The challenge of work-related stress and the pursuit of dignified and decent work for public accountants

کار شایسته عنصر کلیدی جهت دسترسی به شرایط عادلانه کار و کاهش فقر است. این امر به‌عنوان آمال و آرمان‌های یک فرد در حیات کاری وی تلقی می‌شود. تجربه نشان می‌دهد که رشد اقتصادی به‌تنهایی کافی نیست و باید برای توانمندسازی افراد از طریق کار شایسته و برخورداری آنان از حمایت‌های اجتماعی اقدام نمود. هدف اولیه و مهم سازمان بین‌المللی کار، ارتقای فرصت‌ها برای زنان و مردان جهت دستیابی به کار شایسته و مولّد در شرایط آزادی، برابری، امنیت و کرامت انسانی است. کار شایسته و چهار پایه و ستون آن یعنی اشتغال، حمایت اجتماعی، حقوق کارگران و گفتگوهای اجتماعی رکن به‌هم‌پیوسته برای دستیابی به توسعه پایدار هستند.

In this study, we examine the concept of decent work on local digital platforms in Serbia. So, this article focuses on the research topic of whether labour done on local digital platforms may be classified as "decent work." Labour digitization and the digital economy are novel phenomena that need in-depth examination. We begin with the concept of the digital economy as a basis for the development and expansion of digital labour. This new economy is characterised by knowledge and the use of various smart tools, as well as the crossing of national borders, and so on. Nowadays, we may talk about the gig economy, which is defined by short-term employment on online platforms or labour via mobile applications. These developments resulted in the establishment and growth of a worldwide digital labour market marked by non-standard forms of employment, insecure labour agreements, and the involvement of thirdparty intermediaries between employees and clients. There are considerable efforts to alter employment legislation throughout Europe. Co-regulation, which involves several players in the decision-making process, is one possible option. The Directive on Improving Working Conditions in Platform Work, which is now in the process of adoption, is perhaps the most important document at the EU level. It is worth mentioning the practices of the European Union's Court of Justice, national courts in Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, as well as national regulations in both Italy and France that establish the right to disconnect. We must also acknowledge the work of international and national trade union federations, such as the European Trade Union Confederation. So, the most pressing issue in this study is finding decent work in the digital labour market. A decent work index comprises many indicators. With statistical and legal indicators, the International Labour Organisation discusses 10 core aspects of decent work. According to an early study, there is no decent work on digital platforms due to bogus self-employment, which occurs when certain entrepreneurs work for only one company. The reasons for this phenomenon are reduced expenses and employers' lack of accountability. This is also an aspect of digital labour in Serbia. To assess the gig economy in Serbia, we use the online labour index and the gigmeter. According to the online labour index, Serbia is among the top 15 nations in the world in terms of the number of digital employees, accounting for 1.4% of the global total. Software development is the most frequent occupation. According to the gigmeter, the most frequent employment is creative and multimedia. The most crucial duty is to figure out how many digital employees there are in Serbia. According to the most conservative estimate, Serbia has almost 90,000 digital employees. Almost two-thirds of digital employees in Serbia are in hidden employment. Now we can talk about doing decent work on digital platforms in Serbia. To assess decent work, we apply the Fair Work Principles. Fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management, and fair representation re among these principles. Every platform can be scored with a basic and an extra point, for a total of 10 points. The study incorporates five platforms: Uradizaradi, Glovo, Wolt, Car: Go, and Mr.D. According to the Fairwork rating, Uradi-zaradi and Wolt met the most requirements but received just a passing grade. The Public Policy Centre performed extensive research on decent work to find that it does not exist on digital platforms. The most essential motivation for digital labour is a high wage, which comes at the price of a long working week. This study determined that neither platform satisfies the passing standard and makes some recommendations for improving working conditions on local platforms. First, the practice of bogus self-employment must be stopped. Second, labour legislation must be revised. Third, the right to collective bargaining must be extended to digital workers. This can be done by a strong trade union movement that can find a way to safeguard digital employees without jeopardising traditional workers' rights.

The concept of decent work has gained prominence in the globalised world, reflecting a set of principles aimed at ensuring fair, secure, and productive work conditions. This study explores the relationships among decent work, positivity, and life satisfaction among teachers in Türkiye. Using data from 268 teachers, the study examines the mediating and moderating roles of positivity in the relationship between decent work and life satisfaction. The Decent Work Scale, Positivity Scale, and Life Satisfaction Scale were employed to collect data. The results revealed that decent work is positively associated with life satisfaction, with positivity playing a significant mediating and moderating role. Specifically, higher levels of positivity not only enhance life satisfaction derived from decent work but also strengthen this relationship. Additionally, a significant difference was observed in decent work perceptions between public and private sector teachers, highlighting the need for improved working conditions in the private sector.

BackgroundThe United Nations (U.N.) recognizes "Decent Work" as a basic human right. The components of Decent Work include four pillars defined by the U.N.'s International Labor Organization (ILO): basic rights at work, employment creation, social protection and social dialogue. The United States fares poorly in comparison to peer countries on multiple measures related to Decent Work.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to describe 1) perceptions of decent work, 2) perceived barriers and opportunities to decent work, and 3) the role of public health in promoting and supporting decent work in the United States.MethodsKey informants identified from a pool of local, regional, state, national, and international organizations addressing concepts relating to worker rights and worker health and safety in the United States were interviewed from May 2021 to March 2022. Responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsParticipants defined decent work in terms very similar to the ILO definition: providing a livable wage with benefits, job security, just, safe, sustainable, meaningful work. Several addressed opportunities for growth, work providing a sense of agency/autonomy/power, and contributing to overall health, social, and emotional well-being. Significant barriers identified included the absence of legal protection, low levels of collective bargaining, poverty wages, and a lack of affordable healthcare.ConclusionsThere is widespread recognition that the U.S. lags significantly behind other high-income countries in the regulation of working conditions. Public health can amplify a decent work strategy by emphasizing the relationship between work and health.

PurposeSeveral studies have pointed out the importance of work‐family enrichment (WFE) for individuals' well‐being and organizations and for this reason, it seems important to understand how organizations may promote it. This study attempts to understand the role of organizational resources and, particularly, of opportunities for professional development (OPD), in promoting WFE. Specifically, it aims to test the mediation role of OPD between job resources (supervisor and colleague support, job security) and WFE.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted using a self‐report questionnaire administered to 353 employees and self‐employed workers from different occupational sectors.FindingsFilling a gap in the literature, the results showed that two job resources (supervisor support and job security) increase OPD which, in turn, mediates the relationship between the two job resources and WFE. Colleague support showed only a direct positive effect on WFE.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation of this research concerns the cross‐sectional design of the study, due to which no causal conclusions can be drawn. Moreover, future research might integrate some job demands and additional job resources into the model. Finally, regarding OPD, it is necessary to improve both understanding and measurement of this construct.Practical implicationsBased on the study's findings, organizations are encouraged to improve opportunities for job training and professional development, with important benefits for individuals, in terms of quality of work and life, and for organizations, in terms of better job attitudes and performance. Moreover, with regard to job security, more protection should be given to workers in order to enhance the quality of workplace learning and extra‐work life.Originality/valueThis study highlights the importance of integrating OPD into work‐family studies, demonstrating their role in enhancing the quality of life in the family domain. Furthermore, this study is one of the first to focus on job security as a significant resource in promoting professional development.

BackgroundBuilding decent and sustainable career paths that promote the well-being of individuals and the community is a central challenge in vocational education and training contexts. Based on the life design paradigm, this study investigates the interconnectedness between the sense of community responsibility, decent work, sustainable careers, and overall well-being. Decent work refers to employment that is productive, fairly compensated, safe, inclusive, and socially just, while sustainable career prospects describe an individual’s perceived potential for a fulfilling, healthy, productive, and socially impactful career. We propose that a strong sense of community can shape the key aspects of personal and professional life, significantly influencing individuals’ decent and sustainable career development and their overall well-being.MethodsThe cross-sectional study included a sample of 250 working Italian participants (90 males, 160 females) aged 19 to 65, representing a diverse range of professional roles (employees, self-employed, trainees). The following instruments were administered: the Sense of Community Responsibility Scale, the Decent Work for the Inclusive and Sustainable Future Construction Scale, the Future Sustainable Career Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, assessing emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Two mediation models, total and partial, were tested using structural equation modeling.ResultsThe mediation model’s results demonstrated that a sense of community responsibility predicted individuals’ perceived capacity to undertake decent work and develop future sustainable career prospects. Furthermore, the study found that these factors, in turn, significantly predicted emotional, psychological, and social well-being.ConclusionsThis study highlights the potential of cultivating a sense of community responsibility as a catalyst for individual and societal sustainable development cycles. By fostering a sense of community, career professionals can empower individuals to make career choices that align with decent work and sustainable career principles, ultimately leading to improved well-being for both individuals and communities. The findings underscore the importance of integrating community-focused strategies in vocational education and training, encouraging awareness of the social and environmental impacts of career choices.

Competing conceptualizations of decent work at the intersection of health, social and economic discourses

This study explores nurses' perspectives on the concept of "decent work" and the factors influencing their viewpoints. This qualitative study employed a conventional content analysis approach using face-to-face interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 registered nurses at two tertiary hospitals in Hangzhou, China, from October to November 2023. Decent work for nurses refers to their engagement in a profession within a secure, fair, and friendly practice environment where they could receive respect, support, reasonable compensation, social security, and opportunities for career development, all of which could enable nurses to recognize their intrinsic values and achieve a state of professional and personal fulfillment. Key factors that influence decent work for nurses include the work environment, societal perceptions, and individual characteristics. The concept of decent work holds paramount importance for nurses, necessitating collaborative efforts at the individual, family, institutional, and societal levels to promote the professional dignity of nurses and enhance the quality of nursing care. Policymakers should establish regional minimum wage standards for nurses, promote flexible scheduling, and support professional development through subsidized training programs. Additionally, national media campaigns and comprehensive mental health support can enhance the public image and resilience of nurses, respectively, improving their decent work perception.

The Decent Work Agenda recognises the role of work and work-related contexts in giving meaning, fulfilment, opportunities for development and growth to the employed and those who aspire to work. The Decent Work Scale (DWS) is a commonly referenced measure to appreciate the experience of decent work in organizations. Limited research has examined the quality of the DWS measurement model in the developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the factor structure of the DWS using bifactor modelling. The study also conducted invariance tests using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Last, the study evaluated the predictive validity of the decent work construct using covariance-based structural equation modelling. A probability sample from a large manufacturing firm in Zimbabwe informed the analysis. Bifactor analysis suggested the presence of a strong underlying general factor for DWS. The measure was invariant across gender groups. Decent work had significant, positive relationships with organisational learning and work engagement.

As a group of medical students from the United Kingdom (UK), we currently find ourselves in a period of uncertainty as the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread disruption to medical education. Our medical schools, like many others, have cancelled clinical placements, formal teaching, examinations and international elective programmes. Despite these challenges, we believe that the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is generating opportunities for both professional development and innovation in medical education. Social distancing is the most effective preventative strategy for COVID-19, but for many medical students this creates a gap where previously there were clinical attachments, a seemingly infinite syllabus and looming examinations. This unplanned interruption offers a unique opportunity for professional development, which may otherwise be missed, with the chance to consolidate learning, reflect on personal career plans and engage in academic research. Reflection helps us to process experiences and is a powerful way to facilitate learning. With over 60 specialties, and often limited exposure during medical school, choosing a career path in medicine can be daunting. There are many advantages in having a specialty interest when at medical school, and during this period it may be useful for those still unsure to reflect on past experiences and to consider their academic interests and what factors they value most in their careers. This unplanned interruption offers a unique opportunity for professional development, which may otherwise be missed, … Learning to critically evaluate research to inform future evidence-based practice is an essential skill that medical students must develop and, unsurprisingly, time constraints are often the greatest barrier to involvement in research.1 The General Medical Council recommends keeping up to date with current research in an individual's area of interest through independent study and by conducting literature searches and reviews. During the COVID-19 pandemic there will be barriers to engaging in laboratory- and hospital-based research; however, there is great value in performing systematic reviews of the literature and in taking part in qualitative research projects that may be conducted remotely, all of which will improve skills and strengthen applications to future training posts. We already know many fellow medical students engaging in reviews, video teaching, app development and even online language courses during self-isolation. Medical schools are rapidly trying to adapt their methods of teaching and assessment to accommodate the nationwide lockdown. During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic of 2003, Chinese medical schools cancelled clinical teaching and examinations. This led to the implementation of novel online problem-based learning that was so successful it was subsequently integrated into the curriculum.2 Similar to then, online teaching will play a key role in the continuation of the curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic, with highly reproducible content accessible to students at home. During this rapid restructuring there are opportunities to strengthen engagement by involving students in the planning and execution of learning resources. Evidence shows that involving students as stakeholders in their education adds value and fosters intrinsic motivation, which strongly correlates with self-efficacy and academic performance.3 We encourage medical schools to actively engage with students to call on their ingenuity and to develop these resources, which may benefit medical education in the long term and motivate future educators. … there are opportunities to strengthen engagement by involving students in the planning and execution of learning resources The COVID-19 pandemic is catalysing an enduring transformation in medicine, with advances in telemedicine, disease surveillance and artificial intelligence, which have already been used to triage infected patients. We are experiencing an unparalleled boom in cross-industry cooperation to combat this virus, bringing together pharmaceutical, biomedical, data analytic and computational drug discovery companies with a singular goal. In the UK, we have seen airplane manufacturers, carmakers and Formula One teams repurpose their production lines to build ventilators to cope with rising demand. Johns Hopkins University has developed an interactive web-based dashboard to track COVID-19 in real time, and researchers at King's College London have created a COVID-19 symptom tracker app with more than 1.5 million downloads.4 Disruptive events, such as economic recessions and pandemics, can advance innovation, and there are opportunities here for resourceful initiatives in medical education. Students at Harvard Medical School have already created a rapidly updating COVID-19 curriculum, with the latest research and developments, that is benefiting many clinicians.5 In summary, as medical students affected by this global disruption, we see a rare opportunity for professional development in an otherwise heavily structured degree. In addition, innovation driven by medical students during this viral pandemic may accelerate the continuing transformation away from traditional teaching methods in medical education. Analysing the effects of this change, and professional development during the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting benefit for medical and scientific communities, and a long-lasting impact on future clinicians’ practice.

Despite decades of focus on gender and skills training, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa remains deeply gendered and rooted in wider structures of patriarchal inequality and exploitation. Engaging with recent theoretical moves toward gender-transformative and gender-just TVET programming, this paper explores how a gradual revisioning of TVET can be mobilised to challenge broader gender inequality and discrimination in precarious settings. Bringing together insights from feminist scholarship and the UN’s decent work agenda, which seeks to align fair and secure working conditions with the aspirations of workers, we ask what a gender-transformative future for TVET might look like where labour rights, sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing are incorporated from the ground up. Drawing on findings from Cameroon and Sierra Leone, from the innovative ‘Gen-Up’ project which aims to investigate possible gender-responsive TVET programmes and policies in collaboration with the TVET provider, the Don Bosco network we ask what is both possible and permissible in the fractious economic climate, where the focus on basic survival and income generation inhibits a genuine challenge to entrenched gender norms and stereotypes. For young women especially whose aspirations are multiply damaged by persistent discriminatory frameworks and who become further vulnerable at times of economic and social crisis, we ask whether current TVET programming is helping them escape the multiple forms of marginalisation they face. Even in cases where women may be portrayed as successful entrepreneurs or achieving sustainable livelihoods, the evidence suggests these individualistic narratives are leaving many young women behind. In this context of instability, precarity and increasing global and local socio-economic and gender inequalities we argue that only holistic TVET programming based on social and moral values and empowerment and proposing diverse pathways to decent work, creating forms of solidarity, collaboration and a contextualised enabling environment can act as both a lever for gender transformation and also an engine for broader socio-economic change fitting the ‘Decent Work’ vision and a constantly changing world of work.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among these impacts, those related to the SDG 8 can be highlighted. Consequently, the literature has addressed aspects related to economic growth and decent work. This article aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on decent work according to the literature. For this, a bibliometric analysis was conducted. Data from Web of Science were collected, and VOSviewer software was used to perform the analysis. Regarding the results, four main clusters that govern the subject were identified. A first cluster (identified in red) evidenced the consequences of the pandemic to the generation of informal work, increasing poverty and the impacts on gender issues. A second cluster (identified in blue) addresses mental health and stress issues, especially for nurses professionals who experience a situation in the COVID-19 pandemic. The green cluster focused on unemployment, precarious employment, and work conditions, which were highly related to coronavirus contagion. Finally, the yellow cluster evidenced the final consequences when there is a substantial public health problem. The results presented here can be helpful to researchers interested in the, as it allows a broad and condensed view of important information about a relevant topic for sustainable economic development.

BackgroundEarly Childhood Caries (ECC) is a prevalent chronic non-communicable disease that affects millions of young children globally, with profound implications for their well-being and oral health. This paper explores the associations between ECC and the targets of the Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8).MethodsThe scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. In July 2023, a search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus using tailored search terms related to economic growth, decent work sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation, and efforts to eradicate forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking and ECC all of which are the targets of the SDG8. Only English language publications, and publications that were analytical in design were included. Studies that solely examined ECC prevalence without reference to SDG8 goals were excluded.ResultsThe initial search yielded 761 articles. After removing duplicates and ineligible manuscripts, 84 were screened. However, none of the identified studies provided data on the association between decent work, economic growth-related factors, and ECC.ConclusionsThis scoping review found no English publication on the associations between SDG8 and ECC despite the plausibility for this link. This data gap can hinder policymaking and resource allocation for oral health programs. Further research should explore the complex relationship between economic growth, decent work and ECC to provide additional evidence for better policy formulation and ECC control globally.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the associations among decent work (DW), capabilities and the flourishing of employees in a South African context.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample (N = 436) of early childhood development practitioners from two South African provinces. A demographic questionnaire, the Decent Work Scale, the Capability Set for Work Questionnaire and the Flourishing-at-Work Scale were administered.FindingsLatent class analysis showed four capability sets: robust, relational, knowledge/skills and weak capability sets. Employees with a robust capability set were more inclined to report DW than those with knowledge/skills and weak capability sets. Employees with a weak capability set were significantly less inclined to report organisational values that complement family and social values than the other three capability sets. Employees with a robust capability set reported significantly higher emotional well-being (EWB), psychological well-being (PWB) and social well-being (SWB) levels than those with relational, knowledge/skills and weak capability sets. DW was significantly related to EWB, PWB and SWB.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature regarding DW, capabilities and flourishing of employees in a non-western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic and non-POSH context. The study highlights the need for well-being policies that focus on DW and the capabilities of people in disadvantaged positions. These together would strengthen their agency for converting capabilities into well-being.

Kindergarten teachers’ performance at work has important implications for the quality of early childhood education and the development of children. Therefore, promoting teachers’ work performance is of interest to kindergarten managers and policymakers. Evidence suggests that professional development opportunities may play an important role in understanding employees’ work performance. However, the possible mechanism underlying the relationship between professional development opportunities and work performance remains underexplored, especially among kindergarten teachers. This cross-sectional study examined whether professional commitment and work engagement mediated the association of professional development opportunities with work performance among Chinese kindergarten teachers. Online questionnaire data were collected from 336 kindergarten teachers working in Hong Kong, China (mean age = 31.6 years; 86% of them were women). Kindergarten teachers rated the availability of professional development opportunities and their work performance. They also rated their professional commitment (indicated by affective, continuance, and normative commitment) and work engagement (indicated by vigor, dedication, and absorption). Structural equational modeling revealed that both professional commitment and work engagement uniquely mediated the association between professional development opportunities and work performance. The findings illustrated how professional development opportunities may enhance work performance by motivating teachers at the affective/cognitive and the behavioral levels. The findings also pointed to the potential utility of supporting the work performance of kindergarten teachers by providing them with ample professional development opportunities and promoting their professional commitment and work engagement.