Improving Job Quality Research Articles

Job Quality, Gender and Generations: A Comparative and Exploratory Analysis of European Countries

This study conducts a comparative analysis of European countries regarding job quality and its relationship with gender and generational cohorts, using data from the 2021 European Working Conditions Survey. The research focuses on the subjective evaluations of job quality by European workers and examines how gender and generations may be related with these perceptions. The study operationalizes job quality using the European Intrinsic Job Quality Index, a multidimensional measure encompassing various aspects such as autonomy, interaction, intensity, and meaningful. The results show relevant variations in Intrinsic Job Quality across European countries. The study also finds that gender and generations play a role in shaping the perception of job quality. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing debate on the importance of job quality for wellbeing and highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve job quality, particularly taking into account specific groups. The study's results also underscore the importance of considering the subjective evaluations of job quality in policy-making and the need for more comprehensive measures of job quality that capture the diverse experiences of workers across Europe.

"They Don't Have Time, But It Would Be Wonderful": Residents' Views of Their Relationships With Staff.

Resident-staff relationships is a component of person-centered care (PCC); positive relationships are associated with positive outcomes. The current article explores the finding that residents living in different types of long-term care assigned the lowest ratings of importance to the PCC domain "relationships with staff " (one of eight domains studied). Thematic analysis of spontaneous comments made by residents during interviews identified two themes, Relationship Preferences (for privacy, boundaries, engagement) and Lived Experience With Staff (staff busyness, staff interactions). Low ratings of relationship importance may reflect preferences for privacy and maintaining boundaries with staff. Ratings by some residents may be related to staff busyness, an overarching theme. Staff busyness was associated with lack of personal interaction with staff, including for those who expressed preferences for engagement and those who described positive interactions with staff. Some residents may reappraise their views about the importance of relationships to reduce cognitive dissonance. Improving job quality is necessary to assure quality time with residents. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(11), 8-14.].

Environmental regulation and rural migrant workers’ job quality: Evidence from China migrants dynamic surveys

Environmental regulation is an essential policy tool to curb environmental pollution, promote green and low-carbon transformation, and achieve the economic and social benefits of environmental policy under China’s strategic goal of high-quality economic development. However, whether environmental regulation will promote rural migrant workers’ job quality while improving the environmental quality has become a pivotal issue in achieving this goal. Based on theoretical analysis and data from the 2016–2018 China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this study explored how environmental regulations help solve ecological issues and improve job quality by estimating the influence of environmental regulation on the job quality of rural migrant workers, its mechanisms, and its heterogeneous effects on intergenerational differences based on gender, educational level, and spouse’s registered residence. The results showed that environmental regulation significantly improves the job quality of rural migrant workers. This positive effect can be explained by industrial structure upgrading and industrial digital transformation accelerated by environmental policies under China’s national economic development strategy. Further analysis indicated that heterogeneity exists between generations. The impact of environmental regulation on the job quality of the traditional generation (i.e., migrant workers born prior to the 1978 economic reform and opening of China) is more significant than that of the new generation (i.e., those born after 1978) for males, undergraduate or junior college educational level, and spouse with a local registered residence. However, environmental regulation substantially affects the job quality of the new generation more than that of the traditional generation in terms of females, educational level of high school or below, and non-local spouses. Our findings have implications for the Chinese government’s formulation of differential employment policies for rural migrant workers.

Job quality in the micro and small enterprise sector in Ethiopia: Evidence from firm-level data

Micro and small enterprises are ubiquitous in developing countries and play a central role in employment. While there is solid empirical evidence that micro and small enterprises are important drivers of job creation, there is limited evidence on the quality aspects of employment in this sector, particularly in developing countries. Much of the previous research has focused primarily on quantitative job creation. Some studies have investigated job quality using labor force survey data at the employee-level. However, these studies hardly examined the role of entrepreneurial and firm characteristics on job quality. Firms and entrepreneurs in the micro and small business sector are natural targets of policy initiatives to improve job quality. Cognizant of this, this research aims to examine the determinants of job quality in the micro and small business sector in Ethiopia. Using a large firm-level primary dataset collected in the 10 largest cities in Ethiopia, the paper examines the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and indicators of job quality. Our regression results show the existence of a positive and significant correlation between job quality, as measured by average wages and job security and safety indicators, and entrepreneurial education and experience, as well as firm size and the presence of a professionally recruited manager. Our findings offer some important implications for policymakers to improve job quality by identifying the entrepreneurial and firm characteristics that drive or constrain quality job creation in the formal micro and small business economy in urban contexts.

Expanding the Focus of Occupational Safety and Health: Lessons from a Series of Linked Scientific Meetings.

There is widespread recognition that the world of work is changing, and agreement is growing that the occupational safety and health (OSH) field must change to contribute to the protection of workers now and in the future. Discourse on the evolution of OSH has been active for many decades, but formalized support of an expanded focus for OSH has greatly increased over the past 20 years. Development of approaches such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'s Total Worker Health® concept and the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Healthy Workplace Framework are concrete examples of how OSH can incorporate a new focus with a wider view. In 2019, NIOSH initiated a multi-year effort to explore an expanded focus for OSH. This paper is a report on the outputs of a three-year cooperative agreement between NIOSH and The University of Texas School of Public Health, which led to subject matter expert workshops in 2020 and an international conference of global interest groups in 2021. This article traces the background of these meetings and identifies and assesses the lessons learned. It also reviews ten thematic topics that emerged from the meetings: worker health inequalities; training new OSH professionals; future OSH research and practice; tools to measure well-being of workers; psychosocial hazards and adverse mental health effects; skilling, upskilling and improving job quality; socioeconomic influences; climate change; COVID-19 pandemic influences; and strategic foresight. Cross-cutting these themes is the need for systems and transdisciplinary thinking and operationalization of the concept of well-being to prepare the OSH field for the work of the future.

Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Unionization in Direct Care Occupations.

Objectives. The goal of this study was to measure unionization in the direct care workforce and the relationship between unionization and earnings, looking closely at differences across race/ethnicity and gender. Methods. Using data from the Current Population Survey from 2010 to 2020, we first used logit analyses to predict the probability of unionization among direct care workers across race/ethnicity and gender. We then measured the relationship between unionization and weekly earnings. Results. We found that male (12%) and Black (14%) direct care workers were most likely to be unionized, followed by Hispanic and other direct care workers of color. Unionized direct care workers earn wages that are about 7.8% higher than nonunionized workers, but unionized workers of color earn lower rewards for unionization compared with White direct care workers. Conclusions. Unions are a mechanism for improving job quality in direct care work, and protecting workers' rights to unionize and participate in collective bargaining equitably may be a way to stabilize and grow the direct care workforce. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(11):1676-1684. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307022).

The association between job quality and the incidence of PTSD amongst police personnel

Abstract It has been widely reported that surveys have found high levels of ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) (12.6%) among police personnel, and a further 8.0% with PTSD. Until now, there has been little research linking PTSD to working conditions. This report examines how the prevalence of CPTSD varies with measures of job quality. Positive indicators of job quality (for instance, the feeling of doing meaningful work, support from colleagues and managers, work–life balance, job security, and promotion prospects) typically predict half the rate of CPTSD. Negative indicators of poor job quality (such as having to deal with sexual harassment or extreme time pressures) are associated with CPTSD rates twice as high as the policing average. Additional evidence shows that police forces with better working conditions tend to have markedly lower rates of PTSD. These analyses cannot prove the direct causal relationship from job quality to PTSD but do provide unequivocal evidence of an association. Improving job quality may greatly reduce the level of this most debilitating psychological disorder, CPTSD, in the policing population.

Motivation to Improve Job Quality in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises

Frontline workers represent some of the most critical employees in an organization yet often experience low job quality (e.g., low pay, low autonomy, low job security). Some organizational leaders choose to intentionally improve job quality while others do not. Research provides little evidence about what drives organizational leadership to increase job quality through high quality human resource management practices. This is especially true for research on small to medium-sized enterprises (SME). We use a qualitative approach based on interviews with senior leaders, HR leaders, frontline supervisors and frontline employees across 10 organizations to increase understanding of the motivational factors behind improved job quality for front-line workers in SMEs. Our findings indicate that factors beyond the external and organizational environment play a key role in job quality improvement decisions. Specifically, leaders are motivated to improve job quality based on their personal values (i.e., doing the “right thing” the “right way” and a belief in basic human rights), their understanding of employees’ lives, and the knowledge of “how” to improve job quality. Through this inquiry, we contribute to research on human resource management practices in SMEs, research on job quality for low-wage and frontline workers, and research on managerial HR philosophy.

Professional Certification and Earnings of Health Care Workers in Low Social Closure Occupations

There has been rapid growth in professional certifications in the health care sector, but little is known about the rewards to workers for attaining professional certifications, especially in low social closure occupations where the barriers to entry (e.g., higher education, degrees, licensure) are relatively limited. In this study, we focus on the attainment and rewards for professional certifications in four health care occupations – personal care aides, medical transcriptionists, medical assistants, and community health workers – where certification is generally not required by state or federal regulation but may be attractive to employers. Using the Current Population Survey (IPUMS CPS) between 2015 and 2020, we find that workers of color are less likely to attain a certification, while women are more likely than men to earn professional certifications. However, men experience the largest increase in weekly earnings (11.3%) when they have a professional certification as compared to those without, while women experience lower gains from professional certification (3.8%). Black and Hispanic workers experience modest rewards for certification (weekly earnings that are 1.2% and 5% higher, respectively) that are lower than the rewards gained by white workers (6% higher weekly earnings). Our findings suggest that professional certifications may have modest benefits for workers, but professional certifications often come with significant costs for individuals. Strategies for reducing inequality in the return to credentials and for improving job quality in the care sector are discussed.

Humanizing work in the digital age: Lessons from socio-technical systems and quality of working life initiatives

New and residual challenges related to digital technology, COVID-19, precarious employment and scientific management are a reminder of research published in the early years of Human Relations that laid the foundation for socio-technical systems theory and its later conceptual offspring, the quality of working life. Analysing the evolution, challenges, legacy and lessons of socio-technical systems and quality of working life, we develop guiding principles for the theoretical development and practical implementation of socio-technical systems and quality of working life for the 21st century. These principles are needed to optimize the benefits of new technology and improve job quality. They would enable an effective and sustained humanization of work through stakeholder involvement, inter-disciplinary partnerships and institutional support, producing positive outcomes for employees and employers as well as wider society.

Professional certification and earnings of health care workers in low social closure occupations

There has been rapid growth in professional certifications in the health care sector, but little is known about the rewards to workers for attaining professional certifications, especially in low social closure occupations where the barriers to entry (e.g., higher education, degrees, licensure) are relatively limited. In this study, we focus on the attainment and rewards for professional certifications in four health care occupations – personal care aides, medical transcriptionists, medical assistants, and community health workers – where certification is generally not required by state or federal regulation but may be attractive to employers. Using the Current Population Survey (IPUMS CPS) from 2015 to 2020, we find that workers of color have significantly lower odds of attaining a certification, while women are 1.2 times more likely than men to an earn a certification. On average, workers who have earned a professional certification have weekly earnings that are 4.8% higher than workers who do not have a certification. Men experience the largest increase in weekly earnings (11.3%) when they have a professional certification as compared to those without, while women experience lower gains from professional certification (3.8%). Black and Hispanic workers experience modest rewards for certification (weekly earnings that are 1.2% and 5% higher, respectively) that are lower than the rewards gained by white workers (6% higher weekly earnings). Our findings suggest that professional certifications may have modest benefits for workers, but professional certifications often come with significant costs for individuals. Strategies for reducing inequality in the return to credentials and for improving job quality in the care sector are discussed.

The Role of Organizational Agility in improving the Quality of work life of Government Hospitals – A field study on the administrative staff at the Children's Hospital in Taif Governorate –: دور الرشاقة التنظيمية في تحسين جودة الحياة الوظيفية بالمستشفيات الحكومية – دراسة ميدانية على الكادر الإداري في مستشفى الأطفال بمحافظة الطائف –

This study aimed to explore the role of organizational agility in improving the quality of functional life in government hospitals, the case of Children’s Hospital in Taif. The study examined the effect of organizational agility represented in: (sensing agility, decision-making agility, application agility) in improving the job quality at work. In order to achieve these objectives, the study adopted descriptive analytical method, and the study used the questionnaire as a tool for data collection and a total of 102 questionnaires were analysed. The findings of the study showed that there was a positive direct and strong correlation between organizational agility and job quality at a significance level of (p≤ α 0.05). Furthermore, the dimension of decision-making agility has the greatest impact on improving job quality. The results of this study will guide healthcare institutions and policy makers to develop quick and proactive flexible plans that meet the needs of employees to face environmental changes.

Vocational training for female job returners - Effects on employment, earnings and job quality

This paper studies how training vouchers increase the employment prospects of women with interrupted employment histories. Using the population of female job returners who receive a training voucher to participate in training programs and a randomly selected control group from German administrative data, I analyze the effectiveness of training on various labor market outcomes. The analysis reveals that the receipt of a training voucher translates into substantial gains in employment and earnings. It reduces the gap between pre- and post-interruption earnings by as much as 77%. Moreover, training vouchers improve job quality, and increases job stability. Low skilled women benefit most.

Is Higher Nurse Aide Retention Associated with Fewer Nursing Home Allegations and Complaints?

Consumer voices are often left out from assessments of nursing home (NH) quality. For this reason, consumer allegations and complaints against nursing homes were studied in relation to facility rates of nurse aide retention. Analyses involved means and frequencies, correlations, ANOVAs with Tukey correction to examine the independent and dependent variables (N=690). Four quartiles of retention were created. In the final models, medium, high, and extremely high retention facilities are compared to the low retention facilities. Negative binomial regressions were estimated on total, substantiated, and unsubstantiated counts of allegations and complaints. All regressions controlled for the same characteristics, including nurse aide empowerment, consistent assignment, administrator turnover, director of nursing turnover, average age of residents, and percent female. The correlation between retention and the dependent variables was negative and statistically significant (r=-0.11, p<.01). The ANOVAs showed that high retention NHs (61-72%) received significantly fewer allegations than low (0-48%) and medium (49-60%) retention NHs; they also received fewer unsubstantiated allegations, and fewer complaints, both substantiated and unsubstantiated. After controlling for other variables, each retention group was significantly related to having fewer allegations and complaints compared to the low retention NHs. Notably, high retention NHs received between 29 and 35% fewer allegations and complaints of all types. Unexpectedly, extremely high retention NHs had more allegations, complaints, and unsubstantiated allegations than high retention NHs. Policy and practice have a role to promote nurse aide retention, improve job quality, and ensure adequate support for this critical, in-demand workforce.

Is Higher Nurse Aide Retention Associated with Fewer Nursing Home Allegations and Complaints?

Consumer voices are often left out from assessments of nursing home (NH) quality. For this reason, consumer allegations and complaints against nursing homes were studied in relation to facility rates of nurse aide retention. Analyses involved means and frequencies, correlations, ANOVAs with Tukey correction to examine the independent and dependent variables (N=690). Four quartiles of retention were created. In the final models, medium, high, and extremely high retention facilities are compared to the low retention facilities. Negative binomial regressions were estimated on total, substantiated, and unsubstantiated counts of allegations and complaints. All regressions controlled for the same characteristics, including nurse aide empowerment, consistent assignment, administrator turnover, director of nursing turnover, average age of residents, and percent female. The correlation between retention and the dependent variables was negative and statistically significant (r=-0.11, p<.01). The ANOVAs showed that high retention NHs (61-72%) received significantly fewer allegations than low (0-48%) and medium (49-60%) retention NHs; they also received fewer unsubstantiated allegations, and fewer complaints, both substantiated and unsubstantiated. After controlling for other variables, each retention group was significantly related to having fewer allegations and complaints compared to the low retention NHs. Notably, high retention NHs received between 29 and 35% fewer allegations and complaints of all types. Unexpectedly, extremely high retention NHs had more allegations, complaints, and unsubstantiated allegations than high retention NHs. Policy and practice have a role to promote nurse aide retention, improve job quality, and ensure adequate support for this critical, in-demand workforce.

Investigation of ergonomic working conditions of sewing and cuttingmachine operators of clothing industry

The textile industry is a very labour intensive industry which mainly comprises of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).In developing countries, usually occupational health and safety programs are focused on large-scale organisations. Across-sectional study on evaluating ergonomics risk factors associated with task performing strategies has been carriedout at cutting and sewing units of a garment industry organisation. A reliable direct observational ergonomics riskassessment method Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was used to find out the risk associated with workingpostures adopted by the workers. Data was collected through physical observations, walkthrough, interviews, and videorecordings. Data analysis was carried out on 180 selected postures by using REBA method. It concluded that overallworking strategies were poorly designed as more than 30% of postures highlighted a high level of risk of MSDs thatnecessitates immediate investigation for improvement. Major causes of risk were linked with the postural movementsattached with the wrist, lower arm, and neck. The findings of the study add to the understanding of working conditionsof cutting and sewing activities at garment manufacturing industries, these could help in the design of ergonomicsinterventions for reducing musculoskeletal symptoms and improving job quality which eventually increases workproductivity.

The Effectiveness Of Self Creation In Improving Job Quality Of Social Workers Dealing With Extra-Curricular School Activities Groups

This Study Aimed To Determine The Effective Role Of Self Creation In Improving Job Quality Of Social Workers Dealing With Extra Curricular School Activities Groups. This Study Is One Of The Descriptive Studies That Use The Comprehensive Social Survey Of (99) Social Workers By Using Questionnaire During May 2019. The Results Of This Study Proved That There Is A Statistically Significant Relationship Between The Demographic Variables (Gender, Age, Marital Status, Academic Qualification, And Years Of Experience) And The Level Of Self-Efficiency In The Creative Thinking (Fluency , Flexibility , Originality, And Details). As A Result, These Leads To Improve Job Quality Of Social Workers Dealing With Extra Curricular School Activities Group. There Is A Statistically Significant Relationship Between The Demographic Variables And Level Of Self-Efficiency In The Creative Performance Of Social Workers (Education For Creativity , Preservation Of Creative Personality, Communication And Promotion Of Creativity).School Social Workers Which Working In Educational Fields Can Benefit By Make Use Of This Study Results At Primary And Secondary Year Education In Egypt.

The New Realities of Working-Class Jobs: Employer Practices, Worker Protections, and Employee Voice to Improve Job Quality

Over the last 40 years, changing employer practices have introduced instability and insecurity into working-class jobs, limiting the voice that employees have in their own employment and deteriorating overall job quality. In the decade after the Great Recession, slow but sustained economic growth benefitted workers in terms of generally higher employment and wages and reductions in involuntary part-time work. But we show that in that same period, other aspects of working-class jobs changed in ways that were less advantageous to workers. We examine recent, troubling trends in nonstandard employment, precarious scheduling practices, and employer labor violations, arguing that without the introduction of policies that rebalance terms of employment toward worker interests, an economic recovery alone is unlikely to reverse the overall trend toward reductions in job quality. We argue for federal-level policies that expand public insurance programs, establish minimum standards of job quality, and include avenues for collective employee voice in employment and public policy debates. Such strategies have potential to improve job quality.

The generative relationship between job quality, innovation, and employment

Recent qualitative and quantitative research on the interrelationships between innovation, job quality and employment shows a strong association between job quality and product, process, and to a lesser extent organizational innovation. This is theorized as the interaction of two systems – job quality and innovation systems. Increased employment and improved job quality are found to result from innovation, while specific employment dimensions are found to impact innovation and job quality. Much of the evidence for this recursive interaction between innovation, job quality and employment derives from qualitative and quantitative studies carried out under the Horizon 2020 project QuInnE that specifically targeted these interrelations for analysis. Findings largely support the skill-biased technical change thesis, leading to the conclusion that while innovation tends to improve job quality, it will exacerbate societal inequalities. Strong evidence is also presented from several studies that higher innovation results from higher job quality, in line with previous research. None of these relationships are found to operate in a deterministic manner, and the actions of management, workers and the social partners play important mediating roles.

Diversity as job quality: toward the inclusion of trade unions in public procurement of social services

PurposeWhen union representatives are included in government procurement procedures for contracting-out of social welfare services, organizational diversity is enhanced if the job quality parameter, as reflected in the contract, is improved. Asking how unions are treated in government procurement procedures, this paper discusses an approach to diversity management based on the inclusion of unions.Design/methodology/approachAs part of a broader research project, interviews were conducted with six budget administrators and 16 occupational standards administrators employed by the Israeli ministries of Welfare, Education and Health; and with eight trade union activists. Grounded theory was applied for data analysis, revealing meanings of “trade unions” and “job quality.”FindingsBudgeting administrators manifested diversity resistance by means of only partially supporting trade union demands to enhance job quality. Their power position enabled them to prioritize the profit imperative of service providers; the diverse labor force operating the contracted-out service were consequently denied the ostensible benefits of workplace diversity.Practical implicationsUnionization, and trade union participation in social welfare procurement processes, is a potentially effective path to improving job quality and enhancing workplace diversity. However, more must be done to develop the institutional-level processes that will ensure that this potential is utilized to the full.Social implicationsIncluding trade unions in social welfare procurement processes is a potentially effective path to improving job quality and enhancing workplace diversity. However, specific actions are required to develop the willingness of budgeting administrators to recognize the association between union participation, job quality and the acknowledged benefit of promoting organizational diversity.Originality/valueAn institutional work perspective was used to detail how budgeting administrators involved in public procurement processes resisted diversity by undermining trade union action for job quality. By identifying three social processes deployed to side-track trade union campaigns for improved job quality, this research shows how the power struggle between budgeting administrators and union representatives ultimately undermines workplace diversity.