Search

Previous researchers of impression management have focused on the tactics of supervisortargeted ingratiation, self-promotion, and exemplification, and neglected those targeting coworkers. Thus, we focused on the supplication tactics that employees use toward coworkers. Data were collected from 238 supervisor-subordinate dyads working at technology companies in Taiwan. Results showed that the higher the self-efficacy, the less likely employees were to use supplication tactics. This negative relationship was also stronger when leader-member exchange (LMX) quality was high. However, when employees used supplication tactics, high LMX did not buffer supervisors' negative assessment of their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Thus, employees' supplication tactics damaged supervisors' evaluation of their OCB. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public discourse of late has drawn attention to increases in number of married women in the U.S. who serve as their families’ primary breadwinners. Contributing to these conversations, this study examines how breadwinning mothers (BWMs) reproduce, resist or challenge hegemonic gender relations through an analysis of different ways these women discursively position their identities and tasks as earners. Findings from a discourse analysis of interviews with 44 female breadwinners married to stay-at-home fathers are presented in relation to 5 aspects of conventional breadwinning that emerged across BWMs discourse: (a) breadwinning as career-primary, (b) breadwinning as obligation, (c) breadwinning suitability and personality, (d) breadwinning as relational power and (e) breadwinners as ideal workers. Practical applications of these findings are considered in relation to women’s work–life conflict, martial role negotiation, and workplace interactions and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examination of individual difference variables have been largely ignored within research on the use of workplace sexual identity management strategies. The current study examined personality traits (extraversion, openness, and neuroticism), facets of sexual identity development (identity confusion, internalized heterosexism), and situational variables (e.g., perceptions of workplace climate and heterosexism) in explaining the use of management strategies, as well as possible interactions between individual and situational factors. Perceptions of the workplace climate toward lesbian and gay individuals significantly related to the use each of the management strategies, and Internalized Heterosexism was found to significantly predict the use of the Explicitly Out strategy. Most interactions between individual difference and situational variables were not supported, with the exception of an interaction between workplace heterosexism and internalized homophobia in explaining the use of the Explicitly Out strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship quality as a measure of working relationships in construction has been associated with four general attributes of trust, commitment, teamwork, and performance satisfaction. These attributes have been previously explored and identified within New Zealand construction sector. However, much ambiguity remains as to what are the values or preference of parties involved in construction project procurement and how the attributes are traded-off in real decision making processes. Basically how do the industry practitioners judge their relationship quality based on the four mentioned attributes. Data is collected from New Zealand industry practitioners through a conjoint full profile questionnaire technique. Via conjoint and cluster analysis a judgment model for relationship quality is extracted. The overall aggregate conjoint analysis suggests that performance satisfaction is the most important attribute in judging relationship quality in construction activities. The other three attributes also attained a relatively large importance index inferring that all are valuable attributes and contributing to relationship quality. However, by assessing the conjoint measurements and utilities generated at individual level and applying hierarchical cluster analysis different clusters of practitioners with distinct patterns of judgment are identified. The largest cluster had performance satisfaction as their main decisive attribute followed by commitment and teamwork. Conversely the second cluster had trust and teamwork as the decisive attribute with performance satisfaction as the least important and finally the smallest cluster regarded trust and performance to be more decisive. Hence, judgment criteria for relationship quality in construction procurement are not unanimous and diverse perceptions exist as to what is relationship quality; with different managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 97 retirees in different cities, this article reexamines worker performance in state-owned enterprises during the Mao era. It disputes the conventional wisdom that assumes widespread shirking and inefficiency in state firms before the reform and attributes this problem primarily to the lack of adequate material incentives. Instead, this article investigates the issue of work incentives in the context in which multiple economic, social, and political factors worked together to motivate and constrain workers. It argues that state-firm workers were subject to not only the pressure of political conformity, disciplinary regulations, and peer-to-peer surveillance at the workplace but also the incentives embedded in their shared consciousness as a privileged group, their identity as members of a work unit, and, most important, the opportunities for upward mobility that motivated them in the absence of material stimuli. Workers’ performance, therefore, varied over time and space, depending on how the mechanisms of motivation and control operated on the shop floor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is a contribution to a normative approach of noise assessment in the professional environment. It permits the identification of the affected workstations on the one hand and on the other hand it constitutes an important support to the preoccupations of the impact study on the environment in plants. It also informs us on the adequate preparation of the procedures required by the Environmental Management System (ISO 14001) being implemented in steel-making complex ArcelorMittal Algeria. It constitutes an answer to the recommended environmental politics. The proposed calculation methods are verified according to the recognized sources (ISO 9612, 2009) and the results will be estimated in relation to the legal thresholds recommended by international bodies. The methodology for measuring the noise exposure levels has been done according to the following steps: work analysis; selection of measurement strategy; measurements; error handling and uncertainty evaluations; calculations; and presentation of results. This will lead us to an implementation of a corrective and preventive action plan intended to master this occupational risk carrying prejudice to the health of the workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the indoor soundscape framework in detail by describing the variables and factors that form an indoor soundscape study. The main objective is to introduce a new indoor soundscaping framework and systematically explain the variables that contribute to the overall evaluation of an indoor soundscape. Hence, the dependencies of physical and psychoacoustical factors of the sound environment and the spatial factors of the built entity are statistically tested. The new indoor soundscaping framework leads to an overarching evaluation perspective of enclosed sound environments, combining objective room acoustics research and noise control engineering with architectural analysis. Therefore, it is hypothesised that case spaces with certain plan organisations, volumetric relations, and spatial referencing lead to differentiated sound pressure level (SPL) and loudness (N) values. SPL and N parametric variances of the sound environments are discussed through the statistical findings with respect to the architectural characteristics of each library case space. The results show that the relation between crowd level variances and sound environment parametric values is statistically significant. It is also found that increasing the atrium height and atrium void volume, the atrium's presence as a common architectural element, and its interpenetrating reference and domain containment results in unwanted variances and acoustic formations, leading to high SPL and N values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parallel to the ultrasonic noise assessment procedures and research activity in the field there have appeared several papers in the domain of so called high-frequency audiometry which covers the range of frequencies 8-20 kHz. They are important for recognizing the harmfulness and hazard of the audible high frequency sound components in the same range as the one of the low frequency ultrasonic noise. On the other hand there exists a certain inconsequent situation in the general approach to the problem of ultrasonic noise hazard assessment in work places environment which concerns the convention to include the frequency range of 10-20 kHz to the domain of ultrasonics. The range consists of one third octave bands of central frequencies: 10, 12.5, 16, 20 kHz and conventionally is called low frequency ultrasonic noise though at least the components of the two lowest bands are naturally audible by a majority of population (mainly young people).The paper presents a discussion related to some achievements of the two domains and some conclusions which could be useful for a more consequent description of the subject and could be taken into account in the future regulations for the ultrasonic noise assessment in work places environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is accepted that SMEs play an important role in economic growth in many Asian countries. For example, Vietnamese SMEs represent 97% of the number of businesses of the country; employ 77 percent of the workforce and account for 80% of the retail market. Similarly, Thai SMEs have significantly contributed to the Thai economy and account for 99% of all business establishment, nearly 75% of total employment, and nearly 40% of total GDP. Yet the question of whether small firms are more or less advantageous in their ability to be more innovative is still unclear. In Asia, SMEs have possessed a number of strengths that could contribute to their capacity to innovate. The study compares the perceptions toward leadership, work value ethics and workplace innovation in Thai and Vietnamese SMEs. A survey was completed by 696 respondents drawn from Thai and Vietnamese SMEs. The survey was comprised of the Design Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ), the Workplace Innovation Scale (WVE) and the Work Values Ethic (WVE) instrument. The Cronbach's alpha values for each instrument were α - 0.911 (Design Leadership), α - 0.913 (Workplace Innovation), and α - 0.798 (Work Value Ethic). T-test results found that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of Leadership behaviour and all of its dimensions. Also, the significant differences are found in the mean scores of Workplace Innovation and all of its dimensions between Thai and Vietnamese respondents. However, there was no difference in the perception toward Work Values Ethic between the respondents of these two countries. The findings provide empirical evidence to advance our understanding of the impact of work values on leadership behaviour and workplace innovation and assists in developing Government policy to further SME leadership behaviour for Thai and Vietnamese managers to lead their subordinates towards innovation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of telecommuting adoption depends on many factors, including the employee's openness and readiness for such a work arrangement, the company's openness and desire to take advantage of such a model, and an information and communication technology infrastructure that can enable its success. Telecommuting, which originated in the 1970s as a response to the oil crisis and concerns over employees' potential inability to travel to and from the office, has involved employees completing work outside the traditional working office environment. Recent advancements in information and communication technologies enabled this form of employment relationship to become a viable alternative to traditional offices, leading to cost advantages to employees and employers, improving the environment, working motivation and thus leading to increased adoption (Turetken et al., 2011). Yet, despite the potential advantages of telecommuting, the adoption of this working model has been slower than initially predicted due to many mitigating factors (Pyöriä, 2011). These deterrents may include traditional corporate cultures that may not support a non-traditional employment relationship due to risks of relinquishing power, misunderstandings of cost value, personal preferences in terms of work/life balance and work schedule flexibility, regulatory concerns related to liability and intellectual property rights associated with working outside the traditional office (Calvasina, et al. 2012), and overall control over legal liabilities (Genova, 2010). This research, which builds upon earlier work, aims to look at the various factors related to teleworkers' experience and the effect on teleworkers' success in terms of satisfaction, performance, and productivity. The theoretical framework adopted for evaluating these relationships is Human Capital Theory, which suggests that direct experience improves employee productivity, thus leading to increased capital value. Evidence for this study is nonexperimental and quantitative in nature using the same research instrument used previously for measuring success. A web-based distribution method has been used to gather responses from a wide variety of United States based employees across multiple industries, age groups, and an even mix of genders. Therefore, evidence presented in this paper comes from the collection and analysis of a total of 406 usable survey responses. The finding provides insight into the effect of teleworking experience on employee success. Two factors in particular, gender and technology in particular, were aggregated and may be of interest for future study. This research is the first in terms of evaluating teleworking-specific experience and evaluating the effect of teleworking success by using the framework of human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main goals of work and organisational psychology is to promote the well-being and performance of employees. However, the different authors do not agree on the fundamental concept of happiness. The objectives of this paper are to present the enormous contribution of positive psychology and philosophy to the subject of happiness and its influence on labour and productivity, to review several scholars in this field, to highlight the differences among them, and, especially, to find a consensus on the fundamentals of happiness. In fact, the major difference among all the contributions is that there is no unanimity on the fundamental concept of happiness. Whereas some authors see happiness as "pleasure", others prefer the concept of happiness as a mixture of "pleasure", "commitment" and "meaning", avoiding the definition of happiness, and hiding it behind the concept of well-being. However, if a consensus is reached, it would represent a concept that could be better managed from the psychological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe Pakistani doctors' career intentions, future practice locations and their satisfaction with work conditions in home country and also, the factors behind leaving and staying in the country. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted on 132 junior doctors of POF Hospital and Wah Medical College, Wah Cantt during November-December, 2015. The self-administered questionnaire was designed after extensive literature review and was distributed. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 19 and p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Majority of the participants intended to seek postgraduate training in different specialties of medical field (81.8%). International careers were anticipated by 27.2% of the participants, and UK, Middle East and US was found to be their preferred choices. 72.7% were not satisfied with working conditions in home country. 40.9% reported less likelihood of returning back to Pakistan if opportunity is given to go abroad. Major factors that stood out as reasons for the intention to emigrate included; doctors being paid a high salary, higher educational opportunities, good working conditions abroad and structured career path. Conclusion: Low expected monthly salary, stressful working environment and lack of professional growth were the most important reasons of physician dissatisfaction and migration from developing countries to developed ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In healthcare research, results diffuse only slowly into clinical practice, and there is a need to bridge the gap between research and practice. This study elucidates how healthcare professionals in a hospital setting experience working with the implementation of research results.Method: A descriptive design was chosen. During 2014, 12 interviews were carried out with healthcare professionals representing different roles in the implementation process, based on semi-structured interview guidelines. The analysis was guided by a directed content analysis approach.Results: The initial implementation was non-formalized. In the decision-making and management process, the pattern among nurses and doctors, respectively, was found to be different. While nurses' decisions tended to be problem-oriented and managed on a person-driven basis, doctors' decisions were consensus-oriented and managed by autonomy. All, however, experienced a knowledge-based execution of the research results, as the implementation process ended.Conclusion: The results illuminate the challenges involved in closing the evidence-practice gap, and may add to the growing body of knowledge on which basis actions can be taken to ensure the best care and treatment available actually reaches the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Knowledge about principals’ leadership roles in charter schools’ success has become more important as the number of charter schools increases and as we have learned more about the influence of principal leadership on school effectiveness. To contribute to the limited empirical literature on the principal labor market, this study explores the reasons for the disparity of turnover rates between charter school principals and their counterparts in traditional public schools (TPSs). It focuses on the differential distributions of observable factors, including principal characteristics, principal leadership practices, school contexts, and working conditions. It also examines how the associations between these observables and the likelihood of principal turnover differ between these two types of schools. Research Methods/Approach: This study uses data on a nationally representative sample of principals from the Schools and Staffing Survey in the 2007-2008 school year and its following-year Principal Follow-up Survey. The main analytic strategies include logit models and the Fairlie nonlinear decomposition technique. Findings: A statistically significant difference in charter–TPS principal turnover rates was confirmed. The explanatory variables collectively explained about 49% of the charter–TPS turnover gap: Principal characteristics explained 3%, principal leadership quality explained 4%, school contexts explained 2%, and working conditions explained 28%. Moreover, relative to TPS peers, three factors have stronger associations with the likelihood of charter school principal turnover: principal leadership quality, barriers to the dismissal of poor-performing or incompetent teachers, and salary. Implications for Research and Practice: This is one of first few studies that empirically explore the charter school principal workforce and labor market movements. Findings are practically informative for retaining principals in charter schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caseloads and performance management are important working conditions of workers delivering public social services in street-level organizations. The literature on these working conditions argues that high caseloads and performance management have considerable consequences for workers' performance in terms of the quality of services they provide and the results they realize. This article empirically investigates and compares these consequences, drawing on the results of a quantitative study of frontline workers in 14 local welfare agencies in the Netherlands. These workers are responsible for the delivery of welfare-to-work policies to social assistance recipients. The findings show that high caseloads do, indeed, have a detrimental effect on workers' performance, whereas the impact of performance management is more modest, though confirming some of the findings reported in other studies on performance management. The results also show that by focusing service provision on a proportion of their caseload, workers are able to reduce the negative impact of high caseloads somewhat. Overall, the article finds that the negative impact of high caseloads is more pervasive than that of performance management. The article concludes that the recent focus in the literature on performance management and its consequences for public services should not turn scholars' attention away from the 'traditional' public administration problem of high caseload sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today’s multitasking workplace, conversations are often carried out amid other tasks. This article explores how multitasking affects people’s levels of involvement or engagement in their conversations, and how levels of involvement in turn influence people’s language, understanding, and affective responses to the conversation. We manipulated participants’ levels of involvement in instant messaging conversations using a distraction task (an online game). We found that the distraction task lowered communication involvement. In addition, higher levels of involvement (both of the participant and of the partner) had a positive effect on understanding, emotions, and satisfaction. Moreover, a partner’s verbal cues of involvement, such as assent words and definite articles, influenced participants’ communication outcomes. We conclude by suggesting design features that might allow people to maintain appropriate levels of involvement during instant messaging conversations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined the experiential journeys of Indian guest-workers in Germany and how they perceive their work spaces and behave in the environment. Topics discussed include the financescape-ethnoscape interface, actual experiences at work space for Indian guest workers in Germany, evaluation of the ethnic specificity of the subjects and attributes of labour.

Purpose: The prevalence of work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and visual symptoms reported in the USA has increased dramatically during the past two decades. This study examined the factors of computer use, workspace design, psychosocial factors, and organizational ergonomics resources on musculoskeletal and visual discomfort and their impact on the safety and health of computer work employees. Methods: A large-scale, cross-sectional survey was administered to a US manufacturing company to investigate these relationships ( n = 1259). Associations between these study variables were tested along with moderating effects framed within a conceptual model. Results: Significant relationships were found between computer use and psychosocial factors of co-worker support and supervisory relations with visual and musculoskeletal discomfort. Co-worker support was found to be significantly related to reports of eyestrain, headaches, and musculoskeletal discomfort. Supervisor relations partially moderated the relationship between workspace design satisfaction and visual and musculoskeletal discomfort. Conclusion: This study provides guidance for developing systematic, preventive measures and recommendations in designing office ergonomics interventions with the goal of reducing musculoskeletal and visual discomfort while enhancing office and computer workers' performance and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Shift workers are exposed to more physical and psychosocial stressors in the working environment as compared to day workers. Despite the need for targeted prevention, it is likely that workplace interventions less frequently reach shift workers. The aim was therefore to investigate whether the reach of workplace interventions varied between shift workers and day workers and whether such differences could be explained by the quality of leadership exhibited at different times of the day. Methods: We used questionnaire data from 5361 female care workers in the Danish eldercare sector. The questions concerned usual working hours, quality of leadership, and self-reported implementation of workplace activities aimed at stress reduction, reorganization of the working hours, and participation in improvements of working procedures or qualifications. Results: Compared with day workers, shift workers were less likely to be reached by workplace interventions. For example, night workers less frequently reported that they had got more flexibility (OR 0.5; 95 % CI 0.3-0.7) or that they had participated in improvements of the working procedures (OR 0.6; 95 % CI 0.5-0.8). Quality of leadership to some extent explained the lack of reach of interventions especially among fixed evening workers. Conclusions: In the light of the evidence of shift workers' stressful working conditions, we suggest that future studies focus on the generalizability of results of the present study and on how to reach this group and meet their needs when designing and implementing workplace interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the effect of designed dynamic light on staff's quality of sleep with regard to sleep efficiency, level of melatonin in saliva, and subjective perceptions of quality of sleep. Methods: An intervention group working in designed dynamic light was compared with a control group working in ordinary institutional light at two comparable intensive care units (ICUs). The study included examining (1) melatonin profiles obtained from saliva samples, (2) quality of sleep in terms of sleep efficiency, number of awakenings and subjective assessment of sleep through the use of sleep monitors and sleep diaries, and (3) subjective perceptions of well-being, health, and sleep quality using a questionnaire. Light conditions were measured at both locations. Results: A total of 113 nurses (88 %) participated. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding personal characteristics, and no significant differences in total sleep efficiency or melatonin level were found. The intervention group felt more rested (OR 2.03, p = 0.003) and assessed their condition on awakening as better than the control group (OR 2.35, p = 0.001). Intervention-ICU nurses received far more light both during day and evening shifts compared to the control-ICU. Conclusions: The study found no significant differences in monitored sleep efficiency and melatonin level. Nurses from the intervention-ICU subjectively assessed their sleep as more effective than participants from the control-ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to workplace bullying as a potential risk factor for sickness presenteeism (SP), i.e. working while ill. Methods: This study is based on data collected through self-reported questionnaires in a 2-year prospective study on employees in Denmark. At baseline, 3363 employees (45.7 % response rate) answered to a questionnaire on their psychosocial work environment and health status. After 2 years, 1664 of the respondents also completed a follow-up questionnaire (49.5 % of the total baseline respondents). After excluding participants with missing values, the final samples were composed of 2865 and 1331 participants in the cross-sectional and prospective analyses, respectively. Results: Modified poisson regression analyses showed that frequent (i.e. daily or weekly) exposure to workplace bullying was associated with reporting 8 or more days of SP in the preceding year in both the cross-sectional and the prospective analysis, also when controlling for several confounders including health-related variables. However, the prospective relationship became non-significant after adjustment for baseline SP. Conclusion: This study provides indications of a significant relationship between exposure to frequent workplace bullying and SP, although causal connections could not be established. Methodological and theoretical considerations about study findings are provided, which could be of benefit to future studies examining the impact of being a target of workplace bullying on SP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim was to investigate the long-term importance of adjustment latitude for increased work ability and return to work among female human service workers on long-term sick leave. Methods: A cohort of female human service workers on long-term sick leave (>60 days) was given a questionnaire four times (0, 6, 12, 60 months). Linear mixed models were used for longitudinal analysis of the repeated measurements of work ability and return to work. Results: Having a higher level of adjustment latitude was associated with both increased work ability and return to work. Adjustments related to work pace were strongly associated with increased work ability, as were adjustments to the work place. Having individual opportunities for taking short breaks and a general acceptance of taking short breaks were associated with increased work ability. At home, a higher level of responsibility for household work was related to increased work ability and return to work. Individuals with possibilities for adjustment latitude, especially pace and place at work, and an acceptance of taking breaks had greater increased work ability over time and a greater work ability compared with individuals who did not have such opportunities. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of opportunities for adjustment latitude at work to increase work ability and return to work among female human service workers who have been on long-term sick leave. The results support push and pull theories for individual decision-making on return to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter explores how coaching equips managers and supervisors to be successful in the 21st-century workplace. Coaching has benefited these professionals by providing them with viable tools to enhance the leadership and managerial tools they already possess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigate the impact of Working Conditions on Quality of Working Life of human talent of manufacturing sector in the Colombian Caribbean region. To analyze this process interviewed 518 employees in the sector. The experimental design used was not descriptive cross type; each participant was applied an interview with the instrument of Working Conditions and Quality of Working Life Tool (Wage and Subjective Conditions). Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and logistic regression models. The results showed that the thermal environment and safety standard at work positively affects the Quality of Working Life. These results show that the relationship between working conditions and CVL is based on competition and far from linear or simple relationship relating to the consideration of the presence or absence of working conditions. This has implications when formulating policies, programs and interventions to prevent the negative effects of working conditions and enhance the industrial safety within industrial companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with a reform in the regulation on employment of migrant workers which was implemented in the Israeli construction industry from 2005. This corporations-based arrangement replaced a restrictive employment arrangement which tied the employee to a specific employer. The new regulation of work conditions and wages, coupled with a significant reduction in the number of work permits issued to construction, has improved work conditions and wages paid to migrant workers, and made their employment less attractive to employers. The reform also included elements designed to reduce the illegal employment phenomenon and to encourage migrant workers to leave the country at the end of their contracts. However, the new arrangement still restricted the mobility of migrant workers to some extent and had negative consequences such as a significant rise in the broker fees demanded of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within creative industries policy, two themes have been situated as central to the needs of the creative economy: the economic importance of place and the role of education in delivering a better-equipped workforce. However, these themes have rarely overlapped in either policy thinking or academic research, and so this article focuses on the relationship between place, education and professional aspirations for young people. Using the findings from qualitative interviews with media studies students within higher education (HE), this article analyses how the perceived attributes of some locations may provide industry credibility and the promise of enhanced professional mobility. It examines the tangible and symbolic value of place within young people's career development in the creative industries. The findings highlight how the links between place and education can influence the professional process, and how place shapes young people's perceptions of and opportunities for work in the creative industries. Finally, this research emphasises how current theories on creative industries policy and HE provision need to be extended to take greater account of the ways in which the attributes of localities can be used as a catalyst for individual professionalism amongst young people, and the ways in which certain places (mainly rural) may be disadvantaged in the current policy trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines how an airline company uses the labor of a group of middle-aged cabin attendants in an industry increasingly characterized by deregulation and competiveness. The study was based on in-depth interviews with seven women, all with between 24 and 30 years of work experience as cabin attendants. The article focuses on the women's working conditions and well-being and the analysis reveals three key aspects--intensification of work, vulnerability, and aging--that affect the cabin attendants' experiences and emotions in relation to the work. It is at the intersection of these three aspects that the cabin attendants' concerns must be understood. The study's findings indicated that positive emotions such as job satisfaction and commitment have diminished because of exploitative and otherwise poor working conditions. Taking the cabin attendants' concerns as its point of departure, the article shows that there is a need to move away from a discussion about emotional labor toward a discussion of working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a spate of media attention in recent years and implications for both work and family relationships, communication scholars have yet to study work-spouse relationships. Since popular press sources have often focused on the nature of and propriety of such relationships, the purpose of this study was to empirically examine how work spouses characterized their relationships. We analyzed 269 participants’ open-ended responses to a survey, which yielded five categories: (a) characteristics of a work spouse, (b) conditions for the work-spouse relationship, (c) characteristics of the work-spouse relationship, (d) functions of work spouses, and (e) ways of managing the work-spouse relationship. From this analysis, we construct a definition of the relationship and chart a course of future research for communication scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. Patient care is significantly affected by doctors and pharmacists, who have specialised knowledge and skills. In establishing an interprofessional undergraduate learning environment, medical and pharmacy students have the opportunity to start working in a collaborative manner early on in their careers. Objectives. To implement combined clinical visits, where medical and pharmacy students jointly encounter patients, and to establish the students' perceptions of working in an interprofessional team. Methods. Final-year pharmacy students together with third-year medical students at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa were invited to participate in weekly joint patient encounters at a central academic hospital from May to July 2012. Students assessed patient records and participated in the patient consultation, guided by the supervising doctor. Participants from each discipline were invited to attend a disciplinespecific focus group discussion, where they shared their perceptions and experiences. The discussions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to analyse the transcriptions. Ethics approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University. Results. Four themes were identified: the meeting of professions; shared teaching and learning; reciprocity in teaching and learning; and valuing the experience. It is evident that there was a change in students' attitudes, and they developed mutual respect and a better understanding of their professional role and that of their peers. They also reported positive experiences in learning from and with one another. Conclusion. This study focused on eliciting students' perceptions and attitudes towards interprofessional teaching and learning. The positive responses to the experiences suggest that further learning opportunities should be created with students from another discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research into generational differences in Hungary was based primarily on adapting findings from studies undertaken in Western Countries. If we consider not only the comparative history and wealth but also the cultural differences between Hungary and the countries in which these studies took place, then the apparent adaptability is brought into question. This study aims to examine the nature of millennial students in Hungary by building up the characteristics from the ground up rather than adapting data from other countries. The findings of the pilot study indicate that the instrument is of suitable length and clarity, and that a printed format is the most likely to produce a high response rate, despite its disadvantages. The findings also confirm the results of previous studies concerning the preference of students in Hungary for a clan type of organisation. There are also initial indications that Hungarian millennials have a high potential for entrepreneurialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, the study of spirituality is receiving increased attention, but very little is known about spirituality and its manifestation in African organizations. The aim of this research was to explore the experience of spirituality in a multicultural and diverse working environment, in order to enhance understanding of the functioning of spirituality in relation to diversity in the workplace. In particular, the study explores workplace spirituality from an individual and an organizational perspective within diverse organizations operating within a multicultural society. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 6oo white collar workers from two organizations in different industries in South Africa. The research findings indicate that there is an inverse relationship between workplace spirituality and individual spirituality. Furthermore, the study confirmed that the experience of both personal and organizational spirituality is impacted by several diversity characteristics within a multicultural environment. In order to improve understanding of the experience of spirituality in multicultural societies and organizations, further empirical research is recommended. Globally, organizations need to realize the importance of embracing spirituality, in order to function effectively in a multicultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a significant number of methods and approaches in design theory to support designers of mechanical engineering systems in everyday challenges. The applicability of these methods and approaches to industry appears limited, since influences on the product design process are only accounted marginally. This article presents a model that is based on theoretical approaches but is focused on extending system boundaries to factor in the modern work environment of mechanical engineering designers. Three areas of operation highly relevant to the development of economic products are included in the model: the classification of products according to the designated market, the decision-making process and the creation sequence. The areas are interlinked and are described using common as well as novel methods and approaches. An example design process is used to apply and evaluate the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how appraisal resources and legitimation strategies, concerning “associates” and “suppliers” in Walmart’s Corporate Social Responsibility reports from 2011 to 2013, contribute to the representation of a positive corporate image. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon Appraisal Theory (Martin and White, 2005) and Legitimation Theory (van Leeuwen, 2007) to explore the link between evaluative language and legitimacy concerning abovementioned search terms. Findings – Walmart’s representations of its stance towards “associates” and “suppliers” differ greatly, although the corporation communicates a positive self-image through both of them. Walmart portrays its relationship with its “associates” as cooperative and mutually beneficial. On the other hand, the corporation presents the image of a philanthropist organisation that has been trying to improve the poor working conditions of its “suppliers” through strict regulations. Research limitations/implications – Only a small amount of data could be analysed manually due to the special nature of evaluative language and legitimation. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need in studying social reporting in terms of linguistic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates mothers’ ‘sense of entitlement’ to workplace supports for family responsibilities. While ‘family-friendly’ workplace provisions have become more prevalent alongside the increasing labour force engagement of mothers, the notion of an ‘ideal worker’ unencumbered by family responsibilities continues to inform practice in many workplaces. Potential indicators of, and pressures for, change include employees’ sense of entitlement to provisions that challenge ideal-worker norms. Using a justice-based approach, our research sought accounts of a sense of entitlement to family-supportive arrangements among mothers working in relatively high-status occupations in Australia. We found a sense of injustice over the absence of family-supportive arrangements, but also a sense of resignation to barriers encountered and a tendency to interpret these as personal problems. Our findings suggest that considerable change is needed before effective work/family supports become part of Australian working parents’ normal expectations, and raise questions about the interventions needed to achieve such an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synopsis Drawing on the results of a small qualitative research project involving four work-based book groups—three in the UK and one in the USA—this article examines the ways in which participation in workplace reading groups facilitates women's networking within work organizations, in terms of both formal and informal as well as expressive and instrumental networking. It has long been recognized that women's employment progression is hampered, in part, by their exclusion from male-dominated networks. Taking a gendered approach to the analysis of workplace networking, this study suggests that book groups can function as an alternative to traditional old boys' networks, in some instances. Within the workplace, the collective reading of literature, I suggest, can potentially function as a means to extend the social as well as the more career-focused opportunities of its participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines recent documentary films that have sought to narrate, record and criticise the effects on the French workplace of a shift to a new model of finance capitalism driven by ‘pure’ money. The films give representation to subjective experiences in the workplace showing how abstract economics is played out at the most intimate, personal and material level. The films seem to challenge dominant representations of finance capitalism as an order that has emancipated workers from the physical and disciplinary constraints of industrialism. The workers in these films describe the transition to a new economic order in terms of an intensification of corporeal pain. We see an economic order that pits an infinite accumulation of virtual money against the finite productive capacities of the human body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interviews with 14 technical communicators reveal that skills in rhetorical invention help them creatively address communication problems. They define creativity in relation to four interrelated exigencies of invention: thinking like a user, reinvigorating dry content, inventing visual ideas, and alternating between heuristic and algorithmic processes. They recognize intrinsic factors such as curiosity and sympathy as motivations for their creativity, while being conscious of the external factors (people, money, and time) that may restrain creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study is a follow-up study of factors contributing to an undesirable quality of work environment and sick leave rate in the home care services in a Norwegian municipality. The underlying assumption is that organizational discrepancies in the perceptions and appraisals of significant factors and processes in an organization have detrimental effects on the management of the organization and on work environment conditions. Thus, the study aim is to explore potential organizational discrepancies in the appraisals of factors relating to home care workers' working conditions. Methods: The study, using a mixed-methods design, comprised six home care units. It included survey responses of home care workers (80 respondents, response rate 54 %) and qualitative descriptions of stakeholders' appraisals of organizational issues gathered through semi-structured interviews (33 interviews with stakeholders at three organizational levels). Results: Employees at different organizational levels in the home care services expressed divergent appraisals of factors related to the working conditions of home care workers, including impact of organizational measures (i.e. time pressure, work tasks, a new work program, organizational changes, budget model, budget allocation and coping strategies). Survey responses supported interview descriptions by home care workers. Results suggest that organizational discrepancy serve as an important barrier to a sustainable, well-functioning organization in general and to quality-enhancing changes to work procedures in particular. Conclusions: It is recommended to improve communication channels and facilitate the exchange of information across levels to ensure a common understanding of matters significant to the organization of the home care services and to the work environment of home care workers. The prevalence and impact of organizational discrepancy should be included in organization research, particularly when exploring explanatory factors of an unhealthy organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article ethnographically analyses how groups (and not just individuals) are produced in business process outsourcing (BPO) workplaces. In order to mitigate an unstable labour pool, corporations hire deaf workers to perform identical BPO work regardless of their qualifications and backgrounds. These hiring practices serve to cement existing relationships and produce deaf workers as a group marked only by deafness. This article explores how engaging in the same work articulates with deaf young adults' 'sameness work' to produce ambivalent deaf groups. It also analyses the everyday practices of deaf employees, their relationships with their normal co-workers who 'love' them, and the ways that value is reconfigured in the workplace through the existence of disabled workers. This article argues that in contrast to dominant representations of disabled people as unemployable, the (re)inscription of deafness as a source of multiple forms of value begs for a broader analysis of the role of disability in late capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast majority of migrant workers in Thailand are employed predominantly in low-paying occupations commonly described as '3-D jobs' (dangerous, dirty, and difficult). Currently, there are nearly two million documented and undocumented migrant workers, mostly from neighbouring Burma, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Cambodia, employed in various industries, including domestic service, throughout the country. While over half a million migrants are officially registered to work in the country, both documented and undocumented migrant workers remain unprotected primarily due to the lack of concrete measures to monitor, implement and enforce laws regarding working and living conditions. Regardless of where they are employed, migrant workers face common problems: low wages; harmful working conditions, poor living conditions; discrimination and harassment, the threat of arrest and deportation; and lack of access to basic resources such as medical care and legal assistance. Based on preliminary research conducted in the summer of 2005, this article looks at the situation of migrant factory and domestic workers in Thailand and explores the ways in which local activists, NGOs, community-based organisations, and international bodies have been looking to assist and protect migrant workers. Successful migrant workers' struggles and ongoing efforts of mobilization have been made possible with the help of these support groups, and raise the possibility that union and NGO activity have the potential to improve the situation of migrants in Thailand. This also raises the question of whether advocacy groups should be acting in lieu of the state rather than alongside the state, especially when it appears that they are fulfilling their civic duty as enforcer and monitor of migrant workers' problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on core principles within the Psychology-of-Working Framework (PWF; Blustein, , ), the authors examined mediators that may explain the link between work volition and job satisfaction among employed adults (135 women, 145 men). A structural equation model was tested hypothesizing that person-environment fit and work meaning would fully mediate the work volition-job satisfaction link. Results suggested that the reason work volition related to job satisfaction was because of stronger perceived fit with one's work environment and greater perceived meaning at work. In total, the predictor variables accounted for 82% of the variance in job satisfaction. Based on these findings, clinicians are encouraged to help clients understand the unique factors that may be limiting their work volition and to specifically target barriers that are amenable to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the association between studying with a contract teacher and a student's academic outcomes, using data from five Francophone African countries for two grade levels and two subjects. Based on this analysis, the evidence for or against this form of teacher hiring is inconclusive. The results indicate that these relationships vary depending on the country context, and the attributes of teacher demographics, working conditions, and preferences that are accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor psychosocial workplace factors have been found to cause or exacerbate a variety of health problems, including pain. However, little work has focused on how psychosocial workplace factors, such as health-related employer support, relate tofuture medical expenditures after controlling for health. Health-related support has also not been well explored in previous literature as a psychosocial factor. This study estimated the association of health-related employer support and pain with future medical expenditures, after including many additional controls. Methods: This study used a restricted data set comprised of medical claims and survey data for one company in the U.S. Participants were included in the sample if they had worked for their employer for at least 12 months prior to the survey and if they were continuously eligible for health insurance (N=1,570). Future medical expenditures were measured using administrative claims data covering inpatient, outpatient, mental health and pharmaceutical insurance claims during a year. Health-related employer support was measured using participants' answers about whether the employer would support their efforts to positively change their emotional or physical health. Pain was measured as recurring pain from any condition over the previous year. Results: Having any physical health-related employer support was associated with a 0.06 increase in the probability of having future medical expenditures greater than zero, 95% CI [0.01, 0.11], but not with total expenditures. Having pain was associated with a 0.06 increase, 95% CI [0.04, 0.09], in the probability of having future medical expenditures greater than zero and with $3,027 additional total expenditures, 95% CI [$1,077, $4,987]. Conclusions: After controlling for health and pain, psychosocial workplace factors were not robustly associated with future medical expenditures. Pain was associated with increased medical expenditures for the self-insured employer in this study, adjusting for a variety of factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]