The role of skills in well-being and performance of atypical workers.

This study, part of a broad and ongoing series of researches conducted by the authors on atypical workers, was aimed to observe the role of skills in influencing organizational well-being and performance of atypical workers. The role of skills, which emerged from previous studies conducted using qualitative methodologies, is of particular interest for its implied possible applications and its results on an a productivity and organizational efficiency level. In fact, skills training is a field of high interest for psychological and economical sciences. The concept of skills being related both to well-being and performance can place them in a pivotal position in the perspective of the advantage of organizations and employees. In fact, programs of skills training tend to be well accepted by employers more easily than interventions aiming solely to well-being, as they are perceived to bring advantages for the organization in terms of performance. Specifically, this study aimed to test the scales for measuring a set of skills of adult workers and a model of skills based on five factors; identify the role of skills in influencing organizational well-being and performance; observe the role of the type of contract on skills, organizational well-being, and performance. This study involved a group of 100 workers employed in a public service organization. They completed an instrument specifically tailored for this survey. A five components model for skills, namely “Action skills” (AS), “Thinking skills”(TS), “Interpersonal skills” (IS), “Interpreting skills” (IntS), and “Self-management skills” (SMS), was at the basis of this instrument. ANOVA and regression analyses were conducted on the various dimensions contained in the instruments. Analyses conducted through exploratory factor equation models were applied on the five factor model of skills, proving it to be satisfactory. ANOVA analyses, conducted to check the effects of the type of contract on perceived performance, showed that there are interactions between them. ANOVA analyses were also conducted to check the effects of the type of contract – atypical vs. traditional – on perceived skills possessed. They showed the existence of an interaction between the type of contract and the perception of skills by the participants of the research. Regression analyses were conducted to investigate the moderating effects of skills on organizational well-being variables. The stepwise procedure used for data analysis gave rise to a model identifying specific skills as predictors of variables of organizational well-being and, consequently, individual performance and organizational productivity. After some further research, a model of organizational training with the side (or main) effect of increasing well-being together with performance can be eventually perfected, particularly in regard to atypical workers.