Military Employees Research Articles

Structural-functional analysis of socio-psychological support of military employees in conditions of modern transformation

Метою дослідження є проведення структурно-функціонального аналізу соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців в сучасних умовах соціуму. У дослідженні наведено теоретичне узагальнення та нове розв’язання проблеми соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців в умовах трансформаційних змін соціуму. У дослідження було використані ряд методів. Теоретико-методологічні засади вивчення проблеми соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців, як сукупність заходів, спрямованих на підтримку їх психологічної готовності до професійної діяльності та стійкості до впливу стрес-факторів службово-бойової обстановки. Констатовано, що вирішення проблеми соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців зростає з кожним роком, що зумовлено загальними потребами сучасності у створенні армії нового типу – оптимальної за чисельністю та професійно підготовленої, яка буде забезпечена, поряд із високоякісними зразками зброї та обладнання, і спеціально навченими та адаптованими до діяльності в екстремальних умовах військовослужбовцями, здатними протистояти негативному впливу стресових факторів служби, виникненню нервово-психічних розладів. У результатах представлено принципи побудови системи психокорекційної інтервенції для військовослужбовців з невротичними та психосоматичними розладами на госпітальному етапі в умовах мирного часу: застосування психотерапевтичних методів, які спрямовані на відновлення психічних ресурсів, стабілізацію психоемоційного стану та оволодіння навичками саморегуляції фізичного стану; опрацювання конструктивних моделей поведінки в стресових обставинах;психокорекційнаінтревенція особистісно-орієнтована, що у цілому дозволяє пацієнту мати конструктивну внутрішню картину хвороби для збереження психічного здоров’я. Розкрито методологічні та змістовно-процесуальні засади багаторівневої системи соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців, побудованої за етапним принципом з урахуванням маркерів інформативності та стратифікованої за психокорекційним блоком («стабілізація», «отримання навичок самоорганізації», «психоосвітні заходи»), реконструктивно-відновлювальним та реабілітаційно-профілактичним блоками. У висновках необхідно відмітити, що система соціально-психологічного супроводу військовослужбовців під час виконання службових обов’язків складалася з наступних етапів: психологічної підготовки військовослужбовців до участі у військових конфліктах; адаптації після повернення з бойових дій; реадаптації та реабілітації до умов мирного життя шляхом досягнення конструктивного застосування набутих навичок та адаптивного розуміння травмуючої події і своєї реакції завдяки реконструкції травмуючого досвіду.

Risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a large historical cohort of Danish firefighters

ObjectiveFirefighters are exposed to numerous respiratory hazards, but large studies on the risk of pulmonary disease are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine incidence of asthma and...

Can Diversity Management Improve Job Satisfaction for Military Veterans in the Federal Government?

On November 9, 2009, Executive Order 13518 established the Veterans Employment Initiative and invigorated veteran hiring within the federal government. By fiscal year 2016, 635,266 veterans accounted for 31% of the federal workforce, an increase of over 5% in 7 years. To account for this growing employee demographic, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey began tracking veteran status in 2012 and analysis of these data show that veterans are more likely to express turnover intention than nonveterans. This raises a troubling question: Is the policy objective of the Veterans Hiring Initiative achieved if these veterans are more likely to turnover than nonveterans? This article explores whether diversity management mitigates lower job satisfaction levels among military veterans working for the federal government and whether veterans might be considered a stand-alone demographic in diversity scholarship. This study finds that perceptions of fair and effective diversity management are associated with higher job satisfaction among veteran employees, but slightly less so than among nonveterans. The results demonstrate that veterans are a unique employee demographic by showing statistically significant differences in job satisfaction between veterans and nonveterans while controlling for other demographics. Overall, this article contributes to public management research by highlighting military veteran employees and offering insight into an understudied employee population accounting for approximately 31% of the federal workforce.

THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND AS AN EMPLOYER IN MODERN LABOUR MARKET IN OPINION OF SOLDIERS AND MILITARY STAFF

As an employer, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (AF RP) engage in modern market competition to win over the professional service recruits and military staff. Search and retention of properly trained personnel may help the Polish armed forces to carry out their tasks in efficiency way. The article shows the selected results of the pilot survey dealing with the image of the armed forces as perceived by the soldiers and the military employees. The survey has been carried out as an opinion poll to identify the attributes of the AF RP as an employer and to determine significance of these attributes for the soldiers and the military employees. Results of the survey indicate that the attributes that make the Polish army stand out as an employer at the labour market include: stable employment, professional development opportunities, teamwork orientation, challenges and high demands from the organisation members, relatively high remuneration, and sense of mission in striving to be useful to the society.

- The ability of the ministry of National Guard to achieve job satisfaction for employees - A field study : مدى قدرة وزارة الحرس الوطني على تحقيق الرضا الوظيفي للعاملين - دراسة ميدانية -

Objectives of the study: The aim of this study was to identify the job-related factors that contribute to the job satisfaction which include wages, coworkers, leadership/supervision, promotion, rank, experience, training and social level. The study also aimed to know the personal factors that contribute to the job satisfaction that include age, the level of education and marital status. The study also sought to propose the necessary recommendations to improve the level of job satisfaction among workers in the Presidency of the National Guard. Methodology: To achieve these objectives the researcher used social survey method. The survey has been used as a tool to collect data of the study and was designed by taking advantage of previous studies related the subject. The design was applied to targeted population, consisting of all civil servants who work under the Chairmanship of the National Guard in Riyadh, and who hold civilian positions ranked from grade one to grade fourteen. The study excluded the military and non-official employees. Sample of the study: From eighteen departments and using a simple random sampling, the researcher selected five departments. Initially, 249 employees have met the inclusion criteria where they received the survey. Only 238 surveys were returned back to the researcher and 29 of which were excluded. The final number of surveys was 209. Main Results: The study sample members were satisfied to some extent on working wages. The study sample members were satisfied with their relationship with coworkers. Members of the study sample were very satisfied with one dimension of worker co-workers, which is relationship with my colleagues at of the study sample were satisfied with the leadership exercised by their supervisors at work. Members of the study sample were very satisfied with one dimension of leadership exercised by the supervisors at work, which is respect me by my superiors at of the study sample were satisfied to some extent on the factor for promotion in employment. Members of the study sample were satisfied with one dimension of the promotion at work, which is My feeling towards my promotion in my of the study sample were satisfied to some extent on the worker-job training. The study sample members were satisfied with the social status achieved by their work. The most significant factors affecting the career of job satisfaction among staff at the Presidency of the National Guard were a factor of satisfaction with my work colleagues at an average total (4.11 out of 5) followed by a factor of satisfaction with management way to work with an average (3.60 out of 5) followed by a factor of satisfaction with social status, which Fulfill work for them by an average (3.48 out of 5). The least factors that affect the job satisfaction of employees at the Presidency of the National Guard were a factor of satisfaction with the training that is received with an arithmetic average of (3.08 out of 5) followed by a factor of the salary satisfaction with an average of (3.12 out of 5) followed by a factor of the promotion satisfaction with an average of (3.14 out of 5). There was no significant influence of the independent variables (personal variables) on the dependent variable (job satisfaction) except the marital status variable. Conclusion :The researcher concluded with a number of recommendations including: work on all area to improve the level of job satisfaction among workers under the Presidency of the National Guard, determine the problems that limit the level of job satisfaction, and the development of appropriate ways to address them as recommended to work on create the appropriate working environment for employees, thus contributing to improving the level of job satisfaction.

Assessing Workplace Perceptions of Military Veteran Compared to Nonveteran Employees

Qualitative methods were used to examine differences in workplace perceptions between military veteran and nonveteran employees at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Prior research using employee satisfaction survey data found veteran employees reported a stronger connection to the organizational mission yet were overall less satisfied than nonveteran employees. The authors examined the open-text comments from that same survey to determine whether veteran employees identified the reasons for their discontent and whether these were similar to nonveterans’ concerns. They found that in cases when veteran employees indicated dissatisfaction or concerns, favoritism/unfairness was an overarching theme in their comments, more so than for nonveterans. Pragmatically, given these findings, enhanced vocational strategies for veterans transitioning into civilian employment is one way to socialize them into the new requirements and thus improve veterans’ workplace perceptions. Another approach is to develop organizational leaders’ understanding of military skills and culture to enable a better use of veteran employees’ strengths at civilian jobs.

Incidence of cardiovascular disease in a historical cohort of Danish firefighters

ObjectivesFirefighters are exposed to multiple cardiovascular hazards, but few epidemiological studies have addressed their cardiovascular morbidity. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the incidence of cardiovascular diseases...

Barriers to Physical Activity: Physical Activity in Military Employees; Barrier impact on Perceived Health

Barriers to Physical Activity: Physical Activity in Military Employees; Barrier impact on Perceived Health

Long-term follow-up for cancer incidence in a cohort of Danish firefighters

ObjectivesTo examine cancer incidence among Danish firefighters using several employment-related exposure subgroups.MethodsA historical cohort of 9061 male Danish firefighters was established from collected personnel and membership records from employers and...

Work–Family Conflict and Enrichment Mediates the Relationship Between Job Characteristics and Well-Being at Work With Portuguese Marine Corps

This study of 175 military employees working in three units of the Portuguese Marine Corps tested the mediated effect of work–family conflict and enrichment on the relationship between job characteristics and well-being at work (i.e., burnout; engagement). Using job demands, job autonomy, and supervisor support as job characteristics, and consistent with the assumptions of acclaimed work well-being models (i.e., job demands–control and support, job demands–resources model, and conservation of resources theory), the structural equation modeling analysis revealed that job characteristics are related to both work–family conflict and enrichment, which, in turn, explain militaries’ burnout and engagement. Work–family enrichment mediated the relationship between job characteristics (i.e., autonomy and supervisor support) and engagement, and work–family conflict not only mediated the relationship between job characteristics (i.e., demands and supervisor support) and burnout but also acted as a mediator between these variables and engagement.

Usklađivanje motiva i ciljeva bitnih subjekata planiranja razvoja sistema odbrane

Planning the development of the defense system ensures that the defense system, that is the Serbian Armed Forces in its narrow sense, has the required capabilities to protect national interests from current and future security challenges, risks and threats. The harmonization of motives and objectives of the essential entities has the decisive influence on the results of the planning of the Serbian Armed Forces development. The entities that have the greatest influence on development planning are the nation, that is citizens, a representative political party and entities within the military (military managers and employees). The mismatch between motives and objectives of these entities for a great many years, as well as the implementation of a poor model of harmonization, have led to a continuous reduction of the defense budget, which affected motivation of the employees and has led to the great number of members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces terminate their employment. The final effects are reflected in the decline of operational capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces.

ТАБІР ІНТЕРНОВАНИХ ВІЙСЬК УНР У ПИКУЛИЧАХ (ПОЛЬЩА) (СІЧЕНЬ — ЛЮТИЙ 1921 р.): УМОВИ ПЕРЕБУВАННЯ ТА МОРАЛЬНИЙ СТАН ВОЯЦТВА

У статті проаналізовано умови перебування та моральний стан інтернованого українського вояцтва у таборі Пукуличі (Польща). Доведено, що побут вояків-українців був позначений значними труднощами, що було зумовлено перенаселеністю табору, нестачею дров для обігріву бараків, неефективністю роботи санітарно-гігієнічних закладів, вкрай неякісним харчуванням та іншими обмеженнями. Все це призводило до суттєвого збільшення рівня захворюваності в таборі, але завдяки добре налагодженій медичній допомозі поширення інфекційних хвороб вдавалось швидко локалізувати. Але все це в комплексі призводило до деморалізації тих вояків-українців, які не мали стійких національно-державницьких переконань. У цих умовах величезного значення набували заходи старших військових начальників та співробітників культурно-освітніх відділів зі зміцнення морального духу інтернованих. З цією метою у таборі було організовано проведення загальних та спеціальних викладів, у середовищі козацтва ініційовано процес ліквідації неграмотності та малограмотності. Цій же меті слугувало відкриття бібліотеки і читальні на 50-60 осіб. Заходами видавничої секції у таборі було продовжено видання літературно-наукового місячника «Запорожець», у старшинському бараку поширювався сатиричний журнал «Жало». Для всіх бажаючих у таборі для вояцтва були створені умови для занять спортом та різними колективними іграми. У вільний від служби час таборяни відвідували таборовий театр, в якому заходами акторів-аматорів готувались вистави п’єс українських драматургів. Єднала таборян й українська пісня у виконанні самодіяльних таборових хорів.

Yes, In My Back Yard: Why Nationality States of Private Military and Security Company Employees Should Be Included in Their Regulatory & Oversight Schemes

The global use of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) has grown steadily in recent years but a universally acknowledged regulatory system to monitor their compliance with international laws remains elusive. The two main proposals for an oversight system include voluntary self-regulation versus a treaty that would bind States to regulate and control PMSC conduct. Both approaches place responsibilities on States that hire PMSCs, act as their home bases, and on whose territories the PMSCs facilitate military operations. A fourth category is made up of States that may not fall under any of the preceding three categories but whose citizens are employed by foreign PMSCs. Many such ‘Nationality States’ have ratified multiple international humanitarian law (IHL) commitments, including disarmament treaties. While these States ensure that their military personnel respect their ratified IHL treaties wherever they act, the same assurance cannot always be given for their civilians working as contractors in foreign conflicts. Hence, if a State’s civilians deliberately and regularly expose themselves to prohibited acts and munitions in foreign conflict zones, should they be required to observe some of the same restrictions that are placed on their national militaries? None of the current approaches to regulate PMSCs adequately addresses this issue. This paper will argue that Nationality States should regulate and licence their citizens who work for PMSCs, and enforce applicable IHL restrictions upon such civilians when they act in extra-territorial conflict zones.

Organizational identification, commitment and orientations of professional military personnell

Background/Aim. All military organizations seek such employees who will advocate for the organization's mission and act responsibly in the direction of achieving the objectives of operational and working groups to which they belong. Accordingly, the primary task of the military organization management is not only the cultivation of the members who would be committed to the organization, but also the officers and soldiers who identify with the organizational mission. The aim of this study was to examine differences in organizational identification, commitment to the organization and organizational orientations of the professional military personnel and employees in service and administrative activities. Methods. The research sample consisted of 450 respondents, of whom 150 were professional soldiers, 150 civilian employees in the service sector and 150 employees in the civil sector in administration. For statistical analysis of the data, the analysis of variance and canonical discriminant analysis were used. Results. Professional military personnel was characterized by a high degree of both organizational commitment and organizational identification, compared with employees in the civil sector - service and administrative activities. Through the process of canonical discriminant analysis, it was found that the professional military personnel are different from the other personnel in the sense that they identify with their colleagues and they feel a high degree of loyalty to the military organization, as key aspects of organizational identification. In addition, professional military personnel have pronounced affective commitment to the organization. Conclusion. Human resources are the key and the essential factor of advantage in the context of strong competitiveness in the field of military defense's reality. Given that they are more adaptable and flexible, compared with the technological and structural resources, a high degree of experienced similarity with the other members of the organization, pronounced loyalty and affective commitment to the organization, to a large extent guarantee new successes and the progress of the military organization.

Employee mental health treatment seeking: Perceptions of responsibility and resilience

ABSTRACTThis study examined how seeking treatment for mental health problems developed as a result of occupational stressors in extreme (military) and typical (civilian) work environments affect perceptions of employee resilience and responsibility for mental health symptoms. Utilizing a 2 × 2 × 2 design, vignettes described either military or civilian employees experiencing mental health symptoms, who had or had not experienced high levels of work stressors, and either did or did not seek treatment. One hundred and seventy undergraduate students then rated the vignette character’s resilience and responsibility for symptoms. Results indicated that stressor exposure decreased perceptions of responsibility for military employees, but not for civilian employees. In addition, employees who sought treatment were rated as more resilient. These results indicate that seeking mental health treatment is not associated with adverse perceptions of the employee by others. Discussion of the results focuses on how getting help for mental health problems can be viewed as a form of self-care that can have positive consequences.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and the Military: A Population-based Study in the Danish Registries.

Prior studies have suggested that military service may be associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We conducted a population-based case-control study in Denmark to assess whether occupation in the Danish military is associated with an increased risk of developing ALS. There were 3,650 incident cases of ALS recorded in the Danish National Patient Registry between 1982 and 2009. Each case was matched to 100 age- and sex-matched population controls alive and free of ALS on the date of the case diagnosis. Comprehensive occupational history was obtained from the Danish Pension Fund database, which began in 1964. 2.4% (n = 8,922) of controls had a history of employment in the military before the index date. Military employees overall had an elevated rate of ALS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1, 1.6). A 10-year increase in years employed by the military was associated with an OR of 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.4), and all quartiles of time employed were elevated. There was little suggestion of a pattern across calendar year of first employment, but there was some evidence that increasing age at first employment was associated with increased ALS rates. Rates were highest in the decade immediately following the end of employment (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.2). In this large population-based case-control study, employment by the military is associated with increased rates of ALS. These findings are consistent with earlier findings that military service or employment may entail exposure to risk factors for ALS.

Monitoring Acute Diarrhea via an Electronic Surveillance System in the Peruvian Navy

Vigila is a national electronic surveillance system implemented by the Peruvian Navy in order to monitor infectious diseases. Vigila includes 169 reporting establishments, which treat active military, retired military, dependents, and civilian employees. The goal of this study was to establish baselines of acute diarrheal disease in the Peruvian Navy and detect outbreaks of acute diarrheal disease from 2009-2013. There were 39,764 cases of acute diarrheal disease reported, and 25 outbreaks were detected using Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control charts. These analyses demonstrate the utility of syndromic surveillance in a resource-limited setting.

Feasibility and Success Rate of Lumbar Full-Endoscopic Discectomy: A Preliminary Report From a Military Hospital

Introduction: Disease and nonbattle injuries are common among deployed military forces and musculoskeletal disease is a leading burden of disease in military population. Consequently, military employees and veterans frequency need medical and surgical management for lumbar disc herniation. Because of considerable complications and long post operation rehabilitation period, minimal invasive procedures have substituted old techniques in many modern military hospitals. Case Presentation: In this study, the preliminary results of 30 operated cases with the full endoscopic lumbar disc herniectomy technique in a military hospital were presented for feasibility, complications and follow-up outcomes. Disc herniation was more frequent in left side, particularly in L5-S1 level. Three patients from the first 10 cases were converted to open surgery. No important complication was observed and all patients were pain free, had no complication after 1 and 2 months follow-up and returned to their work. Conclusions: We observed that the procedure is feasible and accompanied with an acceptable success rate, short hospital stay and very few perioperative and postoperative complications. It is an appropriate choice of treatment, even in combat region and moving hospitals and can reduce the morbidity of the disease.

Personality Factors and Job Satisfaction Levels in Military Staff Employed on a Contract basis

Abstract The professional military category currently represents a substantial component of the Romanian army, both in terms of numbers and importance of the work they perform. From the perspective of our country's accession to NATO and the European Union, the importance of the military staff gradually increased. This was mainly due to the gradual professionalization of the army and cessation of conscription. Given the special missions involving military employees either in the country or abroad and the necessary skills to meet them, a rigorous selection for the employment into the military system became a priority. The objective of this research paper was to determine the personality factors influencing job satisfaction levels in military personnel. It also aims to identify differences in job satisfaction levels in officers compared to those of non- commissioned officers (NCOs), taking into consideration the work specificity of each position. This research was conducted on a group of 80 military personnel, both men and women, aged between 25 and 42, from a subunit in Constanta, Romania. The average age of those participating in the study was 34.29 years. The study revealed the existence of differences between officers and NCOs regarding job satisfaction levels. Officers experience a greater satisfaction than NCOs with regards to material aspects such as salary, advantages and collateral benefits, working conditions, being in a leading position and work in general. One of the possible limitations of this study is determined by the small number of subjects in the sample and the low diversity (only one subunit has been chosen). The study results may also be explained by the fact that the subjects responded in a socially desirable manner, which would explain the low scores for some of the job satisfaction levels.

Population-based health survey in Eastern region of Saudi Arabia

A community health survey was conducted to describe the current health status and preventive health practices of National Guard military employees and their dependants residing in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. In a cross-sectional survey in 2010, data were collected via a questionnaire interview and direct physical measurements. A total of 1339 adults aged 14 years completed the survey [mean age 30.7 (SD 12.7) years]. About two-thirds of the sample had problems of overweight and obesity, while 50% had high serum lipids and psychiatric disorders. Hypertension and diabetes were detected in 9.0% and 9.1% of the participants respectively and 15.8% were smokers. The rates of complete immunization and breastfeeding of children were 88.9% and 80.2% respectively and 21.7% of the women had ever used oral contraceptives. However, only 6.5% of the women had ever had a mammogram and 13.4% a cervical smear. The survey results provide a baseline from which to strengthen many oublic health nolicies and orogrammes.