Training, counseling, and retention of the hard-core unemployed.

Examined the effect of training and counseling on the retention of the hard-core unemployed (HCU), using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data from 130 programs in 114 firms involved in hiring the HCU. Results indicate that the content of training, rather than whether training is offered, was the critical variable. Job-skills training was positively related to retention; attitudinal training measured by the use of role playing was negatively related to retention. Personal counseling activities that encouraged the trainee to attend were also related to retention. Also, an interaction effect on retention between counseling and the length of training was identified. A theoretical framework for explaining the relationship between program characteristics and retention is discussed. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of two orientation approaches in hard-core unemployed turnover and absenteeism.

Compared the turnover and absenteeism rates of 49 male negro hard-core unemployed hires in 2 treatment conditions and with those of 49 normal hires. The university-sponsored, quasi-therapeutic orientation proved to be less effective than the company-sponsored orientation which, although intended to be a passive, information-giving approach, proved to have a dynamic free-discussion, personal-counseling, and intervention-with-supervision character. Overall, hard-core hires were not differentiated from normal hires in terms of turnover but were characterized by significantly higher absenteeism. It is concluded that extended company-orientation programs can be superior to supportive programs led by outside professionals, and that hard-core hires provided with such orientation can be as stable employees as those hired who meet normal hiring criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of personal background and training on work values of the hard-core unemployed.

Investigated differences in the work values of 110 disadvantaged, hard-core unemployed and 180 unskilled or semiskilled industrial employees, identified biographical correlates of work values, and examined changes in work values following training (as measured by the Survey of Work Values). When compared with regular employees, hard-core trainees placed less emphasis on keeping active on the job, taking pride in their work, and subscribing to the traditional Protestant ethic, but placed more emphasis on making money on the job. Significant relationships were found between background characteristics and work values of the hard core. Changes in work values of disadvantaged Ss after 8 wk. of training did not differ from those of 252 controls (insurance agents and college students) who completed the Survey twice. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race, economic class, and the intention to work: Some normative and attitudinal correlates.

Tested 4 hypotheses, derived from a combination of instrumentality-expectancy theory and the concept of a nonresponsive environment for the hard-core unemployed. Ss were 100 black and 100 white males 18-50 yrs old, with about half of each group from the working class and half from the hard-core unemployed. It was expected that (a) the hard core would perceive weaker normative pressures to seek work; (b) perceived normative pressure would have lower correlations with intentions to seek work in the hard-core samples than in the working-class samples; (c) the attitude toward each of 5 specific job-seeking behaviors would independently predict intended frequency of performance of each behavior; and (d) an instrumentality approach would predict intended frequency of each behavior less well in the black and hard-core samples than in the white and working-class groups. Results partially support Hypotheses 1 and 2; partially reverse Hypothesis 3; and do not support Hypothesis 4. Data are interpreted as supporting the concept of white working-class alienation. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A selected bibliography on the hard-core unemployed.

Lists 56 references relevant to the hard-core unemployed (HCU). Items were derived from psychology- and counseling-oriented journals, books, and miscellaneous reports concerning hiring, training, retraining, counseling, and identifying the HCU. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational rewards and retention of the hard-core unemployed.

Studied the relationship between 4 organizational rewards (pay, job status, promotion, and job security) and the retention of the hard-core unemployed (HCU), using data from 114 firms involved in hiring the HCU. The level of pay and the structure of raises positively affected retention, as did promotional opportunities (the percentage of minority members in supervisory positions). In firms with primarily minority members in the work force, the greater the percentage of minority supervisors the higher the HCU retention, but in primarily White firms the opposite relationship occurred. Job status and job security also were related to retention. Based on the relative effects of program characteristics (e.g., training) and organization characteristics (e.g., pay), recommendations are made for increased emphasis on organizational factors in developing strategies for employing the HCU. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race, employment, and the evaluation of work.

Tested 2 hypotheses derived from need hierarchy theory: (a) black and/or unemployed men will value material job outcomes more highly than white and/or working-class men and (b) Evaluation * Instrumentality of work and material outcomes will correlate more highly with evaluation of work for the black and/or unemployed than for the white and/or working-class samples. The evaluation and instrumentality of 15 job outcomes, working, and being unemployed, were gathered from 52 black working class and white hard-core unemployed men and 48 white working-class and black hard-core unemployed men (18-50 yrs old). Significant race, social class, and interaction effects occurred, but the direction of the differences was not exactly as predicted. Correlational analyses also did not support the hypotheses. Results are discussed in terms of experiential differences in the perception of work and unemployment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of job attitudes, training, and organization climate on performance of the hard-core unemployed.

Examined potential contributors toward the job performance and retention of 478 hard-core unemployed (hcu): (a) the hcu's biographic and demographic background, (b) attitudes toward work, (c) the organizational climate in which he is placed, and (d) the effect of a 2-wk training/orientation program. The sole correlate of the hcu's work effectiveness and behavior was the degree of supportiveness of the organizational climate in which he was placed. In addition, the hcu saw this climate as far less supportive than did his supervisor. Results indicate that programs geared primarily toward adapting the hcu's work attitudes to the predominant social structure in the organization are far less potent than those that also incorporate the adaptation of the organizational climate. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ecosystem distrust and the hard-to-employ.

Conducted a study of samples of blacks and whites, males and females, young and old, hardcore unemployed, and working- and middle-class individuals to investigate "ecosystem distrust." The term is defined as a distrust of people, things, and institutions in one's environment. The components include less trust in people, suspicion of the motives of others, rejection of authority figures and institutions of the establishment, and seeing the environment as malevolent. Consistency was obtained across a heterogeneous set of questions, suggesting the presence of ecosystem distrust among the black hard-core. The implications of these findings for training the hard-to-employ and their supervisors are discussed. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job seeking, reemployment, and mental health: A randomized field experiment in coping with job loss.

Cognitive theories of adherence to difficult courses of action and findings from previous survey research on coping with a major life event—job loss—were used to generate a preventive intervention, tested by a randomized field experiment. The aim was to prevent poor mental health and loss of motivation to seek reemployment among those who continued to be unemployed and to promote high-quality reemployment. Ss were 928 recently unemployed adults from southeastern Michigan, representing a broad range of demographic characteristics; they were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control condition. The experimental intervention included training in job-seeking with a problem-solving process emphasizing inoculation against setbacks and positive social reinforcement. A pretest was administered, followed by posttests 1 and 4 months after the experiment. The experimental condition yielded higher quality reemployment in terms of earnings and job satisfaction, and higher motivation among those who continued to be unemployed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee attitudes toward a hard-core hiring program.

Assessed attitudes of 214 employees at all organizational levels in a large utility company toward a program involving hiring the hard-core unemployed both before program initiation and after 3 mo. of experience with the program. Ss were administered the Consequences Model Questionnaire. The hypothesized ambivalence of management personnel was verified, as was the differential impact of the program on employees at various levels. In general, the initially positive responses toward the program gave way to a position of balanced neutrality, a state in which assets were counterbalanced by liabilities. Results are interpreted in terms of the impact of the initial position of top management on program operation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The bright-side and the dark-side of CEO personality: Examining core self-evaluations, narcissism, transformational leadership, and strategic influence.

This article reports on an examination of the relationships between chief executive officer (CEO) personality, transformational and transactional leadership, and multiple strategic outcomes in a sample of 75 CEOs of Major League Baseball organizations over a 100-year period. CEO bright-side personality characteristics (core self-evaluations) were positively related to transformational leadership, whereas dark-side personality characteristics (narcissism) of CEOs were negatively related to contingent reward leadership. In turn, CEO transformational and contingent reward leadership were related to 4 different strategic outcomes, including manager turnover, team winning percentage, fan attendance, and an independent rating of influence. CEO transformational leadership was positively related to ratings of influence, team winning percentage, and fan attendance, whereas contingent reward leadership was negatively related to manager turnover and ratings of influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conservative management of penetrating and blunt Type III renal injuries

This study examines whether, while controlling for local economic conditions, job design and other organizational factors affect facility aide turnover rates in a sample of 250 nursing homes from 10 states. Facility characteristics were largely based on administrator and director of nursing interviews conducted in 1993 as part of the Health Care Financing Administration's evaluation of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) implementation. Aide turnover was significantly reduced by involvement in interdisciplinary care plan meetings. Turnover rates were higher in for-profit homes. Aide involvement in assessments, aide training and workload, case mix severity, payor source mix, and facility size were not significantly related to aide turnover.     

Antiprofessionalism in clinical psychology.

Comments on how the lack of formal academic training and supervised experience being offered in graduate training in psychology may discredit the professionalism of the field. The skills learned by graduate students in clinical psychology, because they lack hard-core content, may even be performed by lay people without any college education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alterations in energy balance with exercise

The doubly labeled water method for measuring average daily metabolic rate (ADMR) in combination with resting metabolic rate (RMR) allows one to assess the relation between exercise and energy balance. Three topics were included in an analysis of available data: 1) the limits of energy turnover in relation to physical performance for the achievement of energy balance, 2) the effect of an exercise intervention on daily energy turnover and its components, and 3) the effect of exercise on body composition. In the general population, physical activity level (PAL: ADMR/RMR) ranges between 1.2 and 2.2-2.5. There is no sex difference in the level of physical activity. Higher PAL values can be maintained by training and supplementation of the diet with energy-dense, carbohydrate-rich formulas. Exercise training does not influence spontaneous activity except in the elderly. In sedentary subjects, exercise training does not influence RMR when body weight is maintained. An exercise-induced increase in ADMR is about twice the training load. Exercise induces an increase in fat-free mass, especially in women, and a decrease in fat mass. Women tend to preserve energy balance and consequently loss of fat mass is significantly less.     

The employment of recent doctorate recipients in psychology: 1975 through 1978.

Describes results of the American Psychological Association's 1st 4 annual Doctorate Employment Surveys from 1975 to 1978. The surveys, conducted in the winter following receipt of degrees, found a low rate of unemployment: The percentage of doctorate recipients who were unemployed and seeking employment was 3.0% in 1975 and 2.0% or lower in subsequent years. Approximately half of those unemployed at the time of the survey had been employed in psychology-related work at a professional level before receiving their doctorates. Among those employed full-time, the percentage employed in academic settings declined, and the percentages employed in human service settings and business, government, and other settings increased. Despite the decline in academic employment, 97.1% reported that their jobs were related to psychology, and 89.0% reported that their jobs were commensurate with their training. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Contributions of Applications of Psychology to Education and Training.

The 2001 winner of the Award for Distinguished Contributions of Applications of Psychology to Education and Training is Alan M. Lesgold, whose "work ranges from basic investigations of human expertise and task performance to hard-core applications of computer technology that make individualized, interactive tutorial instruction accessible and affordable in education, training, and lifelong learning." His citation, biography, and selected bibliography are included, along with his award winning address, entitled, "The Nature and Methods of Learning by Doing." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity and fairness of physical ability tests for predicting performance in craft jobs: Correction to Reilly, Zedeck, and Tenopyr.

Reports an error in the original article by Richard R. Reilly, Sheldon Zedeck, and Mary L. Tenopyr (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1979, Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 262-274). In the Results section of Experiment 2 several results were reported incorrectly. The corrected results are provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1980-26872-001.) Problems relating to performance, accidents, and turnover in outdoor telephone craft jobs stimulated 2 experiments aimed at developing and validating a physical test battery. Based on job analysis results, a battery of 9 measures was administered to a sample of 128 Ss (83 males and 45 females) in Exp I. A 2-test battery (dynamic arm strength and reaction time), valid for predicting job task performance and turnover, was selected. Regression equations for males and females were not significantly different. Exp II included a sample of 210 Ss (132 males and 78 females). A 3-test battery consisting of a body density measure, a balance test, and a static strength test was selected based on relationships with training performance. No significant differences were found in the regression equations for males compared to females. The Exp II battery was also significantly related to field performance, training completion, and accidents and was valid for the Exp I criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unit-level voluntary turnover rates and customer service quality: Implications of group cohesiveness, newcomer concentration, and size.

Despite substantial growth in the service industry and emerging work on turnover consequences, little research examines how unit-level turnover rates affect essential customer-related outcomes. The authors propose an operational disruption framework to explain why voluntary turnover impairs customers’ service quality perceptions. On the basis of a sample of 75 work units and data from 5,631 employee surveys, 59,602 customer surveys, and organizational records, results indicate that unit-level voluntary turnover rates are negatively related to service quality perceptions. The authors also examine potential boundary conditions related to the disruption framework. Of 3 moderators studied (group cohesiveness, group size, and newcomer concentration), results show that turnover’s negative effects on service quality are more pronounced in larger units and in those with a greater concentration of newcomers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)