In March 2017, the Education and Training committee of SOHP and Portland State University hosted the very first webinar on occupational safety and health that attracted attendees from all over the United States and around the world. The intention of this webinar series is to facilitate dissemination of occupational health & safety research and to catalyze idea cross-fertilization in our field.
Alternatively on Youtube:
Title: Costs of a stressful commute: Implications for work behaviors
Presented by: Dr. Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang, Michigan State University
Abstract: Despite the increasing popularity of new forms of work (e.g., telecommuting) in the information age, commuting remains a daily routine for many in the workforce. Given that commuting usually occurs right before individuals start their actual work activities, it is an integral experience of workers’ lives. The quality of their commute may have implications for not only their well-being during the commute, but also their subsequent work behaviors. In two studies using daily experience sampling methodology, we demonstrate that exposure to morning commute stressors have a significant impact on employees’ behaviors during the work day. In Study 1, data were collected from employees in China who used public transportation to commute to work. Results showed that morning commute stressors were positively related to workers’ commuting strain, which in turn was negatively related to their self-regulation at work. Commuting means efficacy and daily task significance attenuated these associations. In Study 2, data were collected from managers in the US who drove to work. Results showed that exposure to commute stressors were positively related to depletion, which in turn was negatively associated with effective leader behaviors. This association was attenuated by individuals’ implicit theory about willpower.