This article presents the lived narrative of a female academic with children working in a British university and trying to cope with a completely new way of work and life in the context of the pandemic. The overall aim of the article is to offer a gendered account of burnoutspecifically how women may be experiencing burnout at multiple levels, and the efficacy of their subsequent coping strategies. The narrative provides insights into how a range of coping mechanisms such as disengagement, denial, and energy conservation are deployed to deal with the increased responsibilities at work and home as a result of the pandemic. Existing research has viewed burnout as gender neutral, leaving a gap in the literature on the significant differences in both men's and women's experience of burnout as well as their coping behaviors.
This study examines the influence of a national cultural dimension, specifically a strong orientation towards collectivism/reliance on network relationships, referred to as 'wasta', on the way in which psychological contracts form and change in a Saudi organization. Specifically, it focuses upon how the psychological contract is perceived to have been breached by repatriates because of the role that wasta plays in shaping formal and informal HR practices pre-and post-assignment. The analysis demonstrates that prior to international assignment, wasta was taken for granted and only implicitly acknowledged as influencing selection criteria for assignments and individuals' expectations and obligations associated with their psychological contract. Once repatriated, wasta was foregrounded and perceived as highly problematic in terms of career advancement. This shaped repatriates' perceptions that their psychological contract had been breached, influencing their intentions to leave. These findings suggest that the psychological contract can be viewed as highly context-specific, as well as a person-centred phenomenon. We consider the implications of our research in terms of the influence of national cultural characteristics on individual's perceptions of breaches to the psychological contract and highlight the possible implications generally for Saudi Arabia, which is aiming to be less reliant on foreign labour.
Drawing on 31 interviews, we explore the life trajectories of some of the women with most directorships in Norway after the introduction of the quota, with specific attention to their capitals. Adopting a Bourdieusian approach, we examine to what extent forced structural changes (the quota), challenge what are valued as legitimate capital(s) in the field (corporate boards). Our research demonstrates the progressive role of the quota in challenging gendered ideas of suitability. We found that structural adjustments in the field are leading to realignment in terms of the field-specific value and meaning of different types of capitals, which are redrawing the boundaries of the field in the process. We conclude that the external push through state-imposed regulation has broadened the field, resulting in the recognition of a wider set of capitals as legitimate. The study responds to the much-debated question about the utility of quotas in addressing systemic and historical inequalities.
This research explores repatriates' perceptions of their psychological contract pre and post international assignment, upon return to Saudi Arabia. As international assignments can last several years, expectations are likely to change, to the extent that repatriates perceive a gap between their expectations and organizational obligations upon their return. The paper draws on findings from two case studies. These revealed significant differences across the two organizations indicating that human resource policies and practices, as well as informal organizational norms, specifically associated with the expatriation and repatriation process, can have a profound impact on repatriates' perceptions of whether their psychological contracts have been fulfilled or breached upon their return. The findings also demonstrate the importance of well-defined, explicit HR policies and practices, particularly regarding career development/promotion, if repatriates are to perceive that their psychological contract has been fulfilled upon their return.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.