Work Life Research Articles

Work and Environmental Factors on Job Burnout: A Cross-Sectional Study for Sustainable Work

In the context of sustainable development, the occupational sphere must be integrally considered within health promotion frameworks, ensuring an equitable work–life balance while recognizing and amplifying the capabilities of every employee. Concurrently, there is a notable trend of physicians transitioning from public to private healthcare sectors, with burnout frequently cited in scholarly discourse as a primary catalyst for this shift. The objective of our study was to examine the vulnerability of medical staff to burnout. To achieve this, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 1084 physicians from various specialties, employed in urban hospital settings. This research was executed via the distribution of an anonymous questionnaire, utilizing the Google Forms platform during work hours. The questionnaire was based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) scale, specifically adapted for medical professionals, requiring respondents to provide insights into their experiences. Analysis of the collected data from a total of 614 respondents indicated a moderate predisposition towards burnout among the sample. These findings underscore the necessity for interventions targeting organizational flexibility and, notably, the restructuring of remuneration practices. Salaries often do not reflect the terms of employment contracts across numerous EU jurisdictions, necessitating urgent reforms. In conclusion, the reinforcement of interpersonal dynamics within medical teams and between healthcare institutions and their practitioners emerges as a critical strategy. Enhancing these relationships is essential for revitalizing the healthcare delivery system, ensuring that medical professionals are adequately compensated in alignment with the principles of sustainable employment.

Survival Games: Understanding Journalistic and Extra-Journalistic Practices and Pursuits of Small-Town Stringers in South India

ABSTRACT The precarity of journalistic labour has received significant scholarly attention globally, leading to a plethora of studies that attempt to theorise changing journalistic roles, practices, and norms. Whereas precarity in newswork is formulated as the “new normal” in the Global North, the precarious situation of marginal(ised) newsworkers in the Global South has been simply normal. Based on ethnographic research in two small-town formations in South India, this article presents how stringers working in Indian-language newspapers have developed a complex professional identity and shared norms through journalistic and extra-journalistic practices to survive in the field. In doing so, we develop, in a novel way, Bourdieu’s concept of illusio to understand the formation of a professional identity that spans adjacent fields. This paper’s critical engagement with the difficult working lives of stringers and their invisible labour has learnings for analysis of precarity in journalism across the Global North and South.

Integration of work and life roles: an interpretive study of women entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates

PurposeUtilizing boundary theory as a guiding framework, this study aims to explore facets of work–life balance (WLB) that women entrepreneurs experience in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It sheds light on strategies women entrepreneurs use to manage and shape boundaries between their personal and professional lives.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 50 women entrepreneurs to gain a deeper understanding of their WLB challenges.FindingsIntegration is a boundary management approach used by most women in our sample, facilitated by the thin work–life boundary inferable from their entrepreneurial careers. Integration has all the hallmarks of being imposed on women entrepreneurs because of family role challenges and societal expectations, on top of their entrepreneurial obligations. Women are reactors; they shoulder societal, family and entrepreneurial roles while having little control over events and circumstances.Practical implicationsBoundary theory suggests two roles must be interconnected to coexist successfully. Women entrepreneurs can benefit from the synergy between their personal and professional lives. As their roles tend to be more complex, it is essential to consider the consolidation of both spheres as an ongoing process to maximize their benefits.Originality/valueToday’s independent forms of working are contingent on flexible work arrangements, work intensification and wireless communication. Understanding how women entrepreneurs find balance amid boundarylessness adds to our limited knowledge of people in comparable environments.

Behavior problems, social relationships, and adolescents' future orientation. Links from middle to late adolescence.

As adolescents leave high school, plans for the future are of great importance. Future orientation reflects positive thoughts regarding further education, employment, and family life. While future orientation has been found to affect behavior problems, the influence of behavior problems on future orientation is mainly unknown. Positive parent-child and peer relations may boost positive outlooks, but the interplay of behavior problems and social relations for future orientation remains to be studied. Participants were 485 adolescents, 54% girls, living in Mid-Sweden. At age 15, parents and adolescents rated ADHD- and internalizing symptoms, parents rated ODD-symptoms, and adolescents rated their relationship with parents and peers. At age 18, adolescents rated future orientation regarding education, employment, and family, and reported on delinquent acts. Low levels of inattention symptoms and of delinquency were important for all higher future orientation aspects. In contrast, higher levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were associated with more positive outlooks on work and family life. Relationships with parents and peers were stronger predictors of future outlooks, compared with behavior problems. There were few interaction effects of behavioral symptoms and social relationship quality. Behavior problems in middle adolescence may negatively affect future outlooks. However, positive social relations, especially relations with peers, seem more important for optimistic views than behavior problems and thus may have a compensatory effect. The clinical implications should be to address the young person's social world, in the case of misgivings about the future, also in the presence of problematic behaviors.

Job quality in the Saudi Arabian banking sector: Implications for employee performance and organizational outcomes

Within the Saudi Arabian banking sector, the quality of work life emerges as a crucial determinant shaping employee performance. This research delves into the nuanced impacts of diverse job quality facets on employee efficacy within this domain. Employing a stratified random sampling methodology, 500 institutions were selected, yielding a 49.6% response rate, or 248 completed surveys, with the active engagement of senior management. Utilizing a quantitative paradigm, the study harnessed descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) to elucidate the interplay between job quality dimensions and performance outcomes. The analysis revealed that elements like compensation structures, work-life equilibrium, and growth opportunities substantially influenced employee productivity. In contrast, most job quality facets garnered positive evaluations, and aspects related to wage and compensation exhibited room for enhancement. The research accentuates the imperative of elevating job quality benchmarks within the banking sector to augment employee contentment and performance metrics. This study’s insights advocate for stakeholders and policymakers to champion job quality as a pivotal driver for optimizing organizational effectiveness.

Operating Room Organization and Methodology of Surgical Activity Regulation.

This article discusses the implementation of surgical activity regulation methodology in the operating room to reduce organizational dysfunction, improve quality of work life of the surgical staff, and decrease staff overtime.

Clinical understanding of Garbhini Paricharya : Routine care for pregnant women through Ayurveda

Introduction: Ayurveda classics give importance to caring of mother before, during and after pregnancy. Care during nine months of pregnancy is termed as Antenatal care or Garbhini Paricharya. Garbini Paricharya is one of its concepts explaining the importance of establishment of health of a woman before delivery; directing physicians and Gharbhini to adopt certain recommendation of Aahara, Vihara & Yoga and Pranayama. Material & Method: Literature is collected by Brihatrayi and Laghutrayi, all available Ayurvedic classic, modern available texts, magazines, journals, and research papers. Result: Garbhini Paricharya as described in Ayurveda classics is unique and specific. So by following proper Ayurvedic Gharbhini Paricharya would result in proper development of foetus and prepare pregnant women for Sukhprasava physically, psychologically and spiritually. Discussion: Now present modern and busy working life women are facing many complications and other health related issue after conceiving and during the pregnancy period. Thousand year of ago our classical texts Ayurveda described most important Gharbhini Paricharya for Gharbhini. It is totally scientific and too much beneficial for foetus and mother both. The concept of prenatal care is now highlighted in modern science, which is mentioned in Ayurveda thousands of years ago.

Unmet occupational needs of first responders transitioning to retirement

ABSTRACT First responders have high-stress jobs, identify with their professions’ crisis management actions, and yet are highly communal in their work life. They are often unprepared for retirement and transition to civilian life. As a result, their occupational needs are mostly unsatisfied. We employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to understand the lived experience of retirement transition among first responders. Data were collected in four focus groups with 15 first responders. A hermeneutical spiral guided the exploration of the data in a back-and-forth and parts-to-whole-text approach to search for new insights via a three-step thematic analysis process. Four themes and nine subthemes emerged from data analysis. Supersuit painted a picture of self-identity tied to the first responder role. Civilian detailed first responders’ transition from public safety to civilian life. The Door Shuts described accounts of a fast work exit without proper retirement preparation and post-retirement care. Staying Busy explained the importance of occupational engagement in retirement. The research findings pointed to unmet occupational, human needs of doing, being, becoming, and belonging, and struggles in retirement transition among retired first responders. Occupational engagement and social participation in retirement appeared to be crucial in meeting those needs and alleviating substantial challenges of retirement transition. We conclude with recommendations for future research and program development to assist first responders to an occupationally rich retirement.

Work-Life Balance: Women with at Least One Sick or Disabled Child

Although gender equity was advocated, women with at least one child had difficulty reconciling work and family. If women with healthy children experience conflict between their two spheres of life, what about women living with disabled or sick children? This article highlights the challenges, the different individual strategies adopted and socially responsible management practices that can facilitate the reconciliation of work and private life to break the glass ceiling of women with at least one sick or disabled child. The results of an exploratory qualitative study of 15 women with at least one disabled or sick child show that the challenges of medical emergencies, working hours, working hours, daily stress, permanent insecurity linked to the state of health, the education of its children, the care of his children, the sharing of family responsibility between spouses, care for close relatives, the possibility of changing working hours, overload at work, young children, unfavourable culture does not facilitate conciliation. These women use the individual strategy of social support, redefinition of roles and temporal organization to reconcile their professional and private lives. And finally, the results show that his individual strategies are not enough to reconcile work and family. To do this, companies must put in place socially responsible practices and management that can further enable them to facilitate conciliation and be efficient at work.

Employability skills in architecture and design: toward bridging the gap between academia and practice for Saudi women employees

PurposeThe role of women in the architecture and design industry is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to increase the participation of women in the Saudi construction sector. Saudi female graduates from architectural and design schools are currently working in most of the mega projects underway in Riyadh; however, they face certain challenges at the beginning of their working lives due to the gap between the skills acquired during an architectural and design education and those needed for employability.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the employability skills of Saudi female cooperative education (COOP) students and graduates from architectural schools in Riyadh. A quantitative approach is taken, and two questionnaires are administered: one for female COOP students and graduates from the college of architecture and design in one of the private universities in Riyadh and the other for employers from different architectural firms and governmental organizations in Riyadh. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the research data.FindingsThe research findings suggest that practical experiences and on-site observation activities should be provided, and sustainability solutions and applications should be incorporated into the curriculum to bring architecture education closer to the architectural profession and highlight the role of universities in supporting graduates' skills development.Research limitations/implicationsIt is worth mentioning that the results of this study were based on the survey distributed to architecture and interior female students in a private university in Saudi Arabia. The number of students surveyed in this study is not large enough to generalize the survey results to the entire population of architecture and interior design students in the kingdom and in the world. The study will be extended to include more participants from male and female students in other universities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the gaps in employability skills in the field of architecture and interior design in the Kingdom.Practical implicationsThe study has practical and policy implications for further development and upcoming challenges as the labor market seems to improve and innovate every day. The study suggests providing practical experiences and onsite observation activities and incorporating sustainability solutions and applications into the curriculum.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is that it focuses on the importance of some employability skills, such as research and budgeting aspects, Sustainability solutions and applications for students that have not been mentioned in the previous studies.

Is Managerial Homeworking New? Assessing strategic, technological and political influences before, during and after coronavirus

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is often assumed that working at home represents a fundamental transformation in the way managers work. But is managerial homeworking that new? To answer this question, we draw on labour process theory and three empirical studies to place post-pandemic homeworking in historical sociological perspective. Overall, we find that homeworking is not a novel phenomenon, but has been driven by various logics. Explaining these, we contend initially that recent studies of managers working at home have focused on the mandated temporal present of the practice under Covid-19, which has resulted in homeworking being portrayed idiosyncratically. In contrast, and to attain a more comprehensive understanding of what homeworking means for managers, we argue that it is necessary also to understand both the underappreciated past of the phenomenon as well as options for its projected future. A comparative – past, present, future – inquiry therefore portrays how a range of explicit (e.g. corporate restructuring, digital technology, government legislation) and implicit (e.g. responsible autonomy, cultural resistance, work–life balance) factors have influenced and affected the practice of managers working at home in recent times. Through content analysis, these factors are related to broader forces of strategic change, technological innovation and political regulation in describing the ‘contested terrain’ of modern managerial work. Amid a context of economic neoliberalism, work extensification and shifting spatio-temporal (home/work) boundaries, the paradoxical nature of homeworking – symptomatic of managers’ contemporary ‘struggle for a normal working day’ – is documented through a series of interview-based narrative investigations (conducted in 2002–2006, 2015–2019 and 2020–2021). Ultimately, the paper makes a case not only for greater historical retrospection, but also for deeper critical reflection, in studies of managerial homeworking, and notably when considering whether the practice will likely be extended, ended or otherwise in the coming decades.

Future past tense of abusive supervision: a narrative inquiry

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the narratives of victims of abusive supervision. We explore the meaning or “lessons” victims derive from those experiences and how they shape the victims’ views of self, work and organization in relation to navigating their subsequent jobs.Design/methodology/approachWe analyzed how appraisals of supervisory abuse transform victims’ narratives and their consequent work attitudes through sensemaking processes. Semi-structured interviews with the past victims of abusive supervision generated a four-stage model of how sensemaking shapes victims’ future work attitudes. Our interpretations were guided through narrative thematic analysis based on the constructionist approach.FindingsVictims’ lessons learned are predominantly framed by their retrospective post-event appraisal of abuse (based on its severity) once individuals are no longer subject to abusive supervision. With greater distance from the abuse, victims can process the abuse and better understand the motivation of the abuser, enabling the process of causal attributions. These attributions further shape victims’ narratives and future work attitudes through a complex interplay of retrospective and prospective sensemaking mechanisms. The victims broadly reported proactive (with higher self-awareness and endurance) and reactive (self-protection, and emotional scars) lessons. A four-stage model was proposed based on our findings.Originality/valueAbusive supervision remains a persistent issue experienced by many individuals at some point in their working life. However, little is known about how victims make sense of the event post-abuse and how this sense-making guides their future work behaviors. Understanding this phenomenon provides insight into how employees navigate through adversity and construct a more positive future. The contribution of this narrative inquiry is threefold. First, it explores how individual appraisals of supervisory abuse frame their (1) mechanisms of narrative construction; and (2) future work attitudes. Second, our findings demonstrate how narrative construction is a fluid process often informed by the process of retrospective and prospective sensemaking. Finally, our research suggests two broader categories of lessons that victims internalize and carry forward to their subsequent jobs.

Evaluation methods of out-of-autoclave epoxy prepreg working life used in aerospace application

ABSTRACT Prepregs are highly dependent on the resin, its chemical composition, and physical properties. Resin is the perishable part of prepreg materials and usually requires controlled storage, otherwise, its processability and properties may be affected. Oven curing prepregs are recognized to have longer life out of the freezer than those designed to cure in autoclave, and one of them, prepreg 2511, is the focus of this research. Prepreg 2511 has a formal out-time limit of 28 days at clean room environment (23°C/50% relative humidity), and 24 months shelf life, when frozen at −18°C, while common prepreg designed to be cured in autoclave, usually have 15 days of out-time and 12 months of shelf-life. It is known that the real shelf life and out time of epoxy-based materials tends to be longer than suppliers’ recommendation. Aiming to assess 2511 performance after those 28 days of exposure to clean room ambient, during and after 24 months in freezer; the material was exposed to this environmental condition for more than 28 days and tested periodically using different methods, including, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography tack, among others. In resume, the goal of this research was to identify 2511 longest out life without losing its properties and which of the tests used during these experiments would be more sensitive to capture its aging.

Thermal fatigue performance enhancement of new high-Cr martensitic die steels based on overall microstructure manipulation by trace TiC–TiB2 nanoparticles

Thermal fatigue failure is one of the main factors affecting the service life of hot work die steel. Achieving excellent thermal fatigue resistance for hot working die steels can benefit the industry economically. In this work, (TiC + TiB2)/Al master alloys were used to add TiC–TiB2 nanoparticles into high-Cr die steels, which achieves microstructure manipulation and obtains excellent thermal fatigue resistance and strength-plastic combination. The results showed that after being manipulated by 0.02 wt% TiC–TiB2 nanoparticles, the surface oxidation zone of the high-Cr die steel after different thermal fatigue cycles is reduced than high-Cr die steel without manipulation. TiC–TiB2 nanoparticles effectively refined the heat-treated microstructure of high-Cr die steel, promoting the Cr element and alloy carbides being more uniformly distributed in the matrix, which prevents the occurrence of oxidative pitting and conducive to the formation of a dense and uniform Cr2O3 oxide layer, and further preventing the initiation of thermal fatigue cracks. Moreover, these finer and more uniformly distributed precipitates in TiC–TiB2 nanoparticles manipulated high-Cr die steels will promote stress dispersion and hinder thermal fatigue crack propagation. This work provides a promising avenue for the design of low-cost, high-performance, and long-life die steels for industrial applications.

“Women in working life” in the early years of republican Turkey

ABSTRACT This article will explore the experiences of working women in the late 1920s as expressed by themselves. It will reflect on women’s experiences in work in the early years of the Republic through the example of a survey titled ‘Women in Working Life’ (İş Hayatında Kadın) published in the Vakit Newspaper between March 31 and May 4 1929. It will ask questions related to class, gender, and being in paid work as a woman in the early years of the republic. For this purpose, first, the legacy of the late Ottoman context in terms of women’s participation in paid work will be briefly discussed to better the changes in the early republican context. I will first briefly introduce the legacy of the late Ottoman context in terms of women’s participation in paid work to better understand the transformation in the early republican context. Then, based on the survey in the Vakit newspaper, the article will present the testimonies of the working women -most of whom were pioneers in their fields- and discuss being a working woman/professional in the early republican context.

The flexibility paradox and spatial‐temporal dimensions of COVID‐19 remote work adaptation among dual‐earner mothers and fathers

AbstractThere is an increased blurring of work and home life in contemporary society due to access to technology and the mass expansion of remote work during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Flexible working arrangements like remote work can lead to men self‐exploiting themselves in the workplace and women self‐exploiting themselves in the domestic sphere in the context of a work‐centric society that is reliant upon passion at work and traditional gender norms. This study extends Chung's ideas on gendered patterns in the flexibility paradox by examining spatial‐temporal dimensions of COVID‐19 remote work adaptation among an extreme sample: dual‐earner parents with young children. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted on Zoom with 20 mothers and 17 fathers working from home in the U.S. with children ages 5 and under between the summer of 2020 and the spring of 2021. Findings indicate that fathers' work is prioritized in spatio‐temporal terms whereas mothers' work is fragmented and dispersed. Gendered patterns in the flexibility paradox and labor shouldered by mothers as primary caregivers are considered as potential theoretical explanations for the privileging of fathers' workspace and work time.

A Study on Factors Influencing the Employee Engagement in MetroFlex Mattress Pvt Ltd

This research work titled “A study on Factors Influencing the Employee Engagement in Metroflex Mattress Pvt Ltd”, was done with the main objective to study on Factors influencing the Employee Engagement in Metroflex Mattress Pvt Ltd. To know the influence of Company Management on their engagement and job satisfaction in the Metroflex Mattress Pvt Ltd. To provide the suggestion for the organization in Employee Engagement at Metroflex Mattress Pvt Ltd, Karur. It is descriptive research design. The Primary data has been used to collect data with the help of Questionnaire. The sample size is 120. Tools used in this study Correlation ANOVA and the major findings are the majority 79.2% of the respondents are of the gender male. The majority 55.8% of the respondents are Production Department. The suggestions for the betterment of the company is provide the competitive compensation along with attractive benefits packages. Offer flexible schedules or remote work to help employees balance work and personal life. Provide training to help employees grow in their roles and careers. Regularly review salaries to ensure they're competitive and fair. Create a supportive and inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels valued. Keywords –Compensation, Job satisfaction, Employee growth opportunities, Working environment.

Empowering MSME Employees: Quality of Work Life and Organizational Support

This quantitative study investigates the association between quality of life at work (QWL), perceived organizational support (POS), and employee performance in Kota Magelang's micro, little, and medium-sized firm (MSME) sector. Through a questionnaire issued to 210 MSME employees, with a 100% response rate, the research explores the impact of QWL on both employee performance and POS, as well as the mediating role of POS in the relationship between QWL and employee performance. The findings show a good relationship between QWL and staff performance, as well as a positive influence of QWL on the point of sale. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the mediating role of POS in the relationship between QWL and employee performance. These findings highlight the necessity of improving QWL and POS within MSMEs to support increased employee performance, hence contributing to the economic development of Magelang's City MSME sector.

The Influence of Work Life Balance and Work Experience on Employee Performance in Rocket Chicken in the City of Yogyakarta

This research is useful to investigate the effects work life balace, along with work experience, impacts the employee performance. The sample in this study were employees who worked at Rocket Chicken, Yogyakarta City with the characteristics of having work experience of ≥ 1 year. The research utilized purposive sampling, involving 45 respondents in total. Primary data for this study comprises the perspectives of employees at Rocket Chicken in Yogyakarta City, collected via a questionnaire. The examinations conducted in this study included descriptive analysis, instrument validation (reliability and validity tests), assessment of classical assumptions, determination coefficient calculation, and hypothesis testing (t-test and F-test). The findings indicate a positive and significant impact of both work-life balance and work experience on employee performance. Work-life balance, with a regression coefficient of 0.731 and work experience with a coefficient of 0.769, show substantial effects on performance, supported by significance values of 0.00. Additionally, their collective influence is reinforced by an F-value of 17.308, exceeding the F-table value, and a significance value below 0.05 (0.00).

A Currency of Love: Illuminating Motherhood Across Immigrant, Cultural, and Socioeconomic Lines During COVID-19

The school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work and home lives of families. Drawing on data from 19 interviews with Brazilian and non-Brazilian mothers in one urban elementary school, we explore how mothers negotiated their roles as caregivers, breadwinners, and teachers during this unprecedented time. Braiding Oliveira's concept of the currency of love with Yosso's concept of community cultural wealth, we argue that mothers across immigrant, cultural, and socioeconomic lines enacted similar care practices to sustain their children's learning. This study advances the literature by illuminating the sometimes invisible efforts of mothers to nurture their children's schooling.