Sunjin Pak, Ph.D.

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) fairness and resource investment strategies in the workplace, namely personal initiative and work withdrawal behaviors, with energy as a mediating factor and conscientiousness and neuroticism as moderators. A sample of 728 U.S. employees was collected to test the proposed model using mediation and moderated-mediation analyses. The study finds support for the mediation hypotheses, indicating that when employees perceive TASW as fair (unfair), they report higher (lower) energy levels and are thus likely to engage in personal initiative (work withdrawal) behaviors. Additionally, conscientiousness strengthens the positive relationship between TASW-fairness and personal initiative, while the negative relationship between TASW-fairness and work withdrawal appears consistent across neuroticism levels. This study introduces the concept of technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) within a fairness framework and relates it to resource investment strategies in the workplace, providing novel insights into the role of fairness perceptions and individual differences in shaping employee behaviors.

Abstract: This study investigates the causal relationship between paid working hours, perceived health, and wages in South Korea, with a focus on gender disparities. The researchers hypothesize a U-inverted relationship between paid working hours and health, suggesting that health improves with longer hours up to a certain point and then declines. They further hypothesize a reciprocal positive relationship between health and wages, and that women experience negative health impacts at lower work-hour thresholds than men. Using 13 years of data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), the study found an inverted U-curve relationship between working hours and perceived health. The health inflection points were observed at 41.36 hours for men and 28.95 hours for women, indicating that women experience negative health effects sooner than men, likely due to unpaid domestic work. The research also identified a positive bidirectional link between health and wages. This study provides causal evidence on how paid working hours affect health and wages, emphasizing the need for gender-specific considerations in policy and workplace practices.

Abstract: This study aims to address workplace cyber incivility in digital environments by proposing human resource (HR) management strategies derived from a systematic review of the literature. It seeks to clarify the concept of cyber incivility, identify its antecedents and outcomes, and provide practical recommendations for HR practices to mitigate its effects. The included studies (n = 31) examined diverse professional contexts, with sample sizes ranging from 69 to 830 participants. Cyber incivility is shaped by individual factors (e.g., personality traits, demographic characteristics), situational factors (e.g., workload, stress), and technology-driven factors (e.g., misinterpretation in digital communication). Its negative impacts include reduced job satisfaction, heightened stress, burnout, and increased turnover intentions. Evidence-based HR recommendations include developing digital communication guidelines, implementing resilience-building programs, and offering training on digital etiquette and conflict resolution. This study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding cyber incivility in digital work environments and offers evidence-based HR interventions to foster respectful communication and improve employee well-being.

Abstract: The study explores the mediating role of trust in management in the link between High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS) and organizational performance. It specifically investigates how shared perceptions of HPWS between employees and management can contribute to a competitive advantage. The results highlight the importance of consensus among employees regarding HR practices. The findings indicate that while employee-management congruence in HPWS perceptions did not directly moderate the HPWS-firm performance relationship, it significantly influenced the indirect effect through trust in management. The positive impact of HPWS on performance via trust was stronger when there was high congruence between employee and management perceptions. This research extends the social exchange perspective on the HPWS-performance relationship by incorporating trust in management as a critical mediator and employee-management congruence in HPWS perceptions as a moderator.

Abstract: This study explores the effects of cyber incivility on adverse work outcomes, specifically work withdrawal and turnover intention. The authors draw on self-determination theory and conservation of resources theory to examine the mediating roles of basic need satisfaction and burnout in this relationship. Furthermore, the study investigates conscientiousness and neuroticism as boundary conditions that influence the effects of cyber incivility on basic need satisfaction, burnout, and the aforementioned work outcomes. Based on time-lagged data from 685 full-time workers in the United States, the results support the hypotheses that cyber incivility is indirectly associated with work withdrawal and turnover intention through basic need satisfaction and burnout. The findings also indicate that for individuals with high conscientiousness, the negative direct effect of cyber incivility on basic need satisfaction, and the positive indirect effects of cyber incivility on work withdrawal and turnover intention are stronger compared to individuals with lower conscientiousness.

Abstract: Work-family policies aim to support individuals in the workforce, but often lead to reduced rewards for those who utilize them. Drawing on the ideal worker norm framework and signaling theory, this study hypothesized that the duration of parental leave would result in lower wage growth, independently of simply having children. Using discontinuous growth models, the study found that both men and women experienced lower hourly wage growth when taking longer parental leave. Furthermore, there were more significant penalties associated with taking paid parental leave compared to unpaid parental leave. The findings suggest that while paid parental leave is mostly accessible to skilled, professional employees, its use incurs a noticeable early-career wage penalty. In contrast, the use of unpaid leave did not show the same penalty. The study also indicated that although both genders are penalized for taking parental leave, longer leaves taken by women contribute to an increased gender pay gap.

Abstract: This meta-analysis introduces a framework that integrates research on the relationship between working hours and the work-family interface. Utilizing the work-home resources model, the study integrates work-family enrichment and conflict theory, with a focus on the positive and negative mediational processes of human energy. Working hours are conceptualized as having the potential to simultaneously increase vigor and exhaustion, which, in turn, can lead to increased work-family enrichment and work-family conflict, respectively. The model suggests, and a meta-analytic investigation (N = 459,846) supports, that the two dimensions of human energy—vigor and exhaustion—mediate the relationship between working hours and work-to-family enrichment and conflict. These findings contribute to the literature by integrating positive and negative energy mechanisms in the relationship between working hours and work-to-family enrichment and conflict.

Abstract: The study posits that perceived job insecurity acts as a critical job stressor, leading to negative health outcomes for workers and potentially increased healthcare costs for employers. While sleep quality is a significant health indicator, its relationship with perceived job insecurity has been understudied. Using job stress concepts and a perseverative cognition model, the researchers examined the association between perceived job insecurity and subjective sleep quality, with negative work spillover considered as a mediator. They also explored gender as a potential moderator. The study comprised two parts: Study 1 utilized a nationally representative sample of 1,031 working adults, and Study 2 involved a sample of 152 working adults who participated in three biweekly surveys. Key Findings: Negative work spillover was found to mediate the relationship between perceived job insecurity and subjective sleep quality in both studies. Contrary to their initial prediction, no gender moderation was found in either study, meaning the relationship between job insecurity and subjective sleep quality, as mediated by negative work spillover, did not significantly differ between men and women.

Abstract: This study utilizes dyadic longitudinal data from Korea to estimate the effect of fathers' paternity leave use on mothers' family relationship satisfaction. The researchers hypothesized that a father's use of paternity leave would increase his job and life satisfaction, and this positive effect would 'cross over' to his spouse's family relationship satisfaction, which is highly correlated with marital satisfaction. The findings indicate robust evidence of a long-term effect, showing that even a few days of paternity leave can have a measurable impact on the couple. The study suggests that supporting fathers through paternity leave can positively influence family and labor force outcomes, potentially alleviating some of the mother's workload and assisting her return to the labor force.

Abstract: The relationship between income and psychological well-being is well established, but most research in this area focuses on the individual level, often overlooking the role of relative earnings within a couple. This study aims to estimate the effect of a person's share of family income on their depressive symptoms. Specifically, it examines whether within-person changes in the share of family income differentially impact the level of depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers. Using data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY79), the researchers followed the same individuals over four years and analyzed their data using a cross-lagged structural equation model. The findings indicate that, after controlling for net income, an increase in a mother's share of family income is associated with an increased level of depressive symptoms, while the same increase for fathers is related to a decreased level of depressive symptoms. When examining a subsample of stay-at-home parents, the study found that a change to stay-at-home parent status, after previously contributing to family income, is linked to a higher level of depressive symptoms for fathers, but not for mothers.