Challenging Work Environment Research Articles

Understanding K-12 STEM Education: a Framework for Developing STEM Literacy

In recent years, arguments have signalled the value of STEM education for building discipline knowledge and an array of capabilities, skills and dispositions, aligned with the needs of young people functioning productively and ethically in dynamic, complex and challenging future work, social and political environments. This combination has been termed STEM literacy and positioned as a desired outcome from STEM education programs. However, knowledge is limited on ways this can be developed in K-12 schools. This article introduces a framework that conceptualises the integrated nature of the characteristics of STEM education. It identifies and maps key characteristics of STEM education, recognising different entry points, curriculum designs and pedagogical strategies for school programs. The framework provides practical guidance for planning and implementing STEM education in schools.

Communicative challenges among physicians, patients, and family caregivers in cancer care: An exploratory qualitative study in Ethiopia.

BackgroundCancer is a growing concern in Ethiopia. Though communication is essential for the treatment process, few studies have looked at communication in Ethiopian cancer care. Due to the large number of patients and scarcity of resources, it is vital to understand how to manage consultations in order to effectively help as many patients as possible in this challenging work environment. Thus, research is needed to analyze and understand the communicative challenges experienced by physicians, patients, and family caregivers, in order to successfully handle patient care in practice.ObjectiveWe explore communication in Ethiopian cancer care and present the main challenges faced by physicians, patients, and family caregivers.MethodsThis explorative qualitative study was conducted at the Oncology Department of the Tikur Anbessa (Black Lion) Specialized Teaching Hospital (TASH) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A triangulation of data collection methods was used: 91 audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews and 21 video-recordings of authentic interactions during hospital rounds. The aim was to obtain as complete a picture as possible of communication from the perspectives of physicians, patients, and family caregivers. The interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis and the identified themes were supported by excerpts from the transcribed recordings.ResultsEight themes emerged from the data. Workload and time pressure, in combination with restricted space for privacy, limited the possibilities for physicians to deliver detailed information and provide emotional support. Furthermore, patient literacy levels, in combination with no or little cancer awareness, financial problems, reliance on traditional and religious treatments, the stigma of cancer, and a fatalistic attitude, resulted in delays in patients seeking care and participating in positive health behaviors, and, subsequently, often resulted in an unwillingness to openly discuss problems with physicians and adhere to treatment. The study also illustrates the paramount role of family in physician-patient communication in Ethiopia. Though family caregivers provide a valuable interpreting support when patients have limited language skills, they can also prevent patients from sharing information with physicians. Another important finding is that family caregivers were often responsible for making decisions about treatment and avoided telling patients about a poor prognosis, believing that conveying bad news may upset them. All of these themes have important implications for the role of ethically acceptable communication in patient-centered care.ConclusionsThis study has identified a number of serious challenges for successful and ethically acceptable health communication in Ethiopian cancer care. The study contributes to our understanding of the complexity around the role of family, combined with patients’ dependency on family members for communication, support, and access to care, which creates particular ethical dilemmas for the medical staff. The questions raised by this study concern how to organize consultations to achieve patient-centered health communication, while maintaining a constructive alliance with the family and not jeopardizing the patient’s continued access to care. The integration of communication training for medical students in Ethiopia, with a focus on ethical guidelines for family-centered patient consultation suitable for these circumstances, would be an essential step.

Assessment of psychological capital at work by physiotherapists.

Describe how psychological capital in the workplace impacts job satisfaction and quality life among Brazilian physiotherapists. Questionnaires were distributed to physiotherapists of the Brazilian Physical Therapists Association working in clinical or managerial positions in the public or private sector. The response rate was 12%, with 389 participants. Job satisfaction was associated with self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience, showing a direct relationship between satisfaction and psychological capital in the workplace. The self-employed physiotherapists were more satisfied and had higher psychological capital in the workplace than the physical therapists employed by a company. It is relevant that managers in the physiotherapy field recognize the relevance of psychological capital in the workplace and use it in their management practices. Understanding the individual characteristics of each employee is essential in promoting the personal development of physical therapists. This finding contributes to a healthier and more challenging work environment for physiotherapists in addition to developing their careers in physical therapy units.

CN107 - Work related empowerment and collaboration in multiprofessional cancer centre

BackgroundThe present and future health care is increasingly complex work environment. Cancer care setting has been identified as a challenging work environment in relation to occupational well-being and safety. Work empowerment is associated with job satisfaction, commitment and intention to stay at work. Another determinant is the multiprofessional collaboration in working contexts. It is important to enhance both empowerment of professionals and interprofessional collaboration. Aims of this study is to: recognize a need for work related empowerment (WEP) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC); understand WEP and IPC care; find ways to increase WEP and IPC. MethodsCross-sectional survey, in a network based cancer center in Western Finland. The number of inhabitants in the area is 870 765. The estimated number of health care professionals working with cancer patients in three hospitals is 1050. WEP was evaluated by a validated instrument (Kuokkanen 2003) and IPC with instrument (MONAMI) developed for the study. Sample consists of 350 professionals in cancer care (nurses 66%, physicians 11 %, allied health professionals 13%). Statistical methods were used in analysis. ResultsWork empowerment was evaluated positively; most critical the respondents were on their activeness on participating to positions of trust, and solving problems in their unit. From the impeding factors of WEP, respondents were most critical on the support by management. Empowerment was highest among physicians. Interprofessional collaboration was evaluated positively; most critical respondents were on the support by the management. ConclusionsThe results indicate a need for developing organizational and management support for WEP and IPC. On the contrary to other professionals, medical professionals evaluate having good possibilities to lead, manage and make decisions. To decrease the difference between professional groups, enhancement on IPC is needed, that should acknowledge all professionals and aim for shared decision-making in work processes especially in situations not focusing solely on medical issues. Legal entity responsible for the studyTurku University of Applied Sciences. FundingThe Finnish Work Environment Fund. DisclosureAll authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

The role of job crafting and knowledge sharing on the effect of transformational leadership on innovative work behavior

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of transformational leadership on an employee’s innovative work behavior through job crafting. In addition, the study explores the moderating effect of knowledge sharing behavior in the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative and cross-sectional approach was used to collect data. Data were collected from 325 subordinates and 126 supervisors working in the hotel industry. Subordinates were asked to rate transformational leadership style of their respective supervisors and their own job crafting and knowledge sharing behaviors. Supervisors were asked to rate innovative work behavior of their respective subordinates. Findings The results showed that job crafting behaviors (increasing structural job resources, increasing social resources and increasing job challenges) mediated the effect of transformational leadership on an employee’s innovative work behavior. Moreover, knowledge sharing moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior. Practical implications Organizations may reap the benefits of an innovative workforce by selecting, nurturing and developing transformational leaders who facilitate employees to proactively craft a challenging and resourceful work environment. Originality/value This is the first study to test the mediating effect of job crafting behaviors on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior.

Derivation of Time-Activity Data Using Wearable Cameras and Measures of Personal Inhalation Exposure among Workers at an Informal Electronic-Waste Recovery Site in Ghana.

Approximately 2 billion workers globally are employed in informal settings, which are characterized by substantial risk from hazardous exposures and varying job tasks and schedules. Existing methods for identifying occupational hazards must be adapted for unregulated and challenging work environments. We designed and applied a method for objectively deriving time-activity patterns from wearable camera data and matched images with continuous measurements of personal inhalation exposure to size-specific particulate matter (PM) among workers at an informal electronic-waste (e-waste) recovery site. One hundred and forty-two workers at the Agbogbloshie e-waste site in Accra, Ghana, wore sampling backpacks equipped with wearable cameras and real-time particle monitors during a total of 171 shifts. Self-reported recall of time-activity (30-min resolution) was collected during the end of shift interviews. Images (N = 35,588) and simultaneously measured PM2.5 were collected each minute and processed to identify activities established through worker interviews, observation, and existing literature. Descriptive statistics were generated for activity types, frequencies, and associated PM2.5 exposures. A kappa statistic measured agreement between self-reported and image-based time-activity data. Based on image-based time-activity patterns, workers primarily dismantled, sorted/loaded, burned, and transported e-waste materials for metal recovery with high variability in activity duration. Image-based and self-reported time-activity data had poor agreement (kappa = 0.17). Most measured exposures (90%) exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) 24-h ambient PM2.5 target of 25 µg m-3. The average on-site PM2.5 was 81 µg m-3 (SD: 94). PM2.5 levels were highest during burning, sorting/loading and dismantling (203, 89, 83 µg m-3, respectively). PM2.5 exposure during long periods of non-work-related activities also exceeded the WHO standard in 88% of measured data. In complex, informal work environments, wearable cameras can improve occupational exposure assessments and, in conjunction with monitoring equipment, identify activities associated with high exposures to workplace hazards by providing high-resolution time-activity data.

Predicting overall Staffs’ Creativity and Innovative Work Behavior in Banking

Abstract This study focuses on the impact of empowering leadership and challenges work environment on both sale employee’s creativity and innovative work behavior in the Vietnamese banking industry. An empirical test, a structural equation model comprising a sample of 319 sale employees in 15 banks, indicates a strong relationship between sales staff creativity and innovative work behavior. Moreover, the findings indicate that both an empowering leadership and a challenging work environment can trigger sale employees’ creativity. Finally, innovative work behavior has a positive impact on innovative output. In general, this study contributes with some suggestions for bank managers to identify appropriate methods in order to stimulate the creativity and innovative work behavior of employees with the objective of achieving strong and sustainable business performance.

Contribution of the Use of a Pen-Type Endoscope to Evaluate and Treat Ears Simultaneously During Cleft Palate Surgery in Late Presented Cases.

The prevalence of secretory otitis media is very high among the nonoperated cleft palate patients. Ninety-one cleft palate operations were performed on late presented cases in Sudan, Africa. The surgeries were performed according to the Veau-Wardill-Kilner push-back technique. A laptop connected pen-type endoscopic camera was used to evaluate the tympanic membrane and address middle ear disease in all patients simultaneously. The procedure was performed after removing wax from the external auditory canal. A small incision was made with a myringotomy knife through the layers of the tympanic membrane if any sign of fluid collection was observed, after which the middle ear effusion was evacuated and the ventilation tube was inserted. This procedure was undertaken in 182 ears; 41 ears (22.5%) were healthy, 19 ears (10.5%) had chronic perforations, 122 ears (67%) underwent myringotomy procedures, and 54 (44.2%) were treated by inserting a ventilation tube. Despite the challenging work environment, standard monitoring facilities were available and all operations were completed with no early complications. The pen-type camera instead of an operating microscope was a tremendous contribution, as it was easy to handle and contributed to the good outcomes. The use of this technique is strongly recommended in surgical camps. III.

Sleep and psychological wellbeing of racehorse industry workers: A survey of Australian trainers

Background and ObjectivesThis study investigated psychological wellbeing and sleep characteristics in Victorian racing industry workers, specifically focusing on trainers. There are few empirical studies of psychological wellbeing in the horse racing industry, despite considerable employment numbers and a potentially complex and challenging work environment. Early morning starts, and potentially long working days could compound negative wellbeing outcomes.MethodsA survey assessing psychological wellbeing and sleep habits was distributed to racing industry employees (N = 358).ResultsTrainers reported significantly higher depression and anxiety scores compared with other racing industry workers, racehorse owners, and the general population. They had less sleeping hours and higher daytime dysfunction due to fatigue. Multivariate pathway analysis showed daytime dysfunction due to fatigue was the sole significant contributor to identified differences in depression and anxiety between trainers and racing industry counterparts.ConclusionsDaytime dysfunction due to fatigue was an important predictor of lower psychological wellbeing in this sample of horse trainers. Longitudinal and qualitative investigation of both sleep and non‐sleep as factors in generating fatigue could assist to further delineate predictors of depression and anxiety in this population. Better understanding of interacting sleep and wellbeing processes may lead to useful self‐management strategies to address the apparent heightened psychological distress of some racing industry workers.

Destress 9-1-1—an online mindfulness-based intervention in reducing stress among emergency medical dispatchers: a randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesEmergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) experience significant stress in the workplace. Yet, interventions aimed at reducing work-related stress are difficult to implement due to the logistic challenges associated with the relatively...

Ice Thickness Estimation from Geophysical Investigations on the Terminal Lobes of Belvedere Glacier (NW Italian Alps)

: Alpine glaciers are key components of local and regional hydrogeological cycles and real-time indicators of climate change. Volume variations are primary targets of investigation for the understanding of ongoing modifications and the forecast of possible future scenarios. These fluctuations can be traced from time-lapse monitoring of the glacier topography. A detailed reconstruction of the ice bottom morphology is however needed to provide total volume and reliable mass balance estimations. Non-destructive geophysical techniques can support these investigations. With the aim of characterizing ice bottom depth, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles and single-station passive seismic measurements were acquired on the terminal lobes of Belvedere Glacier (NW Italian Alps). The glacier is covered by blocks and debris and its rough topography is rapidly evolving in last years, with opening and relocation of crevasses and diffuse instabilities in the frontal sectors. Despite the challenging working environment, ground-based GPR surveys were performed in the period 2016–2018, using 70-MHz and 40-MHz antennas. The 3D ice bottom morphology was reconstructed for both frontal lobes and a detailed ice thickness map was obtained. GPR results also suggested some information on ice bottom properties. The glacier was found to probably lay on a thick sequence (more than 40 m) of subglacial deposits, rather than on stiff bedrock. Week deeper reflectors were identified only in the frontal portion of the northern lobe. These interfaces may indicate the bedrock presence at a depth of around 80 m from the topographic surface, rapidly deepening upstream. Single-station passive seismic measurements, processed with the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, pointed out the absence of sharp vertical contrast in acoustic impedance between ice and bottom materials, globally confirming the hypotheses made on GPR results. The obtained results have been compared with previous independent geophysical investigations, performed in 1961 and 1985, with the same aim of ice thickness estimation. The comparison allowed us to validate the results obtained in the different surveys, supply a reference base map for the glacier bottom morphology and potentially study ice thickness variations over time.

Public sector employees in a challenging work environment

Public sector employees are expected to perform well in a work environment that is characterized by a variety of challenges. This Symposium aims to shed light on how environmental changes impact the shared identity, attitudes and behaviour of public sector employees; how public sector employees take charge of continuous change and deal with challenges in their work environment; and how organizations can help employees to tackle such work‐related challenges. We identify four specific gaps in literature—some methodological and some more substantive in nature—and explain how this Symposium helps to address these gaps.

The Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Personality on Career Adaptability among Teachers in Special Education Schools in Johor Bahru

Challenging and stressful working environment faced by teachers in special education schools are a reality which cannot be denied. Research showed that teachers’ ability to adapt into challenging working environment is correlated by certain level of emotional intelligence and their dominant personality. However, lack of research has been conducted to predict the role of emotional intelligence and personality towards teachers’ ability in fitting themselves into workplace among teachers in special education schools. This quantitative research investigates the influence of emotional intelligence and personality towards career adaptability among teachers in special education schools. Respondents involved in this research were 108 teachers from three special education schools in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaire were analyzed inferentially. Research findings indicated that emotional intelligence, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience were significant predictors of career adaptability in linear regression analysis. However, extraversion and openness to experience personalities were the most significant predictors of career adaptability in multiple regression analysis. The research has highlighted the important role of emotional intelligence and personality on career adaptability in the context of special education teachers in Malaysia. The findings of this research is important to provide an insight to teachers, schools and Ministry of Education in selecting suitable teachers in teaching students with disabilities.

V-Speech

Smart glasses are often used in public environments or industrial scenarios that are relatively noisy. Background noise and sound from competing speakers deteriorate voice communication or performance of automatic speech recognition (ASR). Typically, signal processing techniques are used to reduce noise and enhance voice quality, but they have limitations in performance, hardware and/or computing resources. Voice capturing techniques using bone conducting on the head have been proposed in some experimental and commercial devices, with good robustness against environmental noise, but limited by signal distortions inherent to the capturing method. We present V-Speech, a novel sensing and signal processing solution that enables speech recognition and human-to-human communication in very noisy environments. It captures the voice signal with a vibration sensor located in the nasal pads of smart glasses and performs a transformation to the sensor signal in order to mimic that of a regular microphone in low noise conditions. The signal transformation is key, as it eliminates the "nasal distortion" that is introduced for nasal phonemes in the speech induced vibrations of the nasal bone. The output of V-Speech has low noise, sounds natural, and can be used in voice communication or as input to an off-the-shelf ASR service. We evaluated V-Speech in noise-free and noisy conditions with 30 volunteer speakers uttering 145 phrases and validated its performance on ASR engines and with assessments of voice quality using the Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) metric. The results show in extreme noise conditions a mean improvement of 50% for Word Error Rate (WER), and 1.0 on a scale of 5.0 for PESQ. In addition, real life recordings were made under various representative noise conditions, some with sound pressure levels of 93 dBA, which require hearing protection. Subjective listening tests were conducted according to a modified ITU P.835 approach to determine intelligibility, naturalness and overall quality. Under these extreme conditions, where V-Speech achieved 30 dB SNR, subjective results show the speech is intelligible, and the naturalness of the speech is rated as fair to good. This enables clear voice communication in challenging work environments, for example in places with industrial, factory, mining and construction noise. With our proposed smart switching technique between a regular microphone signal and V-Speech, the optimal quality can be maintained from low to high noise conditions.

Uncovering cynicism in medical training: a qualitative analysis of medical online discussion forums

ObjectiveThe development of cynicism in medicine, defined as a decline in empathy and emotional neutralisation during medical training, is a significant concern for medical educators. We sought to use online...

Mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between spiritual leadership and performance

he challenging work environment of the 21st century has resulted in a great deal of global, societal and organizational change (Fry, 2003). We are experiencing a global crisis of confidence that has spread among many people and organizations (Parameshwar, 2005). Corporate fraud (Schroth & Elliot, 2002), negativity stemming from the downsizing of companies, anxieties resulting from emerging technologies (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003), and the financial crisis have affected the way employers see their organizations and leaders. Congruent with that reality, organizations have started to give more importance to positivity and developing strong characteristics of employees, rather than focusing on negativity and weaknesses (Avey, Luthans, & Jensen, 2009). Similarly, academics and organizational behaviour experts started to focus on positivity and positive sides of organizational life. This change in mentality brought about the need for a more holistic leadership style that can integrate minds and souls of people: namely, spiritual leadership.

More challenging and complex responsibilities in current jobs

Abstract In this article, we give some remarks on how the recent evolution of work tasks and job responsibilities come in relation with challenging and high competitive work environment. Analyse is based on self-assessment of how job responsibilities and problem solving is perceived in the opinion of employed persons. Finally, many Romanian employed persons said that their responsibilities are more challenging and complex, especially in last years, demanding their great effort to adapt and fulfil objectives. These conclusions are important because if we have a correct interpretation of work environment challenges, evolutions and responsibilities, we can imagine the best alternatives to cope with the change in the workplace and improve adaptive performance.

Community Engagement and Partnership for Successful E&P Operations in Bolivia

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 190652, “Community Engagement, Commitments, and Partnership for Successful E&P Operations in Bolivia,” by Eva Calvimontes and Sergio Eduardo Ayala SÁnchez, Vintage Petroleum Boliviana, and Krish Ravishankar, SPE, Occidental Petroleum, prepared for the 2018 SPE International Conference on Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social Responsibility, Abu Dhabi, 16–18 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Relationships and engagement with communities in direct areas of influence is of paramount importance for successful exploration and production (E&P) operations. Since the beginning of operations in three major areas of Bolivia, a company has worked very closely with neighboring communities at all stages of design, planning, and implementation of projects and programs. The objective has always been the same: to improve the life quality of the society as a whole and be a partner with the communities. Introduction The company’s E&P operations are located in three areas of Bolivia—Naranjillos, Porvenir, and ñupuco fields (Fig. 1). The business units in each of these areas have developed and implemented a social-responsibility program that supports company business objectives and positively affects people, communities, and the environment. A program has been developed that achieves a balance between the E&P interests of the company business and the communities’ expectations and needs. It is carried out through alliances between the company and the communities located inside the areas of influence. Process The company’s social-responsibility commitments and ongoing initiatives are categorized into the following five pillars: Governance and Transparency—The company promotes effective corporate governance by implementing responsible policies and robust management systems to foster and reinforce business practices that are consistently sound, highly principled, and transparent. Workforce Development—The company takes pride in employing a diverse and multicultural global workforce and is committed to maintaining a supportive and challenging work environment to prepare the next generation of leaders. Health and Safety—The company aims to integrate programs and systems to mitigate incidents and reduce risks to employees, contractors, and the communities in which it operates. Environmental Stewardship—The company strives to minimize its operational footprint, protect ecosystems, and implement conservation practices, making stewardship of the environment a responsibility of each member of the workforce. Economic and Social Development—The company works to strengthen the economies where it operates by investing time and resources in programs and initiatives that develop the sustainability of local communities. Following the core values of each of the five pillars and fully understanding the communities’ needs in the areas of influence, the company has developed and implemented the following steps as part of the stakeholder engagement and social-responsibility approval process: Meeting with the community Input from the community Budget preparation Budget approval Project implementation

What's a book club doing at a medical conference?

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The prevalence of burnout among physicians in the United States now exceeds 50%, with many physicians feeling isolated and lacking in a sense of community. Book clubs among colleagues may be one way to foster community and restore joy to medicine. The authors introduced two book clubs at the annual meetings of the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP). Response rates for completed surveys for the SGIM and AAP book clubs were 71% and 86%, respectively. About half of the book club participants were already members of a book club, and had read an average of 10 non-medical books in the past year. Eighty-one percent reported the discussions had "a lot" or "tremendous" impact on their learning, and that they would be "likely" or "very likely" to look for a non-medical book in the future as a resource to assist in their professional growth. Sixty-seven percent said they would be "likely" or "very likely" to organize their own book club. Participants listed the "most enjoyable and/or impactful non-medical book read in past year." Survey responses speak to the impact of book club participation on attendees' professional growth, learning, and recognition of overall value of reading non-medical books. These findings support the role of the humanities in professional development to encourage physicians to challenge assumptions, tolerate ambiguity, appreciate cultural influences, and honor the unique perspectives of our patients. In the increasingly complex and challenging work environment of academic health centers, faculty must find mechanisms to maintain workplace meaning and prevent burnout. Reading a book prior to attending one's annual professional society meeting and participating in thoughtful discussions was enjoyable and useful. When facilitators are thoughtfully prepared to guide conversations, professional growth can result in useful insights related to academic practices and pursuits.

The impacts of work-life-balance (WLB) challenges on social sustainability

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of work-life-balance (WLB) challenges for Nigerian female medical doctors. This study focusses on Nigeria, which its peculiar socio-cultural, institutional and professional realities constitute WLB as well as social sustainability (SS) challenge for female medical doctors.Design/methodology/approachRelying on qualitative, interpretivist approach and informed by institutional theory, this study explores how Nigeria’s institutional environment and workplace realities engender WLB challenges, which consequently impact SS for female doctors. In total, 43 semi-structured interviews and focus group session involving eight participants were utilised for empirical analysis.FindingsThe study reveals that factors such as work pressure, cultural expectations, unsupportive relationships, challenging work environment, gender role challenges, lack of voice/participation, and high stress level moderate the ability of female medical doctors to manage WLB and SS. It also identifies that socio-cultural and institutional demands on women show that these challenges, while common to female physicians in other countries, are different and more intense in Nigeria because of their unique professional, socio-cultural and institutional frameworks.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the WLB and SS requires scholarship to deepen as well as extend knowledge on contextual disparities in understanding these concepts from developing countries perspective, which is understudied.Originality/valueThis study offers fresh insights into the WLB and SS concepts from the non-western context, such as Nigeria, highlighting the previously understudied challenges of WLB and SS and their implications for female doctors.