Daily Work Research Articles

From gender policies and practices to organisational performance of sport governing bodies

ABSTRACT Research question Gender policies reflect identity-conscious human resource management structures that aim to reduce unfair treatment based on gender. Drawing on signalling theory and the categorisation-elaboration model, the literature suggests that the relationship between gender policies and organisational performance is moderated by several factors (gender practices, organisational culture, decision-making quality), which have not yet been empirically studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence of gender policies in sport governing bodies (SGBs) and examine their relationship with organisational performance. Research methods An online questionnaire was sent to representatives of German SGBs (n = 202). Structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationships between gender policies, gender practices (i.e. board gender diversity), organisational culture, decision-making quality, and organisational performance. Results and findings Gender policies are rarely present in German SGBs, and can only shape the organisational culture when they are connected to daily routines (in contrast to the simple presence of a written statement). Gender policies and practices are positively associated with decision-making quality and organisational performance. Implications The findings contribute to the literature by shedding light on the theoretical mechanisms (i.e. organisational culture, decision-making quality) through which group diversity affects organisational performance. Sport managers should connect gender policies to the daily work instead of simply including them in good governance guidelines, especially because they also benefit the organisation in terms of better performance. Politicians should consider mandatory regulations to make gender policies more effective.

Exploration of Socio-Economic and Education Condition of the Handi Jogi Community of Karnataka State

This paper discusses the socio-economic and literacy of the “Handi Jogi” community which is one among the least concerned and at extinction all over India. The main occupation of these people from their origin of the community was swine farm and was nomadic. However, this community people started to become civilized gradually in such a way by settling in one place. The total population is very small; there are 11,429 men and 11,246 women. The total literacy rate in this community is 58.2%, consisting of 65.9% of the men and 50.4% of the women. According to recent studies in Karnataka, there are about 30,828 populations living there. The main occupation of this community was Swine farming and begging, with very few being in agricultural and daily wage work, as most of the people were without land. The government has brought many schemes to develop this community but there is a lack of progress.

When Things Go Right: Safety II in an Academic Emergency Department.

Objectives Historically, "safety" has been defined as an absence of error. Practice variability of any kind has been viewed as a threat. This is termed Safety I. Meanwhile, Safety II posits that clinician practice variability is a necessary adaptation required to meet patient needs in a complex healthcare system. We hypothesize that clinicians in the emergency department (ED) make proactive adaptations and utilize practice variability to enhance safety. Methods This is a cross-sectional survey-based study of clinical team members at a tertiary care academic ED with an annual census of 76,000. Qualitative data on instances of proactive safety were collected and analyzed via inductive response analysis. Ratings of support for practice adjustments and experiences of negative emotions during practice variability were collected using 5-point Likert scales. Results There were 84 respondents, of which 33 (39%) were nurses, 28 (33%) were physicians, and 23 (27%) held other clinical roles. Qualitative data included 128 instances of harm prevention, with some respondents describing more than one. Instances include proactive safety via collaboration (n = 47; 36.72%), time-based interventions (n = 46; 35.94%), physical harm prevention (n = 27; 21.10%), and patient/visitor interactions (n = 8; 6.25%). Of respondents, 73.17% (n = 30) felt that policies matched daily work most of the time, and 92.68% (n = 38) felt enabled to adapt to the needs of a patient most of the time. Experiences of self-doubt, fear of repercussion, or anxiety occurred most when adhering to a policy despite patient needs (n = 20; 48.78%). Conclusions Clinical team members report keeping patients safe through various forms of behavior adaptations, most frequently reporting collaboration beyond usual expected practice. Respondents report policies to match daily work most of the time and feel enabled to adapt to the needs of patients. Feelings of self-doubt, fear of repercussion, or anxiety were reported most frequently when clinicians adhered to a policy despite the needs of a patient.

The complexity of the student counselor system in China’s higher education: A case study on restrictions and possible flexibility in ideological education

Student counselors in Chinese higher education serve as conduits for providing political guidance and indoctrinating students with socialist values. Their primary role is to administer citizenship education as a means of political socialization, encompassing both ideological and organizational aspects. This article examines this phenomenon within the context of a specific university’s historical trajectory, drawing upon qualitative data to present a nuanced understanding of its complexities. Through this case study, the article sheds light on various approaches to citizenship education and offers valuable insights into the landscape of Chinese higher education amidst globalization. It reveals the coexistence of constraints and flexibility in ideological education within this context, shaped by the intricate interactions between student counselors and students. These dynamics are driven by the imperative of stability maintenance mandated by both the state and the university. The pragmatic approaches adopted by student counselors in their daily work serve as means to facilitate its implementation.

Research on the movement injury for tennis major students of universities

In recent years, tennis has increasingly become a favorite sport for many people, and major institutions of higher learning across the country have established specialized tennis courses. As the number of tennis enthusiasts grows, more and more individuals have sustained injuries for various reasons during the sport, which has adversely affected their studies and daily work. Consequently, preventing injuries in tennis has become one of the vital components of specialized tennis courses. This article scrutinizes the characteristics of injuries among students participating in tennis, analyzes the causes of these injuries through surveys, and proposes preventive measures tailored for tennis-related injuries. It offers a theoretical foundation for students majoring in tennis and enthusiasts, aiming to minimize physical injuries during tennis activities.

Proposed Strategy to Improve Product Innovation and Service Quality at Pegipegi

Indonesian people’s interest in Online Travel Agents (OTA) is relatively high, even though it experienced a decline from 2019 to 2021 due to the pandemic. There are still many people who choose to use Online Travel Agents (OTA) because it provides convenience and comfort. However, in Indonesia, the competition is quite tight, and Pegipegi needs to innovate its Products and Services. The objectives of this research are to improve product innovation to distinguish Pegipegi from its competitors and to improve the quality of service to increase its competitive advantage over its competitors. Digital Innovation and SERVQUAL Framework have been used to analyze the issue and identify the root cause. It has been found that Pegipegi Products and Services needs to develop and improve because the indicators are low criteria. The recommendation for the company is required to innovate and improve the Products and Services of Pegipegi. Product Innovation can be achieved by creating new products with advanced technology, such as through Gamification, Owned Media channels, and improving User Interface. On the other hand, service improvement can be done by combining technology such as involving ChatGPT in daily work and training customer service.

Examining Management and Employees' Perceptions of Occupational Heat Exposure and the Effectiveness of a Heat Stress Prevention Intervention on Safety and Well-Being among Natural Gas Construction Workers: A Qualitative Field-Based Study.

Numerous risk factors have been identified as significantly influencing outdoor workers' risk for heat stress and heat-related conditions, impacting their health, well-being, and productivity. However, the specific effects of these factors on construction workers' safety, health, and well-being remain under-researched. With climate change increasing temperatures, assessing heat stress among construction workers is imperative. To identify the barriers and facilitators influencing the safety of natural gas construction workers and evaluate an implemented heat stress intervention. In the summer of 2023, two semi-structured interviews and six focus groups were conducted with twenty-one stakeholders at a Texas natural gas construction site. Key facilitators include employee preparedness, use of employer-provided resources, hydration logs, and real-time communication tools. Contrarily, the barriers include daily work schedules, access to dehydrating beverages, and generational differences with the non-implementation of mandatory rest breaks. The heat stress program was perceived as effective, surpassing recommended guidelines. To advance construction workers' safety, health, and well-being, both employee involvement and employer management are needed, along with no-cost accessible resources. Additionally, implementing a required routine rest break and comprehensive heat stress education, particularly for older workers, will significantly promote safety and safe work practices in hot environments. Note: in this study, the terms 'worker' and 'employee' are used interchangeably.

Sun protection knowledge and behaviors of agricultural workers in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAgricultural workers are at risk of developing skin cancer due to prolonged exposure to the sun during their daily work. This study was conducted to determine sun protection knowledge and behaviours of agricultural workers in Turkey.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted with 460 participants working in agriculture. The data were collected using a sociodemographic form, Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale and Sun Protection Behaviour Scale. The data were analysed using One Way ANOVA and Independent Samples t Test.ResultsParticipants mean total score on the Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale was 15.24 ± 2.47 (max-min 0–25) and the mean total score on the Sun Protection Behaviour Scale was 24.10 ± 4.46 (max-min 8–40). Statistically significant disparities were observed between the SCBS, SPBS and their sub-divisions along with the working period, age, marital status, gender, level of education, income status, skin type and agricultural working status of the participants (p < .05).ConclusionThe study found that people working in the agriculture had inadequate sun protection behaviours and knowledge. Based on the study’s results, it is proposed to create intervention programmes that specifically target single, male, middle-aged or older individuals with extended working hours and low levels of education and income.

Prevalence of Neck and Shoulder Pain in Sewing Machine Operators of Rahim Yar Khan

Background: Neck and shoulder pain are prevalent among sewing machine operators due to prolonged static postures and repetitive movements, leading to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs).Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency and characteristics of neck and shoulder pain among sewing machine operators in Rahim Yar Khan City.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2019. A total of 100 sewing machine operators were selected using a convenient sampling technique. Participants with at least four years of work experience and daily work of 8 hours in a sitting posture were included. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire covering demographic information, work hours, pain characteristics, and medication usage. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis, with descriptive statistics and p-values for significance.Results: The mean age was 31 ± 11.56 years. Forty-three percent of operators reported shoulder pain, and 8% had both neck and shoulder pain. Pain was bilateral in 43%, with 35% suffering for over 2 years. Thirty percent used medication for pain relief (p = 0.001).Conclusion: A significant prevalence of neck and shoulder pain exists among sewing machine operators, emphasizing the need for ergonomic interventions and health education.

Critical Review of Organizational Factors Affecting Employee Well Being in Hotel Industry

Employee well being is very important to encourage positive performance, which in turn will encourage employee behavior. Employee well being is a challenge facing the hotel industry today and the main thing to consider for the hotel industry for b usiness sustainability. As an important industry of service industry, hotel industry has increasingly become an important part of the present stage and the well being of its employees is crucial to the long-term stability and development of the organization Well being research in the service industries, including hospitality, has been growing. Specific studies on well being in the hotel industry in China may contribut e to this trend The well-being of hotel employees in China has been a growing concern in recent years. As the tourism industry continues to boom in the country, hotel employees are facing increasing demands and pressures in their daily work. From this poi nt of view, through sorting out the existing relevant literature and research results, this study seeks insights into organizational factors such as organizational culture, corporate social responsibility, work life balance, high performance work systems t hat may influence employee well being in hotel industry. This research may contribute to the management and organizational studies, provides an opportunity to validate existing organizational behavior and management theories in the context of the hotel ind ustry. The paper may offer insights that can be generalized to other service oriented industries, providing a broader theoretical understanding applicable beyond the hotel sector. This research may enhance employees' work productivity and efficiency, serv ice quality , customer satisfac tion, employee retention rate, reputation and brand value, also may demonstrate corporate social responsibility.

Using simulation scenarios and a debriefing structure to promote feedback skills among interprofessional team members in clinical practice

BackgroundTeam reflexivity and peer feedback in daily clinical work can improve patient safety. However, teams do not always engage in reflection after patient care. A reason could be that team members may lack skills in engaging in team reflection. This study explores the use of interprofessional team-based simulations to encourage and equip teams for reflective conversations in the real-world clinical practice.MethodsThis was a prospective, explorative study of team members’ perceptions of the use of in situ simulation-based scenarios with critically ill patient cases to train team-based reflections and peer feedback. The study took place in two neurological wards. Prior to the intervention, a 1-day observation in each ward and semi-structured short interviews with physicians and nurses were conducted.ResultsA total of 94 staff members, 57 nurses, 8 nurse assistants and 29 physicians participated in the in situ simulation scenarios. All team members showed appreciation of the safe learning environment. The authors found that the simulations and the debriefing structure provided an opportunity for training of team reflexivity and feedback. The team members evaluated the simulation-based training very positively, and their initial reaction indicated that they found peer feedback useful for the individual and the team. This approach allowed them to reflect on their own clinical practice.ConclusionThe simulation-based training scenarios and the debriefing structure promoted team members’ team reflexivity and peer feedback skills. The method is feasible and could be used in other specialties and situations.The team members’ reactions to feedback were positive, and based on their reflections, there is a potential to increase both individual and team skills as well as improve patient treatment.

Teachers’ daily positive and negative affect and their relationship with teachers’ emotion regulation strategies and daily work engagement – results of a diary study among team teachers

AbstractTeam teaching as a close form of teacher collaboration entails frequent interactions between the team-teaching partners in the classroom. During these interactions, the team teachers experience a variety of positive and negative emotions, triggered by their team partner. The teachers may express or suppress these emotions, depending on their habitual use of these emotion regulation strategies. In turn, the teachers’ daily emotions may be related to an important facet of teacher well-being, namely their daily work engagement. This study aims to investigate the related factors (habitual emotion regulation, daily work engagement) of team teachers’ daily positive and negative emotions triggered by the team partner in the classroom. Forty-seven Austrian team teachers working in secondary education completed a daily diary study, consisting of 15 diary entries, measuring their habitual emotion expression and suppression strategies, their daily positive and negative affect and daily work engagement. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted. Results show that positive and negative affect and work engagement vary substantially within and between team teachers. Random-intercept fixed-slope multilevel models indicate that the habitual use of authentic display of positive emotions is associated with daily positive affect, and teachers’ daily positive and negative affect significantly relate to their daily work engagement both on the within- and between-person level. This study underscores the important role that team teachers’ emotional experiences play regarding their work engagement. We draw theoretical and practical implications for the role of emotions during team-teaching practices.

Comprehensive Review of Security Problems in Mobile Robotic Assistant Systems: Issues, Solutions, and Challenges

Nowadays, robots in the modern world are playing an important and increasingly popular role. MRA (Mobile Robotic Assistant) is a type of mobile robot designed to support humans in many different fields, helping to improve efficiency and safety in daily activities, work, or medical treatment. The number of MRAs is increasing and diverse in function, in addition to the ability to collect and process data, MRAs also have the ability to physically interact with users. Therefore, security is one of the important issues to improve the safety and effective operation of MRA. In this paper, through a comprehensive literature review and detailed analysis of the prominent MRA security attacks in recent years (based on criteria such as: attack targets, technologies used, impact level, feasibility, and contribution to addressing overall MRA security issues), a systematic classification by MRA activity fields is conducted. Security attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities are examined from various perspectives, such as hardware attacks or network/system-level attacks, operating systems/application software. Additionally, corresponding security solutions are proposed, compared, and evaluated to enhance MRA security. The paper also addresses challenges and suggests open research directions for the future.

Hybrid emergency care at the home for patients – A multiple case study

IntroductionHealthcare systems worldwide are facing numerous challenges, such as an aging population, reduced availability of hospital beds, staff reductions and closure of emergency departments (ED). These issues can exacerbate crowding and boarding problems in the ED, negatively impacting patient safety and the work environment. In Sweden a hybrid of prehospital and intrahospital emergency care has been established, referred to in this article as Medical Emergency Team (MET), to meet the increasing demand for emergency care. MET, consisting of physicians and nurses, moving emergency care from EDs to patients’ home. Physicians and nurses may encounter challenges in their healthcare work, such as limited resources for example medical equipment, sampling and examination, in unfamiliar varying home environments. There is a lack of knowledge about how these challenges can influence patient care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the healthcare work of the METs when addressing patients’ emergency care needs in their homes, with a focus on the METs reasoning and actions.MethodsUsing a qualitative multiple case study design, two METs in southwestern Sweden were explored. Data were collected from September 2023 – January 2024 and consist of field notes from participant observations, short interviews and written reflections. A qualitative manifest content analysis with an inductive approach was used as the analysis method.ResultThe result of this study indicates that physicians and nurses face several challenges in their daily work, such as recurring interruptions, miscommunication and faltering teamwork. Some of these problems may arise because physicians and nurses are not accustomed to working together as a team in a different care context. These challenges can lead to stress, which ultimately can expose patients to unnecessary risks.ConclusionWhen launching a new service like METs, which is a hybrid of prehospital and intrahospital emergency care, it is essential to plan and prepare thoroughly to effectively address the challenges and obstacles that may arise. One way to prepare is through team training. Team training can help reduce hierarchical structures by enabling physicians and nurses to feel that they can contribute, collaborate, and take responsibility, leading to a more dynamic and efficient work environment.

Use of Creative Frameworks in Health Care to Solve Data and Information Problems: Scoping Review.

Digitization is vital for data management, especially in health care. However, problems still hinder health care stakeholders in their daily work while collecting, processing, and providing health data or information. Data are missing, incorrect, cannot be collected, or information is inadequately presented. These problems can be seen as data or information problems. A proven way to elicit requirements for (software) systems is by using creative frameworks (eg, user-centered design, design thinking, lean UX [user experience], or service design) or creative methods (eg, mind mapping, storyboarding, 6 thinking hats, or interaction room). However, to what extent they are used to solve data or information-related problems in health care is unclear. The primary objective of this scoping review is to investigate the use of creative frameworks in addressing data and information problems in health care. Following JBI guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR framework, this paper analyzes selected papers, answering whether creative frameworks addressed health care data or information problems. Focusing on data problems (elicitation or collection, processing) and information problems (provision or visualization), the review examined German and English papers published between 2018 and 2022 using keywords related to "data," "design," and "user-centered." The database SCOPUS was used. Of the 898 query results, only 23 papers described a data or information problem and a creative method to solve it. These were included in the follow-up analysis and divided into different problem categories: data collection (n=7), data processing (n=1), information visualization (n=11), and mixed problems meaning data and information problem present (n=4). The analysis showed that most identified problems fall into the information visualization category. This could indicate that creative frameworks are particularly suitable for solving information or visualization problems and less for other, more abstract areas such as data problems. The results also showed that most researchers applied a creative framework after they knew what specific (data or information) problem they had (n=21). Only a minority chose a creative framework to identify a problem and realize it was a data or information problem (n=2). In response to these findings, the paper discusses the need for a new approach that addresses health care data and information challenges by promoting collaboration, iterative feedback, and user-centered development. Although the potential of creative frameworks is undisputed, applying these in solving data and information problems is a minority. To harness this potential, a suitable method needs to be developed to support health care system stakeholders. This method could be the User-Centered Data Approach.

Training of Skills of Providing Assistance in Emergency Conditions to Dentists Using Anthropomorphic Simulation Robots

In the daily work of a dentist, situations often arise that require emergency care for urgent indications. According to researchers (Al-Turki O, Al-Hussyeen A, Al-Hammad N, Alhowaish L, Almaflehi N. Medical Emergencies In Dental Practice. J Dent Med Sci), emergency medical situations at a dental appointment occur on average once every two years. In addition, in recent years, there have been fatal cases during the provision of dental care, which certainly makes the problem relevant.

Mentalising and self-efficacy – disentangling their impact on well-being and symptom severity in novice special education teachers

ABSTRACT The transition from university education to daily work at school is recognised as a significant challenge for teachers and special education teachers, termed ‘reality shock’. This study investigates the role of mentalising – the capacity to perceive and interpret behaviour based on intentional mental states – and teaching-related self-efficacy as potential intrapsychic mechanisms that mediate the impact of current stress experiences on the development of stress-related symptoms and declines in well-being. Analysing data from 696 novice special education teachers in southern Germany, a structural equation model revealed that mentalising and teaching-related self-efficacy mediate the relationship between stress experiences, the levels of stress-related symptoms, and impaired well-being. Furthermore, the findings suggest that both psychological processes may reflect largely independent coping mechanisms. Practical implications are discussed.

The Maternal and Child Health Workforce: A Snapshot of Current and Future Needs From Public Health WINS 2021.

To summarize and examine data collected from the first-ever Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey Maternal and Child Health (MCH) module. Responses from MCH governmental public health employees in 47 state health departments and 288 local health departments (LHDs) in the United States. Demographic characteristics; 4 measures from the MCH module: the importance of and skill level in 5 MCH competencies in daily work, growth and leadership development opportunities, and additional workforce development needs. The MCH workforce predominantly self-identified as women (91.2%) and as White, non-Hispanic (55.2%). At least 70% of respondents reported MCH competencies as important in their daily work, but only 44% to 57% reported being proficient in those competencies. The MCH workforce in LHDs were less likely than those in state health departments to report being proficient in MCH competencies (adjusted prevalence rate ratio range: 0.83-0.92) or have growth and leadership development opportunities (adjusted prevalence rate ratio range 0.76-0.90). The MCH module highlights a need to further prioritize workforce development efforts for governmental public health staff, especially in LHDs. There is an ongoing need to meet public health professionals where they are and to tailor training models and workforce development plans to account for new and ongoing stressors faced by the workforce.

Association between temperature and occupational injuries in Spain: The role of contextual factors in workers’ adaptation

BackgroundExtensive evidence links both cold and hot temperatures to an increased incidence of occupational injuries. Contextual modifiers of the temperature-injury association have been scarcely researched. The present study addresses temporal and spatial variations to identify factors associated with (mal)adaptation to heat and cold among Spanish workers. MethodsWe assessed the association between daily mean temperature and work injuries using quasi-Poisson time-series regression models in 48 Spanish provinces over the period 1988–2019, with comparative analyses with census and economic data for the sub-periods 1989–1993, 1999–2003, 2009–2013 and 2015–2019. We explored the spatial and spatiotemporal modification of the association by demographic and socioeconomic variables via cross-sectional and longitudinal meta-regressions. Findings:We found an increased risk of work-injuries by 4 % [95 % CI: 3 %-6 %] and 12 % [95 % CI: 10 %-13 %], for the 1st and 99th percentiles of temperature, respectively, for period 1988–2019. Heat had a greater overall impact than cold, and the groups more vulnerable to heat were male workers, under 35 years, and working in agriculture, construction and hostelry. Vulnerability to heat was highest in the earliest sub-period, while vulnerability to cold rose during periods of both economic expansion and recession. High educational attainment emerged as a protective factor during the warm months in the cross-sectional meta-regressions. ConclusionsOur findings suggest an adaptation of Spanish workers to high temperatures over time. However, preventive measures are needed for traditionally exposed workers (agriculture and construction), non-traditionally vulnerable sectors (hostelry), and young, male, and less educated workers during warm months. For cold vulnerability, targeted measures should focus on women, the elderly, and tertiary service workers, especially in colder regions. Addressing temperature vulnerability would enhance worker safety, reduce injuries, and yield economic benefits.

Administrative capacity and long-term policy making at the Icelandic local level

Leach and Wilson (2002) identified four key tasks of local government leaders. Building on their initiative, this paper examines the task of developing strategic and policy direction at the Icelandic local level from the viewpoint of the Icelandic mayor. In addition, it explores the administrative capacity of Icelandic local governance. Individuals occupying mayoral positions in Iceland always serve as heads of administration. At times, mayors are council members (political mayors), while other times they are hired based on their professional skills (manager-mayors). The findings suggest that mayors of both types play crucial roles in long-term policy making. However, the study shows that the daily work of manager-mayors is often hindered by fragmentation and lack of specialisation within the administration as well as by the laymen rule upon which the council-committee system is based.