Work-Specific Control Problems

Abstract

The Work-Specific Control Problems measure, developed by Remondet and Hansson (1991), is designed to assess the degree to which employees experience a loss or threat of personal control problems within their professional environment. This instrument systematically evaluates four primary domains identified as sources of stress and control loss: workplace demands, limited growth opportunities, personal/family crises, and working conditions.

The measure requires respondents to rate both the frequency with which stressful events occur and the perceived severity, defined as the degree to which the occurrence of each event results in a loss of control over the employee’s job. The data gathered from the four specific subscales combine to form a comprehensive composite measure of overall control problems at work.

Keywords

Workplace demands, Limited growth, Personal control, Job stress, Occupational psychology, Job satisfaction, Employee control problems, Working conditions, Remondet, Hansson.

Authors

J. H. Remondet, R. O. Hansson.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Work-Specific Control Problems scale is to quantify the extent to which specific, stressful workplace events diminish an employee’s sense of autonomy and control over their job responsibilities. By measuring both the frequency of adverse events and their perceived severity in terms of control loss, the measure offers a nuanced understanding of occupational stress vulnerability.

This assessment is crucial for researchers and practitioners interested in the psychological impact of job characteristics, particularly how demands, environmental factors, and work-life balance issues translate into measurable control problems that may affect performance and well-being.

Construct

The scale measures the Work-Specific Control Problem psychological construct, defined as an employee’s perceived lack of mastery or influence over critical aspects of their job and work environment. This construct is recognized as multidimensional, encompassing both organizational stressors and external life stressors that spill over into the occupational domain.

The four underlying dimensions—Workload Demands, Limited Growth Opportunity, Personal/Family Crises, and Working Conditions—reflect the comprehensive nature of factors that can threaten an employee’s sense of efficacy and personal control in the occupational context. The final composite score represents the aggregation of these distinct control threats.

Validity

Initial validation studies support the construct validity of the scale. According to findings reported by Abraham and Hansson (1996), the composite measure demonstrated expected relationships with established measures of occupational well-being and distress.

Specifically, higher scores on Work-Specific Control Problems correlated negatively with overall job satisfaction, suggesting that perceived loss of control significantly undermines contentment at work. Conversely, the scale correlated positively with job-related anxiety, indicating that control deficits contribute directly to heightened psychological distress and worry regarding job performance and security.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Work-Specific Control Problems scale has been established through reliability analyses. Abraham and Hansson (1996) reported a high level of reliability for the combined, composite measure of work-related control problems.

The calculated coefficient alpha for the overall scale was .87. This value exceeds the commonly accepted threshold for reliable measures in psychological research, suggesting that the items within the scale consistently measure the intended underlying construct of work-related control problems.

Factor Analysis

The scale is structured around a four-factor model, reflecting the four domains of control problems identified by the developers: Workload Demands, Limited Growth Opportunity, Personal/Family Crises, and Working Conditions/Environment. This inherent structure suggests that the factors are distinct but contribute collectively to the overall experience of control loss.

Although detailed confirmatory or exploratory factor analytic results are not provided in the source description, the aggregation of these four distinct subscales into a single composite score implies that the factors possess sufficient shared variance to represent a higher-order construct of overall work-specific control problems.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric scale

Format: Multi-item, dual-rating Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original research language)

Population Group: Employees/Working adults.

Age Group: Developed initially to assess older employees, but applicable to the general working population.

Population Details: Originally validated among working populations, specifically examining job threats to control.

Test Methodology: Respondents use a dual-rating system for each item. They rate (a) frequency (1 = never to 5 = very often) and (b) severity (extent of control loss, 1 = very little to 5 = very much). The final score for control problems is developed by multiplying the frequency and severity responses together.

Keywords

Occupational health psychology, Work-life balance, Stress assessment, Employee well-being, Organizational behavior, Job demands, Internal consistency, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The measure was first introduced in 1991. The items were published in the Journal of Social Issues (1991, Vol 47, pp. 129-141) and reproduced with permission. Researchers seeking to utilize the scale must contact the original authors (Remondet or Hansson) or the journal publisher to obtain current permissions and information regarding any associated licensing fees.

Reference’s

• Abraham, J. E., & Hansson, R. O. (1996). The work-specific control problems scale: Further development and validation. Unpublished Manuscript.
• Remondet, J. H., & Hansson, R. O. (1991). Job-related threats to control among older employees. Journal of Social Issues, 47, 129-141. Items were taken from text, p. 134. Copyright© 1991. Reproduced with permission.

Items of the Work-Specific Control Problems

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Respondents are asked to rate each item in terms of (a) how frequently an incident of this type happens on the employee’s job (1 = never to 5 = very often) and (b) the extent to which such an incident when it happens on the job would constitute a loss or threat to the employee’s sense of personal control (1 = very little to 5 = very much). A score for control problems is developed by multiplying the frequency and severity responses together.

Workload demands items:

1. My supervisor makes poorly planned changes that directly affect me.
2. My supervisor is unrealistic in the demands placed upon me
3. My supervisor places unfair demands upon me
4. My workload is too heavy
5. I have had unrealistic schedule demands
6. My supervisor places demands on me that aren’t placed on co-workers
7. I’ve been forced to do another’s work in addition to my own

Limited growth opportunity items:

1. My job is not challenging
2. My job is meaningless
3. I see no room for growth in my job
4. There is no future for me in my position

Personal/family crises items:

1. Family crises have required that I miss work
2. Personal concerns have interfered with my job performance
3. Family illnesses have affected my job performance

Working conditions/environment items:

1. The work environment is uncomfortable
2. I have limited space to complete my job
3. I work in a dangerous environment