The COVID-19 global pandemic still represents a major threat with detrimental health consequences. Analyzing the psychological outcomes, COVID-19 could be interpreted as a collective traumatic event that can generate symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considering this, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the relationship between intrusive thoughts and fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic and between intrusive thoughts and mental health; second, to test the mediating role of hyperarousal and avoidance in these two relationships. In order to reach these aims, the present study investigated these relationships and tested a mediation model in two cross-sectional studies in Italy. Altogether, 627 individuals and 495 workers completed an online survey for study 1 and study 2, respectively. Mediation analyses were performed via the SPSS macro PROCESS; the significance of total, direct, and indirect effect was tested via bootstrapping. The results showed that within the PTSD framework, hyperarousal compared with avoidance mediated the relationship between intrusion and the analyzed outcomes. In conclusion, the present study provided empirical evidence for the influence of hyperarousal on individual consequences such as fear of COVID-19 and mental health. Research, as well as theoretical and practical implications, are discussed.

In today’s dynamic organizational environment, employees with a tendency to display discretional behaviors beyond their prescribed formal job duties represent a plus. Underpinned by the theories of social exchange and conservation of resources, these behaviors can be influenced by their level of job satisfaction (JS), defined as the extent to which employees like their work, and work engagement (WE), defined as a positive work-related state of mind. The present study investigates the mediating mechanism of WE in the relationship between JS and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), which refer to discretionary behaviors that could benefit an organization (OCBs-O) and/or its members (OCBs-I). The mediational hypothesis is examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) among 719 Italian private and public sector employees. The significance of total, direct, and indirect effects was tested via bootstrapping. The results showed that JS was positively related to WE, which, in turn, was positively related to both OCBs-I and OCBs-O. The SEM results supported the hypotheses: WE fully mediated the relationship between JS and OCBs-I, and it partially mediated the relationship between JS and OCBs-O. This study sheds new light on this mechanism. Consequently, it is useful for HRM policy. It also helps us to better understand how satisfied and engaged employees are willing to adopt positive organizational behaviors.

The importance of human resource management (HRM) practices to improve organizational attitudes and behaviors is not yet widely acknowledged. However, is not clear whether the effect of HRM practices on outcomes vary depending on the level of specific personal resources. The present paper aims to examine the relationship between HRM practices and work engagement by focusing on the moderating role of adaptability. We used cross-sectional data with surveys from 1219 Italian employees in public, private, and non-profit organizations. The results of structural equation models (SEM) showed that HRM practices were positively related to work engagement overall for employees with low adaptability. Therefore, adaptability moderated the relationship between HRM practices and work engagement. In terms of originality, this study is based on the paucity of empirical studies linking developmental HR practices to employees’ work engagement. Hence, the present study addressed this gap by examining the relationship between the perception of HRM practices and work engagement, as well as how adaptability moderated this relationship. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications for HRM.

In recent years, organizations have increasingly become aware of the importance of employee happiness as well as the role of HRM practices and personal resources in promoting well-being at work. Based on the Job Demand–Resources model, we investigated ways in which proactive personality may predict flow at work through sequential mediation via job crafting and work engagement. A total of 362 Italian employees completed an online questionnaire. The results showed a positive correlation between proactive personality, job crafting, and work engagement and flow at work. Additionally, proactive personality had a positive total effect on work engagement and flow at work. However, the significant effect on flow at work disappeared in favor of the sequential indirect effect. These results suggest that proactive employees experience flow at work through the mediating role of job crafting and work engagement. This paper contributes to scientific knowledge by filling a gap in the literature around the mechanisms which underly the relationship between proactivity and flow at work. Furthermore, it provides new evidence and new insights about the role of personal resources in promoting flow in the workplace. Our results here can provide practical implications for organizations.

In this article, we conceptualize a new construct named “ductility” and propose a measurement instrument. We examine psychometric properties—the factorial validity and reliability of the Ductility Scale in Italy. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the scale has a two-factor structure, namely, individual and organizational ductility. The scale reliability was excellent for both dimensions (individual ω = 0.82; organizational ω = 0.85). The participants were employees from private and public organizations (n = 466). We tested the construct validity of the Ductility Scale. The invariance of the measurement model tested via multigroup confirmative factor analysis showed that the Ductility Scale was invariant across gender. In addition, we found ductility to be positively related to proactive personality and work engagement. These preliminary results show that the Ductility Scale is a reliable and valid measure. In addition, our findings illustrate the potential usefulness of the ductility construct via the newly developed scale.