Work Job Research Articles

Bridge Employment or Encore Career? Examining Predictors That Distinguish Later-Life Career Transitions.

Bridge employment and encore careers are 2 prevalent retirement pathways that have different goals and outcomes. Yet, "changing jobs in later life" is the shared prequel that blurs the distinction between them in empirical studies. This study proposes a set of criteria-voluntariness of career transition and the duration of work in the posttransition job-to distinguish various retirement pathways and investigates the predictors that distinguish the workers' choice of these pathways. I conducted multinomial logistic regression to examine the predictors that distinguish between bridge employment, encore career, and direct workforce exit using the longitudinal sample of respondents with full-time career jobs in the Health and Retirement Study 1992-2020 (HRS, N = 2,038). To examine the predictors that distinguish between bridge employment and encore careers, I conducted logistic regression on the subsample of respondents who chose either bridge employment or encore careers (n = 927). The results show that the accumulated human capital from career jobs, physical and mental health conditions before leaving career jobs, and self-identified retirement status when transitioning to new jobs distinguish the workers' choices of taking on different retirement pathways. Maintaining the labor force participation of older workers is an important human resource agenda for policymakers. This study suggests that increasing the number of quality jobs for older workers would promote bridge employment and encore careers by raising the benefits of making career transitions as well as improving older workers' health.

Initial validation of the Health Environment Rating Scale-Early Childhood Consultation-Classroom (HERS-ECC-C).

The present study validated a newly developed easy-to-use observational instrument, the Health Environment Rating Scale-Early Childhood Consultation-Classroom version (HERS-ECC-C), to measure the quality of the classroom environment within early care and education centers participating in a mental health consultation program in a diverse area of the southeastern United States.Using a confirmatory factor analysis, three factors emerged capturing critical aspects of a high-quality classroom environment and demonstrated good reliability: (1) Supportive Practices, Positive Socioemotional Practices, and Classroom Management (α=.88), (2) Health and Family Communication (α=.79), and (3) Individualizing to Children's Needs (α=.80). Criterion-related validity was established through concurrent associations between the three HERS-ECC-C subscales and the domains of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and predictive associations with the Childcare Worker Job Stress Inventory. The HERS-ECC-C Supportive Practices and Health and Family Communication subscales were associated with all three CLASS domains, and the Individualizing to Children's Needs subscale was associated with the CLASS Instructional support domain. Higher HERS-ECC-C subscale scores were associated with lower teacher-reported job stress. Findings provide initial evidence to support the use and continued development of the HERS-ECC-C as a tool to evaluate programs and classrooms engaged in mental health consultation professional development interventions.

Flexible work arrangements in collective agreements: evidence from Spain and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Collective labour agreements are an understudied yet key aspect of flexible work policies, which are crucial resources for workers in combining work, family and other life domains. Despite a rich comparative work-family literature on flexible work arrangements at the company and national levels, little attention has been given to those negotiated collectively. Evidence on this topic is needed because such agreements can complement low levels of provision or even compensate the absence of company or national-level arrangements, ultimately defining their access. We contribute in filling this gap by conducting a cross-sectoral comparative exploration of collectively bargained provisions of flexible work arrangements in Spain and the Netherlands. We examine the clauses of 209 agreements using unique collective bargaining data from WageIndicator (2021). The analyses illustrate two important aspects of collectively bargained ‘family-friendly’ provisions. First, how differences in national baseline legislation shape opportunity structures for collective innovation around flexible work arrangements. Second, how sectoral variations appear to be primarily influenced by the representation of workers in high-skilled jobs, particularly when supported by high union density, rather than the share of female workers. We discuss the implications of these findings for workers’ work-family reconciliation and future work-family research.

Impact of Leadership Style on Employee Performance And Job Satisfaction Among Jordanian Physiotherapists

Leadership philosophies are essential organizational practices, especially when it comes to promoting and enhancing worker collaboration and job satisfaction. This study aims to ascertain and explore the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance among Jordanian physiotherapists and transformational leadership. Additionally, looks at whether job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours operate as a mediator in the link between transformational leadership and worker performance. This study's design involves a quantitative correlation analysis conducted on a conveniently chosen sample of Jordanian physiotherapists from different healthcare facilities to examine the relationship between their performance level and leadership practices, specifically transformational leadership style, as well as any potential mediating role that organizational citizenship behaviours and job satisfaction may have on that relationship. Additionally, an online questionnaire for 123 physiotherapists in a different facility is used to study the proposed relation connecting transformational leadership style and therapist satisfaction level. Data were acquired about performance, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviours of therapists as well as their opinions of the leadership styles exhibited by the facility leaders. Organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) and job satisfaction (JS) fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and physiotherapy performance; as a result, the impact of transformational leadership style (TLS) on performance was indirect since the direct influence wasn’t statistically significant. Additionally, TLS has a positive and substantial impact on job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours by regression analysis; likewise, OCB and JS have a positive significant effect on performance (p-value <.001). Transformational leadership and performance among Jordanian physiotherapists are not significant directly but are significant indirectly by the mediator (OCB and JS). Because it impacts worker job satisfaction, the standard of healthcare services provided, and the patient experience in this organization, it encourages the development of transformational leadership abilities in healthcare facilities and ongoing training for leaders in this area.

Broken Ladders? Labour Market Inequality in Indonesia and India

This paper examines labour market inequality in Indonesia and India, using a common conceptual approach that draws on a job ladder framework. In the framework, I differentiate between self-employment and wage-informal employment and between formal, upper-tier informal and lower-tier informal employment. I find that Indonesia and India both have job ladders that are narrow at the top and broad at the bottom, with the share of workers in lower-tier informal jobs significantly exceeding the share of workers in upper informal and formal employment. However, more people are in formal wage-employment in Indonesia than in India. Unlike in Indonesia, where the share of wage-employment in total employment increased from 2001 to 2020, the corresponding share in India was relatively constant from 1988 to 2022. Sharp disparities are evident in the earnings of workers in different tiers of the labour market in Indonesia and India, and evidence of convergence in earnings is limited between lower-tier informal workers and formal workers, at least in Indonesia. I also find that females and less-educated workers occupy the lower tiers of the labour markets in the two countries.

The costs of job loss and task usage: Do social tasks soften the drop?

AbstractDo different tasks shield differently from the scarring effects of job loss? This study examines how the effects of job loss depend on task usage. We use Finnish linked employer–employee data from 2001 to 2016, representative survey data on task usage, and plant closures to identify individuals who involuntarily lose their jobs. We find that heterogeneity in the cost of job loss is linked to task usage. Workers in more social task-intensive origin jobs have smaller employment and earnings losses, whereas workers in routine jobs face larger wage losses. The probability of being employed is 8.3 pp higher (3.9 pp lower) per one standard deviation higher than mean social (routine) task usage 1 year after the job loss event. We also find that workers with longer tenure face larger losses and that task usage contributes more to their losses. The results show that the costs of job loss depend on task usage in the origin job. Public policy measures should be targeted at employees in routine-intensive jobs, since they face the largest losses.

Covid-19 heterogeneous effects on Italian workers’ incomes: the role of jobs routinization and teleworkability

PurposeThe Covid-19 pandemic appears to have engendered heterogeneous effects on individuals’ labour market prospects. This paper focuses on two possible sources of a heterogeneous exposition to labour market risks associated with the pandemic outbreak: the routine task content of the job and the teleworkability. To evaluate whether these dimensions played a crucial role in amplifying employment and wage gaps among workers, we focus on the case of Italy, the first EU country hit by Covid-19.Design/methodology/approachInvestigating the actual effect of the pandemic on workers employed in jobs with a different degree of teleworkability and routinization, using real microdata, is currently unfeasible. This is because longitudinal datasets collecting annual earnings and the detailed information about occupations needed to capture a job’s routine task content and teleworkability are not presently available. To simulate changes in the wage distribution for the year 2020, we have employed a static microsimulation model. This model is built on data from the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (IT-SILC) survey, which has been enriched with administrative data and aligned with monthly observed labour market dynamics by industries and regions.FindingsWe measure the degree of job teleworkability and routinization with the teleworkability index (TWA) built by Sostero et al. (2020) and the routine-task-intensity index (RTI) developed by Cirillo et al. (2021), respectively. We find that RTI and TWA are negatively and positively associated with wages, respectively, and they are correlated with higher (respectively lower) risks of a large labour income drop due to the pandemic. Our evidence suggests that labour market risks related to the pandemic – and the associated new types of earnings inequality that may derive – are shaped by various factors (including TWA and RTI) instead of by a single dimension. However, differences in income drop risks for workers in jobs with varying degrees of teleworkability and routinization largely reduce when income support measures are considered, thus suggesting that the redistributive effect of the emergency measures implemented by the Italian government was rather effective.Originality/valueNo studies have so far investigated the effect of the pandemic on workers employed in jobs with a different degree of routinization and teleworkability in Italy. We thus investigate whether income drop risks in Italy in 2020 – before and after income support measures – differed among workers whose jobs are characterized by a different degree of RTI and TWA.

Ergonomic Factors Which Affect the Work Productivity of Clove Flower Harvesters

The height of the cloves at which they begin to flower, which is about 20 meters, is a factor that affects the clove harvesting procedure. This means that collecting cloves at height necessitates using tools that ensure worker safety. The agricultural industry is susceptible to ergonomic work risks resulting from several elements, such as worker characteristics, job demands and procedures, work organization, and environmental conditions. It is necessary to prioritize people as the critical consideration in defining work or human-centered design to manage ergonomic risks. This research analyzes the risk facts for clove flower pickers with a comprehensive method covering task, organization, and environment. This study was conducted during the clove flower harvest season from July to September 2023 at the plantation in Munduk Village-Bali, with 107 participants. Data on ergonomic hazards from internal and external factors before and after work were collected from MSDs and predicted using the Nordic Body Map questionnaire; fatigue was measured using the Core questionnaire Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ- C30), rating pulses were measured using a pulse meter. The data obtained were analyzed using SEM (Structural Equation Model). Significant differences were p < 0.05. The results of the research show that internal factors, particularly age, exert a negative influence on productivity. External factors, including body posture, time conditions, social conditions, information conditions, and human-tool interactions, significantly influenced productivity. This highlighted the importance of optimizing the "human-machine-environment" system to enhance safety, efficiency, and overall well-being.

Research Map of Social Security for Employment: Bibliometric Analysis Approach

This study aims to examine the development of research on Social Security for Employment as published in journals focusing on this theme. This study used a qualitative method with a bibliometric analysis approach. The data used are secondary data obtained from the Scopus database comprising 201 journal articles with the theme of Social Security for Employment. Then, the data is processed and analyzed using the VOSviewer application to visualize bibliometric maps. The findings of the study reveal that in bibliometric author mapping, the author who published the most research was Drake R.E. The institution that made the most significant contribution was the Office of Retirement and Disability Policy. Additionally, the most contributing and productive country in research related to this theme is the United States. Furthermore, the most frequently used keywords were worker, benefit, employee, and health. Meanwhile, based on the bibliometric keyword mapping, four clusters can become research lines, namely (1) Social security benefits for individuals with mental disabilities, (2) Social protection and worker contributions within the social security system, (3) Job and health insurance for workers and employment social security, and (4) Government social security policies regarding unemployment and labor death.

Analysis of Mental Workload on Sugar Production Mechanical Workers Using the Nasa-TLX Method

Workload can be defined as the difference between a worker's ability and job demands. Based on observations that have been made, it is known that madukismo sugar companies get an increasing demand value in each season of production, so this causes an increase in the number of working hours that apply to the company, which has the potential to increase their mental work. This study investigated the mechanical mental workload of workers at Madukismo Sugar Company using the NASA-TLX method, a multidimensional assessment tool. The NASA-TLX method is a multidimensional assessment method that can measure the overall mental workload to determine the mental workload felt by each worker. The results indicate a very high mental workload in some operators and suggest the need for operational adjustments. The recommendations are additional manpower and improved ergonomic levels to reduce stress and increase productivity. Keywords: Mental Workload, NASA-TLX, Job Demands

What does neo-classic economics get wrong? Social policy, labour market dualisation, and labour reallocation

The literature commonly assumes that social policy hinders labour mobility and reallocation across jobs and sectors. Particularly neo-classical economics posits that there is a trade-off between ‘security’ (social policy) and ‘efficiency’ (labour reallocation and employing workers in jobs where they are most productive). In a sample of 12 OECD countries between 2000 and 2008, this article shows that, as opposed to the common trade-off assumption, social policy supports greater labour reallocation across sectors. Furthermore, labour market dualisation as a result of the growth of ‘cheap labour’ reduces labour mobility across jobs and sectors. A higher share of ‘cheap labour’, defined as workers in low-paid jobs with little or no protection, segregates the labour market between ‘undesirable’ sectors (where cheap labour is employed) and desirable sectors (where wages are higher, and social protection is more expansive). This segregation impedes movement across sectors due to the fear of falling into an ‘undesirable’ sector. The social policy provides a safety net and helps bridge the labour market divide across sectors and hence positively contributes to inter-sectoral mobility.

The impact of education costs on income inequality

Reducing education costs is a crucial policy element with broad support in the U.S. However, is lowering the cost of learning a panacea for eliminating income inequality? In this paper, I theoretically examine the relationship between income inequality and the cost of education by building a three-stage overlapping generation model with two sectors and two education systems. In contrast to conventional studies treating education as a unified concept or in hierarchical order, I consider two types of education, each targeting the training of workers for different roles in production. Workers who decide to spend time learning and improving creativity skills can work to produce intermediate goods used in current production and illuminate future production technology. Coders who produce industrial robots are one example of workers who receive this type of education. The other type of education only improves workers’ efficiency and helps them become experts in positions. For instance, office clerks who receive computer training can become more productive in dealing with their daily tasks. I pick a reasonable set of parameters, and the simulation result implies that reducing the cost of practical training may end up enlarging income inequality. The key is whether the effect resulting from the wage gap between jobs (wageeffect) dominates the effect of changing the share of workers in jobs (compositioneffect). Reducing the cost of learning creativity encourages marginal experts to learn creativity and marginal basic workers to receive training, leading to declining wage gaps and income inequality.

Suitability of Worker Characteristics and Job on Work Environment In the Furniture Industry of West Java, Indonesia

This research aims to describe the work environment in the furniture industry based on the suitability of workers and job characteristics. This research uses descriptive qualitative methods and is conducted on cases in the furniture industry in West Java, Indonesia. Data collection techniques are performed using interviews, observation, and documentation and analyzed inductively. The research results show that the work environment in the carved furniture industry can be identified based on the suitability of job characteristics. They are work risks faced by establishing safe work environment boundaries, worker characteristics regarding their role by work procedures and work experience, and the value of the agreement norms that form safe environmental behavior and interactions. Furthermore, the results can be used as recommendation material for further research related to work environment issues that dig deeper into other phenomena based on cultural characteristics, safety behavior, and wage mechanisms so that the utility value of wages and risks received can be known.

Challenges and impact of the gig economy

The dynamic landscape of global business, fueled by technological innovations, intense competition, and evolving consumer expectations, has prompted businesses to undergo significant restructuring. In response to these challenges, innovative business structures, particularly the gig economy, have emerged as a transformative force. The gig economy, facilitated by digital platforms, has redefined traditional work models, allowing individuals to engage in temporary and flexible jobs across various industries. While providing flexibility for workers and cost-effectiveness for businesses, the gig economy has an uncertainty of jobs for workers, their rights, and the need for regulatory frameworks. This paper explores the evolution of the gig economy and its effect on the job environment, labour policies, and regulations. It highlights the advantages of gig work, such as flexibility and job expansion, while also addressing the challenges, including job insecurity and the potential for social and ethical dumping. The role of gig platforms in reshaping labour markets, particularly in empowering women in certain regions, is discussed. The paper emphasizes the necessity of adapting employment laws to accommodate the unique nature of gig work, considering factors like control exertion and triangular relationships. Moreover, the paper delves into issues of discrimination faced by gig workers based on gender or race, both domestically and internationally. It recognizes the potential benefits of outsourcing gig work in developing countries but underscores the ethical concerns of “ethics dumping” and the need for safeguards. The impact on workers’ well-being, social integration, and the lack of protection under employment laws are discussed as challenges arising from the detachment of gig workers from conventional work environments. In response to these challenges, the paper examines existing policy initiatives, such as the European Union’s efforts to regulate gig work, emphasizing the importance of building a skilled workforce and addressing concerns related to platform work. However, it identifies gaps in addressing ethical challenges, particularly in the realm of algorithmic systems and the need for comprehensive measures to protect the rights of gig workers’ rights thus focusing on their welfare. The paper advocates for a holistic approach to address the ethical challenges posed by the expanding gig economy. It calls for a balance between flexibility and ethical considerations, envisioning a gig economy that not only meets market demands but also prioritizes fairness, equity, and the well-being of its workforce.

Protocol for assessing physical fitness at work: methodological proposal

As of the date of this academic work, in Venezuela it is not uncommon to place workers in jobs under inadequate conditions for their physical and mental capacity, which makes it difficult to prevent accidents at work, control unsafe conditions and occupational diseases. The Venezuelan medical/ergonomic literature does not contain a body of doctrine on the evaluation of physical fitness for work: aerobic capacity, body mass index, heart rate at rest, blood pressure. Objective: to present a methodological proposal to evaluate physical fitness for work. Paradigm: quantitative, methodology: bibliographic design, type of research: secondary documentary, level: explanatory/projective, modality: special project, which meets specific needs to obtain/interpret suitable values. Results: a protocol to collect anthropometric/physiological data, which constitutes a novelty that contributes to ergonomically evaluate the physical fitness of the Venezuelan working population, is a useful pedagogical resource as an instruction manual.

Assessment of Morbidity Profile and Perceptions in regards to Physical Activity amongst Display Screen Equipment Users working in a University Located in Central Rural India: A Mixed method study.

Introduction Sedentary nature of desk job workers makes them prone to various diseases, and using display screen equipment increases the risk. This study focused on the intricate associates linked with sedentary behavior, physical activity patterns, and morbidity profiles among display screen equipment users employed at a university in central rural India. Sedentary lifestyles, particularly those prevalent in desk-based occupations, contribute significantly to non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Display screen users face additional risks such as vision-related issues, strain on eyesight, and musculoskeletal disorders. Objective The study aimed to comprehensively understand the morbidity profile and perceptions of physical activity among display screen equipment users. Method This shall be a cross-sectional study with a mixed method component conducted at a medical university located in central India from January 24 to June 2024. A sample size of 97 participants was determined based on a previous study, and data collection shall be done utilizing systematic random sampling. Data will be gathered using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Standardized Nordic Scale for musculoskeletal disorders through an online survey. Study implication This study aims to elicit morbidity patterns among Display screen users and their perceptions and practices regarding physical activity. This will also increase awareness regarding physical activity and associated morbidities regarding display screen use.

Numbing Effect of Emotional Exhaustion on COVID-19 Fear and Contrasting Effect on Job Satisfaction and Quality of Work Life Among Indian Healthcare Workers

The study conceptualises COVID-19 fear among healthcare workers as a job resource (meaningfulness of work) and job demand (physical and emotional demands), while exploring its effect on healthcare workers’ job satisfaction and quality of work life. The potential numbing effect of emotional exhaustion on COVID-19 fear is studied in the proposed framework. Data were collected from 202 Indian healthcare workers using standardised scales and analysed using Smart PLS 2.0. The results indicate that COVID-19 fear has a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction and a significant negative association with quality of work. The study results validate the hypotheses that COVID-19 fear simultaneously acts as a job resource and job demand. COVID-19 fear had an indirect, negative effect on job satisfaction via reduced quality of work. Emotional exhaustion in healthcare workers reduced healthcare workers’ COVID-19 fears, suggesting a numbing effect of emotional exhaustion on the arousal of emotions. The study is among the first, to the best of our knowledge, that identify the same factor (COVID-19 fear) as both a job resource as well as a job demand for an occupational group (healthcare workers). The ability of COVID-19 fear to simultaneously increase the meaningfulness of the job for healthcare workers and reduce their quality of work life suggests that healthcare administrators need to espouse policies that simultaneously enable healthcare workers to perceive strong emotions that make the meaning of their job salient and buffer them from the emotional, cognitive and physical demands consequences.

Differentiated Borders of Belonging and Exclusion: European Migrants in Rural Areas in Iceland

This article addresses questions of difference, positionality, and belonging from the perspectives of international migrants living and working in rural communities in Iceland. With the recent integration of rural areas into the global economy, small villages and towns have undergone rapid social transformation. The development of new industries and growing tourism in these localities has attracted many international migrants. The share of migrants in the local populations oscillates between 10% to 50%, depending on the town, with the majority coming from Europe. Commonly, they make up the greater part of workers in service jobs and manual labour in rural towns and villages. This article builds on data from ethnographic field research over 15 months in five parts of Iceland located outside of the capital region. Based on the analysis of interviews with migrants, we examine different perceptions of affinity and belonging and explore their experiences of inclusion and exclusion. To what extent do migrants see themselves as part of local communities? How do they narrate their social positions in those places? The discussion highlights how social stratification and hierarchy affect migrants’ experiences of inclusion as commonly displayed in the interviews. Furthermore, we elaborate on how notions of relatedness and otherness reflect inherited ideas of Europe and contemporary divergent geopolitical positions.

Applying a Novel Approach to Understanding Social Worker Job Retention during the Pandemic.

The job demands-resources (JD-R) theory explicates factors that facilitated social worker burnout prepandemic. Authors believe the JD-R theory can illustrate how certain factors facilitated social worker job retention in the novel context of the pandemic because a sizable group of social workers resisted burnout-related turnover. Disseminating these factors can benefit the profession. Qualitative cross-sectional data were elicited from a semistructured interview about experiences of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient social workers (N = 13) who provided care during the pandemic. Authors conducted content analysis and coded the text into six themes of factors that facilitated retention: (1) commitment to serving veteran population, (2) job flexibility, (3) supportive colleagues, (4) leadership support, (5) maintaining normal routines, and (6) trusting in scientific/evidence-based practices. Application of the JD-R theory illustrated how social workers utilized specific resources that balanced job demands during the pandemic and facilitated job retention. Future work should apply the JD-R theory among larger samples of VA social workers, as well as non-VA social workers, in the context of the pandemic, for comparative purposes. Authors conclude with policy implications related to the impact of permanently allowing telework options and job flexibility options among social workers.

Impact of Venezuelan Migration on the Informal Workforce of Native Workers in Colombia

Colombia experienced a substantial increase in annual migration flow from Venezuela from 2013 to 2019, accumulating 1.7 million migrants by the end of 2019. According to migration data, 2016 was a breaking point in migration growth, with an increase of 137.57% compared with 2015 and at which time the influx of migrant workers began to be massive, rapid, and involuntary. In this regard, the research paper investigates, using a difference-in-differences model, the impacts on the labor market across different definitions of the informal workforce, testing the hypothesis that short-term labor migration increased (1) the number of employed individuals in companies with a workforce of fewer than five people, (2) the number of employed individuals not contributing to the social security system, and (3) the relative participation of the informal workforce in total employment from 2015 to 2018. The main results indicate an expansion in the labor market’s informal segment, increasing the number of non-returned native workers in the informal workforce without significant increases in the participation of informality in total employment. The results remain robust across various samples in models adjusted for departmental-, municipal-, and individual-level data. Following the economic theory, the research findings seem to follow a transmission mechanism in which migrant workers reduce labor costs and increase production in informal markets, providing better conditions to increase informal jobs for native workers. Several national and international stakeholders implementing income-generation alternatives in the border departments focusing on migrant employment services could find the research findings helpful in at least two aspects: (1) fighting cultural stereotypes upon which basis native workers tend to see migration as a threat to their current job holdings requires evidence that shows migrant workers contribute to economic growth and employment; (2) promoting better public policies to take advantage of initial conditions that favor labor integration of migrant workers such as cultural and language similarities among natives and migrants works better when there is evidence of the migration’s positive impacts.