Measuring job greediness: Development and validation of an Italian scale

Greedy jobs demand excessive time, energy, and emotional investment, eroding boundaries between work and personal life. They perpetuate inequalities, notably by limiting flexibility for those with caregiving responsibilities. The current study aims to validate the Greedy Job Scale (GJS) to assess perceptions of job demands and their intrusion into personal life. A multi-step process involving item development, refinement, and testing was conducted. Using a sample of 1,208 Italian workers, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to validate the scale. The obtained results supported a single-factor solution and demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of the GJS in terms of internal consistency and construct validity. In addition, greedy jobs significantly blur the boundaries between work and personal life, demanding constant availability and responsiveness. Greedy jobs significantly strain individuals, especially when they can undermine work-life balance, especially for individuals managing caregiving responsibilities. The GJS offers a critical tool for future research in understanding how job-related greediness impacts employee well-being, career trajectories and organisational outcomes.