Job challenges are hindrances too
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
Date
2022-09-20
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
18
Series
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
Abstract
Purpose: The study aims to explore job demands experienced by employees and managers in micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on the job demands framework, the study discusses the experienced demands from the perspective of challenges that create opportunities for learning and achievement and hindrances that create obstacles for work. The study builds on the idea that the same demand can be perceived both as a challenge and a hindrance. That approach opens a path to responding to challenges by reformulating working practices and removing hindrances by designing, developing and crafting jobs and tasks. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyzed open-ended survey responses (N = 306) to study experienced job demands in 50 micro-enterprises and SMEs, how the perceived demands differ between employees and managers and whether they represent challenge or hindrance demands. Findings: The authors identified 17 job demand categories most including both challenge and hindrance demands. Time management and prioritization was the most central challenge and hindrance category for both employees and managers. For employees, sales and stakeholder relationships represented the second largest challenge category and communication and information flow was the second largest hindrance category. For managers, the second largest challenge and hindrance categories were organization and management of activities and the fragmentation of work, respectively. Originality/value: By focusing on employee experience, the achieve a more nuanced understanding of the SME context, which has been dominated by managerial evaluations. The study also advances the discussion on job demands by extending our knowledge of demands that may be experienced both as a challenge and a hindrance.Description
Funding Information: Funding: The study was funded by the European Social Fund. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Keywords
Challenge demands, Employee experience, Hindrance demands, Job demands, SMEs
Other note
Citation
Vanharanta , O , Vartiainen , M & Polvinen , K 2022 , ' Job challenges are hindrances too : examining experiences of managers and employees in Finnish SMEs ' , Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development , vol. 29 , no. 6 , pp. 975-992 . https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-07-2021-0274