Jean-François Stich - Tag human-resources

Publication: Email stress: Towards a new understanding of its causes and impacts

Jean-François STICH — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:55:00 +0100

Email is a source of ambivalence for its users, who report feeling divided between the opportunities for productivity gains it offers and threats of overload it poses. This conceptual article seeks to shed light on how email use (for both receiving and sending correspondence) generates perceptions of both threat (stress or distress) and challenge (eustress). It summarizes the main ideas of previous research in a transactional model of email stress distinguishing the experiences of senders from those of receivers and, in so doing, opens new avenues for future empirical research and for more stimulating and less negative use of this communication tool.

Author Accepted Manuscript

Note: This is the full translation proposed by the author accepted by the journal for publication complementary to the original article. The original article is available in French here.

Publication: Stress de l’e-mail : vers une nouvelle compréhension de ses causes et impacts

Jean-François STICH — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:50:00 +0100

Le courrier électronique est source d’ambivalence pour ses utilisateurs, partagés entre opportunités de productivité et menaces de surcharge. Cet article conceptuel entend éclairer comment l’usage de l’e-mail (réception comme envoi) engendre des perceptions à la fois de menace (stress ou détresse) et d’opportunité (eustress). Il résume les lignes de force de la littérature en un modèle transactionnel du stress de l’e-mail distinguant les expériences des expéditeurs de celles des destinataires et, ce faisant, ouvre de nouvelles pistes pour des recherches empiriques futures et un usage plus stimulant et moins négatif de cet outil de communication.

Manuscrit auteur

Note: Une traduction intégrale de l’article a été proposé par l’auteur, acceptée pour publication par la revue et disponible en complément de l’article original. La traduction en anglais est disponible ici.

Publication: Holiworking: Perspectives on New Ways of Integrating Holiday and Work

Jean-François STICH — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:55:00 +0100

Digitally enabled work arrangements such as remote work, mobile work and digital nomadism have increasingly been researched. More recently, a distinct form of work arrangement has emerged that allows employees to relocate temporarily to a foreign destination where they simultaneously engage in both professional work and leisure activities. This study develops an empirically grounded, substantive theory of this emerging novel arrangement termed ‘holiwork’. Employing grounded theory methodology, the research draws upon the experiences of six individuals engaged in holiwork. The findings illustrate that holiwork constitutes a complex blend of ambivalent feelings and experiences split between the novelty and alluring appeal of unfamiliar cultural environments and the continuous demands of their full-time professional responsibilities. These insights contribute to the literature on the sociology of digitally mediated work, offering theoretical implications for understanding new work arrangements shaped by digital connectivity and global mobility.

Author Accepted Manuscript

Publication: Talent Development in Higher Education Institutions: Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

Jean-François STICH — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:29:00 +0200

This systematic literature review examines talent development (TD) as part of the talent management (TM) approach taken by higher education institutions. The aim is to consolidate the conceptualisation of TD, its main themes and challenges, and potential TD research at higher education institutions (HEIs). Scopus and Web of Science databases were used for the article search. Employing a PRISMA protocol and meticulous rejection criteria, 57 articles were ultimately included in the review. The contribution of the review is that it systemises current knowledge about TD within higher education institutions and identifies transverse themes and tensions in the literature. The themes reveal contextual influences, higher education managerialism triggering new skills development, institutional support and alignment, the role of line managers, and underutilised and unstructured talent development. The potential avenues for future research include examining the socio-political and contextual factors that affect TD, adopting a multidimensional approach involving stakeholders and various actors, and exploring the systematic implementation of TD practices.

Author Accepted Manuscript

Publication: Combining work and vacation: workation as an attractive work arrangement

Jean-François STICH — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:21:00 +0200

Purpose: The fulfilling blend of work and leisure experienced by digital nomads has inspired some organizations to offer “workation” (work-vacation) as a new fringe benefit, allowing employees to work remotely from international locations while simultaneously engaging in travel and leisure activities. This study seeks to understand to what extent and under what conditions this workation arrangement is attractive to candidates compared to other work arrangements.
Design/methodology/approach: The research employs two vignette experiments that manipulate work arrangements, involving a total sample of 351 participants. The data and results were analyzed using multilevel regressions, moderation tests, and simple slope tests.
Findings: The results indicate that job offerings featuring workation demonstrate significantly higher organizational attractiveness compared to those featuring other work arrangements. The appeal of workations is especially pronounced and attractive among candidates with previous international experience and positive attitudes towards such experiences, contingent upon their degree of community embeddedness.
Originality/value: Within the evolving landscape of changing work arrangements, this study contributes to the literature by distinguishing workation as an innovative and attractive work option. Additionally, the findings offer insights for HR practices by identifying the specific reasons that make workation particularly enticing for certain candidates.

Author Accepted Manuscript

Publication: Flexible Working and Applicant Attraction: A Person-Job Fit Approach

Jean-François STICH — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:34:00 +0200

Purpose: The ability to work anytime from anywhere is attractive to job seekers, who respond by developing needs regarding flexible working. Flexibility needs are compared to the flexibility perceived in job advertisements to form an overall perception of flexibility fit. The purpose of this paper is to examine both the impact of flexibility fit (on applicant attraction) and its antecedents.
Design/methodology/approach: The impact of flexibility fit on applicant attraction and its antecedents are examined using person-job fit theory. 92 job seekers analyzed a total of 391 job advertisements. The hypotheses are tested using multilevel structural equation modeling.
Findings: The results show that perceived flexibility fit is positively related to job pursuit and job acceptance intentions. They further show that perceived flexibility fit is driven by perceived job advertisements’ flexibility exceeding applicants’ needed flexibility, which in turn is driven by the flexibility actually present in job advertisements exceeding applicants’ flexibility needs.
Originality/value: The study contributes to literature on new ways of working by highlighting the desirable nature of flexibility and its impact on fit perceptions. It further contributes to literature on person-job fit by investigating a full model of fit, examining both outcomes and antecedents of perceived fit. For practitioners, the study highlights the importance of advertising flexibility to attract applicants.

Author Accepted Manuscript