Self-efficacy and affective well-being among young workers: Examining job quality as an antecedent of employee health and performance outcomes

The purpose of this longitudinal study is to determine the degree to which the relationships between job quality and employee outcomes (i.e., health and performance) found in adult samples generalize to young workers. In addition, this study of young workers examines the psychological processes involved in the relationship between job quality and the outcomes of job performance and employee health. Based on social cognitive theory and affective events theory it was hypothesized that perceived job self-efficacy and job-related affect would mediate the relationship between job quality (i.e., intrinsic job characteristics and interpersonal conflict) and employee outcomes (i.e., job performance and health). Structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression were used to examine data collected from a sample of 195 young workers and 83 of their supervisors in a four-month cooperative education work term. Hourly wages, school performance, and conscientiousness were used as control variables. The results indicate that the influence of job quality on employee health and performance is related to the development of perceived job self-efficacy and job-related affect. As mediators of the relationship between job quality and employee outcomes, both perceived job self-efficacy and job-related affect were directly related to health and performance. In addition, intrinsic job characteristics and interpersonal conflict at work were both related to job-related affect. Interpersonal conflict at work was also related to perceived job self-efficacy, however intrinsic job characteristics were not. This suggests that among young workers, interpersonal conflict at work may play a greater role than intrinsic job characteristics in developing perceived job self-efficacy. The use of a longitudinal design indicates that the significant relationships found in this study may also persist over time. Overall, the results suggest that there are common psychological processes that show us how job performance and health are related to each other. With the increased number of young workers joining the workforce, the importance of creating positive work environments that support their future health and career success should not be ignored.