Non-traditional Work Research Articles

Uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine among brothel-based female sex workers in Kampala, Uganda

BackgroundHepatitis B is a significant health problem worldwide, particularly among high-risk groups such as female sex workers (FSWs). In Uganda, it is highly recommended that FSWs receive the hepatitis B vaccine. However, there is limited evidence of the level of uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine and associated factors among FSWs in Uganda. This study aimed to assess hepatitis B vaccine uptake and associated factors among FSWs in Kampala district, Uganda.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 400 FSWs in Kampala, Uganda. We utilized a researcher-developed digitized semi-structured questionnaire and employed multistage sampling to enroll participants. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 14.0. Continuous data were expressed as mean and standard deviation whereas categorical data were reported as frequencies and proportions. We employed Modified Poisson regression analysis to assess the relationship between predictor variables and the uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine.ResultsA total of 400 respondents (98.5% response rate) were surveyed. Close to half, 49.8% of the respondents had ever heard about hepatitis B, and only 16.5% had received at least a hepatitis B vaccine dose. Individual factors significantly associated with hepatitis B vaccine uptake included spending more than four years in sex work (APR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.12), previous screening for hepatitis B (APR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.38–1.61), and having work conditions that allowed time to seek HBV services (APR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04–1.22). Health system factors significantly associated with vaccine uptake included the presence of hepatitis B outreach programs in residential areas (APR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03–1.33) and receiving information about hepatitis B from peers (APR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05–1.31).ConclusionThe study revealed a low prevalence of hepatitis B vaccine uptake among FSWs, with less than a tenth completing the three-dose schedule. Therefore, enhancing screening programs, expanding outreach initiatives, and tailoring services to accommodate nontraditional work hours while leveraging peer networks can significantly improve vaccine uptake and reduce hepatitis B transmission in this high-risk population.

Transformative Constitutionalism and Labour Rights in Latin America´s 4.0 Revolution

This article explores how Transformative Constitutionalism influences the protection of labour rights amidst the challenges of the 4.0 Revolution in Latin America. Through a qualitative analysis of literature, legislation, and jurisprudence, the study evaluates the evolution of labour law in the face of digitalization and automation. Thematic analysis reveals significant developments in adapting labour rights to emerging situations such as teleworking and digital platforms. A jurisprudential analysis of nine landmark cases from Latin American courts highlights how the judiciary, guided by Transformative Constitutionalism, interprets and applies labour law to affirm basic rights in non-traditional work contexts. In cases involving digital platforms in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, the courts have recognized employment relationships and granted labour protections to workers initially classified as independent contractors. The courts in Colombia and Chile have also expanded labour rights to include reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities through telework, while recognizing the right to digital disconnection as a fundamental right. However, challenges persist in effectively safeguarding workers in the digital economy, as the courts may face constraints in responding to the full scope of changes in the world of work. The article emphasizes the judiciary’s crucial role in recalibrating legal frameworks to ensure social and labour justice in an increasingly technological environment. The continued evolution of national jurisprudence and legislation, informed by Transformative Constitutionalism, is vital to keep labour rights at the centre of development.

Designing work for healthy sleep: A multidimensional, latent transition approach to employee sleep health.

Healthy sleep is essential to employee well-being and productivity, but many modern workers do not obtain adequate sleep. Are technology-related changes to job design (i.e., computer use, sedentary work, nontraditional work schedules) related to long-term worsening of employee sleep health? The present study seeks to address this question using nationally representative data from the Midlife in the United States study, which includes detailed information on sleep duration, regularity, sleep onset latency, insomnia symptoms, napping, and daytime tiredness from full-time workers (N = 1,297) at two time points separated by approximately 10 years. Using latent transition analysis to consider how these sleep health dimensions co-occur, we identify three multidimensional sleep health phenotypes at both time points: good sleepers, catch-up sleepers, and insomnia sleepers. Sedentary work is linked to the insomnia sleeper phenotype. Nontraditional work schedules are linked to the catch-up sleeper phenotype. These findings test assumptions of modern models of job design regarding the impact of technology on employee sleep health and advance measurement of sleep health in the organizational sciences to be multidimensional and dynamic. Further, results point to specific sleep needs in the working adult population and identify potential points of intervention via job design. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

What is hybrid work? Towards greater conceptual clarity of a common term and understanding its consequences

The concept of ‘hybrid work’, characterized by ongoing alternation between traditional and non-traditional work modes, has gained significant attention in recent research. Despite its growing relevance, a consistent and coherent conceptualization of hybrid work remains elusive. This article aims to address this gap by offering a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of hybrid work, contributing to conceptual clarity in its application. We draw on an extensive literature review to propose a definition of hybrid work that encompasses dynamic switches across three dimensions: modality (analog/face-to-face vs. digital/virtual), location (office/co-located vs. non-office/distributed), and temporality (constrained/synchronous vs. unconstrained/asynchronous). Building on existing literature and our dynamic, three-dimensional, and multilevel definition of hybrid work, we reinterpret key findings within the HRM domain, illustrating how our framework brings clarity to previously ambiguous aspects of hybrid work. This reinterpretation not only underscores the theoretical contributions of our definition but also identifies new research directions inspired by these insights.

Exploring the Impact of the Psychological Contract on the Well-being of the New Generation of Employees in the Chinese Context

The fulfilment of the psychological contract is an exchange of reciprocity and benefits, making employees feel that their needs and expectations are met, thus enhancing their well-being. As the new generation of employees flourishes and becomes the central human resource of Chinese organisations, the effect of the psychological contract on them is even more worth discussing. This study considered the mediating role of perceived employability and the moderating role of non-traditional work patterns to construct a model of the relationship between psychological contracts and employee well-being. This study collected and analysed data from 300 younger-generation employees from China through an online questionnaire. The study's results indicate that psychological contracts have a significant positive effect on employee well-being. Perceived employability produced a partial mediating effect. Non-traditional work patterns negatively moderated the positive influence relationship between the psychological contract and employee well-being. This study may not be able to track the long-term impact of the psychological contract on the well-being of young employees and is limited to the Chinese context. However, these findings enrich the psychological contract research and provide HR practitioners, employers, and employees with valuable references for management practices.

Tackling Shift Work: Cardiovascular Health in the Auto Industry.

Shift work, particularly in the auto industry, presents significant health challenges, notably in how it impacts cardiovascular health due to irregular work schedules and associated sleep disruptions. This prospective study evaluated 4683 workers from a single Romanian automotive enterprise to investigate the relationship between fixed shift work schedules and cardiovascular health outcomes. Our analysis focused on fixed-shift workers, excluding those on rotating shifts to reduce variability and enhance the clarity of the findings. The findings reveal that night shift workers are at a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) compared to their day shift counterparts. Night shift workers demonstrated a higher CVD incidence (4.3%) compared to day shift workers (2.6%), with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.68 (95% CI: 1.08 to 2.62, p = 0.021). This association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders, with an adjusted OR of 1.74 (95% CI: 1.09 to 2.75, p = 0.019). Male night shift workers exhibited a significantly higher CVD incidence (4.5%) compared to male day shift workers (3.0%), with an OR of 1.75 (95% CI: 1.07 to 2.89, p = 0.026). Female night shift workers also showed a higher CVD incidence (3.4%) compared to female day shift workers (1.3%), although this was not statistically significant. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and effective strategies to mitigate these risks and promote the cardiovascular health and overall well-being of shift workers in the auto industry. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how non-traditional work schedules affect health and provides a basis for implementing protective measures in occupational settings.

A National Survey of Pregnancy and Parenthood among Nephrology Trainees: A Focus on Nephrology Fellowship.

National and international policies on parental leave for physician trainees are inconsistent. Physician trainees, including nephrology fellows, may be at higher risk of pregnancy complications. Physician trainees face barriers in meeting their breastfeeding goals and in finding childcare due to nontraditional work hours with extended or unpredictable shifts. Here, we examine awareness of current policies in United States (US) nephrology fellowship programs regarding parental leave, pregnancy/breastfeeding accommodations, and fellows' perspectives on family planning. An anonymous, on-line survey of US nephrology fellows was undertaken from June 9 to August, 24, 2023. One hundred twenty nephrology fellows submitted the survey. A majority of fellow respondents were unaware of parental leave policies of their training programs (63%), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (75%), and/or American Board of Medical Specialties(ABMS) (75%). Forty two percent were unaware of the duration of parental leave at their program. Nearly 45% of all respondents were unsure if their program limited night shifts or shifts greater than 24 hours for pregnant trainees. Forty three percent reported they were unsure of lactation accommodations, and 40% were unsure of access to subsidized childcare. When fellows received work accommodations for pregnancy or parenthood, their work obligations were largely covered by co-fellows (60%) or attendings (38%). Over 60% of fellows agreed or strongly agreed that they would avoid a pregnancy in fellowship due to concern they would have to extend their training. Of the 40 fellows who chose to pursue pregnancy or parenthood during medical training, 75% did not change their career plans as a result. Most nephrology fellows were unaware of parental leave policies and pregnancy/lactation accommodations. While the topic itself has a broad impact to all physician trainees, there is need for improved awareness about national and local program policies among trainees across individual nephrology programs.

Thermodynamic Analysis and Comparison of Power Cycles for Small Modular Reactors

Small nuclear power plants can provide a stable, carbon-free energy supply to civil infrastructure and industrial enterprises in remote regions isolated from unified energy systems. More than 70 projects of small modular reactors are currently being developed by IAEA member countries; several low-power power units are already supplying thermal and electrical energy to consumers. One of the main limitations standing in the way of widespread dissemination of this technology is the high specific capital cost of a low-power nuclear power plant; therefore, new scientific and technical solutions are needed in this industry. Increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of power cycles of small modular reactors can become a driver for reducing the cost of supplied electrical energy. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of existing and promising power cycles for small modular reactors. In addition to traditional steam power cycles, cycles using non-traditional working fluids, including carbon dioxide, freons, and helium cycles, are considered. Optimal sets of thermodynamic parameters were determined to ensure maximum net efficiency of electricity production. For water-cooled reactor plants, a maximum efficiency of 33.5% at an initial temperature of 300 °C could be achieved using a steam turbine cycle. It was revealed that for reactor plants with liquid metal and liquid salt coolant in the range of initial temperatures above 550–700 °C, the maximum thermal efficiency was provided by the Brayton recompression cycle with a carbon dioxide coolant: the net electrical efficiency exceeded the level of steam turbine plants, with intermediate superheating of the steam, and could reach a value of 49.4% at 600 °C. This makes the use of these cycles promising for low-power nuclear power plants with a high initial temperature. In small gas-cooled reactor plants with a helium coolant, the use of a binary cycle consisting of a helium Brayton cycle and a steam-powered Rankine cycle provided an efficiency of 44.3% at an initial helium temperature of 700 °C and 52.9% at 1000 °C. This was higher than in the Brayton cycle with a recuperator, with a minimum temperature difference in the heat exchanger of 20 °C: the efficiency was 40.2% and 52%, respectively. Also, the transition to power cycles with non-traditional working fluids will lead to a change in the operating conditions of turbomachines and heat exchangers.

Extra help for extra needs: Family perspectives on New Mexico's supplemental child care subsidy program for families at risk for involvement with child protective services

This study examines the perspectives of a sample of parents and primary caregivers who received child care subsidies through New Mexico's at-risk eligibility designation, which is reserved for families who are or are at risk for becoming involved with child protective services (CPS). Qualifying families pay no copays, have limited documentation requirements, and are provided with additional enrollment supports by specialized eligibility workers with lower caseloads and training in trauma-informed practices. Families reported positive experiences with their eligibility workers and with the enrollment process, saying almost universally that they did not face administrative burdens to enrollment and that their caseworker was responsive and helpful. Despite positive experiences with the subsidy system, families reported difficulties finding child care that met their needs, mainly due to challenges related to non-traditional work hours, transportation, and children's behavioral health needs. The study findings are exploratory but suggest that enhanced supports from specialized eligibility workers are valued by families facing complex risk factors and may help them access child care subsidies. Access to subsidies, in turn, helps families afford and access care. However, the utility of child care subsidies remains limited without a supply of care that meets families' logistical needs and supports their children's development. Given previously documented administrative burdens and challenges families face in accessing child care subsidies, New Mexico's approach has potential implications for other states aiming to enhance equitable access to care for families at risk for CPS involvement—a population that disproportionately experiences systemic disadvantages and destabilizing circumstances.

Attitudes towards women in the military and their relation to both quantity and quality contact with female leaders.

Contact experiences with women in senior leadership roles are important for creating acceptance of women in organizations dominated by men, such as the military, as leadership roles are considered demanding, requiring numerous agentic qualities that are often ascribed to men. The military lacks women in leadership levels within its organization. We wished to determine whether quality and quantity contact with women in leadership positions reduces intergroup anxiety, increases empathy and perspective-taking, and subsequently creates more favorable attitudes toward women in the military. This was examined in three studies, one with a military sample consisting of men (n = 95), another with a civilian sample of men (n = 367), and a third study with a civilian sample of women (n = 374). Our findings revealed that quality contact was related to attitudes toward women in the military for all three samples. Results from the indirect effects tests conducted for the civilian male and female samples revealed that for civilian men, intergroup anxiety demonstrated a significant indirect effect between quantity contact and attitudes toward women in the military, while both intergroup anxiety and perspective-taking demonstrated significant indirect effects between quality contact and attitudes toward women in the military. Furthermore, both quantity and quality contact demonstrated significant direct effects. On the other hand, results revealed that for civilian women the only significant relation was the direct effect between quality contact and attitudes toward women in the military. Intergroup anxiety, perspective-taking, and empathy did not demonstrate any indirect effects for the civilian women sample. Thus, given that interactions with women in leadership positions are related to views of women in the military, research should further explore the role of contact for women in non-traditional work roles.

Challenges in Tracking Non- Punched but Worked Hours: A Deep Dive into Travel and Training Time

Purpose: This paper presents a comprehensive study on the challenges of tracking non-punched but worked hours, with a particular focus on travel and training time. These unregistered hours pose significant challenges in the realms of employee compensation and labor law compliance. Standard time-tracking systems are not equipped to handle the nuances of such non-traditional work hours, leading to potential disputes and financial grievances.
 Methodology: Using travel time as a case study, this paper discusses the multifaceted nature of the problem, including unpredictability in travel, compensation for unexpected delays, and the inadequacies of current systems to automatically recognize and adjust for these hours. We propose a solution utilizing a customized program within the Kronos Time and Attendance system to accurately categorize and calculate non-punched hours, ensuring fair compensation and compliance with labor regulations.
 Findings: The implications of these findings are profound, highlighting the necessity for advanced tracking solutions that align with labor laws while upholding fairness and transparency.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This paper aims to drive a paradigm shift towards integrating sophisticated time-tracking systems that respect and acknowledge every aspect of an employee's work life.

COVID-19 Vaccination Among US-Born and Non-US-Born Residents of the United States From a Nationally Distributed Survey: Cross-sectional Study.

Extended literature has demonstrated that COVID-19 vaccination is crucial for the health of all individuals, regardless of age. Research on vaccination status in the United States (US) among US-born and non-US-born residents is limited. The objective of our study was to examine COVID-19 vaccination during the pandemic among US-born and non-US-born people, while accounting for sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors gathered through a nationally distributed survey. A descriptive analysis was conducted on a comprehensive 116-item survey distributed between May 2021 and January 2022 across the US by self-reported COVID-19 vaccination and US/non-US birth status. For participants that responded that they were not vaccinated, we asked if they were "not at all likely," "slightly to moderately likely," or "very to extremely likely" to be vaccinated. Race and ethnicity were categorized as White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, African, Middle Eastern, and multiracial or multiethnic. Additional sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables included gender, sexual orientation, age group, annual household income, educational attainment, and employment status. The majority of the sample, regardless of whether they were US-born or non-US-born, reported being vaccinated (3639/5404, 67.34%). The US-born participants with the highest proportion of COVID-19 vaccination self-identified as White (1431/2753, 51.98%), while the highest proportion of vaccination among non-US-born participants was found among participants who self-identified as Hispanic/Latino (310/886, 34.99%). Comparing US-born and non-US-born participants showed that among those who were not vaccinated, the highest self-reported sociodemographic characteristics by proportion were similar between the groups, and included identifying as a woman, being straight or heterosexual, being aged 18 to 35 years, having an annual household income <$25,000, and being unemployed or taking part in nontraditional work. Among the 32.66% (1765/5404) of participants that reported not being vaccinated, 45.16% (797/1765) stated that they were not at all likely to seek vaccination. Examining US/non-US birth status and the likelihood to be vaccinated for COVID-19 among nonvaccinated participants revealed that the highest proportions of both US-born and non-US-born participants reported being not at all likely to seek vaccination. Non-US-born participants, however, were almost proportionally distributed in their likelihood to seek vaccination; they reported to be "very to extremely likely" to vaccinate (112/356, 31.46%); compared to 19.45% (274/1409) of US-born individuals reporting the same. Our study highlights the need to further explore factors that can increase the likelihood of seeking vaccination among underrepresented and hard-to-reach populations, with a particular focus on tailoring interventions for US-born individuals. For instance, non-US-born individuals were most likely to vaccinate when reporting COVID-19 nonvaccination than US-born individuals. These findings will aid in identifying points of intervention for vaccine hesitancy and promoting vaccine adoption during current and future pandemics.

Is Nontraditional Work at Older Ages Associated with Better Retirement Security?

Holding nontraditional jobs—which provide neither health insurance nor retirement benefits—might be helpful to those looking to extend their careers for financial reasons. This study uses the <i>Health and Retirement Study</i> to determine the extent to which workers in traditional jobs with less retirement security when they reach the cusp of retirement are more likely to move to nontraditional jobs in their mid- to late-60s than those who are more secure. It then examines whether nontraditional jobs improve retirement security by ages 67–68. The results indicate that workers in traditional jobs who reach age 62 with less projected retirement income, relative to their pre-retirement standard of living, are no more likely to engage in nontraditional work after age 62 than those who are better prepared. Among those workers who are at risk of not maintaining their pre-retirement income level in retirement, however, nontraditional work appears to move them closer to retirement security.

Innovative Solution of Torsional Vibration Reduction by Application of Pneumatic Tuner in Shipping Piston Devices

The industries of shipping, shipbuilding and port operations are among those in which mechanical drives with piston machines are widely used. The wide use of piston machines is the result of many years of experience and many years of development and modernization of piston machines. Usually, they operate as mechanical drives with constant operating speeds, with the exception of drives with combustion engines, which operate in a wider range of operating speeds. The limiting condition of innovation of mechanical drives with piston machines, resulting from the nature of the piston machine operation, is the torsional oscillation. The effort to decrease an energy demand of mechanical drives requires the application of non-traditional working modes, which can be considered as a deactivation of the cylinders of piston machine or an expansion of the working speed range. One of the possibilities of eliminating these limiting factors is an application of a pneumatic tuner in mechanical drives, which, in contrast to traditional solutions, has a wide range of torsional stiffness that can be smoothly changed. During experimental measurements in the resonance area, at the operating speed of 700 rpm after torsional stiffness change, a torsional vibration value of 15 Nm decreased to 5 Nm.

ICT tools in Designing Preschool Educational Activities on Historical Events

Digital technology is advancing at a rapid pace today. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the forced transition to e-learning promoted non-traditional work practices and time-sensitive tools. In Greek universities, like in most parts of the world, the lockdown changed curricula and lecturers responded by modi-fying course designs. Different academic disciplines and specific topics began to be delivered in different ways using the non-traditional teaching approaches of microlearning. In this study, conducted during the 2021 spring semester, we re-viewed the digital material that undergraduate students studying to become teach-ers had prepared as part of their ICT course. One hundred seventy students com-pleted their teaching internship reports with the help of digital infrastructure and ICT tools. The students were asked to deliver a preschool lesson addressing the historically significant topic of the Greek Revolution of 1821. Participants used 90 different ICT tools, lying in 5 categories: web search engines, social media, game-based learning platforms, collaboration platforms and task-specific tools. These ICT tools had different functionality, as some helped to create digital ma-terial, some helped to edit it, while others served to transmit it through online communication channels. Digital material and ICT tools can enhance and support educational experiences by providing various pathways to overcome the possible disruptions caused by the Coronavirus Era.

Career identity and organizational identification among professionals with on-demand work

PurposeDrawing upon the social identity theory, the authors argue that professionals' career identities have a positive indirect effect on identification with on-demand organizations through career networking behavior. In addition, the strength of these beneficial effects was also bound by extraversion and collectivism.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesized moderated mediation model was tested by multisource and time-lagged data about 242 Chinese accountants engaging in on-demand work.FindingsThe results demonstrated that professionals with a career identity tend to engage in career networking behaviors and identify themselves with a client company. In addition, extraverted professionals were more likely to engage in career networking behaviors, and collectivist professionals were more likely to identify with their on-demand organizations.Practical implicationsThis research provides important guidelines on how managers in on-demand organizations leverage gig workers' career identities to establish deep relationships with them.Originality/valueThe authors expanded the traditional framework of identification in the setting of nontraditional work arrangements by establishing a link between career identity and organizational identification for on-demand professionals.

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The Declining Rate of Female Labor Participation in India: Causes and Consequences

Significant human activities were started underway in India since the Holocene Period (10,000 years ago) andcivilization also was in progress while Mesopotamia and Egypt have long been recognized in between c.7000- 600 BCE for their celebrated contributions to social and cultural development. A large number of women inIndia are actively engaged in traditional and non-traditional work and seriously contribute to society for overallgrowth and development. However, there are far fewer women than men in the paid workforce. In urban India, women participate in the workforce in impressive numbers, as such only 30 percent in the software industry. This paper had tried to investigate the reasons behind the less number of women involved in the workforce aswell as the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India. All data had been collected from secondarysources and presented via tables and graphs from different angles. It had concluded with somerecommendations to get out from the critical trap regarding women in India

Experimental study of falling film absorption with potassium formate - Water as working pair

As an essential operation in refrigeration and chemical engineering, gas or vapor absorption with falling liquid film is usually coupled with complex fluid flow patterns and heat & mass transfer processes. Experimental studies are necessary for practical application, especially when non-traditional working pairs are adopted. In this paper, KCOOH/Water was used as the working pair to conduct the experimental study of the falling film absorption process. The results showed that waviness increased the mass transfer rate. The waviness intensity (δ/δ‾) and the average mass transfer rate increased first and then decreased with flow rate at Reynolds number ranging from 15 to 95, up to 0.92 and 3.5 g m−2s−1. The heat transfer flux increased with the flow rate in the test range, and absorption rates were sensitive to the cooling water temperature.

Boomerang independent contractors: an experimental study using a psychological contract approach

The increasing prevalence of nontraditional work arrangements has led to new talent management challenges for organizations. Given independent contractors (ICs) have the potential to bring considerable value to an organization, it is in an organization’s best interest to establish a pool of loyal talent that is willing to return when needed (i.e. as boomerang ICs). Through the lens of the psychological contract, we examine factors that can contribute to retaining independent contractors. Using an international sample of ICs and an experimental research design, we demonstrate that ICs are less likely to return to an organization after a perceived psychological contract breach during a previous project for the same organization. This is especially true if they voluntarily work on a contract basis. Importantly, our results suggest that expectations of both a transactional and relational nature influence independent contractor loyalty to organizations. Our findings extend the limited research on talent management in nontraditional work arrangements, producing important theoretical and practical implications for the management of independent contractors within organizations.