Adequate Working Conditions Research Articles

A FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA DO(A) PROFESSOR(A) DE CRECHE NA REDE MUNICIPAL DE ENSINO DE SÃO PAULO

The objective of this text is to understand how the Municipal Education Network of São Paulo structures the continuing education of daycare teachers who work in educational institutions directly managed by the Municipal Department of Education. For this, a documentary research was carried out based on the legislation of the Municipal Secretariat of São Paulo and the publications of the Municipal Education Network of São Paulo. These documents were placed in dialogue with authors who discuss continuing education. It was possible to observe that the city of São Paulo has tried to advance in guaranteeing the right of babies and children to access educational institutions and thus has invested in the training of daycare teachers. This is evident in the legislation that advocates continuing education as well as in the training strategies developed preferably in the educational units, under the monitoring of the coordinator, who has the collaboration of trainers and pedagogical advisors. In addition to investments in adequate structure and working conditions, essential to promote quality continuing education, it is worth taking a close look at the effective policies of continuing education for the professionals of the network. The continuing education of daycare teachers is a continuous and challenging process, but essential to ensure quality early childhood education.

Attitudes of consumers towards ethical buying and fair trade in Slovakia

Nowadays, more and more consumers have an increased interest in the field of ethics and social responsibility, which they present in connection with the companies they buy from. The attitude towards ethical shopping becomes particularly important in the context of sustainable development and environmental protection. Slovakia, as a member of the European Union, is not left out of this trend. In the contribution, we focus on the attitude of consumers in Slovakia towards ethical shopping through an applied questionnaire inquiry. Ethical shopping is the way consumers think when choosing products, considering the conditions under which products are produced, distributed, and disposed. When choosing products, consumers consider not only the impact of these products on the environment but also whether adequate working conditions were observed during their production. We obtained data on the attitudes of consumers in Slovakia through a survey, using the questionnaire method. The survey focused on selected areas of ethical shopping, with a special focus on fair trade and its knowledge among consumers in Slovakia. Based on the results of the survey, we suggest ways to educate as well as motivate consumers in Slovakia to realize ethical buying to a greater extent.

A Novel Proposal for an Adapted Vehicle for Informal Waste Pickers in Ambato – Ecuador

Solid waste management represents a challenge for contemporary cities because it involves various levels of management and processing. At the base of the recycling pyramid, the crucial role of informal recyclers stands out, whose work improves the environmental conditions of cities. Despite its valuable contribution, informality has marked this profession, with deplorable working conditions at a social and economic level and low occupational safety. Recyclers roam the city in search of as much recyclable material as possible, so they can later sell it and continue the chain. However, the operational process of the recyclers is striking due to the inadequate conditions, in terms of personal protection and mobilization. Traditionally, they move with a cart, a product intended for transporting heavy loads over short distances. However, it is used by waste pickers to travel long distances during the daily working day. Through the methodology of early and continuous validation for product design, a vehicle adapted for the work of informal recyclers in the city of Ambato is proposed. It shows a valuable vision of addressing management in an inclusive, effective way for the city, with adequate working conditions at the operational level for waste pickers.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT AT THE WORKPLACE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN THE CANTON OF SARAJEVO

Introduction: Workplace safety means implementing a modern risk assessment method automatically included in the risk management activity. When a risk is discovered, it is necessary to reduce it or eliminate it completely through preventive measures or interventions. Aim: To examine to what extent healthcare organizations care about their workers, to what extent workers are aware of the risks, whether they have adequate working conditions and whether they respect them. Participants and methods: The study was included 144 healthcare professionals employed in public and private healthcare institutions in the Sarajevo Canton. The sample was selected by the method of random selection. The study is descriptive and comparative. Results: The total sample (N=144) included 140 or 97.2% respondents working in public healthcare institutions, and 4 or 2.8% respondents working in private healthcare institutions. Almost ¾ of respondents are familiar with the implementation of risk assessment in the workplace, and in 25.0% of cases they are familiar with some strategic document on risk management and assessment of risky workplaces. The largest number of respondents, 63.9%, state that they respect the protection measures provided by the employer. None of the respondents gave reasons for non-compliance. Conclusion: Respondents confirmed the existence of workplace risks in public and private healthcare institutions and awareness about them, they are fully or partially aware of the risks and partially practice protection against them. A significant number of employees mention illnesses that are potentially caused by a risky workplace.Keywords:workplace safety, management, healthcare institutions.

Novice School Leaders’ Turnover Intentions: The Role of Working Conditions and Organizational Factors

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the psycho-social working conditions of novice school leaders and their turnover intentions, focusing on potential variations across public- and private schools and school levels. Research Methods: We invited all novice school leaders (n = 3,389) enrolled in the in-service Swedish Principal Training Program to participate in an extensive survey, with a 65% (n = 1,998) response rate. The survey investigated turnover intentions, working conditions, prerequisites, and organizational ambiguity. The collected survey data, in combination with official data, were analyzed using ANOVA's to identify differences across actors and school levels, and linear regressions to investigate factors explaining turnover intentions. Findings: The findings revealed higher turnover intentions among public school leaders compared to private school leaders. This was attributed to differences in prerequisites and organizational ambiguity. All novice school leaders exhibited similar patterns regarding factors strongly associated with turnover intention, despite actor and school level affiliation. Specific levels of demand, autonomy, and support combined, predicted turnover intentions among novice school leaders with notable accuracy. Implications for Research and Practice: The study has profound implications for stakeholders in the educational system striving to decrease novice school leader turnover. Providing adequate working conditions emerges as a key factor for nurturing and retaining school leaders from the novice pool, offering insights into strategies for managing leadership transition in schools.

Refugee women’s and providers’ perceptions of person-centered maternity care: a qualitative study in two refugee camps in Chad

BackgroundGlobally, mistreatment of women during labor and delivery is a common human rights violation. Person-centered maternity care (PCMC), a critical component of quality of care, is respectful and responsive to an individual’s needs and preferences. Factors related to poor PCMC are often exacerbated in humanitarian settings.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study to understand Sudanese refugee women’s experiences, including their perceptions of quality of care, during labor and delivery at the maternities in two refugee camps in eastern Chad, as well as maternity health workers’ perceptions of PCMC and how they could be better supported to provide this. In-depth interviews were conducted individually with 22 women who delivered in the camp maternities and five trained midwives working in the two maternities; and in six dyads with a total of 11 Sudanese refugee traditional birth attendants and one assistant midwife. In addition, facility assessments were conducted at each maternity to determine their capacity to provide PCMC.ResultsOverall, women reported positive experiences in the camp maternities during labor and delivery. Providers overwhelmingly defined respectful care as patient-centered and respect as being something fundamental to their role as health workers. While very few reported incidents of disrespect between providers and patients in the maternity, resource constraints, including overwork of the providers and overcrowding, resulted in some women feeling neglected.ConclusionsDespite providers’ commitment to offering person-centered care and women’s generally positive experiences in this study, one of few that explored PCMC in a refugee camp, conflict and displacement exacerbates the conditions that contribute to mistreatment during labor and delivery. Good PCMC requires organizational emphasis and support, including adequate working conditions and ensuring suitable resources so health workers can effectively perform.

Occupational stress and body composition of hospital workers: a follow-up study.

This study sought to analyze the influence of occupational stress on the body composition of hospital workers after one year of follow-up. This prospective cohort study included 218 workers from one of the leading private hospitals in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Recôncavo da Bahia region, Northeast Brazil. Body composition was analyzed by proxy (Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference) and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. The primary exposure adopted in the present study was the perception of occupational stress, assessed with the adapted and reduced version of the Job Content Questionnaire evaluating demand and control dimensions. The covariates were work characteristics; biological characteristics; sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis. At the first stage of the study, we identified that 55.96% (n = 122) of workers had high work demand and 25.22% (n = 55) had low control. Among those who had high demand and low control at the beginning of the study, the majority were women, non-white, with low educational and income levels, sleeping less than 7 h/day. After 12 months of follow-up, the median value for demand continued as 13 (IQR: 5-25) and for control, it increased to 16 (IQR: 9-23). In this second moment of the study, 62.38% (n = 136) of workers showed high demand and 45.87% (n = 100) low control. The characteristics of workers with high demand and low control were similar to those of the first moment. The results indicate that high demand and low control at work are risk factors for changes in body mass index, fat mass and fat-free mass in hospital workers. This study shows the importance and need for clinical and epidemiological assessments regarding the body composition of professionals working in hospitals, since high rates of overweight and obesity are triggers of chronic health problems such as dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, among others. Therefore, managers must promote adequate working conditions and understand the need for periodic body composition assessments.

Existing workloads among managers and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Meanings in the Amazon context.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has increased the concern and risks of health professionals exposed by acting on the front lines in combating and controlling the spread of the virus. This study aims at analyzing the workloads and their implications for the activities carried out by managers and health workers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. This is a qualitative study, of the case study type, that integrates a macro research that deals with the experiences built during the confrontation of the pandemic of COVID-19 in the capital of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, the epicenter of the pandemic in the country. Data production resorted to documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with 56 managers or professionals from the Manaus Health Care Network. The analytical process was supported by the resources of the Atlas.ti 8.0 software and the precepts of Thematic Networks analysis. The thematic network "workloads" brought together three topics related to the experience of psychological, physiological and biological loads. Psychological workloads were strongly present in the work routine, being referred to in a more significant way. The sources that increase them are strongly related to work stress, dealing with suffering and death and excess demand on the service. Physiological loads were related to excessive working hours, staff shortages and activity overload. "Biological burdens" include exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, constant contact with infected individuals, and individual protection as key elements of this set. The study showed that both managers and workers have work processes and environments with conditions that tend to generate workloads that harm their health and safety, as well as institutions and patient care. Therefore, there is a need for more effective organizational actions in workers' health surveillance, disease prevention, adequate working conditions, reducing workloads and promoting more resolute and less stressful work environments.

The interrupted journey: factors and processes related to withdrawal, re-enrolment and dropout from doctoral education

Withdrawal from doctoral education has been recognized as a problem with negative consequences for different actors, leading researchers worldwide to explore its underlying factors and processes. However, even if many PhD candidates who withdrew intend to re-enrol, there is a gap in the literature regarding the factors and processes related to re-enrolment. The aim of this qualitative study is to understand pre- and post-withdrawal experiences of PhD candidates and the factors and processes related to withdrawal, dropout and re-enrolment, through the voices of PhD candidates who withdrew and faculty in social and health sciences in a Portuguese university. Our findings conceptualize withdrawal as a behavioural manifestation of disengagement processes comprising interacting emotional/affective, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions, which start before withdrawal, extend beyond it, and may culminate in dropout or re-engagement and re-enrolment. Factors and processes related to withdrawal, dropout, or re-enrolment were situated in various nested contexts. This study highlights the need for an academic cultural change, to envisage withdrawal as a process that does not necessarily mark the end of PhD candidates’ incursion into doctoral education. It draws attention to the need to provide adequate working conditions for PhD candidates, and also to promote follow-up and communication with PhD candidates who withdrew.

Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision.

Work is one of the most enduring and consequential life domains regarding how meaning and purpose impact health and well-being. This review first examines scientific findings from the MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.) national longitudinal study that have linked work to well-being and health. Most have focused on adverse work or work conditions as influences on poor health, with a few recent findings investigating links to purpose and other aspects of eudaimonic well-being. Organizational scholarship is then selectively reviewed to show how meaningful work is often linked to motivation, performance, and commitment. Paradoxically, meaning can also lead to the exploitation and erosion of health and well-being when managed without regard for decent working conditions. Recent workplace phenomena known as the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting underscore the societal consequences of work without meaning or adequate working conditions. Both the scientific and organizational literature are enriched by a vision of meaningful work rooted in Aristotle's writings about virtue, ethics, and the realization of potential. Evidence-based practices tied to these eudaimonic ideals are examined at multiple levels, including the societal context (public policy), organizational conditions (culture, human resource practices, leadership), and individual strategies to find meaning, engagement, and fulfillment in work. A concluding section highlights strengths and omissions in the scientific and organizational literature and, going forward, calls for greater interplay among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in enacting eudaimonic ideals.

Ethical Challenges to the Self-care of Nurses during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The emerging working conditions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have imposed numerous ethical challenges on the nurses, which, in turn, can negatively impact the nurses' physical and mental health, and thus their work performance through intensifying negative emotions and psychological pressures. The purpose of this study was to highlight the nurses' perceptions of the ethical challenges that they faced regarding their self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative, descriptive study with a content analysis approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 nurses working in the COVID-19 wards of two university-affiliated hospitals. These nurses were selected using a purposive sampling method and the data were analyzed using a content analysis approach. The study was approved by the TUMS Research Council Ethics Committee under the code: IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1399.594. In addition, it is based on the participants' informed consent and confidentiality. Two themes and five sub-themes were identified, including ethical conflicts (the conflict between self-care and comprehensive patient care, prioritization of life, and inadequate care) and inequalities (intra- and inter-professional inequalities). The findings demonstrated that the nurses' care is a prerequisite for the patients' care. Considering that the ethical challenges faced by nurses are related to unacceptable working conditions, organizational support, and lack of access to facilities such as personal protective equipment, it seems essential to support nurses and provide adequate working conditions to provide patients with quality care.

The domino effect: how leader job characteristics as antecedents of transformational leadership facilitate follower job characteristics

ABSTRACT Leaders influence their followers directly through interactions and role modelling, and indirectly by providing resources and managing demands. However, to lead accordingly, leaders require adequate working conditions. So far, little is known about the contextual antecedents of leadership and its subsequent impact on follower job characteristics. To address this research question, we asked 711 employees and their 82 direct leaders about their autonomy and their workload at three points of time (time lags: 12–14 months between T1 and T2 and 6–7 months between T2 and T3). Followers also rated their leaders on transformational leadership. The analysis accounted for the nested data structure. Results showed that leader autonomy and workload are linked to transformational leadership behaviour, which is significantly related to follower autonomy but not follower workload. The findings of this longitudinal study highlight the importance of leader job characteristics for establishing transformational leadership behaviours and designing their followers’ job characteristics.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of frontline healthcare workers in a highly affected region in Brazil

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), especially in low and middle-income countries, which had to face additional political, social, and economic challenges. We thus aimed to assess the prevalence of mental health outcomes and the associated factors in HCWs treating COVID-19 patients in one of the most affected regions in Brazil.MethodsWe used the Respondent-Driven Sampling method to assess the risks of COVID-19 infection and symptoms of mental disorders in nurses, nursing technicians, and physicians who worked on the frontline in the metropolitan region of Recife. 865 healthcare workers completed a survey regarding sociodemographic data, work-related risks, and symptoms of mental disorders - SRQ-20 for common mental disorders (CMD); AUDIT-C for problematic alcohol use; GAD-7 for anxiety; PHQ-9 for depression; PCL-5 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Gile’s successive sampling estimator was used to produce the weighted estimates by professional category. A Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to analyze factors associated with a positive screening for CMD. We will present the results of a cross-sectional analysis of the mental health outcomes after the first peak of COVID-19 – from August 2020 to February 2021.ResultsThe prevalence ratios for a positive screening for CMD were 34.9% (95% CI: 27.8–41.9) in nurses, 28.6% (95% CI: 21.3–36.0) in physicians, and 26.6% (95% CI: 16.8–36.5) in nursing technicians. Nurses presented a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (23%). Positive screening for problematic alcohol use (10.5 to14.0%), anxiety (10.4 to 13.3%), and PTSD (3.3 to 4.4%) were similar between the professional categories. The main factors associated with CMD in nurses and physicians were related to an intrinsic susceptibility to mental illness, such as previous or family history of psychiatric disorder, and female sex. Among nurse technicians, work-related factors, such as accidents with biological material, presented the strongest association with CMD.ConclusionThe mental health of HCWs fighting COVID-19 in Recife was severely affected. It is crucial that healthcare services provide adequate working conditions and psychological support, investing in programs to promote and protect HCWs mental health.

The Effects of Workplace Stressors on Dietary Patterns among Workers at a Private Hospital in Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil: A Longitudinal Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Working in a hospital environment is known for presenting unhealthy features that affect the workers' health-features which have currently been intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this longitudinal study aimed to ascertain the level of job stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, how this changed, and its association with the dietary patterns of hospital workers. Data on sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, health, anthropometric, dietetic, and occupational stress were collected before and during the pandemic from 218 workers at a private hospital in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil. McNemar's chi-square test was used for comparison purposes, Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify dietary patterns, and Generalized Estimating Equations to evaluate the interested associations. During the pandemic, participants reported increased occupational stress, shift work, and weekly workloads, compared with before the pandemic. Additionally, three dietary patterns were identified before and during the pandemic. No association was observed between changes in occupational stress and dietary pattens. However, COVID-19 infection was related to changes in pattern A (0.647, IC95%0.044;1.241, p = 0.036) and the amount of shift work related to changes in pattern B, (0.612, IC95%0.016;1.207, p = 0.044). These findings support calls to strengthen labour policies to ensure adequate working conditions for hospital workers in the pandemic context.

The Post Pandemic Future: Nursing in the Region of the Americas and Mental Health

The transformative and impactful role of nurses has been highlighted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The health workforce has endured many particularly difficult challenges during this time, both professionally and in their personal lives, in the effort to respond to the needs of communities, patients, and families. As a result, many nurses and other providers are facing their own mental health challenges due to the prolonged response to address pandemic challenges. In the Region of the Americas, several areas have faced inequities and greater challenge, especially in countries that are low- and middle income. There is a tremendous gap between the number of people who need mental healthcare and those who receive it, even with the current health workforce. Increasing national investments in nursing in the Region of the Americas is necessary and has been addressed by the Pan American Health Organization. A strategic regional focus has been placed to empower healthcare professionals to achieve the levels of education necessary to improve working conditions and to have leadership roles supported and recognized in a model of resilient health systems. Protecting mental health of providers has become an important lesson of the pandemic and an essential and permanent component in the management of health systems and services. This article offers a summary of challenges in the Region of the America as leaders consider the best strategies to support a positive relationship that features resilience, adequate working conditions, and investments in the nursing profession for a post-COVID-19 future that protects workers’ mental health.

DESENVOLVIMENTO PROFISSIONAL DOCENTE E EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA NA PANDEMIA DE COVID-19

ABSTRACT: This work aims to investigate the work and professional development of Brazilian teachers during emergency remote teaching in the COVID-19 pandemic, considering aspects such as working conditions, teaching-learning, and mental health. A sample of 364 basic education teachers in Brazil was assessed using self-report instruments considering sociodemographic data, working conditions, aspects related to teaching work and teaching learning (activities, knowledge and teacher education), mental health, and meaning in life. The results showed that changes in teaching work occur amid the absence or limited experience of most teachers with online teaching and/or the use of digital technology, in addition to the lack of adequate support and working conditions. The main tasks were mediated by technology, and didactic knowledge played a fundamental role in this context. The education offered to teachers by the institutions was largely insufficient, causing the need for complementary (self)education. Experiential knowledge has been shown to be fundamental in teaching and learning. Finally, mental health was shown to play a crucial role in this professional development process, in addition to demonstrating a positive correlation with the presence of meaning in life. The implications for the professional development of teachers are discussed.

Civilne misije Evropske unije - slučaj misije EULEX Kosovo

By strengthening its internal strength over the years, the European Union as a supranational organization has shown interest and formed capacities for a stronger foreign policy and security influence on the environment in the last twenty years. The EULEX Kosovo mission was the first real and major test of European security policy in the field of civil affairs and internal security in conflict environments. The rule of law is one of the key civilizational achievements that are not easy to establish in modern societies, as was demonstrated in the case of Kosovo and Metohija, a part of the Republic of Serbia that has been accompanied by decades of security problems for the local population. The analysis of certain indicators that evaluate the rule of law, political stability, corruption and work of judicial and police bodies, indicated that the state of internal security in Kosovo and Metohija has not changed much since the establishment of the EULEX mission. Certain capacities of the temporary authorities in Prishtina in the area of customs, police, and justice have been established, especially in the adoption of the strategic and legal framework, and partly in the creation of adequate material working conditions. On the other hand, the fulfilled formal prerequisites did not produce results in the daily work of the institutions to protect the local population and their human, property, security and other rights. The existence of corruption in the judiciary, police, and customs was registered as a bigger problem, which is connected to the political influence of local authorities and their mutual connections and relations. This is indirectly reflected in the small number of convictions in cases of high corruption and especially organized crime. Kosovo and Metohija still belong to the areas that are highly influenced by organized criminal groups, with the possibility of manifesting terrorism and extremism. The EULEX mission and international forces did not provide the conditions for the return of over 200,000 displaced Serbs, and those who still live in Kosovo and Metohija face the lack of basic security conditions for a normal life. The ideas, principles, and guidelines of the CSDP of the EU have largely failed to be realized within the mission in Kosovo and Metohija for the last 14 years of implementation. There is a need for a detailed analysis by the expert bodies of the EU in order to better prepare and respond to future engagements, and overall to improve the credibility of the EU.

Budget participation and employee performance in real estate companies: the mediating role of budget goal commitment, trust and job satisfaction

PurposeRecent years witnessed an exponential growth of the Portuguese real estate market. This growth has generated the need to implement effective management control tools to allow companies to improve their planning and monitoring of activities. Drawing on the agency and goal-setting theories, this paper explores the impact of companies' participative budgeting processes on employee performance in the real estate industry.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, a questionnaire was developed and a sample of 116 employees that participate in the budgeting process of real estate organizations collected, with data analyzed using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe results show that participation in the budgeting process has an impact on employees' performance through budget goal commitment, trust and job satisfaction. However, no statistical support was found for the role of budgetary slack in this process.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted in a single industry and is based on self-reported measures of employees that participate in the budgeting process of their organizations.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for real estate organizations to involve their staff in the elaboration of budgets, contributing to a higher level of commitment to established goals, job satisfaction, trust and performance. Real estate organizations should provide adequate working conditions, foster their employees' autonomy and recognize their work.Originality/valueThe findings encourage real estate companies to extend the participation in the budget process to employees and, ultimately, to mitigate the probability of budget failure.

GESTÃO DO ESTRESSE EM PROFISSIONAIS DE ENFERMAGEM ATUANTES NA PANDEMIA COVID-19: revisão de literatura

A healthy health professional depends mainly on a differentiated look from health managers, with the development of public policies that guarantee their needs and particularities, allowing for greater well-being and, consequently, greater quality in patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic, which had its first case registered in Brazil on February 25, 2020, brought with it a greater burden on health professionals in a process of intensive and extensive journeys, and without adequate working conditions. The present research aimed to verify the frequency of Brazilian scientific publications that address the occurrence of stress in nursing professionals (Nursing Assistants, Nursing Technicians and Nurses) in reference hospitals for COVID-19. The research was performed through a literature review conducted in the Google Scholar database, of projects executed in Brazil and published between February 2020 and August 2022. Sixteen articles were selected within the expected standards and scope of the study. The presence of anxiety, stress and depression was evidenced, and, in some studies, it exceeded 50% of the participants, highlighting the need for physical and psychosocial support measures for nursing professionals. It is necessary to develop public policies that can adequately monitor these professionals with the necessary help, to deal with all the emotional and physical burden that the moment has demanded in the face of all these stressors in the work environment. It is necessary to detect which good practices are being developed by health managers to listen to and treat these professionals.

“I noticed that when I have a good supervisor, it can make a Lot of difference.” A Qualitative Study on Guidance of Employees with a Work Disability to Improve Sustainable Employability

PurposeFor employees with a work disability adequate daily guidance from supervisors is key for sustainable employability. Supervisors often lack expertise to guide this group of employees. Mentorwijs (literal translation: Mentorwise) is a training for supervisors to improve the guidance of employees with a work disability. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of employees with a work disability regarding: (1) the guidance from their supervisors (who followed the Mentorwijs training), (2) which differences they notice in the guidance due to the Mentorwijs training, and (3) what kind of aspects they consider important in their guidance to achieve sustainable employability.MethodsA qualitative study was performed with semi-structured (group) interviews among twenty-one employees with a work disability. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data.ResultsThemes that followed from the interviews were: (1) work tasks and conditions can facilitate or hinder sustainable employability: (2) relationships among employees and with supervisors can affect sustainable employability; (3) a desire for new opportunities and challenges; and (4) a need for supervisor skills to facilitate sustainable employability, i.e. appreciation, availability of help, dealing with problems, listening, attitude and communication. According to employees, changes were mainly noticed in supervisor skills.ConclusionsEmployees with a work disability were very satisfied with the guidance of supervisors who followed the Mentorwijs training. To improve sustainable employability, training of supervisors should focus more on adequate work conditions, providing employees opportunities to learn new work tasks and improving supervisors’ skills regarding appreciation, attitude and communication.