Group Of Employees Research Articles

State of Play in the Implementation of the Principles of Inclusive Leadership in Fintech Companies in Lithuania

The multifaceted challenges posed by globalization, medical advancements, conflicts and crises necessitate a critical examination of social and organizational inclusion. Despite the acknowledged advantages of inclusive leadership (IL), there remains a significant research gap concerning the perceptions of IL among diverse employee groups, particularly within heterogeneous organizations. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring the perceptions of IL across various sociodemographic groups within fintech companies in Lithuania. By concentrating on this rapidly evolving sector, this research enhances the understanding of IL by assessing how sociodemographic variables influence perceptions of inclusive leadership practices. A total of 236 responses were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests, supplemented by the Bonferroni correction to ensure statistical robustness. The findings elucidate the dynamics of IL within the fast-paced fintech environment, revealing unique challenges and opportunities to foster organizational inclusivity. The implications of this research provide actionable insights for industry leaders striving to implement IL strategies that empower minority groups and enhance overall organizational performance. Although the results indicate that fintech organizations have made strides in embedding IL principles, these advancements are not uniformly experienced across diverse employee demographics. Specifically, this study identifies significant disparities in IL perceptions between employees of other genders and those with health-related impairments. Acknowledging certain limitations, particularly the small sample sizes of some examined employee subgroups, this study advocates for further research to yield generalizable findings that can inform and improve inclusive organizational practices.

Zwischen Biologie und Bürokratie: Unheimliche Bürolandschaften in Georg Kleins <em>Miakro</em> und Jeff VanderMeers <em>Authority</em>

Following a brief overview of various forms and functions of office settings in fantastic literature, this article will discuss the representation of the supernatural workplace in Georg Klein’s Miakro (2018) and Jeff VanderMeer’s Authority (2014). Both novels bring together seemingly disparate worlds: the natural and the bureaucratic sphere. Klein’s text is about a group of employees who work and live in an animated organic office without a traditional public-private divide, which turns out to be part of a giant mushroom. VanderMeer’s novel concerns itself with the stealthy invasion of a secret government agency by Area X, an ecosystem of extraterrestrial origin that transforms human beings into posthuman creatures. In this this paper, I analyze how Kleins novel deploys its grotesque office setting to reflect dystopian tendencies in contemporary work culture by discussing ramifications of capitalist labor practices such as alienation, worker exploitation, distorted work-life balance and social conformity. Moreover, I will argue that the parasitic office creature can be interpreted as a symbolic manifestation of hyperobject capitalism. VanderMeer, in contrast, uses the haunted house in decline trope as a metaphor for the downfall of human civilization: the bureau. The story of the destruction of the governmental agency by a pristine wilderness therefore questions an anhropocentric worldview by dissolving the dichotomy between the human and the nonhuman. I will demonstrate how the author links the collapse of the bureaucratic rule with the impending end of the human episteme. Paying particular attention to the description of spatial relations, I will furthermore examine how the texts use elements of Gothic and Weird Fiction in order to turn man-made uncanny places into monstrous nonhumanen spaces.

Involvement of Academic Staff in the Practice of Professional Development

The article explores the level of involvement of scientific and pedagogical professionals in various social activities for professional development compared to other employee groups. It argues that obtaining additional professional training can be a valuable tool for career growth. The author sees professional development as an integral part of academic growth for scientific and educational workers, along with personal and career development. The findings are based on a combination of theoretical and empirical research conducted by domestic and international scholars, as well as official statistical data and the results of an original sociological study. The study involved a questionnaire survey of scientific and educational professionals (n = 223), as well as other employee groups (n = 833), in the Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions. As a result, it was found that scientific and pedagogical workers are more likely to engage in professional development activities compared to other categories of the employed population. Continuing professional education programs appear to be the most common form of professional growth. Due to their specialized activities, academic staff tend to develop digital skills more often, while other groups develop personal skills to a greater degree. Based on the level of involvement in professional development, we identified five groups of respondents: “active and engaged”, “achieving the desired level or feeling disappointed”, “questioning or confused”, “recognizing the importance of professional development”, and “rejecting professional development”. The theoretical and empirical findings led to the development of potential strategies to enhance the engagement of scientific and educational professionals in ongoing skill development and acquisition of new competencies. This article is aimed at university management responsible for professional development of academic staff. The findings presented here may have practical implications for the development of personnel strategies at universities with the goal of increasing human capital and professional competence among academic staff, as well as motivating them to engage in continuous learning. The results of this study could be beneficial for participants in the academic community, as well as for specialists involved in developing educational programs and planning the future of universities strategically. The material presented in this paper is relevant not only for academic staff, but also for graduate students who are focused on their continuous professional growth within the academic sector.

Reconfiguring Data Relations: Institutional Dynamics around Data in Local Governance

Data infrastructures are major sites through which city government operates and therefore of special interest to critical scholars of technology. Yet ways that these infrastructures are embedded into the institutional fabric of government make them difficult to navigate and often resistant to abstract critique and generalized analysis. We present an ethnographic study of a design effort launched by a team inside a city government to build and deploy a tool with a specific focus on equity and justice. By integrating data from multiple sources and bringing it together in a spatial framework, the team sought to bring neighborhood voices, often marginalized in planning efforts, into the center of the conversation. Tracing the negotiations over data's value in this process, we unveil various tensions involved in this effort, within and between different groups, and how the group of city employees navigated these tensions, mainly by adjusting the relations of the groups around data -- which we call ''data relations.'' Narratives in organizational communications were key in both revealing and mobilizing the data relations constituting the institutional data infrastructure. With the empirical findings, we argue that tracing the data relations can be an effective way for the CSCW community to understand the institutional data politics and make interventions in the systems in power.

The role of information and participation in overcoming users’ initial reluctance: a case study of a decentralized wastewater treatment plant

Decentralized wastewater treatment systems are a potential solution to the water crisis. However, in addition to advanced technology, successful implementation of these systems requires broad public willingness to use them. This paper presents the results of a three-phase psychosocial intervention with the users of a business building where a decentralized wastewater treatment plant was installed. The intervention, motivated by complaints from users due to their lack of knowledge about the existence of the plant, aimed at understanding and improving users’ perceptions of the building’s decentralized system. In the first phase, we conducted a focus group with a sample of workers (n = 6) to understand their knowledge and perception of the building’s decentralized wastewater treatment system. Once the main obstacles and facilitators were identified, we designed a second phase where a group of employees (n = 46) were exposed to environmental priming to improve attitudes toward the decentralized plant installed in the building. Finally, in the third phase, a bidirectional informative session was proposed, conducted by experts, to another group of workers (n = 25). Findings suggest that implementing specific psychosocial strategies, such as promoting environmental awareness and providing informative sessions, along with incorporating potential users throughout the process, contributes to better acceptance of the decentralized wastewater treatment plant. This work presents a real case in a pilot plant that can serve as a guide for addressing psychosocial resistance in similar projects.

Using a Random Controlled Trial to Explore the Impact of AI-Enabled Learning

Much is being made of AI’s role in learning. However, there have been few studies that evaluate AI’s ability to make learning more efficient or more effective and specifically the learner’s willingness to embrace and use AI-enabled learning tools over conventional learning methodologies. Working with a manufacturing company, we used a randomized control trial approach (matching pairs) to present two groups of employees with a course on design thinking, one presented via a traditional learning management system (LMS Group) and other through an AI enabled tool (AI Group), with the content being identical in order to compare completion rates, time to completion, learning outcomes (subject matter knowledge retained) and the learner’s perceptions of value and experience. We also were able to compare the AI enabled version of the course to the same version with the addition of a face-to-face instructional component. While we found that those participants in the AI Group completed the course in a shorter period of time, had better learning outcomes and expressed higher perceptions of course value, the AI Group significantly underperformed the LMS Group in terms of course commencement and completion rates. Our finding suggest that the adoption of AI enabled learning tools may follow similar patterns of adoption rates of new technologies -- and require educating learners regarding the use, benefits, value and limitations of new AI enabled tools before widespread acceptance and usage.

The Influencing Factors of Knowledge Hiding Among Employees in the Construction Industry: A Psychological Contract Perspective

This study explores the factors influencing employee knowledge hiding in construction industry organizations. Utilizing quantitative methods, the research examines the impact of demographic factors, including gender, age, educational level, marital status, and duration of service, as well as psychological contract breaches on employee knowledge hiding. An independent samples t-test and multiple comparisons using the least significant difference (LSD) test were conducted to analyze the demographic factors. At the same time, a simple linear regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between psychological contract breach and knowledge hiding. The results indicate that demographic factors significantly affect employee knowledge hiding, with females, older employees, those with lower educational levels, divorced or widowed individuals, and employees with longer service durations tending to hide knowledge more frequently. Furthermore, psychological contract breach is found to have a strong and positive relationship with employee knowledge hiding, suggesting that employees are more likely to engage in knowledge-hiding behaviors when they perceive a violation of their psychological contract. The findings have important managerial implications, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to address knowledge hiding among different employee groups and maintaining a strong psychological contract with employees to foster a culture of knowledge sharing and innovation.

THEORETICAL AND APPLIED FOUNDATIONS OF EMPLOYEE MATERIAL LIABILITY

This article delves into the theoretical and practical aspects of employee material liability, focusing on the standards governing the material liability of employees in Ukraine and the European Union. The research aims to analyze the current Ukrainian legislation and international practices to improve approaches to regulating material liability within a market economy. General scientific methods of cognition, such as analysis, comparison, systematization, and generalization, were employed during the study. The findings reveal that Ukrainian legislation stipulates four main types of material liability: full, limited, enhanced, and collective. Full material liability, as regulated by Article 134 of the Labor Code of Ukraine (LCU), applies when there is a written agreement between the employee and the employer, particularly in cases where the employee is entrusted with material assets for use or safekeeping. Key documents for this include an authorization and an agreement. Additional full liability arises in cases of intentional damage or when the employee is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Limited material liability is applied when the losses are less than the average earnings of the employee and does not cover amounts exceeding this threshold. The procedure for calculating average wages is regulated by the CMU Resolution No. 100 of February 8, 1995. Enhanced material liability pertains to employees involved in the handling of precious metals, stones, and currency valuables and can reach up to double or triple the value of the incurred damages. Collective liability applies to groups of employees jointly responsible for damage caused to the enterprise. The practical significance of the research lies in the potential for enhancing the legal framework governing employee material liability in Ukraine, taking into account European experience.

The Potential of ‘Self-Ie’ Module as SDG’s Work Performance Intervention for Malaysian Low-Performing Civil Servants

Background: The SELF-IE module was developed by integrating the Reality Therapy Theory and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Bahaviour Change, in order to obtain a module that is suitable for the intended target group. The module was applied in programs involving mental health, physical health, counseling, and financial management that acted as a holistic counseling psychology intervention. Objective: The objectives of this study were to obtain the validity and reliability of the SELF-IE module which involved five (5) experts who are psychology officers, university lecturers, and civil servants. Methods: The validity was measured in terms of content validity, whereas the reliability was determined via the Cronbach's Alpha (α) value calculated by the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) Results: After the analysis, it was found that the minimum percentage obtained for content validity was 80.4%. Meanwhile, the reliability showed that the degree of agreement among experts was high, with the value of α = 0.864. Conclusion: The results indicated that SELF-IE module has high validity and reliability; thus, it could be used effectively as counseling psychology intervention to assist the low-performing civil servants. The module possessed the potential to also be applied for the same group of employees in private sector as SDG’s tool for work performance improvement.

Predictors of disability retirement - a prediction model for disability pension application risk

Abstract Background Regarding the objective of preventing early exits from labor market, the late life-course years present an important timeframe. It is essential to identify the employees in the greatest risk of permanently losing their work ability. In practical applications, multifactorial models are needed to evaluate the combined effect of risk factors. In this study, the disability pension risk is modeled based on large unique register data, at the same time assessing the effect of sickness absences (SA) of different lengths. Methods We utilize a logistic model for the risk of filing a first-time disability pension application (DPA) based on register data on 222,321 Finnish municipal sector employees. The data include employment and sickness spells, occupations, and wages in 2016-2018 as covariates. During the 3-year follow-up, 2,969 employees filed a DPA. The data include also short SA spells, a novelty in these kinds of studies. DPA is used as a follow-up to include employees who receive a rejecting decision but still carry a physician’s evaluation of diminished work ability. Results The resulting model can accurately predict the risk of DPA in employee groups. Age, occupation, cumulative SAs preceding the application, and the number of SA spells of all lengths, also short ones, have a significant increasing effect on the DPA risk. Proximity of the retirement age and high earnings decrease the risk of DPA. Surprisingly gender had no effect on the risk. Conclusions The results indicate that register-based sociodemographic data is very useful in modeling the employee DPA risk in public sector employee groups. The resulting model provides a basis for tools for predicting the risk status of employee groups for the use of employers responsible for risk management and early intervention, also allowing for the assessment of economic effects of SAs and disability risk. The presented modeling results are already utilized among public sector employers in Finland. Key messages • Disability pension risk can accurately be predicted in public sector employee groups based on readily available sociodemographic register data. • All sickness absences have a significant increasing effect on the risk of disability pension application, but the effect varies greatly depending on age and occupation.

How employees are affected by working in R&D-investing firms

ABSTRACT Investments in research and development (R&D) are essential for firm success, but how does the experience of working for R&D-investing firms affect individual performance in the labour market? Combining a biennial survey series on R&D investments with a longitudinal matched employer-employee dataset from Statistics Sweden, this study examines the labour market performance of workers in R&D-investing versus non-investing firms. Results show that, on average, highly skilled employees from R&D-investing firms perform better than those from non-investing firms when they switch jobs. This includes higher wage growth and higher probability of career progression. Among this group of employees, no particular interest in entrepreneurial ventures was found. Results of this study strengthen current knowledge of the effects of R&D and provide important implications for policies.

Hospital policies as a tool to reduce gaps between ethnic groups of employees and patients

Abstract Background As diverse organizations, hospitals require an inclusive culture that respects and promotes ethnic diversity. Violence, a threat to this diversity, hampers effective organizational functioning. Our study delves into the positive influence of cultural diversity policies and communication about violence on the perception of the hospital’s atmosphere regarding ethnic differences among health employees. It enhances hospital labor relations and mitigates the risk of workplace violence. Methods 372 hospital employees with an average tenure of 6.5 and an average age of 38 filled out an online close-ended questionnaire (83% are Israeli Jews, 68% are female). 91% report working closely with people from different ethnic origins. Respondents ranked the atmosphere in the hospital regarding ethnic differences between employees and patients, the hospital’s cultural diversity policy, and organizational communication about violence. Data were analyzed by SPSS 28. Results Positive correlations were found between variables. A positive atmosphere was significantly related to the hospital’s cultural diversity policy (r=.14, p=.002) and to organizational communication about violence (r=.22, p< .001). However, the regression analysis (with control variables age, sex, and managerial role) revealed that despite employees acknowledging the hospital’s efforts to address diversity and violence, these factors only predict 10% of the variance of the hospital atmosphere [F(5, 366) = 8.346, p < .001; R²=.10]. Conclusions The hospital should increase actions that will improve the ethnic atmosphere in the hospital. Understanding how the encounter, where employees and patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds interact, influences the hospital’s atmosphere is crucial. These interactions can lead to tensions and offensive behaviors toward employees if not managed well. Hospitals can create an inclusive and harmonious work environment by addressing these tensions. Key messages • A cultural diversity policy and communication are necessary to maintain harmonious working relationships. It is essential, particularly in health organizations characterized by ethnic diversity. • Reducing the perception of ethnic differences may increase well-being and decrease violence. While hospitals often don’t prioritize these issues, this study forefront their influence and importance.

Co-Creating Tailored Solutions to Combat Sedentary Behaviour: Insights from Scottish SMEs

Abstract Background Prolonged sedentary behaviour (SB) poses health risks for office workers, especially in small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often overlooked by current interventions. This abstract aims to report and examine solutions developed through co-creation for SB in SMEs. Methods Three Scottish SMEs, a construction company (n = 150) and two charities (n = 100; n = 30), participated in a co-creation process to create SME-specific actions on SB. Each formed an action group of employees (n = 9-12) as co-creators. The process consisted of between 6-8 workshops (each 1.5h) depending on the company, with workshops improved during the process based on formative reflection from co-creators. The co-creation workshops, facilitated by two researchers, initially involved jointly mapping the company’s current situation and building knowledge and awareness of SB. Further workshops focused on action planning, including brainstorming, feasibility, piloting, and final action(s) development. Following the co-creation of actions, researchers identified the Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) underlying the developed actions. Results Each company created a set of actions unique to them, e.g. standing desk promotion, a games room, and innovative meeting strategies. Regarding the BCTs, all companies included adding objects to the environment, physical restructuring, prompts or cues, and addressing health or social and environmental consequences. Additionally, they all incorporated ‘step challenges’ with behaviour self-monitoring and feedback techniques. Two companies offered incentives or rewards; one emphasized role modelling, and another included social support. Conclusions The three companies created tailored actions through the co-creation process. While there were some commonalities, the differences in actions and BCTs among companies underscore the necessity for solutions tailored to the organizational context and the importance of involving employees in creating solutions. Key messages • Co-created actions to combat SB used diverse strategies, emphasising a multifaceted approach to address workplace SB. • Variability among SMEs’ co-created actions underscores the importance of stakeholder involvement to tailor solutions to organisational contexts.

Comparative assessment of neurotrophic proteins in vibration disease

Introduction. The problem of health impairment due to the impact of physical factors, including vibration disease (VD), retains medical and social relevance due to the significant specific gravity in the structure of occupational morbidity and high prevalence. Under vibration exposure, the acid-base equilibrium, immune status are disturbed, rheological properties and properties of the neurohumoral system, as well as functional indices of the central and peripheral nervous system change. Neurotrophins are known to play an important role in regulating the development and functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems. In this regard, research is needed to determine in VD patients the levels of neurospecific proteins, which may serve as one of the markers for tracing changes in the nervous system in workers. The aim of the study was to identify the peculiarities of changes in neurospecific proteins (BDNF, S100β, and MBP) in the serum of patients with VD of different genesis. Materials and methods. Serum concentrations of neurotrophic proteins: brain neurotrophic factor – BDNF, S100β protein and myelin basic protein (MBP) were studied by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results. There was an increase in serum BDNF, S100β protein, and MBP concentrations in persons with VD due to combined exposure to local and general vibration, and an increase in MBP was observed in patients with VD due to exposure to local vibration. Limitations. The limitations of this work are small groups of employees. Conclusion. As a result of studies, it can be assumed that in VD due to exposure to combined vibration, changes are observed in the peripheral and central parts of the nervous system, and in VD due to local vibration, disorders seem to be mainly associated with the peripheral nervous system. The general pattern of the revealed disorders in the content of MBP lies in the neurodestructive processes occurring in the nerve fibers in patients with VD, regardless of genesis. Summarizing the above mentioned, the validity of studying the concentration of neurospecific proteins in vibration disease occurring with damaging processes in the nervous tissue should be recognized.

The Influencing Factors of Knowledge Hiding Among Employees in the Construction Industry: A Psychological Contract Perspective

This study explores the factors influencing employee knowledge hiding in construction industry organizations. Utilizing quantitative methods, the research examines the impact of demographic factors, including gender, age, educational level, marital status, and duration of service, as well as psychological contract breaches on employee knowledge hiding. An independent samples t-test and multiple comparisons using the least significant difference (LSD) test were conducted to analyze the demographic factors. At the same time, a simple linear regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between psychological contract breach and knowledge hiding. The results indicate that demographic factors significantly affect employee knowledge hiding, with females, older employees, those with lower educational levels, divorced or widowed individuals, and employees with longer service durations tending to hide knowledge more frequently. Furthermore, psychological contract breach is found to have a strong and positive relationship with employee knowledge hiding, suggesting that employees are more likely to engage in knowledge-hiding behaviors when they perceive a violation of their psychological contract. The findings have important managerial implications, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to address knowledge hiding among different employee groups and maintaining a strong psychological contract with employees to foster a culture of knowledge sharing and innovation

COMPETITIVE MODEL PROPOSAL FOR THE AZERBAIJAN WINE INDUSTRY: TALENT-BASED ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL

The main aim of this study is to develop a talent-based model proposition in line with the resource-based approach by assessing the strategic position of Azerbaijan's wine industry, which is globally recognized as an important wine producing country. It is noted that in the context of very important changes and events taking place in the world today, the phenomenon of competition expresses competition in all spheres of life and day by day increases its intensity and challenges modern business. The article widely uses methods of comparative analysis of the experience of foreign countries, analysis of statistical dynamics, and in-depth analyzes of economic growth in a competitive environment. The author notes that in order for businesses to compete and, moreover, achieve sustainable competitive advantage, they need to understand that the basis of competition has changed, and accordingly everyone must reconsider their approaches and define a new road map for themselves as strategic support with new methods in management. This new understanding of strategy allows companies to be unique, inimitable and responsive to define their strategy and prepare action plans to meet changing customer needs, create customer value and provide quality and low-cost products and services. The author emphasizes that businesses now realize that it is impossible to compete and survive using old methods. It is noted that the resource-based view is used as a new approach, which involves the harmonization of resources and business capabilities with their external environment to produce unique products and services. Azerbaijani wine industry businesses that can redefine their boundaries and develop external relationships using a talent-based model can expand their reach and influence to new groups of employees and entrepreneurs. In this way, Azerbaijani wine industry enterprises can create great new opportunities and offer these groups opportunities to participate in the global economy. This perspective, which sheds light on the dominant organizational logic of powerful players who influence or share the behavior of others, includes foreign competitors, suppliers and employees in the global economy. In this regard, it is very important for the Azerbaijani wine industry to have a good understanding of the interaction between global and local dynamics.

Острые интоксикации в условиях химических производств и меры профилактики

Occupational diseases caused by the chemical factor, including acute intoxications, continue to be reported in enterprises of the petrochemical industry. In this regard, studying the etiological factor causing acute intoxication, as well as the circumstances and causes of its occurrence among various professional groups of employees is still urgent. A retrospective analysis of materials of the investigation of occupational diseases caused by acute intoxications that occurred within 50 years (from 1967 to 2022) at the largest petrochemical plant located in the Volga Federal District has been conducted. An in-depth analysis of acute occupational disease risk indicators at the plant has shown that for the analyzed period, 124 cases of acute occupational poisonings, both collective and with one victim were reported. The high professional risk of health disorders due to acute poisonings has been detected for employees of the main professions: operators, machinists, and process equipment repair mechanics. The most significant factors causing acute poisonings were ammonia (23.4 % of all cases), hydrogen sulfide (17.3 %), carbon monoxide (10.7 %), and aromatic hydrocarbons (9.8 %). The main areas of chemical factor risk minimization have been developed based on the analysis.

Optimising remote health workforce retention: protocol for a program of research

BackgroundNowhere is optimising healthcare staff retention more important than in primary health care (PHC) settings in remote Australia, where there are unacceptably high rates of staff burnout and turnover. Ensuing consequences for the remote health services and the community are acute – staffing shortfalls in clinics; organisational instability; excessive costs associated with frequent staff recruitment and orientation; diminished access to PHC for patients in need; and lack of continuity of patient care; all of which further entrench poor health outcomes for the community. Optimising remote healthcare staff retention is critical in order to provide high quality and continued PHC. Currently, however, there is paucity of knowledge to inform targeted and effective retention strategies in remote health services.This research program seeks to develop a stronger evidence base to understand (i) what retention strategies are effective in improving morale, job satisfaction, intention to remain in the job, and consequent length of service for remote healthcare staff; (ii) how best to ‘bundle’ these strategies for different health workforce groups; and (iii) how these ‘bundles’ work in different service contexts.MethodsThis paper describes a five-year implementation research program in partnership with twelve remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services (ATSICCHS) in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia. Overall methodology follows a participatory action research approach which incorporates co-design and realist elements. The program comprises two broad phases involving evidence consolidation and synthesis (Phase 1), and co-design, implementation, and prospective evaluation of ‘bundles’ of retention strategies (Phase 2) to improve retention of healthcare staff in participating ATSICCHSs.DiscussionThis innovative research program has the potential to develop a comprehensive evidence base required to optimise health workforce retention in remote health services. This new evidence will strengthen understanding of what ‘bundles’ of retention strategies are effective, for which groups of employees, and how they work to improve staff retention.

Immersive citizen science experiences and their role in changing perceptions of coastal wetlands

Abstract Citizen, or community, science initiatives are increasingly recognised as an effective strategy to connect society with nature, science and environmental issues. However, different approaches to the delivery of the programmes can have different impacts on participant awareness, perceptions and behaviour change—especially when working with ecosystems perceived as less popular or uncharismatic, such as coastal wetlands, mangroves and saltmarshes. Using the HSBC Blue Carbon Citizen Science Programme as a case study, we compared two groups of corporate employees from Australia and New Zealand (N = 89) who participated in either: (a) a short duration citizen science experience including educational workshops and fieldwork in a local wetland; or (b) in educational workshops‐only. Questionnaires assessed the impact on participants' knowledge and perception towards wetlands, as well as their likelihood of adopting sustainable behaviours. Results revealed that participants' knowledge and understanding of environmental concepts increased, independent of the type of experience attended. However, the citizen science experience was more effective at fostering participants' intentions to make behaviour changes, with 64% of citizen science participants implementing sustainable changes at home or work, compared to 45% of workshop‐only participants. Our results highlight the importance of immersive citizen science experiences that, even of short duration, can have a valuable role enhancing participant knowledge, perception, and importantly, intention to make long‐term behaviour changes. With the increasing challenges faced by coastal systems globally, incorporating hands‐on, immersive experiences into educational programmes can be a strategic solution to improve ocean and climate literacy, while facilitating the actions required for a sustainable future. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Relationship of Communication, Negotiation and Leadership on the Employee Performance for Sustainable Growth in Hotels

Objective: This research aims to investigate what soft skills affect the performance of employees at Hotels for their sustainable growth in China. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8, promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Theoretical Framework: The study’s underpinning theory was derived from the Lippman, Ryberg, Carney and Moore (2015) model of key softskills. Method: This study adopts convenience sampling and analyzes the data from 158 questionnaires distributed through SPSS. The analysis results will find out the more important and useful skills in hotels. This study was conducted at the Guizhou Province, China using online survey. Three soft skills of communication, negotiation, and leadership were tested to be positively correlated with the performance of hotel employees. Results and Discussion: This research also allowed us to identify which soft skills are most important to a team to enable the overall team to succeed. This research can provide a reference for the human resource management of hotels to plan the soft skill development training of employees. More and more companies realize that employees are one of the important factors for the company’s further development. If you want to develop better in the information age, you must have a group of outstanding employees. Therefore, the training plan to improve employee performance is a relatively important work in human resource management. Hard skills are just our visible professional and technical indicators, while soft skills are invisible indicators, and they are also a scale to measure a person's ability to handle things. Research Implications: Academic implication sees the use of Lippman et al (2015) model in underpin the variables related in the study of employee performance and soft skills. Practical implication include to emphasize the role of negotiation skills foe the employee performance. Originality/Value: This study provide insight on the role of negotiation skill in increasing the employee performance in the hospitality industry in China.