Reshaping occupational psychological health of railway construction project management practitioners: team reflexivity and family supportive supervisor behaviors interventions

Purpose The challenges faced by the railway construction industry – such as unstable work locations, task complexity, temporary project organizations and role ambiguity – contribute to significant levels of job burnout and work-family conflict among project management practitioners in railway construction. Existing interventions mainly focus on individuals and show limited effectiveness. Therefore, this study aims to assess how novel organizational interventions affect job burnout and work–family conflict among railway construction project management practitioners. Design/methodology/approach Based on the job demand-control-support model (JD-C-S), this study conducted a four-week job burnout intervention experiment on 21 railway construction project management practitioners using team reflexivity methods. Drawing on social support theory, a separate two-week work–family conflict intervention experiment was carried out on an additional 30 management practitioners using family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) techniques. Findings The results demonstrate that job burnout can be alleviated through team reflexivity by reducing job demand and enhancing social support. Additionally, it was found that work–family conflict can be effectively mitigated by family supportive supervisor behavior. Originality/value These findings contribute significantly to addressing the challenges encountered by railway construction project managers. Furthermore, this study offers valuable insights for enhancing the management of occupational psychological health among construction project managers in China.