Chinese Workers Research Articles

The Potential and Limits of Spontaneous Labor Activism on Social Media: The Search for Justice among Chinese Restaurant Workers

Recent scholarship on social media in labor activism has centered on institutions such as labor unions. What is understudied is how “unorganized” workers use social media to reclaim agency. Employing digital ethnography this study explores the use of WeChat, an all-in-one Chinese mobile application, among Chinese restaurant workers to share stories of mistreatment and deteriorating work conditions in the United States. Tracing the development of a blacklist of Chinese/Asian fusion restaurants that garnered the interest of tens of thousands of Chinese restaurant workers, this article reveals the potential and limitations of social media as a medium for labor activism.

Barriers to Trade Union Participation among Rural Migrant Workers in China: An Analysis of Labor Disputes, Employment Characteristics, and Socio-Demographic Factors

This study aims to understand the potential for migrant workers to join trade unions by analyzing labor disputes, employment characteristics, and socio-demographic factors. Utilizing data from a survey of 823 migrant workers conducted in Shanghai and nine other cities in China, this research examines both the associational (organizational membership) and behavioral (activity participation) aspects of trade union participation. The results indicate that rural migrant workers exhibit a low level of union participation, contrary to expectations based on their labor market position and the recruitment efforts by Chinese unions. Three primary barriers to union participation were identified: (1) migrant workers in state-owned firms are significantly more likely to participate in unions compared to those in private firms, where union presence is weaker; (2) occupational and employment status discrimination within workplaces hinders rural migrant workers from joining unions; and (3) trust in trade unions is relatively low among Chinese migrant workers, likely due to the close relationship between unions and the government, which may undermine union legitimacy and impede worker engagement. These findings highlight the systemic challenges that rural migrant workers face in engaging with trade unions in China.

The role of job satisfaction and organizational culture match in the relationship between pay satisfaction and turnover intention: A moderated mediation model

High turnover among social workers is a long-standing concern. This article explores whether pay satisfaction (PS) influences turnover intention (TI) and whether job satisfaction (JS) mediates this relationship. We also examine whether organizational culture match (OCM) moderates this mediation model. Based on multiple regression model of 5525 Chinese social workers, we found that PS was negatively related to TI and JS mediated this relationship. The effects of such a mediation model were significantly larger when OCM was at a higher level. Findings highlight the need to increase material rewards for social workers and to build organizational culture supporting personal psychological needs.

A Bayesian network model integrating organizational, individual and psychological factors for strengthening construction worker safety behavior

Objectives. Construction worker safety behavior (CWSB) may be affected by a confluence of multilevel and interrelated factors. Cultivating and maintaining CWSB is vital for improving construction safety. Current studies focus on organization-level or individual-level CWSB antecedents. However, few studies have examined the influence of psychological factors on CWSB, thereby reducing the joint effects of multilevel factors on CWSB. Methods. To determine effective strategies for strengthening CWSB, this study adopted the Bayesian network technique to explore the interrelationships between CWSB and its antecedent factors. A Bayesian belief network model was developed and trained with data collected from Chinese construction workers, which connected organizational, individual and psychological factors with CWSB. Results. According to the sensitivity analysis, safety knowledge, safety climate and psychological capital are the three most significant influencing factors for CWSB. A combined strategy that enhances safety knowledge, safety climate and communication competence simultaneously is the most effective option for strengthening CWSB. The validation and robustness of the network showed good accuracy for safety behavior judgment. Conclusion. This study proposes an alternative way to improve safety behavior by identifying its interactive causes and illustrates the importance of initiating systematic safety measures, which may help to mitigate the problem of safety plateau.

Age-inclusive HR practices and older workers' voice behavior: the role of job crafting toward strengths and negative age-based metastereotypes

PurposeUsing signaling theory, the overarching purpose of this study is to provide an insight into how age-inclusive HR practices (AIHRP) influence older workers' voice behavior through job crafting toward strengths (JCS) and how negative age-based metastereotypes (NABM) moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing time-lagged data were obtained from 321 Chinese older workers. PROCESS MACRO and Bootstrapping were used to test theoretical hypotheses.FindingsOur results revealed the positive effects of AIHRP on both JCS and voice behavior, and the positive effect of JCS on voice behavior, as well as the mediating role of JCS in the relationship between AIHRP and voice behavior. Besides, results also found that NABM negatively moderate the effect of AIHRP on voice behavior, and the effect of AIHRP on JCS. Additionally, significant moderated mediation effect indicates that the indirect effect of AIHRP on voice via JCS will be weaker for employees with higher NABM.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, we take the lead in linking AIHRP and employees' voice behavior. This complements voice literature by identifying an important new factor in motivating older workers' voice behavior. Second, by exploring the mediating role of JCS, we reveal the “black box” of how AIHRP affect older workers' voice behavior. Third, this study responds to the call for more studies exploring the boundary conditions of AIHRP and expands the theoretical research framework of the relationship between AIHRP, JCS and voice, deepens our understanding of the mechanism of voice behavior.Practical implicationsOur findings have several practical implications. First, the leadership personnel throughout the firm should be conscious of the crucial role of AIHRP. Second, managers should provide older workers with opportunities to craft their jobs to use their strengths and achieve a better person-job fit, which will result in a series of positive outcomes. Third, organizations should blur intergenerational boundaries within the organization and provide older workers with mentoring opportunities to motivate their voice.Social implicationsOur findings have some social implications. Firstly, the results of this study are beneficial in demonstrating to society that older workers still have significant strengths and value. With reasonable methods, older workers can continue to contribute to the development of organizations and society, which in turn is conducive to changing society's perceived bias toward older workers, reducing age discrimination and promoting social harmony. Secondly, this study provides theoretical guidance for organizations and society to manage older workers, which is conducive to alleviating social problems such as youth labor shortage and increased burden of retirement.Originality/valueThis study is innovative as it first explores the influence, mechanism and boundary conditions of AIHRP on older workers' voice behavior, which not only deepens our understanding of older workers voice, but also enriches the research on AIHRP and JCS.

More than sleep problems? Testing five key health behaviors as reasons for quality of life issues among shift workers

BackgroundThe shift work schedule is a common work arrangement that can disrupt typical sleep-wake rhythms and lead to negative health consequences. The present study aims to examine the effect of shift work on health-related quality of life (QoL) and explore potential behaviorial mediators (i.e., sleep, eating, exercise, smoking, drinking).MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 4,449 petroleum workers in southwest China. Data on shift work status, health behaviors, and physical and mental health QoL were collected. We tested our model using path analysis and the Monte Carlo approach among 2,129 included participants.ResultsAfter adjusting for covariates, shift work did not exhibit a significant direct association with QoL. However, shift work indirectly related to poorer physical health quality of life via less frequent healthy food consumption; shift work also indirectly related to poorer mental health QoL via both less frequent healthy food consumption and physical exercise. No significant indirect effects were found via sleeping, smoking, or drinking.ConclusionsResults suggest that shift work presents a challenge for QoL among Chinese petroleum workers due to their lesser engagement in two specific health behaviors: healthy eating and physical exercise. Healthy eating and exercise may present an even more prominent threat to shift workers’ QoL than sleep and substance use. Strategies targeting shift work schedule as well as eating and exercise behaviors may help protect against poor QoL and adverse physical and mental health outcomes in this vulnerable group.

Exceptions to the Abolition of Chinese Indenture: Chinese workers on rubber estates in Interwar British Malaya

ABSTRACT In a 1931 report investigating the status of labourers in British colonies, the Colonial Office declared that the system of indenture had been abolished across Malaya. This claim belied the realities of labour practices on the ground. On plantations, mines and in colonial homes, Chinese workers continued to labour under formal indenture and to endure indenture-like practices well into 1930s. This article explores the slow decline of Chinese indenture in Malaya, concentrating on the rubber industry in the Unfederated Malay State of Kelantan during the interwar years. The Chinese migrant workers that were brought to Kelantan in that era signed contracts for one year with the terms of the contract enforced by colonial administrators. These workers endured poor working conditions and high death rates. Those that sought to escape faced criminal conviction and punishments including fines and incarnation. By showing the continuation of indenture in Kelantan, this article challenges the assumption made by historians that Chinese indenture had ended globally by the early 1920s. It also develops new understandings of the fragmentary and complex process of abolition.

Memory, Identity and Cross-Cultural Communication: The Evolution of the Image of Chinese Railway Workers in Canada and the Reconstruction of Multiculturalism

International migrants confront many new challenges from the impact of global populism and geopolitics, but we also see the growth of a new identity culture. The Chinese community in Canada constructs its identity through the collective memory of the image of Chinese railway workers, and realizes the cross-cultural communication of a new identity culture in the course of the interaction of symbolic cultural practices. Since the 1980s, the image of Chinese railway workers has changed from “the indispensable evil” to “pioneers in nation-building” and “a tragic group subjected to injustice.” This is a product of the collective memory of the Chinese ethnic group’s pursuit of identity in Canada’s multicultural reconstruction. The Chinese ethnic group has reshaped an image of Chinese railway workers that has been widely disseminated through cross-cultural means. They have aimed at gaining social acceptance and fundamental recognition of a Chinese-Canadian identity with the help of their “native cultural heritage and historical resources” in Canada. The construction of this identity culture through collective memory has consolidated the foundations of multiculturalism.

Retaining Chinese Indentured Labour in Interwar British and French Pacific colonies

ABSTRACT British attempts to reform or close down the indentured labour system as it applied to Chinese labourers across the British empire were carried out on an ad hoc basis, one colony at a time. In the southwest Pacific islands indentured labour recruitment was retained into the 1930s and beyond. Between 1920 and 1953 thousands of Chinese workers suffered under penal clauses for labour offences and endured harsh conditions on contracts that often extended beyond five years. This article investigates the means by which colonial authorities in Hong Kong and the southwest Pacific were able to maintain the indentured labour system despite the British Colonial Office preference for abolition. It compares government correspondence, labour contracts and ordinances from Nauru under British-Australian mandate, Western Samoa under New Zealand mandate, and the Anglo-French Condominium of New Hebrides (Vanuatu). It demonstrates that Chinese indentured labourers were retained with only minor changes to their contracts, put in place for the most part so that colonial administrators could avoid national and international censure.

Compiling and Publishing in late Ming Fuzhou: the Case of the Chashu 茶書

The Chashu 茶書 (Writings on Tea), also known as Chashu quanji 茶書全集 (Complete Collection of Writings on Tea), was published by the Fuzhou prefect Yu Zheng 喻政 (1571–?) in the early 1610s. It stands as the first dedicated collectanea of Chinese works on tea, encompassing essays that range from the Tang to the Ming period. Currently, only a few copies remain, all exhibiting variations. The present article analyses the structure, content, and paratextual elements of surviving imprints of the Chashu. It contextualizes the collection within late Ming dynasty book culture and the distinctive milieu of Fuzhou scholars and officials within which it was published. The article elucidates the compilation and publication process of the Chashu, while also accounting for the differences among editions of the collectanea.

Dictionaries as authorities? The problematic use of Chinese dictionaries by missionaries in the Rites Controversy

ABSTRACT In the seventeenth century, missionaries in China translated a vast array of Chinese works, including classics, official histories, and legal documents. Their translations have been analysed through several perspectives, yet their use of Chinese dictionaries has been largely overlooked. In the context of the Rites Controversy, between the Jesuits on one side and the Dominican and Franciscan friars on the other, precise references to authoritative Chinese dictionaries were made to corroborate their interpretation of Chinese rituals as either religious or secular. This article first describes why and how missionaries started from the early beginning of the mission in the 1580s to write their own bilingual dictionaries based on existing Western and Chinese dictionaries. Then, it considers how the same dictionaries became an important reference when the Rites Controversy erupted in the 1630s. Based on manuscript and printed documents written until 1670, three Chinese characters which became the focus of competing interpretations are discussed: miao as temple versus hall, ji as sacrifice versus offering, and sheng as prophet versus wise man. Besides the problem of biased translations on both sides, we shall show that there was a more fundamental reason which prevented the missionaries from settling their controversy using dictionaries.

Exploring the Impact of Public Health Emergencies on Mental Well-being and Coping Mechanism of Healthcare Professionals in China

Objectives: In the state of public health emergencies, healthcare professionals worldwide work under traumatic circumstances leading to deteriorated mental well-being, psychological pressure, depression, and professional burnout. Methods: This study attempted to assess some unique constructs like fnancial impact as well as adaptation capabilities, and coping mechanisms of healthcare professionals, when they encounter public health emergencies. Using a quantitative research design, numerical data was collected online through Google doc survey participated by a sample comprising Chinese healthcare workers, identifed through purposive sampling method. Strict ethical guidelines and regulations were followed. The data was evaluated using the software SPSS and Amos 24 with advanced additional features. Results: The results disclosed an insignifcant impact of the fnancial impact on coping mechanisms and general health. The anticipation capabilities, however, made a signifcant and positive impact on their general health. The mediator adaptation capabilities acted as a full mediator on the mediating variable of fnancial impact, showing a direct relationship and also a partial mediation with anticipation capabilities association. Conclusion: These results imply that different coping styles combined with the empirically enlightened capabilities are incumbent and can collectively work to enhance the public health sector services and its employees.

Factors Associated with Social Workers’ Likelihood to Report Suspected Child Abuse: Findings from a National Survey of Chinese Social Workers

Abstract Whilst there have been recent national surveys about reporting child abuse in several low- and middle-income countries, data from China are lacking. This study examined the prevalence of reporting suspected child abuse and factors associated with having ever reported in a sample of social workers from mainland China. Nationally representative data from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study were used, and responses from 3,510 participants who had completed the children’s social work questionnaire module were analysed. Our results indicate that only 14.4 per cent of social workers from China had ever reported suspected child abuse. Participants who had ever reported were more likely to be female, younger, have higher education levels and social work qualifications, have a higher awareness of abusive behaviours, and have greater working autonomy than social workers who had never reported. We argue that in order to achieve higher levels of reporting suspected child abuse for Chinese social workers, it is necessary to promote the professionalisation of social work through both education and experience gained in practice.

Psychological factors promote the habituation effect on social workers' posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after repeated COVID-19 outbreaks.

The present study investigates whether psychological factors influence the habituation or sensitization effect during repeated COVID-19 outbreaks. A total of 838 social workers from districts affected by different waves of COVID-19 outbreaks (two waves, n = 387; one wave, n = 177; zero waves, n = 274) reported their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, psychological security, emotional regulation, resilience, spiritual health, and social support (December 2021). The rate of PTSD among social workers stands at 34% (cutoff point 38). Social workers developed a habituation response amid the ongoing pandemic, with individuals who encountered a higher number of COVID-19 outbreaks exhibiting fewer symptoms of PTSD (F = 3.04, p < .05, η² = 0.007). Social workers who experienced two outbreaks had significantly lower PTSD symptoms than those who did not experience any (p = .018, 95% CI [0.431, 4.635]). A bootstrapped multiple mediation analysis indicates that psychological security (indirect effect: β = -0.590, 95% CI [-0.989, -0.192]) and emotional regulation (indirect effect: β = -0.474, 95% CI [-0.899, -0.069]) completely mediate the association between outbreaks of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms. The incidence of PTSD symptoms was high in social workers. Chinese social workers underwent a habituation effect after repeated outbreaks of COVID-19. Improving psychological security and emotional regulation can reduce PTSD symptoms due to the repeated outbreak of COVID-19 among the public. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors influencing fatigue, mental workload and burnout among Chinese health care workers during public emergencies: an online cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate fatigue, mental workload, and burnout among health care workers (HCWs) and explore the possible underlying factors.Materials and methodsAn online cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from HCWs in Chongqing, China. The online survey included the Fatigue Severity Scale, NASA Task Load Index, and Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey to assess fatigue, mental workload, and burnout, respectively, and was conducted from February 1 to March 1, 2023.ResultsIn this study, the incidence of fatigue and burnout among HCWs was 76.40% and 89.14%, respectively, and the incidence of moderate to intolerable mental workloads was 90.26%. Work–family conflict, current symptoms, number of days of COVID-19 positivity, mental workload, burnout and reduced personal accomplishment were significantly associated with fatigue. Mental workload was affected by fatigue and reduced personal accomplishment. Furthermore, burnout was influenced by marital status and fatigue. Moreover, there was a correlation among mental workload, fatigue, and burnout.ConclusionsFatigue, mental workload and burnout had a high incidence and were influenced by multiple factors during COVID-19 public emergencies in China.

A Comparative Study of Two English Translations of Tao Hua Yuan Ji Based on Gideon Toury̓s Theory of Translation Norms

Tao Hua Yuan Ji, as one of the excellent classical Chinese works written by Tao Yuanming, a well-known idyllist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), is of great importance in the Chinese literary circle for describing a quiet and peaceful pastoral life and embodying the Taoist of seclusion. Nowadays, people can also get new thoughts and insights through rereading this classic work. Based on Toury’s theory of translation norms, this paper conducts a descriptive and interpretive study of comparing Yang Xianyi’s translation of Tao Hua Yuan Ji with Lin Yutang’s one. By analyzing the two translators’ different translation purposes, translation tendencies and translation strategies in the three aspects of preliminary norms, initial norms and operational norms, this paper states that the concrete translation behaviors of Yang Xianyi and Lin Yutang are influenced and restricted by the translation norms, thus their respective versions show different stylistic characteristics in terms of vocabulary, syntax and text. Through unveiling the reasons of the different styles of these two translations, this paper aims to provide some enlightenment for the descriptive translation studies in the process of spreading Chinese culture to the world.

Effects of Organizational Support and Professional Identity on Job Satisfaction Among Medical Social Workers in China

The current status of job satisfaction among Chinese medical social workers and the impact of organizational support and professional identity on job satisfaction among Chinese medical social workers were investigated in the context of the Healthy China Initiative. This article used quantitative research methods, and the data were drawn from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study (CSWLS). The article’s sample comprises 218 medical social workers who participated in a medical social work module survey and who are directly engaged in social service practices in hospitals in China. The results showed that the job satisfaction score of Chinese medical social workers was 3.58, which was considered good. Professional identity can significantly and positively predict and impact job satisfaction, and as a dimension of professional identity, professional enthusiasm has a significant impact on job satisfaction. Organizational cultural support significantly affects job satisfaction and organizational support mediates this relationship between professional identity and job satisfaction among medical social workers. Together, these findings suggest that organizational support and professional identity significantly impact the job satisfaction of medical social workers in China. Future studies should aim to promote professional enthusiasm and enhance organizational culture support to improve job satisfaction among medical social workers.

The Relationship between Work and Family Interference and Service Quality among Chinese Social Workers: The Roles of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Support

Abstract Service quality is important to social workers and service recipients. However, limited research has explored the relationship between interference between work and family and service quality among social workers. According to conservation of resources theory, this study investigated how interference between work and family affects social workers’ service quality through emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of work support. The hypotheses were examined using data from 1,417 Chinese social workers collected during the China Social Work Longitudinal Study in 2019. The methodological design of this study includes hierarchical regression analysis and moderated mediation analysis. The results reveal that interference between work and family domains negatively affected service quality through emotional exhaustion as a mediating factor, whereas work support mitigated the direct (indirect) effects of work–family interference on emotional exhaustion (service quality through emotional exhaustion). This study presents a holistic understanding of how and when interference between family and work influences service quality. The findings encourage social work organisations to develop appropriate interventions targeting work–family conflict and emotional exhaustion to improve service quality.

Steering the path to safer food: The role of transformational leadership in food services to combat against foodborne illness

This paper zeroes in on transformational leadership as a central aspect in the promotion of food safety behavior within the food service industry of China, which is an important context in its fast-growing food sector. and global concern for foodborne diseases. Finding a void in the existing literature about the direct and indirect impacts of leadership styles on food safety practices, particularly in non-Western settings, our research examines how transformational leadership is related to food safety behavior via intrinsic motivation and food safety commitment of employees. Based on structural equation modeling through SMART-PLS, our study covers a comprehensive path analysis of the relationships between transformational leadership, employee intrinsic motivation, employee commitment towards food safety, and food safety behaviors among Chinese food service workers. The results show that transformational leadership has a noticeable direct impact on the food safety behavior of employees, that indirectly depends on intrinsic motivation and food safety commitment. The results highlight the role of leadership, which creates an organizational culture that values food safety and consequently decreases the risk of foodborne illnesses. The practical insights of our study are profound, providing a clear mechanism for food service organizations to improve food safety by providing leadership development and motivational programs. By filling different voids in the literature with empirical data from a non-Western context, our study not only furthers the theoretical body but also provides practical approaches to combating foodborne illnesses through effective leadership in the food service sector.

Association of eating out of home and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese urban workers: A nationwide study

Association of eating out of home and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese urban workers: A nationwide study