Job Grade Research Articles

Association between demographics and resilience - a cross-sectional study among nurses in Singapore.

To give an overview of the level of resilience among nurses in Singapore and to examine associations between various demographics variables and resilience level. The World Health Organization reported a global needs-based shortage of over 9 million nurses and midwives in 2013. Building resilience among nurses has been postulated as one of the ways to support and retain nurses in the profession. A self-reported questionnaire consisting of questions on demographics and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale CD-RISC 10 was used. Univariate analysis identified marital status, age group, years of experience in nursing, highest education qualification and job grade to have significant associations with resilience. During multivariate analysis, only marital status, age group, highest educational qualification and job grade remained significant. A strong association was found between highest educational qualification and resilience level; nurses with bachelor's or postgraduate degree were about three times more likely than nurses with only a general nursing certificate to be of moderate/high resilience. The experience of life events (as exemplified by marital status, age and working experience) was associated with higher resilience levels. There is a need for healthcare organizations and nurse leaders to develop programmes focusing on building resilience among younger and less experienced nurses. Nurses should also be supported in their pursuits for higher education, which will in turn lead to higher resilience, and consequently, retention of nurses within the profession and institution.

Knowledge diffusion within a large conservation organization and beyond.

The spread and uptake of new ideas (diffusion of innovations) is critical for organizations to adapt over time, but there is little evidence of how this happens within organizations and to their broader community. To address this, we analyzed how individuals accessed information about a recent science innovation at a large, international, biodiversity conservation non-profit–The Nature Conservancy–and then traced the flow of how this information was shared within the organization and externally, drawing on an exceptionally data-rich environment. We used surveys and tracking of individual internet activity to understand mechanisms for early-stage diffusion (knowledge seeking and sharing) following the integration of social science and evidence principles into the institutional planning framework: Conservation by Design (CbD 2.0). Communications sent to all employees effectively catalyzed 56.4% to exhibit knowledge seeking behavior, measured by individual downloads from and visits to a restricted-access site. Individuals who self-reported through a survey that they shared information about CbD 2.0 internally were more likely to have both received and sought out information about the framework. Such individuals tended to hold positions within a higher job grade, were more likely to train others on CbD as part of their job, and to enroll in other online professional development offerings. Communication strategies targeting external audiences did not appear to influence information seeking behavior. Staff who engaged in internal knowledge sharing and adopting “evidence” practices from CbD 2.0 were more likely to have shared the document externally. We found a negative correlation with external sharing behavior and in-person trainings. Our findings suggest repeated, direct email communications aimed at wide audiences can effectively promote diffusion of new ideas. We also found a wide range of employee characteristics and circumstances to be associated with knowledge diffusion behavior (at both an organizational and individual level).

Clinicians-related determinants of anticoagulation therapy and prophylaxis in Nigeria.

Background:Thromboembolic and hypercoagulable diseases are common life-threatening but treatable problems in hospital practice. Fortunately, anticoagulation is an efficacious management practice indicated for arterial, venous, and intracardiac thromboembolism. Clinicians in developing countries may have gaps in their knowledge of anticoagulation therapy/prophylaxis which could affect their clinical decision.Objectives:The study examined the knowledge and attitude of clinicians to anticoagulation therapy/prophylaxis in some tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.Methodology:The study was a multicenter survey. A pretested questionnaire was administered to clinicians in six tertiary hospitals in Southeast Nigeria.Results:A total of 528 questionnaires were returned by 419 (79.4%) residents and 109 (20.6%) consultants. We observed significant abysmal knowledge and lack of awareness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) among most respondents irrespective of their job grades (P = 0.02, odds ratio [OR] 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–0.90). Their knowledge of anti-Xa assay as laboratory monitoring tool was also significantly inadequate (P = 0.001, OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.10–0.51). On statement analysis on their attitude to anticoagulation therapy/prophylaxis, “Do you think anticoagulation therapy/prophylaxis is clinically relevant” had the highest mean of 4.60, P = 0.01, and a high degree of agreement; while “Should hospital inpatient with > 3 days admission routinely receive anticoagulation/prophylaxis?” had the lowest mean of 2.27, P = 0.02, and a low degree of agreement.Conclusion:There is the need to upscale knowledge of anticoagulation agents and an attitude change to anticoagulation therapy/prophylaxis, especially on the DOACs through continuing medical education activities in emerging countries such as Nigeria.

Socio-economic disparities in long-term cancer survival-10year follow-up with individual patient data.

Reasons for the social gradient in cancer survival are not fully understood yet. Previous studies were often only able to determine the socio-economic status of the patients from the area they live in, not from their individual socio-economic characteristics. In a multi-centre cohort study with 1633 cancer patients and 10-year follow-up, individual socio-economic position was measured using the indicators: education, job grade, job type, and equivalence income. The effect on survival was measured for each indicator individually, adjusting for age, gender, and medical characteristics. The mediating effect of health behaviour (alcohol and tobacco consumption) was analysed in separate models. Patients without vocational training were at increased risk of dying (rate ratio (RR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.2) compared to patients with the highest vocational training; patients with blue collar jobs were at increased risk (RR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.5) compared to patients with white collar jobs; income had a gradual effect (RR for the lowest income compared to highest was 2.7, 95% CI 1.9-3.8). Adding health behaviour to the models did not change the effect estimates considerably. There was no evidence for an effect of school education and job grade on cancer survival. Patients with higher income, better vocational training, and white collar jobs survived longer, regardless of disease stage at baseline and of tobacco and alcohol consumption.

The development and longitudinal evaluation of a wellbeing programme: An organisation case study

Wellbeing programmes are often initiated in organisations based on an assumption that they will promote employee engagement and performance. But the specific elements of a wellbeing programme are rarely evaluated for their efficacy. This case study reports on the development and refinement of a wellbeing programme at a large multi-site European organisation, analysing the utility of wellbeing offerings and the impact of the programme on employee wellbeing over the course of five years. Results from two internal surveys were analysed. The first, conducted at 18-month intervals between 2009 and 2014, evaluated employee engagement. The second, a tailored wellbeing survey conducted in 2014, measured employee wellbeing and perceptions of the individual wellbeing programme offerings. A number of key findings emerged: the wellbeing programme was highly regarded and reported to have a positive impact on employee engagement, some elements of the programme were better received than others, and there were significant differences in the wellbeing levels of different groups. Regression analyses provide evidence for the need to take account of individual employees’ current levels of wellbeing when tailoring a wellbeing programme for them, with current wellbeing predicting up to 11% of the variance in preference for different elements of the programme. Results highlight some of the complexities that organisations should be aware of when understanding employee wellbeing, including the effect of national culture, job grade and current wellbeing levels. This case study provides insight into the development of a wellbeing programme and evidence for its positive contribution to employee engagement.

Demographics and Personality Factors Associated with Burnout among Nurses in a Singapore Tertiary Hospital.

Background. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of burnout among nurses in Singapore and investigate the influence of demographic factors and personal characteristics on the burnout syndrome. Methods. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. All registered nurses working in Singapore General Hospital were approached to participate. A questionnaire eliciting data on demographics, burnout (measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI), and personality profile (measured using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, NEO-FFI) was used. Results. 1830 nurses out of 3588 responded (response rate: 51%). Results from 1826 respondents were available for analysis. The MBI identified 39% to have high emotional exhaustion (EE, cut-off score of >27), 40% having high depersonalization (DP, cut-off score of >10), and 59% having low personal accomplishment (PA, cut-off score of <33). In multivariable analysis, age, job grade, and neuroticism were significantly associated with each of the 3 components of the MBI. Staff nurses less than 30 years with high to very high neuroticism were more likely to experience high EE, high DP, and low PA. Conclusion. Younger nurses in Singapore are at increased risk of burnout. Personality traits also played a significant role in the experience of burnout.

Exploring the Quality of Work Environment at Saudi Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI)

&lt;p&gt;This study aims to evaluate the Quality of Work Environment (QWE) in Aircraft Maintenance Sector of Saudi Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI). It covers safety climate (safety, hazard, and injury), employee satisfaction about their jobs and employee satisfaction about management practices. For that purpose, 314 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The study revealed that SAEI employees have neutral evaluations regarding safety climate in the organization and have neutral evaluations regarding their jobs at SAEI as well. On the other hand, the overall values statically indicate that SAEI employees are unsatisfied regarding SAEI management practices. In conclusion, SAEI employees are unsatisfied about the quality of work environment in general with overall median equal 2 and 95% of confidence. The majority of respondents (60.1%) were between unsatisfied and strongly unsatisfied regarding the QWE. Also, the study indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the employees’ evaluation regarding the QWE according to their job grades, job title, and their departments. These differences can be concluded as following; employees with higher grades were more satisfied with QWE at SAEI, managers, instructors, and auditors were more satisfied with QWE at SAEI and finally TQA employees were the most satisfied employees with QWE at SAEI while Hangar employees were the most unsatisfied. The study suggests some practical recommendations based on the outcomes of this study.&lt;/p&gt;

The Effects of Telecommuting Intensity on Employee Health.

To investigate the influence of the intensity of telecommuting on employee health. Study design comprised a longitudinal analysis of employee demographic data, medical claims, health risk assessment data, and remote connectivity hours. Data from Prudential Financial served as the setting. Active employees ages 18 to 64 years who completed the health risk assessment between 2010 and 2011 were the study subjects. Measures included telecommuting status and intensity, and eight indicators of health risk status (obesity, depression, stress, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and an overall risk measure), with employee age, sex, race-ethnicity, job grade, management status, and work location as control variables. Health risks were determined for nontelecommuters and telecommuters working remotely ≤8, 9 to 32, 33 to 72, and ≥73 hours per month. Longitudinal models for each health risk were estimated, controlling for demographic and job characteristics. Telecommuting health risks varied by telecommuting intensity. Nontelecommuters were at greater risk for obesity, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, and tobacco use, and were at greater overall risk than at least one of the telecommuting groups. Employees who telecommuted ≤8 hours per month were significantly less likely than nontelecommuters to experience depression. There was no association between telecommuting and stress or nutrition. Results suggest that employees may benefit from telecommuting opportunities.

Social Determinants of Risk and Outcomes for Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

An Institute of Medicine report titled U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health documents the decline in the health status of Americans relative to people in other high-income countries, concluding that “Americans are dying and suffering from illness and injury at rates that are demonstrably unnecessary.”1 The report blames many factors, “adverse economic and social conditions” among them. In an editorial in Science discussing the findings of the Institute of Medicine report, Bayer et al2 call for a national commission on health “to address the social causes that have put the USA last among comparable nations.” Although mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States has been on a linear decline since the 1970s, the burden remains high. It accounted for 31.9% of deaths in 2010.3 There is general agreement that the decline is the result, in equal measure, of advances in prevention and advances in treatment. These advances in turn rest on dramatic successes in efforts to understand the biology of CVD that began in the late 1940s.4,5 It has been assumed that the steady downward trend in mortality will continue into the future as further breakthroughs in biological science lead to further advances in prevention and treatment. This view of the future may not be warranted. The prevalence of CVD in the United States is expected to rise 10% between 2010 and 2030.6 This change in the trajectory of cardiovascular burden is the result not only of an aging population but also of a dramatic rise over the past 25 years in obesity and the hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and physical inactivity that accompany weight gain. Although there is no consensus on the precise causes of the obesity epidemic, a dramatic change in the underlying biology of Americans is …

Secondary school educators' perceptions and practices in handling cyberbullying among adolescents: A cluster analysis

School educators play an important role in cyberbullying management. Since scarce earlier research indicated low perceived competence of school educators in handling cyberbullying, more insight is needed in what determines their actions and how to improve these practices. This study assessed school educator practices, their perceptions and context factors from a behavior change theoretical framework, and investigated educator clusters related to this. An online survey was conducted among 451 secondary school educators (teachers, principals, school counselors). School educators mostly used recommended actions (i.e. conversations with pupils, enlisting professionals for support, parental involvement, providing supportive victim advice). Four educator clusters were identified: ‘referrers’ (65%), ‘disengaged’ educators (14%), ‘concerned’ educators (12%) and ‘use all means’ educators (9%). The first two clusters were less adept at handling cyberbullying and comprised mostly teachers, particularly indicating a need for training teachers. Our findings show a need for tailored educator training, e.g. by job position, gender, school size and grade. The behavior change theoretical framework can help target educators' particular needs.

A Study on the Influence of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment upon Organizational Environment of the Managing Staffs in the National Health Insurance Service

The purpose of the study to analyze the effects of organizational environment upon job satisfaction and organizational commitment for the managing staff of National Health Insurance Service(NHIS) For this purpose, questionnaires were distributed to and collected from the leading members of NHIS from Feb. 3 to 7, 2014 and 429 questionnaires collected were put to analysis which showed following results:BR First, among the factors of organizational environment of NHIS, the mean trust in co-workers turned out to be 3.67, followed by 3.07 for fairness of personnel management, 2.53 for fairness in compensation system and 2.41 for appropriate job allotment. Second, their job satisfaction amounted to 3.70 in average. Significant difference was found by religion as well as by job grade, position, current job, working period and payment level as job characteristics. Third, organizational commitment was 3.71 in average. There was significant difference in it depending on education as well as on job grade, position, working period in the current job, and payment level as job characteristics of the managing staff members. Fourth, all sub-factors of the organizational environment exerted statistically significant positive (+) impact upon their job satisfaction. Fifth, among the sub-factors of the organizational environment, fairness of personnel management and trust in co-workers in order were found to have statistically significant positive (+) influence upon the organizational commitment of the managing staff. Sixth, both job satisfaction and organizational commitment showed statistically significant positive (+) co-relationship with organizational environment, while there was also statistically significant positive (+) co-relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Prolonged fatigue is associated with sickness absence in men but not in women: prospective study with 1-year follow-up of white-collar employees

Prolonged fatigue adversely affects an individual's performance and functioning. The present study investigated the prospective associations between prolonged fatigue and sickness absence (SA) during 1-year follow-up. At baseline, a convenience sample of white-collar employees received the 20-item Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), which measures prolonged fatigue by covering the dimensions fatigue severity, reduced concentration, reduced motivation, and reduced physical activity. SA episodes were registered during the 1-year follow-up distinguishing between short-term (1-7 days) and long-term ( 7 days) SA episodes. Baseline CIS scores were linked to SA during follow-up by negative binomial regression models in which age, gender, job grade, and prior SA were controlled for. Six hundred and thirty-three (56 %) employees participated in the study of which 598 had complete data and were eligible for analysis. Gender was a significant effect modifier of the relationship between prolonged fatigue and SA. Therefore, the results were stratified for men (N = 365) and women (N = 233). In white-collar men, fatigue severity and reduced concentration were positively associated with the number of long-term SA episodes, while other fatigue dimensions were not significantly related to SA. In white-collar women, prolonged fatigue was not associated with SA during 1-year follow-up. The results of this study warrant more attention for prolonged fatigue in occupational healthcare practice and research. Early identification of and treatment for prolonged fatigue might prevent future health problems and SA, especially in white-collar men.

Forest Owners&apos; Cooperatives&apos;s Development of Logging Business and Duties According to Job Grade (Original Article)

Forest Owners&apos; Cooperatives&apos;s Development of Logging Business and Duties According to Job Grade (Original Article)

Predictors of two forms of attrition in a longitudinal health study involving ageing participants: An analysis based on the Whitehall II study

BackgroundLongitudinal studies are crucial providers of information about the needs of an ageing population, but their external validity is affected if partipants drop out. Previous research has identified older age, impaired cognitive function, lower educational level, living alone, fewer social activities, and lower socio-economic status as predictors of attrition.MethodsThis project examined attrition in participants of the Whitehall II study aged between 51–71 years, using data from questionnaires participants have completed biennially since 1985 when the study began. We examine the possibility of two distinct forms of attrition – non-response and formally requesting to withdraw – and whether they have different predictors. Potential predictors were age, gender, marital status, occupational grade, retirement, home ownership, presence of longstanding illness, SF-36 quality of life scores, social participation and educational level comparing participants and those who had withdrawn from the study.ResultsThe two forms of attrition share many predictors and are associated but remain distinct. Being older, male, having a lower job grade, not being a home owner, not having a long standing illness, having higher levels of education, and not having retired, were all associated with a greater probability of non-response; being married was associated with higher probability in women and lower in men. Being older, male, having a lower job grade, not being a home owner, having lower SF-36 scores, taking part in fewer social activities, and not having a long standing illness, were all associated with greater probability of withdrawal.ConclusionsThe results suggest a strong gender effect on both routes not previously considered in analyses of attrition. Investigators of longitudinal studies should take measures to retain older participants and lower level socio-economic participants, who are more likely to cease participating. Recognition should be given to the tendency for people with health problems to be more diligent participants in studies with a medical screening aspect, and for those with lower socio-economic status (including home ownership), quality of life and social participation, to be more likely to request withdrawal. Without taking these features into account, bias and loss of power could affect statistical analyses.

Factors affecting job satisfaction among public servants: a South Korean case

The purpose of this study is to explore factors affecting job satisfaction among South Korean public servants and to provide relevant policy implication for human resource management. Using the structural equation model (SEM), the authors analysed those factors that affect employee job satisfaction. The exogenous variables including recognition, leadership, teamwork, job grade (ranking), and pay significantly affect employee satisfaction. By identifying which factors affect job satisfaction positively or negatively, it can help to address the barriers to performance and the improvement of organisational culture that would lead to a high-performing organisation.

Short-run effects of parental job loss on children's academic achievement

We study the relationship between parental job loss and children's academic achievement using data on job loss and grade retention from the 1996, 2001, and 2004 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. We find that a parental job loss increases the probability of children's grade retention by 0.8 percentage points, or around 15%. After conditioning on child fixed effects, there is no evidence of significantly increased grade retention prior to the job loss, suggesting a causal link running from the parental employment shock to children's academic difficulties.

Impact of an occupational health promotion program on subsequent illness and mortality experience

Integrating general health initiatives into established occupational health programs may be an effective way of contributing more broadly to employee health. Objective assessment of the success of such initiatives is needed, but is often difficult to carry out because of their voluntary nature. A cohort of 24,586 wage employees, 35+years of age and with 15+years of prior employment, was established to assess morbidity and mortality outcomes relative to participation in an ongoing health initiative instituted in 1983. Outcomes were evaluated for employees who attended the seminar program (attendees), those who had clearance examinations, but did not take part in the program (withdrawals), and non-participants. At entry to follow-up, the prevalence of chronic illnesses including diabetes, obesity, and diseases of the circulatory system was lowest among non-participants and highest among withdrawals. During the follow-up period, the incidence of new disease conditions was similar between attendees and non-participants; however, overall mortality was significantly reduced among attendees after adjustment for explanatory factors including age, job grade, smoking history, alcohol intake, and body-mass-index (relative risk=0.83; 95% confidence interval: 0.69-0.99) and was still marginally decreased when withdrawals were combined with attendees. Although self-selection cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to the reduction in mortality risk among attendees, our findings indicate that offering health promotion activities in the context of an existing occupational health program may benefit overall employee health.

Effects of Externally Rated Job Demand and Control on Depression Diagnosis Claims in an Industrial Cohort

This study examined whether externally rated job demand and control were associated with depression diagnosis claims in a heavy industrial cohort. The retrospective cohort sample consisted of 7,566 hourly workers aged 18–64 years who were actively employed at 11 US plants between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2003, and free of depression diagnosis claims during an initial 2-year run-in period. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the effect of tertiles of demand and control exposure on depression diagnosis claims. Demand had a significant positive association with depression diagnosis claims in bivariate models and models adjusted for demographic (age, gender, race, education, job grade, tenure) and lifestyle (smoking status, body mass index, cholesterol level) variables (high demand odds ratio = 1.39, 95% confidence interval: 1.04, 1.86). Control was associated with greater risk of depression diagnosis at moderate levels in unadjusted models only (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.12, 1.93), while low control, contrary to expectation, was not associated with depression. The effects of the externally rated demand exposure were lost with adjustment for location. This may reflect differences in measurement or classification of exposure, differences in depression diagnosis by location, or other location-specific factors.

A model for community mental health services in South Africa

To provide a model to estimate human resource needs for community-based mental health services in South Africa. A situation analysis was conducted of current community-based mental health service provision in South Africa, which comprise outpatient and emergency services, residential care and day care. Service utilisation rates and staffing needs were estimated for two levels of service coverage, using data from the situation analysis, local epidemiological studies and consultation with key stakeholders. For a population of 100,000 people, 7.3-23.8 full-time equivalent staff would be required to provide services in outpatient services, 14.9-41.6 in day care and 11.5-23.0 in residential care at minimum and full coverage levels respectively. The model can facilitate rational planning by requiring transparency and accountability in the assumptions used. This method can be adapted to a range of countries, by entering relevant country data. The model fills a gap, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where community-based mental health services are sparse, and decisions regarding allocations to them are hampered by a lack of good quality data. The results of the model are limited by the quality of data and the assumptions upon which the modelling are based.

Gender, Pay and Work Satisfaction at a UK University

This article examines a modern, former polytechnic granted the status of university in 1992, to illustrate the state gender pay gap in the UK and suggests that to talk of the state pay gap is too simplistic as it does not take into account variations in the size of the pay gap in different job grades. The article also examines satisfaction levels with pay for two groups of staff, administrative and academic and shows how satisfaction with pay, promotion and conditions also varies between the grades. Previous research that concluded that women are more satisfied with their pay than men is, again, too simplistic as it does not consider the affect of staff grade. The article argues that there is a link between the size of the pay gap, staff grade, occupational gender segregation and expressing dissatisfaction.