labor welfare in the future. Design/methodology/approach: With a sample of 8,777 observations (Round 2), cross-sectional analyses were conducted. Findings: The results indicated that all factors of work quality of life such as working conditions, work–family interface, job stress and job satisfaction were predictors of the mental well-being of workers. Likewise, being a woman, being of mature age, having a partner and having good training/education were variables also associated with mental well-being. Originality/value: The research revealed that the pandemic in Europe had a greater impact on the psychological well-being of women compared to men. Also, younger populations exhibited decreased levels of mental health.
Open Access
Do you prefer logging in?: the relevance of the experience of telework for wellbeing
(Emerald, 2024) Urien Angulo, Begoña; Erro Garcés, Amaya; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Purpose –The swift and unanticipated integration of telework by European companies due to COVID-19 gave rise to distinct features of telework. These attributes underscore the necessity of analysing its impact on employees’ well-being. This paper explores how telework experiences impact well-being by influencing work– life balance and job satisfaction. Additionally, it investigates whether employee preferences for telework are a contributing factor. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the data provided by the “living, working and COVID-19” e-survey, structural equation models (SEM) were used to test the hypotheses. Specifically, a multiple-mediation approach and path analyses were applied to measure the relationship between the variables under study. The moderating role of preference for telework was also tested. Findings – Key findings support that telework experience has a positive impact on well-being, both directly and indirectly, particularly via work–life balance. Although preference for telework strengthens the relationship between telework experience and well-being, it does not enhance the predictive power of the mediated model. Practical implications – These results have important implications from an applied perspective. Human capital departments as well as managers should design telework programmes to create a positive experience since this will ensure a positive influence on the perception of work–life balance, job satisfaction and well-being. Originality/value – COVID-19 as a sudden environmental constraint forced the implementation of telework without proper planning and training. Thus, how the employees experience this major change in their working conditions has affected their well-being. The present paper contributes to clarifying how the proposed variables relate under such constraints.
Open Access
Telework in Baltic countries during the pandemic: effects on wellbeing, job satisfaction, and work-life balance
(MDPI, 2022) Erro Garcés, Amaya; Urien Angulo, Begoña; Cyras, Giedrius; Janusauskiené, Vita Maryté; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
As a result of the rapid and unplanned adoption of telework by European companies during the pandemic, specific telework characteristics have arisen. Thus, employees' experience of telework requires further analysis. Based on the "Living, Working, and COVID-19" results for Baltic countries, this paper studies the effect of telework experience on wellbeing, both directly and mediated by Work-Life balance and job satisfaction, through structural equation modelling. After verifying the significant differences in telework preferences, the model is also tested in high versus low telework preference groups. The main findings corroborate the effect of a positive telework experience on perceived wellbeing, but only indirectly via Work-Life balance. Additionally, data from the group with a high telework preference best fits the proposed model, revealing not only the mentioned indirect effect, but also the direct positive effect of telework experience on wellbeing. Thus, employees with a negative experience of telework during the pandemic will be more reluctant to accept telework over more traditional work arrangements. The implications as well as some limitations to be examined in further studies are also presented.
Open Access
Do better workplace environmental conditions improve job satisfaction?
(Elsevier, 2019) Erro Garcés, Amaya; Ferreira, Susana; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
Using data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey collected in 2015, estimates of the contribution of workplace environmental factors to the job satisfaction of about 44,000 Europeans from 35 countries are presented. Workplace environmental conditions are shown to play an important role in explaining job satisfaction, comparable to contract conditions such as pay increases and contract duration. Interestingly, the results are not driven by the perception of health or safety risks associated with worse environmental conditions.