The primary aim of this study was to better understand the antecedents of doctoral students' emotional well-being, and their plans to leave academia. Based on past research, antecedents included departmental support, the quality of the supervisory relationship, and characteristics of the supervisory relationship. We used a mixed-methods study, and surveyed 186 doctoral students from nine countries. We found that supportive relationships, at the departmental and advisor level, reduced emotional exhaustion and intentions to leave academia, and that emotional exhaustion was positively related to doctoral students' intentions to leave academia. Findings also indicated that advisor experience and frequency of meetings reduced students' emotional exhaustion but did not affect their intentions to leave academia. Recommendations to reduce emotional exhaustion and to temper doctoral student attrition before and after degree completion are offered.

Is it better to be laid off when a downsizing initiative is announced

No abstract

This study investigates the criteria for acceptance of an employee's superior as a role model, with special attention placed on the effect of superior/subordinate gender. The data for the study were collected from 1579 senior managers from three large Canadian public and quasi-public organizations. While significant gender differences were found, they were relatively unimportant determinants of role model acceptance. By far the most important determinant of subordinate acceptance of a superior as a role model is the subordinate's perception of the superior's performance.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare knowledge employees' perceptions of contingent work with their managers' perceptions, highlighting potential differences in their respective psychological contracts which might produce dissonance in the employment relationship.Design/methodology/approachOriginal research using interviews and scalar data of both contingent knowledge workers and their managers are reported. The study sample consists of 32 contingent knowledge workers and 33 managers in five industries in Canada: two public sector and three private sector.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that differences exist between contingent knowledge workers and their managers with how contingent work affects career goals, promotion opportunities, and training and development opportunities. Additionally, differences occur in the constructs that mirror the traditional empirical measurements of the psychological contract. Two major themes are revealed: coping with uncertainty and integration with the organization on the part of contingent workers and managers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to research on contingent employment as it compares manager and contingent knowledge worker responses in terms of the psychological contracts formed by each.