Research

A stressful workplace – a psychological perspective

Many adults spend most of their daily time at work. Thus, it is not surprising that the characteristics of a workplace significantly affect mental and physical health (Siegrist, 2002). Working individuals value their quality of life higher than unemployed individuals (Ruchlin & Morris, 1991). On the other hand, psychological and medical research has shown that stress at work is associated with numerous mental and physical impairments.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) regulates the body’s physical response to stress. The same processes that are adaptive under acute stress conditions and that keep up a positive health constitution facilitate the emergence of diseases such as coronary heart disease or mental problems such as depression, burnout and anxiety disorders if a chronic dysregulation is present (Chrousos, 1998).

 

LEADwell Leadership and employee well-being: Causal, temporal, and cross-domain effects

Employee burnout, stress, and poor well-being are at an all-time high, which is not only problematic for employees but also costly for firms and society. The saying “People join firms but leave managers” suggests a key role of leaders in motivating, caring and retaining employees. Current research demonstrates that leadership is an important workplace determinant of employee well-being. Our research focuses on the contingencies and mechanisms of the relationship between leader behaviors and well-being.

This line of research ch is being pursued in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Claudia Buengeler, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Prof. Dr. Diana Hanke-Boer, University of Koblenz-Landau, and Prof. Dr. Deanne Den Hartog, University of Amsterdam, and aims at bridging the science-practice gap by collaborating with non-academic partners.

Selected conference presentations:

  • Sievers, S., Buengeler, C., Den Hartog, D., Hanke-Boer, & Bellingrath, S. (2023, August 4-8). An Experimental Examination of the Role of Constructive and Destructive Leadership in Follower Well-Being [paper presentation]. 83rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Boston, MA.
  • Sievers, S., Buengeler, C., Hanke-Boer, D., Bellingrath, S., & Den Hartog, D. (2023, May 24-26). The Causal Role of Leadership in Follower Well-Being: An Experimental Investigation [paper presentation]. European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology Congress, Katowice, Poland.
  • Sievers, S., Buengeler, C., Hanke-Boer, D., Den Hartog, D., & Bellingrath, S. (2023, April 12-14). Causal Effects of Constructive and Destructive Leadership on Follower Well-Being: An Experimental Laboratory Study. [paper presentation]. NEOMA leadership conference, Reims, France.
  • Plidschun, S., Buengeler, C., Hanke-Boer, D., Bellingrath, S., & Den Hartog, D. (2021, September 16-17). Nachhaltig Führen: Eine Experimentalstudie zum Zusammenhang von Führung und Wohlbefinden [paper presentation]. Science for Society Conference, Kiel, Germany.
  • Plidschun, S., Buengeler, C., Hanke-Boer, D. Den Hartog, D., & Bellingrath, S. (2019, September 25-27). The role of bright and dark leader behavior in follower well-being: An experimental investigation [Paper presentation]. German Psychological Society 11th AOW Congress, Braunschweig, Germany.

Mindfulness Training for Teachers

Teachers are among the occupational groups most affected by work-related stress and early retirement. At the same time, they decisively influence the academic success of pupils. A systematic relation between teachers’ emotional burden and the quality of their lessons has been observed, which underlines the need to strengthen self-regulation as a professional competence of teachers. In a current project in cooperation with the research group of Prof. Lisa von Stockhausen, we therefore investigate the effects of mindfulness training to improve self-regulation of teachers at various secondary schools around Essen.