Employment Context Research Articles

More Than Just Counselling: Australian Counsellor Job Advertisement Trends

Research on counsellors in Australia has tended towards workforce surveys that profile association members, and thus, tend to reflect the interests and priorities of counsellors and the counselling profession. However, little is known about what the employment context offers and expects of counsellor positions. This exploratory point-in-time study undertook a content analysis of counsellor job advertisements and categorised the findings into three main areas: conditions, description of the role, and selection criteria. The findings suggest that for counselling roles, employers are less concerned about whether applicants have had specialised counselling training, but that they have tertiary qualifications in cognate disciplines and can undertake a wider range of tasks in addition to providing counselling. Several role requirements specified by employers are not mentioned in contemporary Australian counselling training standards, though most are mentioned in the profession’s scope of practice documents. This research provides counselling educators, counselling students, and counsellor jobseekers data on possible trends of contemporary employment patterns appearing in advertised counsellor positions.

A Balanced Prescription for More Effective Environmental Regulations

Government agencies increasingly base the structure and approval of environmental regulations on a benefit-cost test. For regulations that pass this test, total benefits exceed total costs. Under a benefit-cost framework, the degree of regulatory stringency is set at an economically efficient level whereby the tightness of the regulation is increased up to the point where the incremental benefits equal the incremental costs. Setting regulatory standards to achieve the efficient degree of pollution control does not fully discourage entry into polluting industries, provide compensation to those harmed by pollution, or establish meaningful incentives for effective enforcement. This article proposes that the benefit-cost approach be retained as the guiding principle for regulatory policy, but that sanctions for regulatory violations be greatly enhanced. A different, more ambitious proposal by Elliott and Esty advocates pollution control to the lowest level that is technologically feasible, coupled with compensation for those injured by pollution. The unbounded regulatory framework advocated by Elliott and Esty sets aside benefit-cost balancing, generating the prospect of inordinate costs with few environmental dividends from the highest levels of stringency. Their more promising proposal is to establish a compensation system for environmental harms. Compensation for those harmed by pollution has some parallels with successful workers’ compensation programs, but to be successful it must address challenges not faced in the employment context. More stringent regulation of long-term risks may be more welfare-enhancing for future generations than their proposed environmental damages compensation fund. Protection may yield greater dividends for more affluent future generations than compensation.

AN EMPLOYER’S ABILITY TO SUBSTITUTE A DISCIPLINARY ENQUIRY SANCTION – PART 1

It is common practice for employers to appoint an external chairperson to preside over a disciplinary enquiry which has been convened for purposes of investigating allegations of misconduct against an employee. The external chairperson is ordinarily mandated to decide on guilt, and to the extent that there is a guilty finding, to recommend or impose the appropriate disciplinary sanction.Employers often tend to have expectations that the external chairperson will, after having found the employee guilty of the alleged misconduct, impose a sanction of dismissal depending on the gravity of the alleged misconduct . The expected outcome of dismissal, however, does not always occur. An external chairperson may impose a sanction short of dismissal after considering an employee’s mitigating circumstances. An employer’s dissatisfaction with the disciplinary sanction may result in the employer instituting an internal review process to review the external chairperson’s disciplinary sanction, whilst in other cases, employers may resort to unilaterallysubstituting the external chairperson’s disciplinary sanction with a sanction of dismissal. The employer’s disciplinary code and procedure or the collective agreement regulating the disciplinary procedure in the workplace may or may not make provision for the substitution of the disciplinary sanction. In circumstances where there is no provision for the substitution of the disciplinary sanction, the employer’s conduct of substituting the disciplinary sanction raises questions regarding the applicability of the “double jeopardy” principle which means, in an employment context, that an employee should not be subjected to more than one disciplinary enquiry on disciplinary charges arising from the same set of facts.It is, however, a well established principle that employers who are classified as organs of state can review their own decisions. This includes decisions of chairpersons who are appointed to preside over disciplinary enquiries and further decide on the appropriate disciplinary sanction. In the latter case, and in circumstances where the organ of state is dissatisfied with the disciplinary sanction, itmay institute review proceedings in the Labour Court to review and set aside the chairperson’s decision. This recourse is, only available to organs of state and not private sector employers.This article seeks to determine whether it is permissible for an employer to substitute an external chairperson’s disciplinary sanction, and, if so, the circumstances under which an employer is permitted to do so and the procedure which should be followed in such an instance. The article is written in two parts Part 1 covers the employer’s ability to revisit a disciplinary sanction and Part 2 concentrates on the conflicting judgments involving the South African Revenue Services conduct of substituting disciplinary sanctions, alternative avenues to the unilateral substitution of a disciplinary sanction and the conclusion.

Working in heat: Contrasting heat management approaches among outdoor employees and contractors

Exposure to high heat and humidity in the workplace is a critical health and safety issue. In Australia, where heat waves are occurring with more frequency and intensity the risks posed by occupational heat exposure have been acknowledged by employer groups, trade unions, and statutory government agencies. In this study we investigate the employment context in which heat stress is experienced, and whether the mode of employment affects the capacity to manage it. We examine the experience of workplace heat exposure for two groups of affected outdoor workers: contracted pieceworkers in bicycle delivery and permanently employed municipal workers in parks and road maintenance. Data was collected in Sydney during the summer of 2019 via surveys and in-person interviews with the two sets of workers. Research findings reflect the well-established nexus between outside temperature, humidity and work effort in producing heat stress. The comparative findings reveal that more secure forms of employment enable social organisation and workflow to manage heat stress and that, conversely, more contingent forms of employment such as contractual piece work can exacerbate exposure. The research demonstrates that the mode of employment has a direct bearing on the capacity to address workplace heat stress: growth in contract or ‘gig’ work may exacerbate impacts; this issue is likely to become more important with advancing climate change.

Using Physiological Signals and Machine Learning Algorithms to Measure Attentiveness During Robot-Assisted Social Skills Intervention: A Case Study of Two Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face barriers in accessing opportunities across a range of educational, employment, and social contexts. One of these barriers is the development of effective communication skills sufficient for navigating the social demands of everyday environments. Fortunately, researchers have established evidence-based practices (EBP) for teaching critical communication skills to individuals with ASD [1]. One EBP that has received a great deal of attention over the last few decades is technology-aided instruction and intervention (TAII) [1], [2]. TAII is an instructional practice in which technology is an essential component and is used to facilitate behavior change. Further, it encompasses a wide range of applications including computer-assisted instruction, virtual and augmented reality, augmentative and alternative communication, and robot-assisted intervention [2].

Systematic Review of Job Transition Programs Addressed to Youths With Intellectual Disability

This systematic review aimed to determine what existing job transition programs are evidence-based and methodologically founded. The PRISMA method was used for the review, and the inclusion criteria were to include studies where there were a description of transition programs and functional curriculum for acquiring employment competences; internship experiences in employment context; single-case or group-design studies with youths as participants; and diagnosis of intellectual disability. Forty-six studies were initially selected, and three final articles met all the criteria set for assessing the methodology quality. Although the review results show that more research is needed to provide empirical programs for enhancing the acquisition of employment capabilities, some evidence emerged from the analysis of studies. These concern mainly four aspects: curriculum contents facilitating the development of self-determination and the acquirement of job-related skills, chance to have individualized internships, support of job coaches, and technological solutions and programs anchored in community-based settings.

Co-Regulation as a Support for Older Youth in the Context of Foster Care: a Scoping Review of the Literature.

Co-regulation is a relatively new theoretical framework for interventions that connects developmental science to adolescent needs and provides strategies that can be applied across contexts. It also has value in shifting the focus of interventions to the role of relationships and interactions with caring adults, as well as supportive environments. This framework may be particularly salient for older youth with foster care experience whose relationships with adults and availability of developmental supports are disrupted. To understand how co-regulation aligns with current understanding of needs and supports for this population, we conducted a scoping review that involved systematically searching four databases, coding and charting relevant information, and actively engaging expert consultants and other stakeholders. Across 46 primarily descriptive articles, co-regulation was discussed most often in relation to relationships, as expected (89% of articles). Despite theoretical and empirical evidence of the benefits of supportive environments and intentional day-to-day interactions in promoting developmental skills and competencies, these two domains of co-regulation were referenced much less (39% and 28%, respectively). Results highlight opportunities for co-regulation supports that can be provided to older youth with foster care experience by caring adults and near-aged peers in a wide range of roles. Notable limitations in the literature were identified in applying co-regulation within the context of employment and career readiness, healthy relationships, and teen parenting. Also under-researched is the role of adult self-regulation skills and co-regulation approaches for youth from diverse backgrounds, including those who identify as LGBTQ or have disabilities. Considerations for practice and future research are provided.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS) in Brazil and cross-national analysis of Job Insecurity effects in Brazil and Spain

BackgroundJob flexibilisation has increased interest in job insecurity and its consequences. Job insecurity, understood as a fear of losing employment, is linked to a deterioration of mental health, social relations or job satisfaction. Its study has been developed primarily in Europe, in the absence of validated psychometric scales in the Latin American context. To bridge this knowledge gap, the aim of this study is to cross-culturally adapt the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS) in Brazil, and secondly, to establish a cross-national analysis between people employed in Brazil and Spain.MethodsAs criteria for the sample, people with formally established employment in Brazil and Spain were selected. For the scale adaptation process, a sequence of EFA, CFA and validity tests are carried out, as well as a multigroup invariance according to the gender variable. The cross-national comparison compares the effect sizes of affective and cognitive job insecurity on the mental health variable measured with the GHQ-28 scale in both countries.Results1165 employed people participate in the study, of whom 573 reside in Brazil and 592 in Spain. The results of the scale adaptation show that the JIS is suitable for use in the Brazilian employment context. The scale offers a factorialisation in two dimensions (affective and cognitive) (CFI = 0.993; TLI = 0.987; RMSEA = 0.04; SRMR = 0.049; GFI = 0.999; NFI = 0.980) with good reliability (ω > 0.84). The cross-national comparison shows that job insecurity has a greater weight in explaining the mental health of the employed population in Brazil than in Spain, which is related to higher indicators of job insecurity in the Brazilian context.ConclusionsWith this validation we now have a validated scale of job insecurity validated for the Brazilian context. The comparison between countries shows the need to establish these analyses, since the behaviour of the phenomenon is different in the contexts studied.

Age-Related Differences in Job Search Behavior: Do Older Jobseekers Need a Larger Social Network?

Abstract Increasing the employment rate of individuals aged 55+ is a key challenge in many OECD countries. While labor market discrimination and policy measures have been put forward as possible explanations, the role of job search remains largely unexplored. Yet, it determines to a large extent the match between supply and demand on the labor market. In this paper, we examine age-related differences in job search behavior. As skills have often become outdated for older workers, but job mobility may enhance their employment, we analyze search behavior for the unemployed as well as the employed adopting multiple parameters: job search intensity, use of the public employment agency, and social networking. The results indicate that jobseekers of different age employ different search methods, and that this relationship should be analyzed within the employment context of the jobseeker.

THEORISING EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION – A COMMON LAW APPROACH

Purpose: Unlike the United Kingdom with her Equality Act 2010 that covers different settings and grounds of discrimination, Malaysia does not have an explicit anti-discrimination legislation. On this ground, in the employment context, the researchers established that the employee could institute the right against discrimination through the common law.
 Theoretical Framework: The argument is founded on the implied contractual term, of trust and confidence, together with the duty of care.
 Methodology: A doctrinal legal research is the approach by composing a descriptive and analytical analysis of legal rules gathered from primary sources namely court cases and statutes.
 Findings: Common law duty of implied term of trust and confidence, and duty of care should be positioning and establishing the employer’s liability for employment discrimination thus providing legal recourse for victimized/discriminated employees.
 Research Implications: This work demonstrates that in the absence of a statute regarding employment discrimination, the breach of implied contractual term could be the approach thus indicating the interrelation of common law theory in employment relations.
 Originality: Should the rights and protection of employees against discrimination be jeopardized in the absence of anti-discrimination legislation in Malaysia, at least, until recently, it is theorised that common law’s implied term of trust and confidence, and duty of care are the basis of legal recourse for employees.

Algorithmic discrimination at work

The potential for algorithms to discriminate is now well-documented, and algorithmic management tools are no exception. Scholars have been quick to point to gaps in the equality law framework, but existing European law is remarkably robust. Where gaps do exist, they largely predate algorithmic decision-making. Careful judicial reasoning can resolve what appear to be novel legal issues; and policymakers should seek to reinforce European equality law, rather than reform it. This article disentangles some of the knottiest questions on the application of the prohibition on direct and indirect discrimination to algorithmic management, from how the law should deal with arguments that algorithms are ‘more accurate’ or ‘less biased’ than human decision-makers, to the attribution of liability in the employment context. By identifying possible routes for judicial resolution, the article demonstrates the adaptable nature of existing legal obligations. The duty to make reasonable accommodations in the disability context is also examined, and options for combining top-level and individualised adjustments are explored. The article concludes by turning to enforceability. Algorithmic discrimination gives rise to a concerning paradox: on the one hand, automating previously human decision-making processes can render discriminatory criteria more traceable and outcomes more quantifiable. On the other hand, algorithmic decision-making processes are rarely transparent, and scholars consistently point to algorithmic opacity as the key barrier to litigation and enforcement action. Judicial and legislative routes to greater transparency are explored.

Inclusive workplace practices: understanding disability-assistance animal stereotype-bias signals

Purpose This study aims to fill a distinct gap in the literature on disability-assistance animals (disability-AAs) and inclusive employment by investigating human resource (HR) practitioners’ perceptions of disability-AAs in the staffing process and workplace. HR practitioners play a critical role in accommodation and inclusion, yet their experiences and insights have been largely ignored in prior research. Design/methodology/approach This study used a phenomenological approach, drawing on signaling theory and employability constructs, to explore insights from 17 HR practitioners’ experiences with assistance animals in the workplace. Findings The potential for unconscious bias in employment practices was found, as well as a significant percentage of practitioners who were unprepared to handle animal accommodations. First, the potential development of a positive stereotype bias suggests all genuine assistance animals are high functioning. Second, the assumption that employees’ assistance animal requests for invisible disabilities without previous disclosure are presumed fraudulent until proven valid. Research limitations/implications As a qualitative study, findings from this study are not generalizable to a larger population but may be transferable to similar employment contexts. Originality/value This study extends knowledge from previous studies, which focused predominately on insights from disabled individuals, animal trainers and therapists, to the HR practitioner domain in creating a more inclusive work environment. Findings from this study suggest the need to improve education about disability-AAs and the potential for unconscious bias for HR practitioners and hiring managers when accommodating requests, particularly when those assistance animals are not described as high functioning.

From professional aspirations to identity confirmation and transformation: The case of Japanese career women working for foreign subsidiaries in Japan

AbstractThis study investigates what attracts career‐oriented women to foreign subsidiaries and how they experience this work context. Based on 125 interviews with career‐oriented women in Japan, we find that their frequent choice of foreign employers is not only motivated byprofessional aspirationsbut also byidentity‐related aspirations. Japanese women who embraced an internationalist orientation experience aconfirmationof their identity by working for foreign subsidiaries; by contrast, those who still felt bound by traditional role expectations, undergo a liberating identitytransformation. Based on the perceptions of these particular employees, we develop recommendations for gender diversity management in foreign subsidiaries. We further argue that women, who are disadvantaged in the local employment context, often desire that foreign subsidiaries implementstandardizedhome countryhuman resource management practices, instead of adopting local practices. By focusing on the recruitment of highly qualified women, foreign subsidiaries may turn their liability of foreignness into a competitive advantage.

Intergenerational Solidarity Revisited: Migrant Families in the Dilemma of Providing Family or Elderly Care in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic and its Challenges

The assumption that people live in one place with their lives guided by a singular set of national and cultural norms no longer holds true. The same applies for migrating due to various reasons with the aim of finding a better place to live. Instead, contemporary transnational migrants are accustomed to operating in several contexts of employment, leisure and political interests that extend beyond national borders. Yet, state borders still cut through the very core of the family life, forcing migrants to take difficult decisions about leaving, separation or arranging care of children and elderly, but also creating a certain degree of choice between two or more socio-political social and cultural contexts. Events of recent years have shaken established beliefs about the potential of transnational care networks. As the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, what once seemed to be enduring rules can be suspended for long periods of time.
 For Poland, one of the countries affected by intense mobility to and from the country, discussions about the effects of migration on care networks are of paramount importance. As a direct consequence of mobility, the expectations and obligations that migrants (especially women) have towards the family they leave behind may change, shift or even remain unrestricted in spite of living abroad. Yet, establishing family care strategies for elderly family members in ageing societies is also based on the assumption of availability of migrant labour. Drawing on two sets of data, this article asks how intergenerational obligations were negotiated during the Covid-19 pandemic and whether the associated long-term restrictions on crossing national borders caused changes in patterns of care provision.
 * This article belongs to a special issue on “Demographic Developments in Eastern and Western Europe Before and After the Transformation of Socialist Countries”.

Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media

ABSTRACT Early career teachers (ECTs) face numerous challenges during their transition from preparation programmes into professional employment contexts. Social media platforms have created many new opportunities for teachers’ ongoing professional learning by putting them in contact with other teachers from anywhere in the world. However, being connected to more people also means that ECTs must navigate an increased number of potentially conflicting messages about what and how to teach. Thus, entering the profession presents ECTs external conflicts as they adjust to new colleagues and internal conflicts as they encounter cognitive dissonance between old and new ideas. This study explores how and why ECTs expand professional learning networks (PLNs) – that is, the supports, people and spaces useful for improving teaching and learning – with social media in response to early career challenges. Interviews with nine ECTs demonstrate that they expand PLNs to navigate change, scarcity of resources and conflicting teaching beliefs. Interviewees use social media to look for supports for instructional practise and for connecting socially, but they also described how they maintain boundaries around their social media use. Implications are discussed for ECTs, administrators and education leaders – especially regarding how stakeholders can help alleviate early career pressures on ECTs.

The Impact of Ethical Forms of Organizational Leadership and Ethical Employment Contexts on Employee Job Satisfaction in Nigerian Hospitality and Recreation Firms

The Impact of Ethical Forms of Organizational Leadership and Ethical Employment Contexts on Employee Job Satisfaction in Nigerian Hospitality and Recreation Firms

Opening the Black-Box in Private-Law Employment Relationships: A Critical Review of the Newly Implemented Spanish Workers’ Council’s Right to Access Algorithms

Article 22 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides individuals with the right not to be subject to automated decisions. In this article, the author questions the extent to which the legal framework for automated decision-making in the GDPR is attuned to the employment context. More specifically, the author argues that an individual’s right may not be the most appropriate approach to contesting artificial intelligence (AI) based decisions in situations involving dependency contracts, such as employment relationships. Furthermore, Article 22 GDPR derogations rarely apply in the employment context, which puts organizations on the wrong track when deploying AI systems to make decisions about hiring, performance, and termination. In this scenario, emerging initiatives are calling for a shift from an individual rights perspective to a collective governance approach over data as a way to leverage collective bargaining power. Taking inspiration from these different initiatives, I propose ‘algorithmic co-governance’ to address the lack of accountability and transparency in AI-based employment decisions. Algorithmic co-governance implies giving third parties (ideally, the workforce’s legal representatives) the power to negotiate, correct, and overturn AI-based employment decision tools. In this context, Spain has implemented a law reform requiring that Workers’ Councils are informed about the ‘parameters, rules, and instructions’ on which algorithmic decision-making is based, becoming the first law in the European Union requiring employers to share information about AI-based decisions with Workers’ Councils. I use this reform to evaluate a potential algorithmic co-governance model in the workplace, highlighting some shortcomings that may deprive its quality and effectiveness. Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, AI Systems, Automated Decision-Making, Algorithmic Co-governance, Algorithmic Management, Data Protection, Privacy, GDPR, Employment Decisions, Right To Access Algorithms, Workers’ Council

“‘Oh gosh, why go?’ cause they are going to look at me and not hire”: intersectional experiences of black women navigating employment during pregnancy and parenting

BackgroundWorkplace legal protections are important for perinatal health outcomes. Black birthing people are disproportionally affected by pregnancy discrimination and bias in the employment context and lack of family-friendly workplace policies, which may hinder their participation in the labor force and lead to gender and racial inequities in income and health. We aimed to explore Black pregnant women’s experiences of pregnancy discrimination and bias when looking for work, working while pregnant, and returning to work postpartum. Additionally, we explored Black pregnant women’s perspectives on how these experiences may influence their health.MethodsUsing an intersectional framework, where oppression is based on intersecting social identities such as race, gender, pregnancy, and socioeconomic status, we conducted an analysis of qualitative data collected for a study exploring the lived experience of pregnancy among Black pregnant women in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Twenty-four women participated in semi-structured interviews (January 2017-August 2018). Interview transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory techniques.ResultsParticipants expressed their desire to provide a financially secure future for their family. However, many described how pregnancy discrimination and bias made it difficult to find or keep a job during pregnancy. The following three themes were identified: 1) “You’re a liability”; difficulty seeking employment during pregnancy; 2) “This is not working”; experiences on the job and navigating leave and accommodations while pregnant and parenting; and 3) “It’s really depressing. I wanna work”; the stressors of experiencing pregnancy discrimination and bias.ConclusionBlack pregnant women in this study anticipated and experienced pregnancy discrimination and bias, which influenced financial burden and stress. We used an intersectional framework in this study which allowed us to more fully examine how racism and economic marginalization contribute to the lived experience of Black birthing people. Promoting health equity and gender parity means addressing pregnancy discrimination and bias and the lack of family-friendly workplace policies and the harm they cause to individuals, families, and communities, particularly those of color, throughout the United States.

Interpersonal Communication Style and Personal and Professional Growth among Saudi Arabian Employees

This study explored the association of interpersonal communication style (ICS) with personal and professional growth among Saudi Arabians in the context of the work environment. It was hypothesized that different ICSs are differently associated with personal and professional growth. The participants were 143 Saudi Arabian adults, including members of both genders, who were employed, with varying incomes, and who had different education levels. The participants completed a self-report survey, assessing their ICS and their personal and professional growth in an employment context. Consistent with the hypothesis, the results indicated that different ICSs are differently associated with personal and professional growth. The controlling ICS had the strongest relationship to professional and personal growth, whereas the dynamic ICS had the weakest relationship to professional and personal growth. In the Discussion, we address the limitations of the study and identify several directions for future research, with specific reference to the Saudi Arabian cultural context.

Hatred out of love or love can be all-inclusive? Moderating effects of employee status and organizational affective commitment on the relationship between turnover intention and CWB.

Owing to the prevalence of flexible employment practices around the world and increasingly loose employee-organization relationships, employee turnover intention is gradually becoming normalized. This study aimed to examine the counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) of employees with turnover intention in the hybrid employment context. Drawing on the psychological contract process perspective, this research endeavored to examine whether higher turnover intention is associated with greater levels of CWB and to determine whether and how the association between turnover intention and CWB differs across temporary and permanent workers by considering organizational affective commitment. The results of analyzing 211 pairs of two-wave subordinate-supervisor matching data from a Chinese service company indicated that turnover intention is positively related to CWB, and the association is stronger for temporary workers than permanent ones. Such difference is caused by permanent workers' higher organizational affective commitment than temporary workers. The findings' implications for theory and research are provided in hybrid employment.