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Objective: To study the effectiveness and safety of sublingual misoprostol compared with the same dose administered vaginally every four hours for induction of labor at term pregnancy within 24 hours. Materials and Methods: One hundred seventy-six pregnant women of 37 to 42 gestational age fulfilling the study inclusion criteria were recruited and assigned by randomization into two groups. Each group was treated separately by 25-mcg misoprostol sublingually or vaginally every four hours within 24 hours. Results: Mean age of sublingual and vaginal misoprostol group was 25.9±6.9 and 25.5±7.2 years old, respectively, while the mean parity of sublingual and vaginal group was 0.9±1.0 and 1.0±1.0, respectively, which most were first pregnant. Three out of four had no underlying diseases. The initial cervical diameter before receiving misoprostol was 1.7±1.0 and 1.7±0.9 mm, respectively. The total labor time between the two groups was not significantly different. The percentage of success in the sublingual group was more than in the vaginal group, at 79.3 and 74.7, respectively. The side effects of induction were more significantly found in the vaginal group (p<0.05). The pain score was not different, but the satisfactory score was better reported in the sublingual group than in the vaginal one (p<0.05). The Apgar score at 5 minutes of neonates between the two groups were not significantly different (9.8±0.4 and 9.9±0.2). Conclusion: Twenty-five mcg misoprostol administered through sublingual for labor induction in full term pregnant women could not make the total labor time significantly shorter than in the vaginal group. The success rate in the sublingual group was not significantly better than in the vaginal group. The satisfaction was higher in the sublingual group but the pain scores and Apgar score at 5 minutes were not different between the groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experienced passage of time, the extent to which employees perceive the passage of work time as being fast or slow, is a fundamental aspect of work experience. We identify two novel temporal work design characteristics that can speed up employees' experienced passage of time: temporal predictability and task segmentation. Jobs with high temporal predictability do not make employees go through uncertain wait times before embarking on their next task. High task segmentation occurs when a large chunk of work time is segmented by categorically different temporal markers. We tested a model in which temporal predictability and task segmentation affect experienced passage of time, which in turn influences job performance, with five studies: two experiments that established the internal validity of temporal predictability and task segmentation (Studies 1a and 1b), a naturalistic field study in a factory that investigated the natural consequences of distinct temporal work design (Study 2), an organizational field study that constructively replicated the model using a sample of knowledge workers and their supervisors (Study 3), and an online survey in which we connected our model with the broader work design literature (Study 4). Altogether, the studies support a new temporal approach to work design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possible production of fructo-oligosaccharides from sucrose was evaluated in the Base Business Unit (UEB) "Ignacio Agramonte'", which currently produces sorbitol, with low exploitation of the installed capacity, due to lack of glucose. There was an opportunity in infrastructure, time and labor to convert the entity into a multipurpose plant. A simulation model of the technology for the production of fructo-oligosaccharide syrup from sucrose was developed, based on the enzymatic transformation of sucrose into fructo-oligosaccharides, using the recombinant enzyme 1-SST (1-sucrose: sucrose fructosyltransferase) expressed in Pichia pastoris, obtained at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at Sancti Spíritus. Model validation yielded relative errors lesser than 5 %. Two improvement alternatives were evaluated based on increasing the production of FOS by using the actual installed capacity in the sorbitol factory (alternative 1) and also increasing the initial concentration of the sucrose solution (alternative 2). Feasibility of the alternatives was evaluated by comparing the annual net cash income (Anci) and expenses. Alternative 2 was the best, producing 841.5 t of fructo-oligosaccharides in 90 working days, with a benefit/cost ratio of 1,2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The division of labour remains persistently gendered, in particular among couples with children. Previous research shows that women's lower economic resources are an important factor driving these inequalities, but because gender and (relative) earnings are highly correlated in male–female couples, their relative importance is difficult to disentangle with observational data. Using a factorial survey conducted among approximately 700 employed men and women of childbearing age in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, the contribution of relative earnings and gender in explaining work-care divisions in couples with children is disentangled. The results show that men and women do not differ in their preferences for their own work hours after childbirth, but both prefer the father to work more hours than the mother. Moreover, the combination of own and partners' preferred hours shows that men and women in all three countries prefer a modified male-breadwinner model after childbirth in scenarios where the male partner earns more or partners have equal earnings. Preferences for egalitarian divisions of labour appear to be slightly stronger in men compared to women and respondents with more egalitarian views on care tasks show less gender-specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe the work duration and sleep quality among young workers, conducted in coffee shops in the West Denpasar area in 2023. This study employed a quantitative descriptive method with an observational study design and a cross-sectional approach. The sample consisted of 56 coffee shop workers in the West Denpasar area. The variables in this study included the age of workers, work duration, and sleep quality. Data collection was done using primary data through a questionnaire instrument, and data analysis involved descriptive statistical tests. The research results showed that the average age of workers was 20.39 years, with the youngest worker being 18 years old and the oldest 24 years old. The majority of workers had poor sleep quality (80.4%) and worked with a duration of ≥40 hours per week (83.9%). This study concludes that young workers mostly work for ≥40 hours per week and have poor sleep quality. These findings indicate that the conditions of young workers have high-risk factors that could potentially trigger workplace accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The labor is a physiological event considered to have its own circadian (diurnal) rhythm, but some of the data remain conflicting, especially for preterm births. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the circadian trends of labor onset times in the Slovenian birth cohort from 1990 to 2018 with over 550,000 cases of singleton births. The number of term and preterm labor onsets was calculated for each hour in a day and circadian trends were evaluated for each of the study groups by modeling with a generalized Poisson distribution linked with the cosinor regression model using logarithmic link function. The induced labors were taken as the control group since the timing of labor depends mostly on the working schedule of personnel and not on the intrinsic rhythmic characteristics. For induced labors, the main peak in the number of labor cases was observed in the late morning hours (around 10 AM) for all gestational ages. The prominence of this peak becomes smaller in spontaneous premature labors with gradually disrupting rhythmicity in very preterm and extremely preterm cases. Labors starting with spontaneous contractions peak between 6 and 7 AM and lose the rhythmicity at 35 weeks of gestation while labors starting with a spontaneous rupture of membranes peak at 1 AM and lose the rhythmicity at 31 weeks of gestation, suggesting differences in underlying mechanisms. According to our knowledge, this is the first study that shows differences of circadian trends between different types of spontaneous labors, i.e., labors initiated with contraction and labors initiated with a spontaneous rupture of membranes. Moreover, the obtained results represent evidence of gradual disruption of rhythmicity from mild to extreme prematurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research was carried out by project planning and controlling to analyze the time duration and cost of adding labor and overtime hours at work on amendments to the construction of a hospital Hemodialysis unit located in Tangerang with the accelerated crashing method. Research analysis to see project planning and project control of amendments to the work of building a Hemodialysis unit for Crashing analysis work carried out by the accelerated method of adding working hours, adding labor and the combination of time duration to find the most optimal value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Panorama Económico is the property of Universidad de Cartagena and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on digital twin, a real-time assembly man-hours workshop scheduling model was proposed, considering the uncertainty of assembly man-hours in the process of product customization and frequent dynamic disturbances in the assembly workshop. The overall architecture of assembly workshop scheduling based on digital twin was constructed. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology was used to collect real-time working hours data of physical assembly workshops, and the real-time assembly working hours were processed by using the improved Rete algorithm. A mathematical model of assembly workshop scheduling based on real-time assembly man-hours was established, and an improved artificial fish swarm-taboo algorithm was used to solve the model, so as to realize the scheduling optimization of the real-time assembly man-hours workshop. The empirical result shows that the model algorithm has certain feasibility and superiority in real-time assembly man-hours workshop scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances three arguments. First, current working-time patterns are destructive of justice, especially in terms of environmental sustainability, gender equality, and personal autonomy. Second, making fundamental progress towards these goals requires secure, quality, short-time work for all. This refers to an economic system that would guarantee everyone a decent, secure, existence at roughly 30 hours or less of market work, as well as actively discouraging longer hours. This discouragement should take the form of "soft" state policies as well as new cultural norms; it should not take "hard" forms of state violence. Third, liberal proceduralists are wrong to believe that individuals should be free from state regulation to simply choose the amount of work/leisure that they see fit, since doing so creates all kinds of harms for other people. In fact, the state should actively disincentivize long work hours in order to augment social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the relation between hours worked in the agricultural sector, average annual wages and salaries of the employees, gross value added and expenditure on acquisition of tangible fixed assets. A regression model was developed based on data for Bulgaria for the period 2003-2019. From the study it was found that the increase of the average annual wages of employees leads to an increase in labour in the agricultural sector in the short run, but in the long run it is not a strong enough motive to attract, retain and increase labour in the sector and respectively to increase the amount of hours worked. In the short run, gross value added from agriculture is positively related to the number of hours worked: an increase in GVA leads to an increase in hours worked; the reduction of GVA leads to a reduction of hours worked. With the increase of the expenditure on the acquisition of tangible fixed assets, a decrease in the number of man-hours worked in the short term is observed, which shows replacing of human labour with mechanized one and reducing the labour intensity of agricultural production as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In one-of-a-kind production (OKP), how to coordinate workforce allocations to obtain reasonable man-hour has the practical significance. However, plenty of variables and complicated operation relationships are involved, which implies the man-hour optimisation in OKP belongs to a constrained mixed discrete optimisation problem. In this article, to deal with the man-hour optimisation in large-scale OKP which often refers to complex production, e.g. shipbuilding, we introduce a top-down refinement method to specialise the product design and production decomposition in OKP, which also indicates the operation relationships of the interim product production processes. Consequently, we suggest three basic task structures which are with wide adaptability in OKP industry: tandem structure, parallel structure and double-level-nested parallel structure. Meanwhile, for the double-level-nested parallel structure, a method based on matrix real-coded genetic algorithm and dynamic programming is presented to solve the man-hour optimisation and labour force allocation problem. Through the case studies, including an industrial implementation in the shipbuilding interim product (i.e. a hull block) production, our optimisation method demonstrates significant potential to improve the production efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. workweeks are long compared to workweeks in other rich countries. Much less well-known is that Americans are more likely to work at night and on weekends. The authors examine the relationship between these two phenomena using the American Time Use Survey and time-diary data from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Only small portions of the U.S.–European differences are attributable to observable characteristics. Adjusting for demographic and occupational differences, Americans’ incidence of night and weekend work would drop by no more than 10% if the average European workweek prevailed. Even if no Americans worked long hours, the incidence of unusual work times in the United States would far exceed those in continental Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses conceptions of work as a focus of research in the area of organization and management. We consider obstacles in the study of work, including different disciplinary lenses used in research. We discuss the contributions of the articles in this special topic forum, as well as questions generated from them. We end by examining how different disciplines may approach new questions about work, and call for an engaged and rich consideration of work as a dynamic phenomenon [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a mix of new and existing data to develop the Aggregate Hours Gap (AHG), a novel measure of labor market underutilization. Our measure differentiates individuals by detailed categories of labor market participation and uses data on their desired work hours as a measure of their potential labor supply. We show that desired hours vary widely by demographics and detailed labor force status, and that the gap between desired and actual work hours is strongly positively correlated with reported search effort. The AHG suggests a more sluggish labor market recovery since the Great Recession than either the official unemployment rate or alternative measures of labor market underutilization. Modest amounts of underutilization among the part‐time employed and a substantial degree of underutilization among those out of the labor force account for the disparity. The AHG also does well in accounting for wage movements over our sample period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aim to estimate the association between working hour mismatches and mental well-being. We also investigate the confounding and moderating role of job quality in this association. Methods: We use cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey of 2015 in the analysis. The sample includes 9345 male and 10,998 female employees in 28 countries. We run a multilevel linear regression accounting for the clustering of countries with mental well-being assessed by the World Health Organization Index. We compute mismatches in working hours as the difference between desired and actual hours of work, categorized as underemployed, unconstrained, and overemployed. The main dependent variable is the combination of these mismatches for each of the following working schedules: ≤ 20; 21–34; 35–40; 41–47; and ≥ 48 h/week (h/w). Results: The adverse association of short and long hours with well-being is mostly attributable to mismatches in working hours (except for men in the 41–47 h/w group). Once we adjust for job quality, overemployed men ≥ 48 h/w experience a reduction in mental well-being of − 5.2 (95 CI % − 7.04 to − 3.76) with respect to the unconstrained base category 35–40 h/w. Overemployed women experience a reduction in mental well-being ranging from − 4.94 (95 CI % − 6.54 to − 3.34) in the ≥ 48 h/w schedule to − 11.11 (95 CI % − 17.35 to − 4.87) in the ≤ 20 h/w schedule. We observe a confounding role of job quality across most working hour schedules, but the interaction effects are modest. Conclusion: Employee control over working hours is associated with mental well-being with differences by gender. Labour policies aimed at promoting flexibility on the employee side could be favoured to improve workers' mental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses data from the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society to analyse the effect of fatherhood on men's work hours and work hour preferences. Past research indicates that British men follow the traditional male provider model by either not changing or increasing their working hours when they have fathered a child, but these previous findings are primarily based on descriptive or cross-sectional analyses. Longitudinal analysis of men in the UK (1991 to 2013) shows a significant positive effect of fatherhood on men's work hours. However, this effect is mainly limited to the fathers of children between one and five years old whose partner is not employed. If the female partner is employed (especially part time) fatherhood leads the male partner to reduce his work hours. Analysis of men's work hour preferences did not find significant links with the number and age of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgroud: An increasing number of original studies suggest that exposure to shift work and long working hours during pregnancy could be associated with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but the results remain conflicting and inconclusive.Objective: To examine the influences of shift work and longer working hours during pregnancy on maternal and fetal health outcomes.Data Sources: Five electronic databases and 3 gray literature sources were searched up to March 15, 2019.Methods Of Study Selection: Studies of all designs (except case studies and reviews) were included, which contained information on the relevant population (women who engaged in paid work during pregnancy); exposure (rotating shift work [shifts change according to a set schedule], fixed night shift [typical working period is between 11:00 pm and 11:00 am] or longer working hours [>40 hours per week]);comparator (fixed day shift [typical working period is between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm] or standard working hours [≤40 hours per week]); and outcomes (preterm delivery, low birthweight [birthweight <2500 g], small for gestational age, miscarriage, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and gestational diabetes mellitus).Tabulation, Integration, and Results: From 3305 unique citations, 62 observational studies (196,989 women) were included. "Low" to "very low" certainty evidence from these studies revealed that working rotating shifts was associated with an increased odds of preterm delivery (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.28, I2 = 31%), an infant small for gestational age (odds ratio, 1.18, 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.38, I2 = 0%), preeclampsia (odds ratio, 1.75, 95% confidence interval, 1.01-3.01, I2 = 75%), and gestational hypertension (odds ratio, 1.19, 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.29, I2 = 0%), compared to those who worked a fixed day shift. Working fixed night shifts was associated with an increased odds of preterm delivery (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.42; I2 = 36%) and miscarriage (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.47; I2 = 37%). Compared with standard hours, working longer hours was associated with an increased odds of miscarriage (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.77; I2 = 73%), preterm delivery (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.33; I2 = 30%), an infant of low birthweight (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.84; I2 = 0%), or an infant small for gestational age (odds ratio, 1.16, 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.36, I2 = 57%). Dose-response analysis showed that women working more than 55.5 hours (vs 40 hours) per week had a 10% increase in the odds of having a preterm delivery.Conclusion: Pregnant women who work rotating shifts, fixed night shifts, or longer hours have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difference between the working hours of natives and immigrants has begun to attract a great deal of attention in U.S. migration research, but this phenomenon has yet to be studied in a European context. In this article, we examine this difference in working hours for 13 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the U.K.) for the period 1995–2013. Contrary to popular belief, we find that immigrants usually work fewer hours than natives in most of the countries studied. In addition, we observe that native workers in Western and Southern Europe have, over time, tended to increase their number of hours worked compared to immigrants. However, the opposite is true is for Northern Europe, where natives' working hours have generally decreased compared to immigrants, even following the global economic crisis in 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonality of grass-based, seasonal-calving dairy systems results in disproportionately higher labor demands during the spring, when cows are calving, than in the remaining seasons. This study aimed to (1) examine the relationship between labor efficiency and profitability; (2) investigate strategies to reduce the hours worked per day by the farmer, family, and farm staff in the spring by having certain tasks outsourced; and (3) quantify the economic implications of those strategies. Data from an existing labor efficiency study on Irish dairy farms were used in conjunction with economic performance data from the farms. Tasks that required the highest level of farm labor per day in the spring were identified and hypothetical strategies to reduce the farm hours worked per day were examined. A stochastic budgetary simulation model was then used to examine the economic implications of employing these strategies and the effects of their use in conjunction with a proportionate increase in cow numbers that would leave the hours worked per day unchanged. The strategies were to use contractors to perform calf rearing, machinery work, or milking. Contracting out milking resulted in the greatest reduction in hours worked per day (5.6 h/d) followed by calf rearing (2.7 h/d) and machinery work (2 h/d). Reducing the hours worked per day by removing those tasks had slight (i.e., <5%) negative effects on profitability; however, maintaining the farm hours worked per day while utilizing the same strategies and increasing herd sizes resulted in profitable options. The most profitable scenario was for farms to increase herd size while contracting out milking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposals below offer some possibilities that challenge the very powerful assumption that our work time is valued only in areas that attract income, and even then, any tasks that are unpaid or related to the domestic are valued less. There are already indications that there will be solid opposition to such changes. First, they offend assumptions, albeit unfounded, that a heavily means tested system is fairer as it only assists those in need and does not require extra taxation. This set of views comes from both progressives and conservatives. Second, the widespread beliefs in the virtues of hard work and the benefits of the status of having a paid job are often taken on by the left and unions, that see the paid "working man" as the source of future revolutions and change. The history of this bias towards paid work is included below to refute these claims. Women need a Universal Social Dividend. This could become a feminised power shift change to welfare payments policies and it should recognise the value of unpaid and underpaid contributions made mainly by women. It would also allow for changing the future income growth policies by reducing the need to retain and grow damaging production, by cutting working hours and jobs in these areas, and replacing income. The USD is designed to redistribute resources so those in unpaid roles have dignity and agency and are not being stigmatised and others can reduce paid working hours. The levels of payment will need discussion, but this paper assumes they would be set at pension levels as a starting point. It should be taxable, but not means tested, so those who are wellpaid are unlikely to keep much. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we document that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Conference Board's Total Economy Database (TED) have substantially revised their measures of hours worked over time. Relying on the data used by Rogerson (2006) and Ohanian et al. (2008), we find that, for 2003, hours worked per person in Europe is 18 percent lower than hours worked in the United States. Using the 2016 releases of the same data for 2003 yields a gap that is 40 percent smaller--that is, only 11 percent lower. Using labor force survey data, which are less subject to data revisions, we find a Europe-U.S. hours gap of -19 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes how the twelve-hour shift in the petroleum and chemical industries developed based on interviews with managers in fifty plants in the U.S. and Canada in 1977. It is found that twelve-hour shift is not a total solution to the problems of working shifts but as long as operations run continuously, no schedule will be able to remove the undesirability of late-shift and weekend work entirely. The significance of the modified schedule depends on its provision for fewer interruptions to the normal functioning of the workers' private lives. Success of such schedules depends on the willingness of management and workers to innovate together for their mutual good.

This article discusses a model of labor supply change to test the sensitivity of static results and estimate the speed of labor supply response to discrepancies between actual and desired hours of work. The dynamic methodology indicates a high wage elasticity. This elasticity is positive and significantly different from zero. The similarity of coefficient estimates for level variables obtained from the cross-section and the cross-section of changes formulation suggests that bias problems are not severe in the traditional approach.

The article illustrates the sensitivity of estimates of the effects and costs of a wage subsidy on assumptions regarding labor market demand and supply conditions. An hourly wage subsidy will cause market wage rates to be bid down and manhours demanded or number of workers employed to be increased if labor supply functions are positively sloped. Meanwhile, these conclusions are reversed if supply is backward-bending. The wage subsidy can be an inefficient transfer device depending on elasticity conditions. Transfer efficiency is lowest in markets in which a wage subsidy is most likely to be effected.

This investigation examined police officers' responses to a change from a forward rotating 8-hour-shift schedule to a 12-hour compressed shift schedule. As predicted, significant improvements were observed in the areas of schedule-related interference with personal activities, work- schedule attitudes, general affect, and stress and fatigue. In addition, organizational effectiveness improved, but general work attitudes remained unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research pertaining to the relationship between an employee's prior absenteeism in one job and subsequent absenteeism on a new position within the same organization. The subjects in the study were technicians who worked for a medium-sized electronics firm. Employee absenteeism was measured through absence frequency, total days absent, and co-worker ratings. The results of the study support the hypothesis that past absenteeism is a better predictor of subsequent absenteeism than work attitudes.

An experimental work schedule consisting of four 10-hour days (4/40) was initiated at a large metropolitan hospital. Interviews were conducted to determine which employee and job characteristics were related to acceptance of the 4/40 innovation. Unanticipated upgrading in the nature of some jobs was the major variable differentiating supporters from nonsupporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitudes toward 4/40 work schedules were studied for 1,401 mid-level exempt personnel who worked a 5/40 schedule. Significant relationships were found between 4/40 attitudes and organizational, individual, environmental, and affective variables. However, only a small proportion (7 percent) of the 4/40 attitude variance was accounted for. It was suggested that decisions to adopt 4/40 schedules should include consideration of technological and market factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently wide concern over the employment impact of overtime and of the cost of "fringe benefits." The data on overtime worked and the role of fringe costs in employment decisions are examined in this study. The analysis suggests that there is no distinct upward trend in overtime, and that the usual method of supporting the argument that there is a "fringe barrier" to expanded employment is insufficient and in need of refinement. It is concluded, how ever, that the entire system of financing our economic security programs, public as well as private, may need to be reexamined on an integrated basis and with its employment consequences in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buttressed by a resolution of the AFL-CIO, at its recent annual convention in December 1961, an increasing number of unions are likely in the near future to press hard for a reduction in hours. Indeed, this issue has already appeared in negotiations—for example, in the New York City local transit and building trades industries—and is likely to be among the major demands of the union in the forthcoming bargaining in basic steel. In principle at least, bargaining over this issue is complicated by the absence of a common standard for measuring the effects of changes in the length of the workweek. As the discussion in this article brings out, there are at least three conceptually different measures of the 'optimal' workweek, depending on whether the frame of reference is the employer, the individual worker, or the economy as a whole. The author also discusses a rule by which a choice might be made among the different hours optima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the research paper by professor Harold Vatter published in an issue of the journal "Industrial and Labor Relations Review" which argues that three neglected influences on hours of work have impaired the conceptual validity of the short-run, backward-sloping supply curve of labor, at least for operationally significant wage levels in the U.S. economy. Overtime rates implies a much weaker income effect than straight-time rates, therefore the willingness to work longer hours for an overtime premium is perfectly consistent with a preference for shorter hours at higher straight-time rates.

The general agreement on the desirability of "full employment" often obscures the very real disagreement over the meaning to be attached to that term. Critics of the Census measure of unemployment have long charged that this measure seriously understates the extent of unemployment, particularly during periods of recession and depression. The authors of this article propose a new measure of "labor slack," or the underutilization of the potential labor force, which they believe would effectively complement the present Census measure in providing policy makers with the information needed to implement the Full Employment Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a widespread belief in both the academic and public policy literatures that working long hours is deleterious to health and well-being, our critical review of this large and complex literature fails to support a robust direct causal effect of work hours on either physical or mental well-being outcomes. Large-scale epidemiological studies, many of which are prospective and include objective health outcome measures, support a statistically significant association between long work hours and coronary heart disease and depression, but the effect sizes are very small. Moreover, there is an absence of true longitudinal studies that assess the consistency of working long hours over time and its relationship to well-being. Our review suggests that the effects of working long hours are nuanced in that they may vary considerably for different working populations based on gender, age, working conditions, and other factors. Primary and meta-analytic studies suggest that such moderator effects are plausible, yet rigorous testing of these remains to be done. We conclude with suggestions for specific moderator effects that seem worth investigating in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the apparent inconsistent relationship between overtime and burnout, and proposes a tentative model for conceptualizing it. We suggest that, in examining the relationship between overtime and burnout, attention should be paid to the categorization of working hours that includes work of up to 12 hours per day and work exceeding 12 hours per day. The categorization assumes that workers in the latter category have fewer opportunities for recovery and are, therefore, more prone to burnout. We postulate two moderators that can shed light on the contradictory findings concerning the relationship between overtime and burnout. First, we elaborate on the definition of the term “heavy work investment” and emphasize the importance of distinguishing between the various levels of work investment by workers who work long hours, namely, excessive work investment (EWI), moderate work investment (MWI), and low work investment (LWI). Second, we analyze the importance of autonomy, distinguishing between perceived and actual autonomy of the employees with regard to their schedule. Propositions as well as theoretical and practical implications are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors advocate for that protection of the time spent in the clinical environment as this is an important aspect of medical education. They raise concern about the demise of Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board and Deaneries and the failings of the Modernising Medical Careers program. They look into the variety of working patterns for anesthetist in training in Great Britain from 1990 to 2017, changes in training, and possible remedies to support training activities.

This paper explores the relationship between working hours and the residual gender wage gap in Korea. Because the labor practice of working long hours in Korea favors men, who tend to spend little time on domestic labor, long working hours can influence the residual gender wage gap by discriminating against women. We analyze this discrimination empirically, and find the following results. First, the returns from working long hours are not high in most occupations in Korea. Second, working hours have a positive effect on the residual gender wage gap in male-dominated occupations, but not in female-dominated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the state of attorney fees following the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division in the case Hughes v. McCarthy. Topics discussed are the lodestar method for determining reasonable hourly rate of compensation for attorneys, applicable American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and factors used to calculate hourly rate including number of hours expended on a case and time spent on motions.

Purpose. The videogame industry is a work environment that is emblematic of O'Carroll's (2015) encompassing model of a 24/7/365 working time model of flexibility. We use O'Carroll's model to challenge two myths about videogame developers (VGDs): the long hours of work are in fact unpredictable hours, and flextime HR programs do not allow for real control over working hours. Design/methodology/approach. We use a mixed methods approach (international online survey and 100 Canadian interviews) to analyse the case of VGDs - a different, but similar type of worker to the IT workers analysed by O'Carroll. Findings. We can generalize O'Carroll's model based on the IT case to the VGD case. Based on these two cases, we propose that the rise of project-based work environments is a major explanatory factor of this raising trend in the 24/7/365 model of flexibility. Research limitations/implications. More research examining projectbased regimes in other sectors and settings is required to generalize further Originality/value. Though this model can appear to fit the reality of knowledge work in general, it more accurately describes project-based work in creative environments, which is nearly always knowledge work, but the reverse cannot be inferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many, work interferes with their home life. To mitigate this encroachment, many welfare states have legislated shorter workweeks. Yet, the effectiveness of this policy on work-to-family interference is mixed, thus requiring additional investigation. We address this gap by applying multilevel data pairing the 2005 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) for individuals in 32 nations (N = 20,937) with countrylevel measures of legislated weekly work hours, mean reported weekly work hours (aggregated and differentiated by gender), and individualistic/collectivist orientations. We find that legislated work hours have no impact on individuals' reports of work-tofamily interference. By contrast, shorter normative weekly work hours, aggregated and by gender, are associated with greater individual work-to-family interference. We find an equivalent pattern in individualistic countries. While we document individual-level gender and parental differences, we find no differential effects of long workweeks for these groups. We explain these associations through the heightened expectations perspective, arguing that increased resources heighten expectations of work-life balance and sensitivity to work-to-family interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training programs have implemented the 2011 ACGME duty hour regulations (DHR) using "workload compression" (WLC) strategies, attempting to fit similar clinical responsibilities into fewer working hours, or workload reduction (WLR) approaches, reducing the number of patient encounters per trainee. Many have expressed concern that these strategies could negatively impact patient care and learner outcomes.Objective: This study evaluates the medical knowledge and clinical impact of a WLR intervention in a single institution.Design& Participants: Nonrandomized intervention study with comparison to a historical control study among 58 PGY-1 internal medicine trainees in the 2 years after duty hour implementation [exposure cohort (EC), 7/1/2011-6/30/2013], compared to 2 years before implementation [comparison cohort (CC), 7/1/2009-6/30/2011].Main Measures: Process outcomes were average inpatient encounters, average new inpatient admissions, and average scheduled outpatient encounters per PGY-1 year. Performance outcomes included trainee inpatient and outpatient days on service, In-Training Examination (ITE) scores as an objective surrogate of medical knowledge, Case-Mix Index (CMI), and quality of care measures (30-day readmission rate, 30-day mortality rate, and average length of stay).Key Results: Baseline characteristics and average numbers of inpatient encounters per PGY-1 class were similar between the EC and CC. However, the EC experienced fewer new inpatient admissions (157.47 ± 40.47 vs. 181.72 ± 25.45; p < 0.01), more outpatient encounters (64.80 ± 10.85 vs. 56.98 ± 6.59; p < 0.01), and had similar ITE percentiles (p = 0.58). Patients of similar complexity cared for by the EC also had a greater reduction in readmissions (21.21 % to 19.08 %; p < 0.01) than the hospital baseline (12.07 to 11.14 %; p < 0.01).Conclusions: Our WLR resulted in a small decrease in the average number of new inpatient admissions and an increase in outpatient encounters. ITE and care quality outcomes were maintained or improved. While there is theoretical concern that reducing PGY-1 inpatient admissions volumes may negatively impact education and clinical care measures, this study found no evidence of such a trade-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schedule control can have both positive--e.g., increased income--and negative outcomes--e.g., increased overtime. Here our core interest is whether there are gender discrepancies in these outcomes. Given the different ways in which schedule control can be used, and perceived to be used by men and women, their outcomes are also expected to be different. This is examined using the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) (2003-2011), and panel regression models. The results show that schedule control is associated with increases in overtime and income--but only for men. Women in full-time positions also increase their overtime hours when using schedule control; yet, they do not receive similar financial rewards. The results of this study provide evidence to show that increases in schedule control has the potential to traditionalize gender roles by increasing mainly men's working hours, while also adding to the gender pay gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's response to comment on his article on hours of labor. The overtime pay arrangement is interpreted as an expression of the inelasticity of the individual's supply curve with respect to income for a significant range of straight-time rates in the zone above some going wage. In referring to the consumption content of leisure, it is stressed that to enjoy the leisure one has to work more to fill the leisure time with goods and services. The paucity of empirical evidence regarding the individual and market labor supply schedule in the very short run is not satisfactory.

Labor time, as a dimension of South African mining labor history, has been ignored, both conceptually and historically. This article remedies this yawning gap by presenting primary and secondary evidence which demonstrates the centrality of labor time in South African gold mines since the discovery of gold in 1886. To this end, labor time is traced in two ways. Part I tracks industrial working time by tracing the length of the working day and week. Part II tracks the ever-increasing length of the African migrant labor contract. While industrial working hours remain remarkably stable for almost a century, the migrant labor contract systematically increases over a similar period. These two measures of labor time eventually coincide when the migrant labor system dissolves and black African workers take annual leave together with their compatriots across the racial divide. The explanation for the mining industry’s long struggle to bothmaintainrelatively long working hours and increasinglymaximizethe length of the migrant labor contract is construed ascompletingthe received wisdom of Harold Wolpe's much celebrated and criticized `cheap- labor' thesis. (Wolpe, “Capitalism and Cheap Labor Power.”) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]