Continued Employment Research Articles

The Makeshift Careers of Women in Malawi: Neither Traditional Nor Flexible

Through qualitative research into the career experiences of two groups of Malawian professional women, this article reveals the value of expanding research into women’s careers to the global south. Although displaying elements of western-focused traditional and new career models, these women’s careers did not conform to either. Instead, due to heavy family responsibilities for both care and breadwinning, including for the extended family, and faced with inflexible human resource practices, their careers were mostly characterised by serial compromises necessary to maintain full-time continuous employment while dealing with life events and workplace setbacks. These accommodations to the realities of their complicated lives often resulted in second-best, far-from-ideal solutions. This career form, conceptualised here as a makeshift career, extends career models to fit the Malawian context and the global south but also expands conceptual understandings of women’s careers in ways also applicable to the north.

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCS): The History and a new optical activity-based method to predict the power conversion efficiency

Improvement on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been a major research topic for the past thirty years. Several research efforts on increasing the efficiency of DSSC have mainly focused on the synthesis of novel sensitizers, with the continuous employment of the traditional mesoporous TiO films as 2 - - semiconductor, and the iodide/triiodide (I /I ) electrolyte as redox couple. Since not so much have been done in 3 - - exploring other mesoporous semiconductors and redox electrolytes beyond these two, TiO and I /I couple, 2 3 this paper concisely chronicles the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of DSSCs of different dye sensitizers, where only TiO nanofilm and iodide/triiodide redox couple have been used as the semiconductor and 2 electrolyte systems respectively. This list was used to obtain possible relationship between the optical properties of dyes and the PCE of the DSSC. Dye sensitizers with PCE values > 1.00% were employed. The spectral properties of each of the selected sensitizers were used to obtain their spectrum power, I(l). An increase in PCE value as I(l) increases was observed for 81.25% of the sixteen sensitizers considered, which suggests that a direct correlation could exist between the I(l) of a sensitizer and the PCE of the DSSC of that sensitizer.

Student Evaluations of Teaching: Understanding Limitations and Advocating for a Gold Standard for Measuring Teaching Effectiveness

The arbitrator’s decision in Ryerson University v Ryerson Faculty Association [2018] CanLII 58446 (ON LA) rejected use of Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) for academic confirmation and promotion purposes. SETs provide largely quantitative data in response to pre-determined institutional, generic questions using a Likert scale applicable to all teaching modes. SETs may be efficient, but commonly low response rates mean the data is often statistically invalid. Studies of SETs suggest gender, age, race, and other biases are widespread, and they discourage teaching innovation because academics fear student backlash in SET scores. Consequently, SETs are of little value to academics for their professional development, confirmation or promotion, or as evidence for teaching grant or awards processes. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on traditional models of teaching has forced many changes in teaching, learning and pedagogy, often with a temporary suspension of SETs to allow teachers to innovate without negative impact on professional development measures. This presents a unique opportunity for us to revisit how the effectiveness of teaching and learning is measured. Academic teaching staff still need evidence of teaching effectiveness, as do sessional staff looking for continued employment and/or a career in academia. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of SETs; seeks to equip law academics to advocate for other measures of teaching effectiveness that better reflect their contribution to student learning; and to pave the way for law discipline and institutional level changes that support a gold standard in measuring teaching effectiveness beyond reliance on SETs, for the benefit of teachers in law and other disciplines.

An Epidemiological Study of Lung Cancer and Selected Other Cancers among Namibian Uranium Workers.

The Rössing Uranium Limited (RUL) open-cast uranium mine in Namibia has operated since 1976. Studies of underground uranium miners from Europe and North America have shown increased cancer risks (principally lung cancer). We explored the association between radiation doses and selected cancers in RUL mineworkers. Employees with at least one-year of continuous employment between 1976 and 2010 were included. Incident cancer cases [lung, extra-thoracic airways (ETA), leukemia, brain and kidney] occurring before the end of 2015 were identified from the Namibian and South African National Cancer Registries, and RUL's occupational health provider. Using a case-cohort design, data on exposure and confounding factors were collected for all cancer cases among the study cohort and a stratified random sample (sub-cohort) of the cohort, including cases. Radiation doses were estimated based on annual dose records held by RUL. In total, 76 cancer cases (32 lung, 18 ETA, 8 leukemia, 9 brain, 9 kidney) and a sub-cohort of 1,121 sampled from 7,901 RUL employees were included. A weighted Cox model, adjusted for available known confounders, produced a rate ratio (95% CI) for lung cancer of 1.42 (0.42, 4.77) and 1.22 (0.26, 5.68), respectively, for medium and higher cumulative lung dose categories compared to the lower category, and 1.04 (0.95, 1.13) for a dose increase of 10 mSv. This study faced considerable challenges with respect to case ascertainment, exposure estimates, and ensuring accuracy of key variables. Persuasive consistent evidence for elevated cancer risk was not found for radiation or other exposures studied at the Rössing uranium mine.

“Injury risk, concussions, race, and pay in the NFL”

We make two main contributions to the literature on work-related injury risk and economic outcomes in the context of American professional football. One is to examine an increasingly important specific injury, concussions, and compare its subsequent economic effects to those of other types of football injuries. Our other contribution is to study the role of race in understanding injury risk and severity and their resulting economic consequences, which has been overlooked in previous sports injury research. Using a specific position, tight ends, which allows conditioning on fine-grained relevant measures of player demographics, playing time, and performance, we find that whether a player continues to play NFL football from year to year is affected by type of injury and the player’s race. We calculate that the average ex post loss in annual compensation from a concussion is about 7%. Moreover, the effect of games missed due to concussion on continued employment is triple that of other injuries. Being white positively affects length of playing career independent of the measured productivity of the players involved. The racial gap in career length is approximately equal to the effect of an additional game missed from concussion. With respect to heterogeneity in the effects of injuries, both concussions and other injury types affect ex post economic outcomes equally for white and nonwhite players. Both injuries and race affect compensation solely through their effects on career length.

Do rating agencies impound workforce human capital information into default risk assessments?

ABSTRACT No accounting policy exists to mandate that employee-level human capital (ELHC) must be included on Annual Reports. Because structured ELHC information is rare, the association between ELHC and credit ratings (risk) is not demonstrated in the extant literature. South Korea is a unique instance where ELHC information is included on Annual Reports as a rule. Using a sample of 9,273 Korean listed firm-year observations from 2011-2020, we demonstrate that employee tenure, a ELHC proxy, has a positive association with credit ratings. The results infer that credit rating agencies interpret that employee tenure improves a firm's potential to survive a business cycle. The study also demonstrates that continuous employment has a more positive effect on credit ratings for NonBig4 and smaller clients/firms, compared to Big4 and larger clients/firms. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that firms that retain employees are less likely to default, implying that if firms look after employees, there are economic advantages. From a policymaking perspective, the study demonstrates the information advantage of reporting non-financial ELHC information on Annual Reports, on a structured/numerical basis.

Diversity of employment biographies and prospects of middle-aged welfare recipients

Employment re-entry opportunities decrease with age. For middle-aged welfare benefit recipients, employment obstacles connected to age exacerbate further disadvantages connected to welfare receipt. At the same time, there is considerable diversity in middle-aged welfare benefit recipients’ long-term employment trajectories, which has thus far received little attention. Policies aim to increase labour market participation at higher ages. To this end, it is important to understand specific difficulties and to be realistic when formulating goals for people with very diverse types of employment histories. Using large-scale register data, this paper’s focus is on a cohort aged 45–54 in August 2012 in Germany. Sequence analysis aids in identifying characteristics relevant to employment histories over the past 19 years, from January 1993 to July 2012. Subsequent employment outcomes over the time span September 2012 to December 2018 are investigated, differentiating between jobs of different quality, and effects of training programmes on these outcomes are analysed using entropy balancing methods. Findings are that middle-aged welfare recipients’ employment biographies are very diverse, ranging from very little employment experience, over long histories of intermittent employment, to long continuous employment histories. Employment history attributes significantly affect employment prospects. The analyses further show that it is not too late to invest in skills, independent of employment history type.

Experience with Support at Workplaces for People with Young Onset Dementia: A Qualitative Evaluation of Being Open about Dementia.

Young-onset dementia (YOD) occurs at <65 years of age. Individuals with YOD experience social and psychological disturbances, including a loss of employment. This economic toll affects them, their families, and their caregivers. Employers have an increasing role in supporting affected employees in remaining employed, an important component of the "fight for their dignity". This study aims to clarify the workplace support experiences of employees with YOD. To assess the experiences of employers with at least one affected employee, we interviewed personnel from eight facilities for qualitative analysis. We identified 5 unique categories and 14 subcategories encompassing the following aspects: confusion at the workplace stemming from the uncertainty of the disease, sensitivity when recommending consultation and diagnosis, creating a system that considers safety and security, building consensus among employers, supporting employees with YOD and their families, and assisting the individual with YOD with activities of daily living. Employers should be open to addressing dementia-related issues in the workplace, including obtaining information from employees' physicians so that appropriate support can be provided. Appropriate support can include work accommodations, needs-based support, and meetings with families to build consensus for continued employment. This information can facilitate the creation of new training materials for employers.

A Study on the Causes and Consequences Inter-State Migration and Reverse Migration in Tamil Nadu, India

In a huge populous country like India, migration is an acceptable reality and inevitable. It is a most effective tool for balancing between shortage of workers at one place and excess population at another area. In the present VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) business environment, Inter-state migration has socio-economic and political consequences in both donor and recipient states. Migrants do not always relocate willingly or voluntarily. Most of the migrations occur for economic reasons. If continuous employment and consistent income is guaranteed to everyone who are willing to work at all states, there is no need to migrate at all. The state of Tamil Nadu has been forerunner for inter-state migration; presently there is huge number of migrants working in the state. Places like Tirupur, Erode, Coimbatore, Chennai, Thiruvallur and Chengalpattu are having huge number in-migrants. While excessive inflow of migrants is economically advantageous to source states, it has mix of benefits and challenges to destination states. Long working hours, payment of low wages (about 70% of what the local workers get), poor living conditions, stagnated garbage and waste water, lack of sanitation facilities makes the lives of the migrants vulnerable. Reverse migration is an act of migrants getting back to home places. In extreme cases, migrants could not tolerate and decide to relocate to their native places. The decision made is not based on luxury or added quality of life at their places, but issues faced is migrated state It is a logical mechanism available to the migrant labourers when the whole economy is severely hit by a thunderstorm like covid-19.Migrants’ lives are badly affected to the standstill business environment which could not provide livelihood, shelter and any other social security this labour force. Migration is a constitutional right stronger implementation of labour and migration laws and More concrete measures to curb exploitation and harassment of in-migrants will only solve challenges in such a sensitive issue. The present study attempts to find out the impact of inter-state labour in-migration in Tamil and also the effect of reverse migration from the state.

Gender Norms under Socialism and Capitalism: A Historical Examination of Attitudes towards Maternal Employment in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany

Research on the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the 1980s shows a high level of congruence between conservative social policy deterring mothers from employment and traditional societal gender norms. In contrast, little is known about whether people in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) agreed with the socialist idea of continuous full-time maternal employment. Based on unexploited GDR data from 1984 and a description of contemporary social policy, this study examines attitudes towards maternal employment, whether they were related to individual preferences for work or children, and their congruence with the socialist policy. The same questions are examined for the FRG using data from 1982.&#x0D; Results for the GDR indicate that one third of respondents rejected the socialist idea of maternal full-time employment, with individual work preferences being decisive for respondents’ assessments. In the FRG, there was a high degree of agreement with the gender norm of maternal non-employment, with this being dependent on individual preferences for children. These findings complement post-reunification evidence on East-West-differences in gender norms and provide insights into attitudes under Eastern European state socialism.&#x0D; * This article belongs to a special issue on “Demographic Developments in Eastern and Western Europe Before and After the Transformation of Socialist Countries”.

"The Fly in the Ointment" or Simply a "Born-Again Shop Steward" Defending Workers’ Rights to Fair Representation? – The Case of Msunduzi Municipality v Hoskins 2017 38 ILJ 582 (LAC) in Retrospect

At a distance, the decision by the Labour Appeal Court in Msunduzi Municipality v Hoskins 2017 38 ILJ 582 (LAC) appears to be a typical case of dismissal for gross insubordination. However, upon closer examination Msunduzi brings to the forefront the conflict of interest between a senior employee's responsibilities as a HR manager and his controversial role in representing fellow employees who faced disciplinary charges at the municipality. Compared to the senior managers in the antecedent cases of Keshwar v SANCA 1991 12 ILJ 816 (IC) and IMATU v Rustenburg TLC 1999 20 ILJ 377 (LC), in the case at hand the managerial employee was no longer a member of a trade union. The hybrid role performed by Hoskins created tensions within management ranks and turned into a migraine for the newly appointed acting municipal manager. To cut to the chase, as an HR manager Hoskins was figuratively and literally "the fly in the ointment". His "forward approach" as a "born-again shop steward" went beyond chutzpah. Therefore, the Labour Appeal Court cannot be faulted for upholding Hoskins' dismissal. Msunduzi compels intense engagement with the all-encompassing duty of mutual trust and confidence, the breakdown of the trust relationship, the intolerability of a continued employment relationship, "non-reinstatable conditions" as embodied in section 193(2)(a)-(d) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 and the effect of post-dismissal misconduct on the availability of reinstatement. Also arising are discrete questions concerning insubordination and insolence, conflict of interest and incompatibility.

Perceptions of Saudi psychiatric mental health nurses’ roles in the inpatient mental health care setting

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the roles of psychiatric mental health nurses during their work experiences in inpatient clinical settings.Design/methodology/approachA focus group of 10 graduate psychiatric nurses with more than two years’ practice in inpatient psychiatric settings reflected on their last six months’ work placements and continuous employment. The transcripts and field notes were analyzed through thematic analysis of inductive data.FindingsTwo main themes emerged: management roles and clinical roles. The participants reflected on caring activities and obstacles encountered in fulfilling their professional roles.Originality/valueMultiple practice issues emerged. The participants perceived that psychiatric nurse specialists are required to perform more caring functions than practicable in the inpatient setting due to an excess of noncaring duties, structural minimization of the caring role and inadequate training. They felt that many of the functions performed were not within their expectations of the caring role of a psychiatric nurse specialist and believed that changes in nurse education and attention to clarification of nurses’ roles might enhance the role they play in patient care.

Women's Employment-Family Trajectories and Well-Being in Later Life: Evidence From France.

Objective: Previous research in various countries has found that employment-family trajectories characterized by early or single motherhood, or weak ties to employment, are associated with poor well-being among older women. Our paper explores whether this differs (1) in France, characterized by a high female employment rate and supportive family policies; (2) across dimensions of well-being. Method: We used the Health and Occupational Itinerary survey to identify 10 common patterns of employment-family trajectories (derived from multi-channel sequence analysis) and analysed their association with six indicators of well-being in 2010 (N = 2882 50-78years old women). Results: Continuous full-time employment is associated with better well-being, except for women who had a first child around 24years old, who reported increased anxiety and lack of support. Discussion: Employed mothers' well-being seems to be protected in a context of family friendly policies, but we identified one group with lower well-being, which merits further study.

Subjective perceptions that affect the continued employment of persons with mental disabilities in Japan: A mixed-methods study.

Among people with mental disabilities in Japan, 50.7% have left employment within a year despite the provision of employment support. Their subjective perceptions are likely relevant, as many causes for leaving employment are personal. However, thus far, employment continuity assessment has been based on objective indicators, while subjective evaluation remains underdeveloped. We conducted a mixed-methods study to identify the subjective characteristics that impact the ability of persons with mental disabilities to continue working while receiving employment support. In total, 41 participants with mental disabilities in continuous employment were included in the study, and data were collected using a demographic and employment status questionnaire and the Worker's Role Interview. Further, to clarify the constructs related to subjective perceptions of work continuity, the step for coding and theorization (SCAT) method was utilized. The results revealed five overarching superordinate concepts and 12 subordinate concepts of subjective perceptions regarding maintaining the current work and the future for participants who continue to work. These perceptions may be related to the participants' experience and the time course of work continuity. Subjective perceptions of difficulty levels were found to be the most and the least difficult for a reasonable accommodation without specific rules and awareness of the effects of work concepts, respectively. This research could facilitate the development of an employment support system based on people with mental disabilities' subjective needs, thus contributing to their continued employment.

Predicting the stability of early employment with its timing and childhood social and health-related predictors: a mixture Markov model approach.

To extend work careers, it is important to focus on all working-aged people including young adults. The aim of this study was to identify typical patterns of work participation among young adults after their first entry into the labour market and to examine whether the timing of entry together with parental and own socio-economic position and health predict early work participation. More in-depth understanding of early careers and their early determinants is important to plan targeted interventions and to promote more stable work participation among young adults. We used the Finnish Birth Cohort 1987 including data from several registers from all 59,476 children born in 1987 as well as their parents, followed until 2015. We estimated a mixture Markov model that allowed for joint identification of latent classes of labour-market attachment, estimation of labour-market transitions within classes, and prediction of class membership using childhood social and health-related determinants. We observed that the first entry into the labour market as measured by six months in continuous employment was not a permanent entry for many, not only due to negative reasons such as unemployment and ill health but also due to more voluntary reasons such as studies. Individuals entering the labour market at a later age were more likely to be in continuous employment thereafter. More advantaged background predicted exits due to studies or - when following a late entry - stable employment, while disadvantaged background factors predicted more unstable work and long-term exits from the labour market.

Health staff's job motivation post COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in Vietnam.

Vietnam has witnessed a severe shortage of qualified staff in the public health sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our cross-sectional study aimed to identify job motivation and associated factors among experienced frontline health staff working in public health in order to have preventive measures in the event of future pandemics. A cross-sectional study, from March 2022 to November 2022 at a Vietnamese public hospital, on the job motivation and the predicted factors of 381 healthcare workers who participated in the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021. The survey tool, developed by Mbindyo Patrick (2009), includes three components: (i) job satisfaction, (ii) organizational commitment, and (iii) conscientiousness. The survey tool was revalidated in our study with structural equation model for the construction of job motivation model and confirmatory factor analysis for certifying the elementary three components (factors) of the tool. And the tool's reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's Alpha. Bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the predicted factors with the job motivation cutoff of 4.0. The tool for job motivation constructs showed all specifications were good fit indices and the Cronbach's Alpha was 0.85. The job motivation of health staff decreased dramatically in all dimensions post COVID-19 pandemic, with a mean score of 3.26. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment were the most negatively impacted areas, with scores of 3.02 and 3.00, respectively. The predicted factors of low job motivation were young age (less than 30 years old), low monthly income (less than $400), high qualification, and non-managerial positions with odds ratio of 2.27, 2.5, 2.09, and 3.61, respectively. Following the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam, healthcare workers who had been in the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, had experienced a significant decline in their job motivation, despite their continued employment at public hospitals.

Factors associated with continued employment after return to work among depressed workers

Factors associated with continued employment after return to work among depressed workers

Retraction of a ‘hot-headed resignation’ caused by depression: Lessons from Cairncross/Legal and Tax (Pty) Ltd 2019 (2) BALR 137 (CCMA)

Unlike its celebrated siblings, Metropolitan Health Risk Management v Majatladi 2015 (36) ILJ 958 (LAC) (‘Majatladi’), National Health Laboratory Service v Yona (2015) 36 ILJ 2259 (LAC) (‘Yona’) and HC Heat Exchangers (Pty) Ltd v Araujo 2020 (3) BLLR 280 (LC) (‘HC Heat Exchangers’), Cairncross/Legal and Tax (Pty) Ltd 2019 (2) BALR 137 (CCMA) (‘Cairncross’) is the black sheep of the constructive dismissal family. The arbitration award in Cairncross brings into sharp focus emotional distress in the context of constructive dismissal. Cairncross provides a platform to isolate some of the critical issues that have arisen in recent times concerning constructive dismissal. First, there is a troublesome jurisdictional puzzle: Has the employee resigned or was he or she dismissed? Secondly, the case deals with the vexed question of what would constitute intolerable circumstances to continue the employment relationship, and in particular, whether work-related stress could form the basis of a constructive dismissal claim. In the case under scrutiny, the employee had claimed that her depression was attributable to the unbearable working environment. The basis of her claim of intolerability of continued employment was that an employer has a common-law and statutory duty to provide a safe working environment, which it had failed to deliver. Lastly, Cairncross also brings to the fore a consideration of the effect of tendering a resignation and the aggrieved employee’s subsequent attempt to withdraw it. The question that is answered is whether an employer’s failure to accept the withdrawal of resignation by an employee suffering from work-related stress constitutes a type of constructive dismissal.

A Study of the Regulation of“Negotiation on the Continuous Employment”of the Article 20 of the Labor Standards Act and Article 16 of the Business Mergers and Acquisitions Act–EU and German Law as a Reference

A Study of the Regulation of“Negotiation on the Continuous Employment”of the Article 20 of the Labor Standards Act and Article 16 of the Business Mergers and Acquisitions Act–EU and German Law as a Reference

Community-based participatory research to improve alumni transition from an intensive research training program for historically underrepresented undergraduates.

Various initiatives for undergraduates from historically underrepresented backgrounds attempt to address disparities in the completion of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) degrees and the pursuit of careers in scientific research. Intensive research training programs for historically underrepresented undergraduates may include multiple components, such as authentic research experiences, advising and mentoring, supplemental curriculum, and financial assistance. Following comprehensive support during program participation, the post-program transition may present a vulnerable period in students' career trajectories. This study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to investigate the experiences of students completing an intensive research training program to understand and develop recommendations for the post-program transition process. As a team of program alumni, academic researchers, and program staff, we developed, conducted, and analyzed semi-structured, open-ended interviews of recent program alumni and students approaching program completion (n=11; 55% female, 55% non-White). Applying thematic analysis at semantic and latent levels through a critical paradigm revealed the transition as a bittersweet experience, with feelings of pride and accomplishment mixed with sadness and anxiety. Findings also suggested the transition is described as a narrative influenced by preceding program experiences and adaptations. Financial concerns were prominent, and specific barriers and facilitators of successful transition included: aligned mentoring, negotiation of continued research employment, consideration of culture, planning for next steps, and engagement with the scholar community. Collaboratively, we developed recommendations for program improvements potentially relevant to similarly intensive STEM diversity programs. We also highlight the value of a CBPR approach that includes students equitably as co-researchers in program research and evaluation.