In order for companies to realize their organizational visions, they need staff who are high-potential and looking toward the future. Due to the demographic, social and economic situation in Europe, the labor market is already reflecting a lack of high-quality human resources (HR), which inspires research into and planned management of high-potential, i.e., talented, employees. Companies are aware that only those organizations that recognize this area as crucial and invest resources into it will be successful in the “war for talent.” The purpose of the study was to research the field of talent management from the perspective of the definition of what the talent management process means for companies, how to attract and recognize talented employees, what development activities to provide them with and how to measure their performance and progress. We employed an exploratory approach, using the method of semi-structured interviews to gather information from 21 HR professionals who work at medium-sized and large Slovenian companies. We found that these organizations use various approaches and activities to attract and develop talented employees. At two thirds of the companies, performance is measured using annual evaluation interviews, by measuring the meeting of targets and evaluations by superiors. The biggest challenges in the field are attracting talented employees and positioning the organization as a desirable employer. The study is useful primarily as an overview of the field and of best practices, which companies can use to argument their existing processes.

In this study we looked at whether job satisfaction and engagement have a positive connection with the level of career satisfaction. Career satisfaction also influences employee motivation and the achievement of better performance. This study is the first to look at the relationships between these three constructs (job satisfaction, work engagement and career satisfaction). The study participants were 1,168 employees of the University of Ljubljana (55.7 % of them women) with an average age of 42.8 years. Participants completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), the Career Satisfaction Scale (CSS) and the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, all of them online. The following factors were shown to be important predictors of career satisfaction: a managerial position, engagement, job satisfaction, satisfaction with co-workers, satisfaction with opportunities for promotion and education, and satisfaction with salary. The findings indicate the important role of employers in shaping and developing adequate career satisfaction.

Employers are increasingly including volunteer activities in their social responsibility programs. At companies at which this is done in a planned manner, we can speak of the development of a corporate volunteering, which correlates with numerous positive psychological outcomes at both the individual and the organizational level. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the corporate volunteering programs and job characteristics, connected with work engagement. In our study we were interested in identifying the role of the corporate volunteering in the evaluation of job resources and work engagement. The study included 274 employees from 15 Slovenian companies, of whom 62% participate in their organizations’ volunteer activities. They filled out the Job demands and resources questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17) and a scale for measuring the corporate volunteering climate. The results indicate that the carrying out of volunteer activities correlates with the perception of the corporate volunteering climate. Employees whose employers implement volunteering programs are more engaged and report higher levels of both autonomy and support from their co-workers and supervisors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Returning to work after sick leave is a process that begins with the initial steps of functional recovery and results in full vocational capacity. Different personal and situational factors could influence an employee’s well-being after returning. The following research was conducted in order to examine how occupational demands and resources, self-efficacy, and social engagement contribute to the return-to-work process. A total of 256 employees took part in the study, who were later divided into two groups: short- (less than 30 days), and long-term (more than 30 days) sick leave. We measured their self-efficacy at the workplace, recent job demands and resources, social engagement, and work satisfaction after returning to work after sick leave. The results showed that personal (gender, age, and self-efficacy), social (social engagement), and occupational (job demands and resources) factors are associated with the duration of sick leave. Participants who were on shorter sick leaves reported being more satisfied with their work after returning than those returning from long-term sick leave. The research presents important insights that could help employers better understand the needs of employees who are returning to work after sick leave.

To date only a few studies have focused on returning to work after suffering from burnout syndrome. Participants were asked about their perceived work effectiveness, changes in their personal values, and obstacles and support factors that they encountered when they returned to work. Among the 27 individuals of various professions included in the study, 18 achieved an average or a high score on the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which was used to conduct a semi-structured interview. The answers were later processed by analyzing the content. The results showed that burned-out individuals only slowly return to work after recovery. When they return to work, they encounter changes in personality, personal values, and work effectiveness, and they only receive partial support from the environment. The results draw attention to insufficient detection of the disease by medical staff and employers in Slovenia. Recovering from burnout is a long-term process, which depends most on individuals themselves. At the same time, they can receive the necessary support from their family and coworkers, especially in terms of understanding them and partially adapting their responsibilities at work when they return. This study draws attention to a number of factors that can influence an individual?s process of returning to work and can be used as a basis for developing systematic rehabilitation programs.

Every social situation that people encounter in their daily lives comes with a set of unwritten rules about what behavior is considered appropriate or inappropriate. These everyday norms can vary across societies: some societies may have more permissive norms in general or for certain behaviors, or for certain behaviors in specific situations. In a preregistered survey of 25,422 participants across 90 societies, we map societal differences in 150 everyday norms and show that they can be explained by how societies prioritize individualizing moral foundations such as care and liberty versus binding moral foundations such as purity. Specifically, societies with more individualistic morality tend to have more permissive norms in general (greater liberty) and especially for behaviors deemed vulgar (less purity), but they exhibit less permissive norms for behaviors perceived to have negative consequences in specific situations (greater care). By comparing our data with available data collected twenty years ago, we find a global pattern of change toward more permissive norms overall but less permissive norms for the most vulgar and inconsiderate behaviors. This study explains how social norms vary across behaviors, situations, societies, and time.