Objectives

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand job demands and the resources that influence organizational commitment of public safety telecommunicators.

Methods

Individual interviews served as the data source from participants in New Orleans, Louisiana. Purposeful sampling resulted in thirteen individual interviews.

Results

The participant interview transcript data were coded and led the themes of (a) emotional demands, (b) mental demands, (c) physical demands, (d) work overloads, (e) bureaucracy, (f) team atmosphere, (g) person-job fit, and (h) availability of tools, which influence mostly the affective commitment of public safety telecommunicators.

Conclusions

With these perspectives that further describe the life-or-death protective nature of the work, the implications for positive social change include understanding the reasons for turnover, which can lead to improved retention and operations as well as support for reclassification and innovation of the profession.  

References

1. Schaufeli, W. B. (2017). Applying the job demands-resources model: A ‘how to’ guide to measuring and tackling work engagement and burnout. Organizational Dynamics, 46, 120-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.04.008

2. Turner, K. (2015). Effects of Stress on 9-1-1 Call-Takers and Police Dispatchers: A Study at the San Jose Police Department. (Master’s Thesis). San Jose State University, San Jose California. Available from Scholarworks. https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.3yxn-3pvm

3. Association of Public Safety Communication Officials International. (2018). APCO ANS 1.115.1-2018 core competencies, operational factors, and training for next generation technologies in public safety communications.  https://psc.apcointl.org/2018/07/12/apco-announces-approval-of-apco-core-competencies-operational-factors-and-training-for-next-generation-technologies-in-public-safety-communications-standard/

4. 2

5. Lu, Y., Hu, X., Huang, X., Zhuang, X., Guo, P., Feng, L., Hu, W., Chen, L., Zou, H., Hao, Y. (2017). The relationship between job satisfaction, work stress, work-family conflict, and turnover intention among physicians in Guangdong, China: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 7, e014894. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014894

6. Gurevich, M., Halpern, J., Brazeau, P., Defina, P. S., Schwartz, B. (2018). Frontline stress behind the scenes: Emergency medical dispatchers. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228796157

7. Jain, A. K., Giga, S. I., & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Stress, health, and well-being: The mediating role of employee and organizational commitment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10, 4907-4924. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10104907

8. 5

9. Huynh, J., Xanthopoulou, D., & Winefield, A.H. (2014). The Job demands-resources model in emergency service volunteers: Examining the mediating roles of exhaustion, work engagement, and organizational connectedness. Work & Stress, 28(3), 305-322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2014.936922

10. Baseman, J., Revere, D., Painter, I., Stangenes, S., Lilly, M., Beaton, R., Calhoun, R., & Meischke, H. (2018). Impact of new technologies on stress, attrition, and well-being in emergency call centers: The nextgeneration 9–1-1 study protocol. Bio Medical Central Public Health, 18(597). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5510-x

11. Ahn, M. K., Lee, M. H., Kim, H. K., & Jeong, S. H. (2015). Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention among male nurses. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 21(2), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2015.21.2.203

12. Geneveiciute-Janoniene , G. & Endriulaitiene, A. (2014). Employees’ organizational commitment: its negative aspects for organizations. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140(22). 558-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.470

13. Bon, A. T., & Shire, A. M. (2017). The impact of job demands on employees’ turnover intentions: A study on telecommunication sector. International Journal of Scientific Research Publications, 7(5). http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0517.php?rp=P656413

14. Yildirim, M., Acar, A., Bayraktar, U., & Akova, O. (2015). The effect of organizational commitment and job commitment to intention to leave of employment: A research in hotel management. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 6(11), 128-137. ISSN 2219-1933

15. Police Executive Research Forum. (2017). Critical issues in policies series: the revolution in emergency communications. Motorola Solutions Foundation. ISBN: 978-1-934485-40-8.

16.1

17.10

18. Jain, A. K., Giga, S. I., & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Stress, health, and well-being: The mediating role of employee and organizational commitment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10, 4907-4924. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10104907

19. Mercurio, Z. A. (2015). Affective commitment as a core essence of organizational commitment: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 14(4), 389–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484315603612

 20.2

21. Schaufeli, W. B. (2017). Applying the job demands-resources model: A ‘how to’ guide to measuring and tackling work engagement and burnout. Organizational Dynamics, 46, 120-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.04.008

 22.13

23. Kotze, M. (2018), "How job resources and personal resources influence work engagement and burnout", African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 9(2), 148-164. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-05-2017-0096

24. Wang, P., Chu, P., Wang, J., Pan, R., Sun, Y., Yan, M., et al. (2020). Association between job stress and organizational commitment in three types of Chinese university teachers: mediating effects of job burnout and job satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 576-768. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.576768

25. Ki, J., Ryu, J., Baek, J., Huh, I., & Choi-Kwon, S. (2020). Association between health problems and turnover intention in shift work nurses: Health problem clustering. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4532. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph17124532

26. Foertsch, A. S. (2021). The Relationship of Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction to Organizational Commitment. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation).  Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Alabama.

27. Wazir, H., & Jan, I. (2020). Moderating effects of organizational commitment on job satisfaction and turnover intention. Journal of Research in Emerging Markets, 2(4), 48–57. https://doi.org/10.30585/jrems.v2i4.542

28. Ter Hoeven, C., Zoonen, W., & Fonner, K. L. (2016). The practical paradox of technology: The influence of communication technology use on employee burnout and engagement, Communication Monographs, 83(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2015.1133920

29. Yoo, J., & Arnold, T. J. (2016). Frontline employee customer-oriented attitude in the presence of job demands and resources: The influence upon deep and surface acting. Journal of Service Research, 19(1), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670515589956

30. Đorđević, B., Ivanović-Đukić, M., Lepojević, V., & Milanović, S. (2020). The impact of employees' commitment on organizational performances. Strategic Management, 25(3), 28-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/StraMan2003028D

31. Albrecht, S. L., & Marty, A. (2020). Personality, self-efficacy and job resources and their associations with employee engagement, affective commitment and turnover intentions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(5), 657–681. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1362660

32. Brunetto, Y., Teo, S., Shacklock, K., & Farr-Wharton, R. (2012). Emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, well-being, and engagement: explaining organizational commitment and turnover intentions in policing. Human Resource Management Journal, 22(4), 428-441. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2012.00198.x

33. Borst, R. T., Kruyen, P. M., & Lako, C. J. (2019). Exploring the Job Demands– Resources Model of Work Engagement in Government: Bringing in a Psychological Perspective. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 39(3),  372–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X17729870

34. Othman, R., Asri, N. A. M., Alias, N. E., Jahya, A., Koe, W.-L., & Krishnan, R. (2021). The effect of job resources on work engagement: Does this matter among academics in Malaysia? International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(6), 1165–1175. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i6/10245

35. Luo, M., & Lei, J. (2021). Using the JD-R model to predict the organizational outcomes of social workers in Guangzhou, China. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 12(2), 349-369. https://doi.org/10.1086/714311

36. Wingerden, J., Bakker, A. and Derks, D. (2016), "A test of a job demands-resources intervention," Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(3), 686-701. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-03-2014-0086

37. Tadić, M., Bakker, A., & Oerlemans, W. (2014). Challenge versus Hindrance Job Demands and Well‐Being: A Diary Study on the Moderating Role of Job Resources. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(4), 702-725. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12094

38.(Clark, C. M., Tan, M. L., Murfett, U. M., Rogers, P. S., & Ang, S. (2019). The Call Center Agent’s Performance Paradox: A Mixed-Methods Study of Discourse Strategies and Paradox Resolution. Academy of Management Discoveries. 5(2). https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2016.0024

39. Shafritz, J. M., Ott, J. S., & Jang, Y. S. (Eds.). (2016). Classics of organization theory. (8th ed). Cengage Learning. ISBN:  978-1-285-87027-4.

40. Brooks, T. & Spillane, J. P. (2016). Does inappropriate quality control demotivate workers? A critical review. In Proceedings 32nd Annual ARCOM Conference, P W Chan and C J Neilson (Eds.), 823-832. http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/8ff8292fe02ba01e5d660ab5e0ea2a45.pdf

41. Bakker, A. B., & de Vries, J. D. (2021) Job demands–resources theory and self-regulation: New explanations and remedies for job burnout. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 34(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1797695

42. Geneveiciute-Janoniene , G. & Endriulaitiene, A. (2014). Employees’ organizational commitment: its negative aspects for organizations. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 140(22). 558-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.470

43. Shinan-Altman, S., Cohen, M., Rasmussen, V., Turnell, A., & Butow, P. (2018). Burnout among psychosocial oncologists in Israel: The direct and indirect effects of job demands and job resources. Palliative and Supportive Care, 16(6), 677-684. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1478951517001006

44. Bakker, A. B. (2015). A job demands–resources approach to public service motivation. Public Admin Review, 75, 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12388

45. Hart, A. (2014). Work stress and well-being: A longitudinal study of the Job Demands-Resources model in Australian clergy. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). School of Psychology College of Medicine, Biology and Environment Australian National University, Canberra.