Employment Arrangements Research Articles

Indicators of primary health care workforce equity for attaining health equity

Abstract Background Healthcare workforce crises are often the result of inequities faced by healthcare workers. This study aims to discuss the primary policy questions related to health equity regarding the primary healthcare (PHC) workforce indicators. Methods Following the purposive review of published literature on HWF equity in PHC services, we applied an intersectional analysis of the compendiums of HWF indicators (e.g., supply, flows, skill mix, working conditions, promotion, training, funding, governance, etc.) to strategically link them to PHC policy issues for health equity and categorized qualitatively under each policy pillar against HWF crises. Results The proposed indicators address the measurement of multiple dimensions of health workforce equity. These include financial and non-financial incentives to monitor worker attrition reduction, gender pay gap, fairness in employment arrangements, remuneration, and working conditions. By monitoring the minimum wage for financially vulnerable health workforce groups, we can identify the need for potential increases to support well-being, reduce turnover, and increase productivity. Equally important is monitoring equity in health workforce education, planning, and management, which is crucial for achieving population health equity. By implementing indicators of health workforce diversity to address rural and underrepresented communities, primary healthcare managers can effectively plan the reduction of their unmet needs and minimize avoidable referrals. Conclusions To ensure equitable access to primary healthcare, we must measure workforce equity and its impact on population health. Monitoring the indicators of equitable health workforce policies and evaluating the improvement in retention and recruitment processes can more effectively address workforce crises. Key messages • Health workforce crises often stem from healthcare workforce inequities. • Health workforce equitable policies require a clear set of indicators.

Casually cynical or trapped? Exploring gig workers’ reactions to psychological contract violation

PurposeDrawing on psychological contract (PC) theory and platform labor research, the purpose of our study was to explore gig workers’ reactions to perceived PC violation. Our study was set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought workplace health and safety issues into much sharper focus, even in nonstandard employment arrangements like gig work.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a mixed-methods design. In Study 1, we tested a conceptual model of US-based ride-hail drivers’ (n = 202) affective and cognitive reactions to Uber’s (lack of) commitment to safe working conditions. In Study 2, we conducted interviews with 32 platform workers to further explore an unexpected finding from Study 1.FindingsIn Study 1, we found that drivers’ perceptions of PC violation were related to decreased trust in Uber and higher intentions to leave this line of work; however, cynicism toward Uber only predicted withdrawal intentions for those drivers who did not believe that they had job alternatives available outside of gig work. We explored this further in Study 2, where we found that workers with low economic dependence on gig work could afford to be casually cynical toward the platform, while high-dependence workers felt “trapped” in this line of work.Originality/valueWe contribute to the social/relational theoretical approach to gig work more broadly and to the literature on PC in platform work more specifically. We also add to the emerging literature on how economic dependence shapes workers’ experience of platform work. Our findings around low-dependence gig workers experiencing a more indifferent form of cynicism – which we have termed casual cynicism – highlight the importance of treating the context of gig work as unique, not merely an extension of traditional management research.

The Expanding Domains of Degraded Work in the United States: Constructing a More Comprehensive Typology of Non-standard Employment Arrangements

The Expanding Domains of Degraded Work in the United States: Constructing a More Comprehensive Typology of Non-standard Employment Arrangements

Well-being effects of the digital platform economy: the case of temporary and self-employment

The surge in non-traditional employment, including self-employment and temporary jobs, driven by the digital platform economy (commonly known as the gig economy), has thrust this form of work into the centre of social and political discussions. Among the European Union countries, Spain stands out with the highest volume of digital platform work. To explore the well-being effects of various gig economy employment arrangements, this study utilizes microdata from the Spanish Living Conditions Survey for 2018 and Google Trends data related to platforms like Deliveroo, Airbnb, Just Eat, Uber, and Freelance as a proxy for digital platform economy demand. Employing an econometric approach based on instrumental variables, the study reveals that the most detrimental well-being effects are observed among self-employed workers. Specifically, in terms of self-reported health, self-employed individuals (own-account workers) exhibit 125.8% lower average health levels compared to permanent workers. These findings suggest that the heightened job insecurity and precariousness associated with self-employment outweigh the potential benefits arising from greater flexibility and autonomy in this type of work.

Assessment of the Influence of Contracting Models on the Well-Being of Construction Workers in the Brazilian Amazon

The construction industry is known to present various stress-inducing conditions for its workforce, especially for workers under different employment arrangements. This research aims to investigate the influence of employment status (permanent and temporary workers) on the perception of well-being at work (WBW). The study also aims to assess whether variables such as satisfaction, commitment, and involvement are statistically significant in evaluating construction workers’ WBW. The research was conducted at various construction sites located in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 376 responses were obtained using the Work Well-being Inventory (IBET-13) questionnaire. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to understand the relationship between self-perceived well-being (dependent variable) by employees and employment status, satisfaction, commitment, and involvement at work (independent variables). The results suggest that the employment arrangement does not significantly impact the evaluation of well-being, indicating that other factors may mediate the relationship between WBW and mental health, as well as contribute to explaining this result, such as current legislation, occupational characteristics, and unique aspects of the Brazilian reality. The research findings can contribute to the development of strategies that promote a more sustainable and healthy construction environment for workers.

Giving Women the Benefit of the Doubt? Examining Gender Differences in Schools’ Management of Sexual Allegations Against Employees

ABSTRACT Comparing women’s and men’s sexual offending patterns in educational settings is a relatively recent empirical endeavor. Accordingly, gender-based examinations of schools’ management of sexual allegations are lacking. We address this gap by drawing on a unique administrative dataset from an Australian jurisdiction that captures alleged improper sexual conduct by educational employees. We compare 809 female- and male-perpetrated cases reported between 2015 and 2019 with respect to event, location, victim, and perpetrator characteristics, as well as the ensuing risk management strategies and sanctions. Compared to men, reported women were younger, employed on more secure employment arrangements, and less often had a relevant discipline history. Most alleged event characteristics did not significantly differ based on perpetrator gender. Women’s alleged perpetration, however, more often occurred in places external to school and involved more serious sexual victimization of comparatively older male students. After controlling for event, victim, perpetrator, and allegation characteristics there was nearly no support for a gender bias in institutional responses. However, a lack of any action was more often observed in female-perpetrated cases under very specific and limited conditions. Resultant implications for the management and oversight of employee-related allegations are discussed.

Same Same or Different? Pay Referents and Unfairness Perceptions in Two Employment Arrangements

Which reference information do nurses select to evaluate pay and does their employment arrangement matter? To answer these questions, we investigated the role of three types of reference information (perceived responsibility, social appreciation from colleagues and patients) in pay unfairness evaluations of Swiss temporary and staff nurses. Since unfair pay signals a lack of worth, we examined the role of social appreciation from the two sources as boundary condition for the effects of pay unfairness on exhaustion and job satisfaction. We analyzed our time-lagged survey data from 262 staff nurses and 120 temporary nurses using a multi-group framework. The effect of pay unfairness on job satisfaction – but not on exhaustion – was stronger in temporary nurses than in staff nurses. Contrary to our hypotheses, we did not find evidence that social appreciation from colleagues or patients moderated the effects of pay unfairness on job satisfaction and exhaustion. Follow-up analyses showed, however, that staff nurses rely on perceived responsibility and colleagues’ appreciation to gauge pay unfairness. Temporary nurses, in contrast, considered social appreciation on the output side, consistently for both sources of appreciation. This pattern of findings suggests that the comparison processes underlying fairness evaluations are not uniform across different employment arrangements. From a practical perspective, the findings imply that appreciation will not do as compensation for pay staff nurses perceive as unfair.

Using Twitter (X) to Mobilize Knowledge for First Contact Physiotherapists: Qualitative Study.

Twitter (now X) is a digital social network commonly used by health care professionals. Little is known about whether it helps health care professionals to share, mobilize, and cocreate knowledge or reduce the time between research knowledge being created and used in clinical practice (the evidence-to-practice gap). Musculoskeletal first contact physiotherapists (FCPs) are primary care specialists who diagnose and treat people with musculoskeletal conditions without needing to see their general practitioner (family physician) first. They often work as a sole FCP in practice; hence, they are an ideal health care professional group with whom to explore knowledge mobilization using Twitter. We aimed to explore how Twitter is and can be used to mobilize knowledge, including research findings, to inform FCPs' clinical practice. Semistructured interviews of FCPs with experience of working in English primary care were conducted. FCPs were purposively sampled based on employment arrangements and Twitter use. Recruitment was accomplished via known FCP networks and Twitter, supplemented by snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted digitally and used a topic guide exploring FCP's perceptions and experiences of accessing knowledge, via Twitter, for clinical practice. Data were analyzed thematically and informed by the knowledge mobilization mindlines model. Public contributors were involved throughout. In total, 19 FCPs consented to the interview (Twitter users, n=14 and female, n=9). Three themes were identified: (1) How Twitter meets the needs of FCPs, (2) Twitter and a journey of knowledge to support clinical practice, and (3) factors impeding knowledge sharing on Twitter. FCPs described needs relating to isolated working practices, time demands, and role uncertainty. Twitter provided rapid access to succinct knowledge, the opportunity to network, and peer reassurance regarding clinical cases, evidence, and policy. FCPs took a journey of knowledge exchange on Twitter, including scrolling for knowledge, filtering for credibility and adapting knowledge for in-service training and clinical practice. Participants engaged best with images and infographics. FCPs described misinformation, bias, echo chambers, unprofessionalism, hostility, privacy concerns and blurred personal boundaries as factors impeding knowledge sharing on Twitter. Consequently, many did not feel confident enough to actively participate on Twitter. This study explores how Twitter is and can be used to mobilize knowledge to inform FCP clinical practice. Twitter can meet the knowledge needs of FCPs through rapid access to succinct knowledge, networking opportunities, and professional reassurance. The journey of knowledge exchange from Twitter to clinical practice can be explained by considering the mindlines model, which describes how FCPs exchange knowledge in digital and offline contexts. Findings demonstrate that Twitter can be a useful adjunct to FCP practice, although several factors impede knowledge sharing on the platform. We recommend social media training and enhanced governance guidance from professional bodies to support the use of Twitter for knowledge mobilization.

Employment arrangements and well-being of migrant live-in care workers: Evidence from a study of Polish live-ins in Berlin

Employment arrangements and well-being of migrant live-in care workers: Evidence from a study of Polish live-ins in Berlin

Career paths of multiple jobholders: employers' perspectives and employees' experiences in retail and food service

PurposeMultiple jobholding (MJH) is assumed to be a growing phenomenon due to working life changes. This study presents new knowledge on the MJH career paths, from the perspectives of both employers and employees.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative interview study was focused on retail trade and restaurant and food service industries in Finland, where MJH is a quite common work arrangement compared to other European countries. The data were analyzed with the concepts of the chaos theory of careers and with an abductive thematic content analysis.FindingsAccording to the results, several events and intertwined factors may lead individual careers gradually to MJH. Changing personal and family situations and leisure time needs attracted the careers towards MJH. MJH was not only a financial necessity to employees, but it also served their flexibility interests. The interviewed employers applied flexible non-standard employment arrangements mainly due to rapidly varying labor needs established in the industries. It was important for them to strengthen the non-standard core employees' sense of belonging to the work community. However, employees with work ability challenges were in risk to end up in peripheral positions at the labor market.Originality/valuePrevious research on multiple jobholding has not combined employers’ perspectives of MJH to employees’ experiences of career paths.

Gender inequalities during a global pandemic: The link between female solo self‐employment, informality, caregiving responsibilities, and quality of life 1 year after the Covid‐19 pandemic

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to see if informal, solo self‐employed women in Chile had a greater drop in their quality of life than their formal counterparts during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic. The article investigates the correlation between different types of employment arrangements (informal solo self‐employment and formal solo self‐employment) and the well‐being of these women during the pandemic. The instrument employed is the COV19‐Impact on Quality of Life questionnaire, consisting of six items presented in a 5‐point Likert scale format. The survey was conducted online as a self‐administered questionnaire to 854 female solo self‐employed participants, ranging in age from 19 to 75 years, who had received support from a social aid foundation in December 2020 and early 2021. The main finding suggests there is a correlation between the type of solo self‐employment and the quality of life experienced by women during the pandemic. Specifically, women engaged in informal solo self‐employment encountered a substantial decline in their quality of life over the initial year of the pandemic, reflecting a decrease of 14.97 points on the Quality of Life scale, in contrast to their formal counterparts. In conclusion, there is a strong correlation between the quality of life experienced during the pandemic and employment status. Even though employment arrangements were utilized as proxies for socioeconomic factors not directly assessed in the questionnaire, this tool proved invaluable in capturing diverse facets of socioeconomic conditions, encompassing income levels, access to governmental support, social protection, and working conditions.

The Influence of Employment Quality on Employee Health Complaints: A Parallel Mediation Model

AbstractEmployment quality is a social determinant of employee health. However, little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. In this study, we investigated whether work engagement and affective job insecurity mediated the relationship between three employment quality indicators: type of contract (0. temporary vs. 1. permanent), employment relationship (0. part-time vs. 1. full-time), and salary, on the one hand, and employee health complaints, on the other. We implemented a time-lagged design with three time points. Our sample was composed of 247 employees. The data analysis using Structural Equation Modelling methods showed statistically significant negative indirect effects of the job contract type and salary on employee health complaints via the two mediators investigated in the case of salary and via affective job insecurity in the case of job contract type. Our study contributes to understanding why some employment quality indicators are related to employee health complaints. It also highlights that promoting high quality employment arrangements is not only a way to create engaging and secure jobs, but also an avenue leading towards employees’ health.

Leading digital transformation: Dilemmas of a chief digital and information officer

The female protagonist of the case needs to make an important decision on whether to ‘stay or go’ in her current role at Kappa University. She had been in the university as a Chief Digital and Information Officer for nearly 3 years but was not given a strategic status, leaving her out of important decisions; yet she is responsible for the biggest budget of the university. The case raises issues on the strategic importance of digital transformation but also the recognition that female IT leaders may or may not have within their organisation and their influence on decision-making linked to digital transformation matters. The case explores the role of digital leaders and their relation to senior management; the challenges they face when not given a strategic role and the impact that this may have on the organisation’s experience with digital transformation. Further, the case provides the opportunity to students to compare and contrast different employment arrangements such as independent contracting and permanent employment. The case can be used on courses on digital transformation, digital strategy and IT leadership.

Unravelling psychological contracts in a digital age of work: a systematic literature review

ABSTRACT This study provides a comprehensive overview of psychological contract research in the digital age of work, where digitalization has significantly shaped the nature of work and employment arrangements. It examines the employee-employer relationship through the lens of individual beliefs about reciprocal obligations as reflected in psychological contract research. Through a systematic literature review, the study uncovers four distinct mechanisms of work digitalization (Remote/virtual Cooperation, Online Communication, Algorithm-based Coordination, and Digital Capabilities) encapsulated in the ROAD-framework that impacts psychological contracts, thus laying the conceptual groundwork for future research endeavours on psychological contracts in a digital age of work. The findings of the literature review outline the emergence of novel forms of employment arrangements in the digital age of work that extend dyadic psychological contracts to multiple party arrangements. Additionally, the study reveals the dynamic effects of work digitalization on different phases of psychological contracts. As a result, this enriches the dynamic phase model by considering the impacts of work digitalization through various propositions.

Trajectories of job insecurity and the probability of poorer mental health among prime working-age Australian women and men

Precarious and insecure employment arrangements are important social determinants of health. Prior evidence has consistently found perceived job insecurity to be associated with poorer mental health. Nonetheless, several key under-researched areas remain in the existing evidence base. This study addresses some of these gaps by examining trajectories of job (in)security and assessing the effect of various persistent job security trajectories on subsequent mental health of both men and women. Utilising 15 waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, we employed group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) to identify trajectories of job (in)security through men and women's prime working years (from baseline age of 28–38yrs to 41–51yrs) across 14 years (waves 5–18), before subsequently examining the associations between these estimated trajectories and mental health at wave 19 (aged 42–52yrs). We identified four distinct trajectories of job (in)security for both men and women: persistently secure, becoming more secure, becoming less secure, and persistently insecure. Examining the association between these trajectories and mental health, we found that chronic exposure to any amount of persistent job insecurity (improving, worsening or persistently insecure) is detrimental to the mental health of both men and women. Furthermore, a somewhat incremental or dose dependant effect was found, with persistent job insecurity associated with the largest declines in mental health scores. Given mental health disorders are a substantial cause of disability globally, our study provides evidence that developing policy and practice interventions to reduce job insecurity (as an increasingly recognised and highly modifiable social determinant of mental health) has considerable potential to enact positive population health improvements.

A review of the institutional landscape for dual-career hiring in higher education

Meeting the needs of dual-career academic couples has become an important part of university efforts to foster family-friendly workplaces. Many universities have developed formal or informal approaches to addressing dual-career issues, but variation across institutions has made it difficult to detect wider patterns or probe their implications. In this paper, we analyze the dual-career policies and materials (848 documents total) of all R1 institutions in the United States. As with studies from roughly two decades ago, we find deficiencies in institutional support and transparency. However, given reduced state revenues for institutions of higher education and a rise in precarious employment arrangements over the same time period, conditions for academic couples are arguably worse today. In order for universities to address these concerns and contribute meaningfully to broader forms of inclusion, we argue that there is a need for sustained funding commitments and infrastructural support for dual-career programs.

‘You are less credible in life, less reliable… people don’t want to give you a chance’ - a qualitative study on the experience of inferiority among non-standard workers in Belgium

ABSTRACT Workers in non-standard employment arrangements are often perceived as belonging to the periphery of the labour market. Consequently, many suffer from feelings of inferiority. This study explores how inferiority is expressed and experienced in the work life of non-standard workers and beyond. Interviews with 38 non-standard workers from Belgium were analysed thematically. Inferiority expresses itself through a series of metaphors: a jack of all trades, disposable product, and outsider. In addition, not having financial independence feeds into feelings of inferiority. Moreover, the labour market and social security regulations have created disparities between standard and non-standard workers that have accordingly fed experiences of inferiority as well. Finally, inferiority is perpetuated beyond the work context, for example, in the form of discrimination on the housing market and in the general image of non-standard employment as inferior by many people in society. This study highlights that governments and employers need to increase their efforts to equalise the rights and treatment between non-standard and standard workers. This could decrease non-standard workers’ feelings of inferiority and consequently improve their overall well-being.

Perspective of Employment Relations and Wages in Labor Law and Islamic Law

The implementation of work employment and wages is not in line between labor and Islamic law. This study aimed to review and analyze labor employment and wage arrangements from perspectives on labor law and Islamic law. This research used a normative juridical method with a contextual approach, rules and regulations, the Quran, and hadith. The results showed that Islamic and labor laws have the same goal: that workers can live decent lives. In labor law, work relations are born from work agreements, and wages are the right of workers after obligations are carried out. However, in Islamic law, work relations are based on justice without exploitation, are efficient, and do not violate other sharia principles, and wages are included in the study of Ijarah. The concept of employment is based on time, type of work, and targets obtained. F or work relations and wages to fulfill human dignity, it is necessary to contain labor regulations that pay attention to the principles of relations and wages in Islamic law.

Variability Among Polish Workers in Flexible Employment: A Sociodemographic Analysis

This paper presents sociodemographic data derived from an empirical study conducted on a sample of n=2118 workers engaged in flexible forms of employment, within a broader research endeavor titled “Occupational challenges among individuals working under flexible employment arrangements – a psychological perspective”. The decision to focus on this segment of the research stemmed from a trend identified in international literature, examining the profile of the average flexible worker in highly developed nations. Analysis of the sample of flexible workers reveals a cohort primarily comprised of young individuals, with comparable representation of both genders, residing in urban areas, and possessing relatively short tenures of employment. They tend to be well-educated, married with children, having a limited number of past employers, and predominantly employed within the private sector. The characteristics of the Polish study sample align with descriptions of the typical flexible worker in Europe.

Occupational health and safety in aquaculture: Organisation of work and employment in small seaweed farms in North West Europe

AbstractThere is evidence that seaweed production can involve a variety of physical risks, but there has been little study of how wider contextual factors – such as enterprise size, economic and business relations, and forms of employment arrangements – may affect workers’ safety. This study explores the impact of such aspects on workers’ experiences of occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and their management in the developing seaweed industry, in North West Europe. Based on qualitative findings from a survey and discussions with owners/managers, workers and stakeholders in the industry, the study identified a number of issues relating to OSH in seaweed production. These include the predominance of micro small enterprises, the presence of significant risks to health and safety and limitations in the capacity of owners/managers to address them, as well as structural and economic factors in the sector that promote precarious work, and the low visibility and inaccessibility of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to both public and private regulations. The paper discusses experiences of these issues in the emergent industry and relates them to the wider literature about work health and safety in micro and small firms and precarious and non-standard forms of work, typically found in agriculture and food production. Findings point to the need for better orchestration of public and private regulatory influences and further research to determine if strategies that are seen as successful in other sectors could be transferred to the emergent European seaweed industry.