Norbert Semmer | Bern University (original) (raw)

Papers by Norbert Semmer

Work & Stress, Dec 22, 2017

ABSTRACT Several considerations guided the research reported in this paper. First, recovery is pi... more ABSTRACT Several considerations guided the research reported in this paper. First, recovery is pivotal for preventing stressful experiences from inducing long-term consequences. Second, cortisol levels under relaxed conditions constitute a good baseline measure. Third, there are many calls to avoid common method problems. Therefore, the Job Demands–Control (JDS) model, one of the most prominent models in occupational stress, should be tested by a combination of observation, self-report, and physiological data in terms of predicting recovery-related variables. In a sample of 53 Swiss employees, we assessed the JDS variables, demands and control, by systematic observation, fatigue at the end of work as an indicator of short-term recovery by questionnaire, and delayed recovery by baseline levels of cortisol on a Sunday under relaxing conditions. In line with expectations, regression analyses showed an impact of job demands and control on Sunday cortisol levels, and this effect was fully mediated by after work fatigue. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant interaction between job demands and control. Demonstrating that job demands and control predict after-work fatigue as well as a delayed physiological marker of recovery, these findings suggest that high after-work fatigue may entail costs to the individual’s physiological systems.

Occupational Health Science, 2020

European Journal of Pain, 2013

BackgroundFew studies have examined the 20% of individuals who never experience an episode of low... more BackgroundFew studies have examined the 20% of individuals who never experience an episode of low back pain (LBP). To date, no investigation has been undertaken that examines a group who claim to have never experienced LBP in their lifetime in comparison to two population‐based case–control groups with and without momentary LBP. This study investigates whether LBP‐resilient workers between 50 and 65 years had better general health, demonstrated more positive health behaviour and were better able to achieve routine activities compared with both case–control groups.MethodsForty‐two LBP‐resilient participants completed the same pain assessment questionnaire as a population‐based LBP sample from a nationwide, large‐scale cross‐sectional survey in Switzerland. The LBP‐resilient participants were pairwise compared to the propensity score‐matched case controls by exploring differences in demographic and work characteristics, and by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and effect sizes. A discrimi...

BMC Public Health, 2021

BackgroundSocial relationships are crucial for well-being and health, and considerable research h... more BackgroundSocial relationships are crucial for well-being and health, and considerable research has established social stressors as a risk for well-being and health. However, researchers have used many different constructs, and it is unclear if these are actually different or reflect a single overarching construct. Distinct patterns of associations with health/well-being would indicate separate constructs, similar patterns would indicate a common core construct, and remaining differences could be attributed to situational characteristics such as frequency or intensity. The current meta-analysis therefore investigated to what extent different social stressors show distinct (versus similar) patterns of associations with well-being and health.MethodsWe meta-analysed 557 studies and investigated correlations between social stressors and outcomes in terms of health and well-being (e.g. burnout), attitudes (e.g. job satisfaction), and behaviour (e.g. counterproductive work behaviour). Mod...

Stress and Quality of Working Life, Sep 1, 2015

Humans have a fundamental need to be accepted, appreciated, and respect ed by important others ("... more Humans have a fundamental need to be accepted, appreciated, and respect ed by important others ("need to belong"). Social aspects at work refer to the many ways this need is supported, or violated, in working life. We first discuss how appreciation, respect, and fairness (or the lack of them) are com municated in daily working life (e.g., praise, fair treatment, feedback). We then discuss "classic" social stressors such as role stress (stress-inducing ex pectations); tension and conflict; and emotional labor (having to display, or hide, certain emotions in social interactions), but also social resources, most notably social support, which can be very helpful, but sometimes is not easy to deliver in an appropriate way. Finally, we turn to aspects that often are not immediately obvious as being social; these include social messages through job design (e.g., signaling trust by granting control), illegitimacy of stressors (events that are stressful by themselves but become even more stressful when attributed to others' negligence), and the new concept of illegitimate tasks (tasks that people think they should not have to carry out). With regard to the

Zeitschrift Fur Arbeits Und Organisationspsychologie a O, Mar 6, 2015

Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft

Diese Aspekte beziehen sich a) auf Definitionsfragen, nicht zuletzt im Hinblick auf die "Neutrali... more Diese Aspekte beziehen sich a) auf Definitionsfragen, nicht zuletzt im Hinblick auf die "Neutralität" der Begrifflichkeit und die Unterscheidung von Stressoren und Ressourcen; b) auf die Bedeutung der "sozialen Realität", c) auf Klassifikationsfragen, und d) auf die Frage der Grenzwertbestimmung.

Goal Directed Behavior, 2021

Ergonomics, Jan 7, 2016

Noise peaks are powerful distractors. This study focuses on the impact of noise peaks on surgical... more Noise peaks are powerful distractors. This study focuses on the impact of noise peaks on surgical teams' communication during 109 long abdominal surgeries. We related measured noise peaks during 5-min intervals to the amount of observed communication during the same interval. Results show that noise peaks are associated with less case-relevant communication; this effect is moderated by the level of surgical experience; case-relevant communications decrease under high noise peak conditions among junior, but not among senior surgeons. However, case-irrelevant communication did not decrease under high noise level conditions, rather there was a trend to more case-irrelevant communication under high noise peaks. The results support the hypothesis that noise peaks impair communication because they draw on attentional resources rather than impairing understanding of communication. As case-relevant communication is important for surgical performance, exposure to high noise peaks in the ...

Semmer Norbert K Jacobshagen Nicola Stress As Offence to Self in Symposium Reciprocity Equity Offense to Self in Search For the Social Meaning of Stressors Paper Presented at the 6th Interdisciplinary Conference on Work Stress and Health in Miami Usa, 2006

Industrial Health, May 1, 2010

Jacobshagen Nicola Semmer Norbert Appreciation at Work Longitudinal and Daily Influences Paper Presented at the 15th Congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology Maatricht Nl May 2011, 2011

Zusammenfassung. Das Topmanagement ist eine eher selten untersuchte Population. In dieser Untersu... more Zusammenfassung. Das Topmanagement ist eine eher selten untersuchte Population. In dieser Untersuchung wurden in Zusammen-arbeit mit einem Schweizer Groûkonzern die Ausprägungen verschiedener Stressoren und Ressourcen in der Arbeit und deren Zusam-menhänge mit Befindensparametern im Topmanagement (N = 143) analysiert. Der Konflikt Arbeit ± Familie war in dieser Population stark ausgeprägt und korrelierte erwartungsgemäû mit arbeitsbezogenen Stressoren (r = .23 bis .48). In hierarchischen Regressions-analysen sagte er die drei Befindensparameter Irritation, psychosomatische Beschwerden und arbeitsbezogene Depressivität vorher, auch wenn Ressourcen (positive soziale Beziehungen und Handlungsspielraum) und arbeitsbezogene Stressoren (Überlastung, Ar-beitsplatzunsicherheit und Anzahl der Arbeitsstunden) kontrolliert wurden. Mediationsanalysen zeigten, dass der Konflikt Arbeit ± Familie die Beziehungen zwischen den drei arbeitsbezogenen Stressoren und den drei Befindensbeeinträchtigungen fast immer medi-ierte. Work-family balance at top management level: Work-family conflict as a mediator of the relationship between stressors and strain Abstract. Compared to other populations, top management is not investigated very often. The current study was conducted in close collaboration between the University of Berne and an internationally operating Swiss corporation. Different stressors and resources as well as their relationship with strain parameters among 143 top managers were analysed using an intranet-based questionnaire. Work-family conflict was rather high and correlated with work-related stressors (r = .23 ± .48) as was expected. In hierarchical regression analyses, work-family conflict predicted the strain parameters irritation, psychosomatic complaints, and work-related depressive mood even when resources (positive social relationships, job control) and work-related stressors (overload, insecurity, and number of hours worked) were controlled for. Almost all existing relationships between stressors and strain were mediated by work-family conflict. Greenhaus und Beutell (1985) definieren Konflikte zwi-schen Lebensbereichen als ¹eine Form von Interrollen-konflikt, bei dem die Rollenanforderungen des Arbeits-und Familienbereichs in gewisser Hinsicht gegenseitig inkompatibel sind. Das bedeutet, dass die Partizipation in der Arbeits-(Familien-) Rolle durch die Partizipation in der Familien-(Arbeits-) Rolle schwieriger wirdª (S. 77; Übersetzung der Autoren). Konflikte zwischen Arbeits-und Privatleben werden nach ihrer Richtung un-terschieden: Man spricht von einem Konflikt Arbeit ± Fa-milie, wenn das Arbeitsleben das Familienleben negativ beeinflusst, und von einem Konflikt Familie ± Arbeit, wenn das Familienleben das Arbeitsleben negativ beein-flusst (Frone, 2003). Beide Arten von Konflikten zeigen beeinträchtigende Wirkungen auf mehreren Dimensionen. Der Konflikt Ar-beit ± Familie zeigte in verschiedenen Studien Zusam-menhänge mit arbeitsbezogenen Variablen wie Arbeits-zufriedenheit (Kossek & Ozeki, 1998), Burnout (Gran

Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2015

Illegitimate tasks, a recently introduced occupational stressor, are tasks that violate norms abo... more Illegitimate tasks, a recently introduced occupational stressor, are tasks that violate norms about what an employee can reasonably be expected to do. Because they are considered a threat to one's professional identity, we expected that the daily experience of illegitimate tasks would be linked to a drop in self-esteem and to impaired well-being. We report results of two daily diary studies, one in which 57 Swiss employees were assessed twice/day and one in which 90 Americans were assessed three times/day. Both studies showed that illegitimate tasks were associated with lowered state self-esteem. Study 1 demonstrated that high trait selfesteem mitigated that relationship. Study 2 showed that illegitimate tasks were associated with not only lowered state self-esteem but also lower job satisfaction and higher anger and depressive mood, but not anger or job satisfaction remained elevated until the following morning.