Supervisor-worker relationships and the work environment: Development and validation of a construction specific measure
Rebecca Loudoun, Amanda Biggs, A.P. Robertson, Keith Townsend, Ashlea C. Troth
Abstract
The costs of work-related mental health place a considerable burden on employees, organisations, and communities; effective, evidence-based interventions addressing this issue are urgently needed. The influence of the work environment, particularly psychosocial hazards, on employees’ mental and physical health and safety is well-established within the broader health and wellbeing literature and is increasingly being recognised as an important issue within the Building and Construction Industry (BCI). In particular, the role of supervisors in shaping work conditions that contribute to, or ameliorate, psychosocial hazards has been emphasised in BCI contexts. While the quality of supervisor-worker relationships are important in their own right, there are a multitude of ways in which supervisors exert influence on the work environment that extend beyond the dynamics of the dyadic relationships, including clarifying role expectations and allocating resources to balance workloads. The dearth of valid and reliable measures to assess aspects of the work environment that influence (and are influenced by) the quality of supervisor-worker relationships is a critical barrier to implementing effective mental health interventions in the workplace. This research presents a two-part study outlining the development and validation of an 11-dimension measure of work characteristics, which are influenced by supervisor-worker relationships, for use in BCI contexts. Study 1A outlines the iterative approach taken to assess the suitability of existing published measures for adaptation within the BCI, employing interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders. This approach resulted in a preliminary People at Work – Construction (PAW-CON) pilot measure of 44-items. In Study 1B, the validity and reliability of the PAW-CON was assessed via a quantitative survey completed by 406 Australian BCI employees. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a final 36-item measure consisting of 11 aspects of work directly relevant to supervisor-worker relationships. These findings support using the PAW-CON measure in academic and applied BCI settings.