Validation of an Employee Remote Workplace Stress Measure Embedded Within a Novel Employee Wellbeing App

NCT04752683 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 295082
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 220
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study aims to validate an adapted workplace stress scale (American Institute of Stress) for employees working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our funding company (BPAi) is a global provider of technology enabled business process services. They offer a range of innovative services and bespoke software solutions, to improve the performance of client networks by increasing revenue, reducing cost, enhancing customer satisfaction. Clients have provided feedback that they require a way to manage, monitor and support their employees' wellbeing while working remotely. The MyBuddy web-based app is in development to meet this need. To best support employees, having an effective measure of workplace stress while working remotely will be a core feature of the app. Thus, this research study was commissioned to validate the measure. A theoretical framework has been developed based on recent models. The measure was adapted based on this theoretical framework (see detailed description). The hypothesis is that our measure will be validated using participants from BPAi's clients (technology/automotive corporations). The investigators hope this study will help to contribute to the evidence base and provide a useful tool in assessing remote workplace stress. Participants will be employees of BPAi's clients taking part in the piloting of the novel employee wellbeing app. Participants will be invited to take part in the research when they first log into the app. Participants will be provided with an information sheet and a consent form. Once they have provided informed consent, they will be prompted to complete the embedded questionnaires (including the once to be validated). After one month, they will be prompted to complete the questionnaires again. Once the data has been collected, their access to the app will end, and the data will be analysed. Once the data has been analysed, the measure will either be validated, or require adaptations and re-validation with a new sample. The research will be written up into a manuscript and submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

Conditions

Work Related Stress

Keywords

Measure Validation; Employee Wellbeing; Workplace Stress; Remote Working; App Development

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Remote Workplace Stress Scale (R-WSS; measure to be validated)

  The R-WSS is an adapted version of the Workplace Stress Scale (American Institute of Stress, 2001) to include domains related to remote working. The measure comprises 11 items relating to the previous week. One item was changed from "conditions at work are unpleasant or sometimes even unsafe" to "conditions for remote working are unsuitable (e.g. uncomfortable workspace noisy environment, etc.)". Three items were added: "I feel isolated from my work colleagues", "I worked my contracted hours", and "I found it difficult to schedule and take breaks while working remotely". The measure uses the same five-point scale ranging from "never" to "always", with four items reverse scored. A total score is obtained by adding the scores from each item, with a maximum score of 55. The score categories are as follows: 0-20 indicates they are relatively calm, 21-30 indicates fairly low stress, 31-38 indicates moderate stress, 39-48 indicates severe stress, and 49-55 indicates extreme stress.

  One month

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• The World Health Organization Five Wellbeing Index (WHO-5; Bech, 2004)

  One month

• Work and Wellbeing Survey (UWES-9; Schaufeli et al., 2006)

  One month

Other Outcomes (1)

• Demographic Information (non-identifiable)

  One Month

Study Arms (2)

Organisation 1

All participants in this cohort will be from one organisation (to be confirmed). A minimum of 110 participants will be sought from this organisation.

Other: MyBuddy Employee Wellbeing App

Organisation 2

All participants in this cohort will be from one organisation (to be confirmed). A minimum of 110 participants will be sought from this organisation.

Other: MyBuddy Employee Wellbeing App

Interventions

MyBuddy Employee Wellbeing App OTHER

The intervention is not being evaluated in this research study. The MyBuddy app contains five core components to help employees track their wellbeing (assisting employers in managing their employees' wellbeing). The six core components are: (1) a 'Budometer' stress measure (measure to be validated); (2) working from home information and assessment designed to inform employees about the legal requirements and risks they and their employers are subject to when home working; (3) messaging service for employees to contact their HR department or their line manager; (4) a 'Think Room' forum for staff to discuss ideas; (5) an 'Appreciation Page' for staff to show appreciation for their colleagues; and (6) 'my hours this week' log to track the hours they have worked. A seventh element is available for HR departments demonstrating data for the employees (employees are aware that HR will be able to see their data).

Organisation 1; Organisation 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The R-WSS contains 11 items, meaning that a minimum of 220 participants will be required (Collingridge, 2015). This is consistent with Hoelter's (1983) suggestion that a minimum of 200 participants should be sought for a confirmatory factor analysis. The funding company (BPAi) will invite up to three corporate clients with large numbers of employees working remotely to take part in the pilot of the app. Upon agreement from the corporate clients, their employees will be invited to register with the app and will be presented with the information sheet and consent form to take part. Selection of the corporate clients should not impact the results of the study because corporate employees are the target population for both the remote workplace stress measure and the MyBuddy app.

You may qualify if:

• Are an employee of one of the invited companies
• Can use English fluently
• Can use the internet to access the app regularly
• Are working remotely (mostly or fully)
• Provide informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Holly Risdon: lead
• BPAi: collaborator
• American Institute of Stress: collaborator

Related Publications (8)

• Prasad KDV, Mangipudi MR, Vaidya RW, & Muralidhar B. Organizational climate, opportunities, challenges and psychological wellbeing of the remote working employees during COVID-19 pandemic: A general linear model approach with reference to information technology industry in Hyderabad. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology. 2020; 11(4): 372-389.

  BACKGROUND

• Tuzovic S., & Kabadayi S. The influence of social distancing on employee wellbeing: A conceptual framework and research agenda. Journal of Service Management, In press. Available via: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/203329/ [Accessed January 2021]

  BACKGROUND

• Schaufeli WB., Bakker AA, & Salanova M. Educational and Psychological Measurement: The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire. A Cross-National Study. 2006; 66(4): 1-20.

  BACKGROUND

• Bech P. Measuring the dimensions of psychological general well-being by the WHO-5. QoL Newsletter. 2004; 32: 15-16.

  BACKGROUND

• Topp CW, Ostergaard SD, Sondergaard S, Bech P. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychother Psychosom. 2015;84(3):167-76. doi: 10.1159/000376585. Epub 2015 Mar 28.

  PMID: 25831962 BACKGROUND

• Hoetler JW. The analysis of covariance structures: Goodness-of-fit indices. Sociological Methods and Research. 1983; 11: 325-344

  BACKGROUND

• Nunally JC, & Bernstein IH. Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 1994

  BACKGROUND

• Strauss ME, Smith GT. Construct validity: advances in theory and methodology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2009;5:1-25. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.032408.153639.

  PMID: 19086835 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Occupational Stress

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Occupational Diseases; Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• H. A Risdon

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Holly A Risdon

CONTACT

07739799345; holly.risdon@googlemail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Target Duration: 1 Month
• Sponsor Type: INDUSTRY
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Freelance Psychology Consultant

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 9, 2021
• First Posted: February 12, 2021
• Study Start: October 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2022
• Study Completion: June 1, 2022
• Last Updated: July 27, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-07