Longer Work Hours Research Articles

Gender Differences in Burnout Among Endocrinologists in China.

ObjectiveTo survey the prevalence of burnout in a national sample of endocrinologists in China and to examine its correlates, with a special focus on gender differences.MethodsAn anonymous online survey was conducted among endocrinologists in 31 provincial government-owned “People’s Hospitals” of each province in mainland China. Demographic and work-related factors were collected from participants. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to assess burnout, including emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA).ResultsA total of 711 endocrinologists (72.1% were female and mean age was 39.63 ± 8.51 years old) completed the survey. Burnout was reported by 32.8% of the participants. There were no significant gender differences in the overall prevalence of burnout or EE, DP, and PA (all p > 0.05). A multi-level linear regression revealed: (1) In male participants, PA was significantly associated with age (β = 0.03, p = 0.003), DP was inversely associated with age (β = −0.06, p = 0.005), EE was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (β = −0.25, p = 0.006), and longer work hours (β = 0.01, p = 0.016). (2) In females, PA was significantly associated with age (β = 0.01, p = 0.038), EE and DP were both significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (β = −0.19, p = 0.001; and β = −0.15, p = 0.011, respectively). EE and DP were also associated with work hours (β = 0.02, p < 0.001; and β = 0.01, p < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionNearly one-third of endocrinologists in China experienced burnout. Although there were no significant gender differences in the prevalence of overall burnout or EE, DP, and PA scores, male and female participants differed in factors associated with EE, DP, and PA. Interventions need to be tailored to target different aspects in male and female endocrinologists and target different subgroups.

Attitudes and barriers towards pursuing a surgical specialty in medical students and interns in Kuwait: A cross-sectional study

Surgery is a rewarding career yet; its popularity has been declining globally; therefore, placing the profession at risk. The objectives were to identify barriers and solutions to pursuing surgical-career for medical-students and interns in Kuwait. A cross-sectional anonymous-survey and a quasi-experimental research design was adopted to investigate perceived barriers to surgery and solutions among medical-students and interns. Two 5-point Likert scales presenting potential barrier & solutions were used. Further analysis explored differences related to gender, educational level, and graduates’ institution and comments collected for qualitative analysis. 362 responses collected, 207 students (62.9%), 122 interns (37.1%), and 33 others (9.12%) excluded. Total response rate of 49.6% and 51.2% interested in surgical specialty. A descriptive analysis (mean ± SD) was performed. Majority agreed/strongly agreed that long-working hours (4.2 ± 1.0), high stress levels (4.1 ± 1.0), quality of life (4.2 ± 1.0) difficulty in having child-care (3.8 ± 1.1) and pregnancy considerations (3.7 ± 1.1) constitute barriers towards selecting surgical specialty. Alarming observations of unprofessional attitudes of male surgeons, rendering surgery a harsh workplace. The most prominent solutions were working-hours reduction (4.3 ± 0.92), flexible maternity (4.4 ± 0.76)/ paternity leaves (4.2 ± 0.85) policies, research opportunities (4.4 ± 0.74), early student exposure to surgical workshops/discussions (4.13 ± 1.0), increasing mentors (4.1 ± 0.93), women role-models presence (4.0 ± 1.0), and payment increase (4.0 ± 0.92). In Kuwait, medical-students and interns perceived barriers and solutions mirrored those reported worldwide. Instituting effective solutions to dissolve barriers are essential to encourage recruitment in surgical specialties.

Longer working hours and musculoskeletal pain: a meta-analysis

Objectives. Musculoskeletal pain is the most common health problem in the workplace, and one of the most important risk factors for this pain is longer working hours. This study aimed to investigate the association between long working hours and musculoskeletal pain. Methods. Based on the keywords, two scientific sources – PubMed and Embase – were reviewed. The time limit search included articles that were published until May 2020 and only studies published in English were eligible. The results of the studies were combined based on random effects and pooled odds ratio (OR) reported. The degree of heterogeneity in all analyses was investigated and reported based on χ 2 and I 2 tests. Publishing bias was also measured using statistical tests. Results. Longer working hours are associated with increased musculoskeletal pain with OR = 1.11 and 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.08, 1.14]. The result was OR = 1.52 and 95% CI [1.14, 2.03] in men and OR = 1.11 and 95% CI [1.00, 1.24] in women. Conclusion. Long working hours are an important and threatening factor for musculoskeletal health. Therefore, this issue should be considered in health policy as well as treatment and prevention.

Social life cycle assessment of feedstocks for biodiesel production in Brazil

Brazil pioneered the application of economic stimulus policies allying social equity measures with the production of biodiesel. Despite the original expectations, there are concerns about possible negative social impacts generated by the conditions prevailing in the production of the feedstocks. In this study, the social life cycle assessment methodology was used to assess the impacts of these conditions. The study covers qualitative and quantitative analysis. Firstly, a systematic review of studies published between 2015 and 2020 allowed the identification and classification of the social impacts in the categories and subcategories proposed by the United Nations Environment Programme and Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. A methodology to attribute grades to the social impacts was then proposed based on the subcategory assessment method. A computational routine was developed in R language to assess, evaluate and compare data from different sources, including data from government agencies. The results revealed the positive influence of cooperatives on the well-being of workers. Also, workers in wealthier regions often endure longer work hours to earn a living, while workers in more impoverished regions are more likely to receive salaries below the minimum wage. Correlations between sex, race, workload and salary were also identified. It was concluded that, despite the current policies in place, social inequalities remain in the populations involved in biodiesel production. The results also suggest the need to account for the social life cycle when evaluating the overall sustainability of a national biofuels policy.

WHY WE HAVE UNEMPLOYMENT?

The article examines the issue of unemployment, which affects the quality of life in all countries, regardless of their level of development. In some countries, many people have to earn a living through long hours of hard and tiring physical work, perhaps even through dangerous and poorly paid work. Until recently, many people in other countries were sure that once they joined a large company or a state-owned enterprise, they would have a job until retirement. Today, however, it seems that there are too few companies or corporations that can provide a convenient and safe job for employees. The causes of the problem, its magnitude for different social categories, the magnitude and some ways of combating the phenomenon of unemployment are elucidated.

Occupational Safety and Health amid the Global Pandemic

Occupational Safety and Health amid the Global Pandemic

The importance of relational work design characteristics: A person-centred approach

Adopting a person-centred approach, we integrate the job demands-control-support model with relational work design theory to investigate employee work design profiles involving autonomy, workload, social support and prosocial characteristics (representing the combined influence of task significance and beneficiary contact). For a sample of Australian not-for-profit employees ( N = 2421), we identified four work design profiles: ‘active connected’, ‘passive disconnected’, ‘high strain disconnected’ and ‘controlled disconnected’. The most favourable profile, active connected, demonstrated the highest vigour and social worth, and was predicted by people being in higher managerial positions and having permanent employment contracts. The high strain disconnected and controlled disconnected profiles were associated with greater psychological exhaustion. Longer working hours predicted membership of the high strain disconnected profile. JEL Classification: L31, L30, L20, L29

Effects of short sleep duration on hemodynamic and psychological responses under long working hours in healthy middle-aged men: an experimental study.

This study examined the effects of short sleep duration (SSD) on hemodynamic and psychological responses under long working hours (LWH) in a laboratory experiment. Sixteen subjects participated in a crossover design experiment consisting of two conditions: normal (7-hours) sleep and short (5-hours) sleep. In each condition, participants engaged in simulated LWH (13 hours a day), comprising 12 task sessions. Hemodynamic and psychological responses were measured in each session. Results showed that there were significant main effects of condition and session but no interaction for hemodynamic and psychological responses. Systolic blood pressure and fatigue were higher in the later sessions than the first one. Stroke volume, sleepiness, fatigue, and stress were higher in the 5-hour than the 7-hour sleep condition (all p<0.05). These results suggest that although the combined effect of LWH and SSD was not significant, both LWH and SSD caused a hemodynamic and psychological burden.

Socioeconomics inequities associated with different domains of physical activity: results of the National Health Survey 2019, Brazil.

To examine the socioeconomic indicators associated with engagement in physical activity (PA) in the leisure-time, transportation, domestic and occupational domains, in Brazilian adults. Cross-sectional study with secondary data from the National Health Survey (PNS), conducted in 2019. The factors associated with engagement in PA were analyzed using logistic regression. The study involved 88,500 Brazilian adults with mean age of 45 ± 17.5 years old. Longer working hours [odds ratio (OR) = 0.74; 95%CI 0.66;0.82; > 40h vs. ≥ 20h] and female sex (OR = 0.67; 95%CI 0.63;0.71) were associated with lower chances of engaging in leisure-time PA. Higher income (OR = 3.20; 95%CI 2.79;3.67; > 5 vs. ≥ minimum wage) and education level (OR = 3.01; 95%CI 2.74;3.32 - complete higher education vs. incomplete elementary school) were positively associated with leisure-time PA. Socioeconomic correlates were strongly related to engagement in PA in Brazilian adults, suggesting a pattern of inequity marked by the need for survival, which is socially reproduced.

Psychological Distress and its Associated Risk Factors among Health-care Professionals of India during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Introduction: Millions of lives have been impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection worldwide. The world's health-care system is overburdened and, in some places, in disarray, which has an effect on medical workers' physical and psychological well-being. The psychological impact has more negative effects on people's general well-being. The goal of this review was to ascertain how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these populations' levels of stress, despair, and anxiety. Until March 2022, PubMed, Google Scholar, and journal online databases were searched for articles focusing on stress, anxiety, and depression in Indian health-care professionals. “Psychological distress,” “COVID-19,” and “Health professionals” were utilized as search phrases. The quantitative study was performed using R Software version 4.1.2. Using Cochran's Q test, the studies' heterogeneity (I 2) was evaluated. We found 12 studies in the search results. Stress prevalence as a whole was 0.2721 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.1336–0.4754). Depression had a combined prevalence of 0.3941 (95% CI - 0.2698–0.5338). Anxiety's pooled prevalence was 0.4158 (95% CI - 0.2790–0.5670). Young age and longer work hours were considered the main risk factors for psychological distress. The COVID-19 had a significant impact on India's medical sector. The critical goal is to recognize psychological issues at an early stage and to use the right technique and intervention to deal with them.

Lived experiences of frontline healthcare providers offering maternal and newborn services amidst the novel corona virus disease 19 pandemic in Uganda: A qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many health systems in low resource settings to their knees. The pandemic has had crippling effects on the already strained health systems in provision of maternal and newborn healthcare. With the travel restrictions, social distancing associated with the containment of theCOVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers could be faced with challenges of accessing their work stations, and risked burnout as they offered maternal and newborn services. This study sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers at the frontline during the first phase of the lockdown as they offered maternal and newborn health care services in both public and private health facilities in Uganda with the aim of streamlining patient care in face of the current COVID-19 pandemic and in future disasters. Between June 2020 and December 2020, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted among healthcare providers of different cadres in eight Public, Private-Not-for Profit and Private Health facilities in Kampala, Uganda. The interview guide primarily explored the lived experiences of healthcare providers as they offered maternal and newborn healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the in depth interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Themes and subthemes were identified using both inductive thematic and phenomenological approaches. The content analysis of the in depth interviews revealed that the facilitators of maternal and newborn care service delivery among the healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic included; salary bonuses, the passion to serve their patients, availability of accommodation during the pandemic, transportation to and from the health facilities by the health facilities, teamwork, fear of losing their jobs and fear of litigation if something went wrong with the mothers or their babies. The barriers to their service delivery included; lack of transport means to access their work stations, fear of contracting COVID-19 and transmitting it to their family members, salary cuts, loss of jobs especially in the private health facilities, closure of the non-essential services to combat high patient numbers, inadequate supply of Personal Protective equipment (PPE), being put in isolation or quarantine for two weeks which meant no earning, brutality from the security personnel during curfew hours and burnout from long hours of work and high patient turnovers. The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to a decline in quality of maternal and newborn service delivery by the healthcare providers as evidenced by shorter consultation time and failure to keep appointments to attend to patients. Challenges with transport, fears of losing jobs and fear of contracting COVID-19 with the limited access to personal protective equipment affected majority of the participants. The healthcare providers in Uganda despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are driven by the inherent passion to serve their patients. Availability of accommodation and transport at the health facilities, provision of PPE, bonuses and inter professional teamwork are critical motivators that needed to be tapped to drive teams during the current and future pandemics.

MIGRAÇÃO, JORNADA DE TRABALHO E EDUCAÇÃO DE JOVENS E ADULTOS: AS (IM)POSSIBILIDADES DE CONCILIAÇÃO DO TRABALHO E DA ESCOLA

The article aims to analyze how the relationship between working hours and schooling are configured in the trajectory of migrants enrolled in Youth and Adult Education in the city of Florianopolis/SC. We start with the analysis of labor exploitation through a journey that implies the necessary work and surplus work to produce more value, which expresses the extension and intensification of work, leaving little time for dedication to studies. The research reveals that early entry into the labor market and long hours of working are an impediment to completing schooling. To stay in school, migrant workers must choose which aspect of their life could be sacrificed, such as resting or leisure time.

Association of occupation with the daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour of middle-aged workers in Korea: a cross-sectional study based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

ObjectivesThe WHO recommends that adults engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPAs) and muscle-strengthening activities (MSA), and minimise sedentary behaviour. This study aimed to determine the association of occupation with...

How do job characteristics influence the motivation of millennial hospitality employees?

Orientation: Employee retention remains an ongoing challenge for the hospitality industry, especially given the nature of the industry (an often-hectic work environment, long-working hours and perceived poor compensation). The industry also fails to retain millennial employees, which is a grave concern. Research purpose: The investigation studied the impact of job characteristics on the motivation of millennial hospitality employees. The job characteristics model of Hackman and Oldham served as the theoretical guide. Motivation for the study: In addressing the retention issues that the hospitality industry faces, the study provides theoretical and empirical insight on the impact that job characteristics have on the motivation of millennial hospitality employees. Research approach/design: The study employed a quantitative research approach. A structured questionnaire was administered to 96 millennial hospitality employees using QuestionPro. Targeted snowball sampling was used to identify respondents. Partial least squares (PLS) structured equation modelling (SEM) was applied to determine the relationship between the variables. Main findings: The empirical findings revealed a positive relationship amongst task variety, task significance and feedback towards motivation, but a negative relationship between autonomy and task identity towards motivation. Practical/managerial implications: Prospective hospitality employees need to be well informed about the challenges of working in the hospitality industry. Contribution/value added: Autonomy and task identity emerged as factors that do not contribute to the motivation of hospitality employees. Millennial hospitality employees were, however, motivated by task significance, task variety and feedback.

Precariedad e incertidumbre

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa realizada com 84 professores iniciantes, atuantes na Educação Básica e no Ensino Superior de 15 estados brasileiros. O estudo teve por objetivo discutir sobre as experiências dos professores/as em início de carreira no atual contexto do Ensino Remoto Emergencial, devido à covid-19. Para a obtenção dos dados, utilizou-se um questionário disponibilizado via Google Forms em rede social. Para a análise de dados, utilizou-se a Análise de Conteúdo (Bardin, 2016). A pesquisa revela que as extensas horas de trabalho em condições precarizadas têm gerado intenso desgaste emocional, acarretando um processo de exaustão e adoecimento emocional.

An Integrated Framework of Leadership for Healthcare Organizations to Navigate Through COVID-19 Crisis

COVID-19 crisis has strained healthcare systems immensely creating a multi-front challenge to overcome. Healthcare leaders face stressful situations like long arduous hours of work, isolation from their loved ones, immense mental health issues along with fighting false narratives and campaigns by social media. Hence, there is a dire need for leaders to embrace this uncertainty and evolve by adopting a strategic shift in their mindset.&#x0D; To propose an effective functional leadership model of practice during crisis, author has undertaken a qualitative approach to understand the various literature published on crisis management, reviewed the literature on healthcare leadership, contextualized the papers about unique challenges posed by a crisis like COVID-19, and utilize the learnings to design an integrated framework for healthcare organizations to be applied during a crisis.&#x0D; Author presents a systems-based view of leadership challenges in healthcare organizations during a crisis and proposes a unique framework of 3A- Acknowledge, Activate, and Agility which could serve a comprehensive tool of strategic leadership for healthcare leaders to adopt during a crisis. When healthcare organizations adopt the principles embedded within 3A model elements, it would help them realize better patient outcomes, develop compassionate organizational culture, and enhance professional satisfaction within their teams.

Comparison of 12 and 24-hours shift impacts on ICU nursing care, efficiency, safety, and work-life quality.

Nursing care quality is a central concern of health policy, and nurses' shift schedules affect the quality of care and their work-life status internationally. A lack of reliable information on the differences between 24- and 12-h shifts on care quality, nursing care quality, patient safety, and adverse and missed events warranted investigation in Cambodia. We aimed to examine the impacts of 12-h shifts compared with 24-h shifts. The purpose was to find evidence to support the use of maximum 12-h shifts by registered nurses working in ICU contexts. A convergent mixed-method approach was chosen to highlight the issues around the long hours of shift work. We designed a 12-week coaching course during the implementation of 12-h shifts and assigned 30 nurses each to an experimental group and a control group. Data from quantitative surveying of 58 participants were combined with focus group discussions of 20 participants to gather qualitative insights. Pre- and post-test analysis involved descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon sign rank test for quantitative analysis and then merged with qualitative findings from content analysis. Reporting of this study was steered by the STROBE and COREQ guidelines for quantitative and qualitative findings, respectively. Quantitative results showed the increased quality of nursing work-life, nursing care quality, and patient satisfaction; decreased missed care and adverse events were significantly associated with the 12-h shift. Qualitative data supported nurses preferring 12-h rather than 24-h shift options. Changing rosters to 12-h shifts in the intervention caused increases in the study variables' scores. Results indicate the benefits of 12-h shifts on the quality of nursing work-life, nursing care quality, missed care, adverse events, and patient safety. We found that 24-h shifts had deleterious impacts on care quality and safety and nurse satisfaction with work. Health and nursing policymakers are urged to provide resources and strategize to implement 12 h shifts as soon as possible since the current 24-h shifts of nurses affect the patient quality of care and their health and safety and that of the nurses.

Work-related injuries among Syrian refugee child workers in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon: A gender-sensitive analysis.

BackgroundSyrian refugees in Lebanon have endured increasing hardships since the onset of the Syrian war in 2011, with many resorting to child labor. Working refugee children endure socioeconomic deprivation and harsh working conditions. This study explores the relationship between working conditions and the reporting of injuries among male and female Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and the related gender differences.Methods and findingsA cross-sectional survey of Syrian refugee children working in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon was conducted in 2017. Face-to-face interviews with children (8 to 18 years) collected sociodemographic information and testimonies of their work experiences. Logistic regression tested the association between reporting of injuries and risk factors including school enrolment, field of work, means of transportation to work, age started working, number of working hours, multiple jobs, work pressure and hazards, and abuse. Analyses were stratified by gender.Of the 4090 surveyed working children, the majority reported working in agriculture (75.8%). Around a third (31.4%) reported being injured at work with a higher proportion in males. The most common reported injuries were cuts and wounds (44.9%), with males showing a higher proportion for all types of injuries compared to females. Nearly one fifth of reported injuries (19.8%) required medical attention in a hospital, with males reporting higher proportions than females for most types of injuries. The study findings revealed the association of multiple risk factors with an increased odds of reporting an injury, which included working in more than one job (AOR, 1.71; CI, 1.20–2.43; p = 0.003), working under pressure (AOR, 1.64; CI, 1.36–1.97; p<0.001), the use of sharp or heavy objects (AOR, 1.88; CI, 1.58–2.24; p<0.001), and experiencing physical abuse at work (AOR, 2.46; CI, 1.97–3.08; p<0.001). The odds of reporting an injury increased with every additional hour of work per day (AOR 1.08; CI, 1.02–1.14; p = 0.006). Most of these findings persisted in the male and female stratified models, with few exceptions. Males who went to work in a pickup truck had significantly lower odds of being injured than those who walked (AOR, 0.65; CI, 0.51–0.83; p = 0.001); this finding did not reach significance for females. Having longer work hours per day was significantly linked to higher odds of injury for females (AOR, 1.07; CI, 1.02–1.12; p = 0.008); but not for males. The main limitations of this study were its cross-sectional design and the use of self-reported variables.ConclusionsThis study is the first to obtain direct testimony on work-related injuries and working conditions, exploring gender differences, among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. Results demonstrated the association between the occurrence of injury and multiple risk factors highlighting their strenuous working conditions, with some differences detected between males and females. Many injuries can be prevented through direct safety interventions and proper implementation of child labor policies. Multidimensional interventions are essential to address the complex evolving challenges facing refugees.

A Research on some socio-demographic characteristics of companion animal veterinarians and economic structures of companion animal clinics in Istanbul

Having a pet has become an important phenomenon in recent years and Istanbul stands out as the largest market. The aim of the study is to shine a spotlight on both the veterinarians working in this field and the students who plan to work by examining the economic status of clinics and the socio-demographic structures of veterinarians in Istanbul. Studies were conducted mostly face-to-face in 225 clinics between April 2019 and April 2021. The questionnaires were sent to a small number of veterinarians via e-mail. The first findings were that 42.4% and 63.6% of the mean age of the clinicians are male and the majority were Istanbul University graduates with 77.3%. Vast majority had a negative attitude towards the opening of new faculties (24.9% Bad - 75.1% Very Bad), and the majority (79.1%) had a negative attitude towards the provision of veterinary medicine education in foundation universities. According to the study, for the year 2020 the average monthly earning was 17618 TL (2499 USD) and 28.4% were less than 10000 TL (1418 USD). The largest income item was vaccination with 28.8%, and the largest expense item was drug expenditures with 23.9%. It had been determined that the average rental price paid was 9569 TL (1357 USD). According to the results, the average annual expenditure was 2822 TL (400 USD) for cats and 4516 TL (641 USD) for dogs. In addition, the annual average uncollectible receivables per clinic has been determined as 28444 TL (4034 USD), which meant a large loss of approximately 21 million TL (approx. 3 million USD) on a provincial basis. In general, the research concluded that veterinarians were satisfied with their professions with deficiencies in basic business information and could spend little time on their social lives due to long hours of work. From this point of view, it is of utmost importance to regulate the working conditions and to increase education programs in business matters during university year and beyond.

Occupational Inflexibility and Women's Employment During the Transition to Parenthood.

The typical U.S. workplace has adapted little to changes in the family and remains bound to norms of a workweek of 40 or more hours. How jobs are structured and remunerated within occupations shapes gender inequality in the labor market, and this may be particularly true at the critical juncture of parenthood. This study provides novel evidence showing how the inflexibility of occupational work hours shapes new mothers' employment. We use a fixed-effects approach and individual-level data from nationally representative panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (N = 2,239 women) merged with occupational characteristics from the American Community Survey. We find that women in pre-birth occupations with higher shares working 40 or more hours per week and higher wage premiums to longer work hours are significantly less likely to be employed post-birth. These associations are small in magnitude and not statistically significant for men, and placebo regressions with childless women show no associations between occupational inflexibility and subsequent employment. Results illustrate how individual employment decisions are jointly constrained by the structure of the labor market and persistent gendered cultural norms about breadwinning and caregiving.