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In an effort to increase worker wellness, researchers from Michigan State University and Portland State University have produced an innovative training program that calls for supervisors to far better support their employees’ work and family demands.

The scientific-based program is featured in the upcoming August edition of the Journal of Management.

The researchers also have been awarded a $4.1 million federal grant to refine and expand the plan. The grant is part of a $30 million initiative of the Function, Loved ones and Health Network – jointly funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Illness Manage and Prevention – examining how company policies have an effect on the health and well-being of employees and their families.

MSU’s Ellen Ernst Kossek, who produced the training plan with Portland State’s Leslie Hammer, said the study is timely given the nation’s present economic crisis.

“Businesses are searching for new ways to manage in a tough economy,” stated Kossek, University Distinguished Professor in MSU’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations. “Our study shows that just teaching managers to be much more supportive can have price savings for turnover and lower tension, which affects the bottom line.”

Most previous research on supervisory support has focused on general measures of emotional support – as opposed to distinct behaviors by the boss. The new coaching plan outlines four detailed measures for supervisors: Emotional support, which is focused on perceptions that workers are getting cared for and their feelings are being considered. This consists of talking to workers and becoming conscious of their family and private life commitments.

Role-modeling behaviors, in which supervisors, in a mentoring role, present examples of tactics and behaviors for workers intended to lead to desirable work-life outcomes.

Instrumental support, which is reactive and pertains to supervisor support as he or she responds to employees’ day-to-day wants including scheduling requests for flexibility.

Creative work-family management, which is far more proactive and strategic than instrumental support and can involve major changes in the time, location and way that function is performed. 1 example involves coping with work-family demands inside the total function group setting by providing cross-training inside and among departments. Ultimately, the researchers say, today’s managers and employers need to have examples of how they can change supervision and cultures to meet the changing demands and demographics of the work force. The new program assists start this path by delivering distinct supervisor behaviors that supply far more family members supportive interactions with workers.

“Managing in a far more supportive way that recognizes how essential flexibility is always to today’s work force is really a win-win economic proposition that benefits employers, workers and households,” Kossek stated. “Employees no longer leave their loved ones requirements in the firm doorstep.”

Source:
Ellen Kossek
Michigan State University