Part-time Hours Research Articles

Can Social Identities Improve Working Students’ Academic and Social Outcomes? Lessons from Three Studies

Previous research has linked working for pay while attending university with negative academic and health outcomes; yet, working students are often resilient when experiencing such adverse circumstances. This makes it crucial to explore potential psychological mechanisms that transform adverse experiences into sources of motivation and persistence for working students. We explore one mechanism—social identification—and its different foci—identifying as a student, employee, working student, or a student of one’s discipline of study—as potential predictors of important academic (academic self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and academic achievement) and social (status in society) outcomes in three cross-sectional studies. In Study 1, part-time working hours (but not identification processes) were associated with academic self-efficacy. In Study 2, discipline identification and part-time working hours were associated with using deep approaches to learning. In Study 3, student identification was associated with increased status in society. Overall, discipline identification may be solely linked to academic outcomes, but student identification should be explored further as a potential enhancer of social and graduate outcomes. We discuss additional mechanisms that can help to transform working students’ experiences through their social identities and suggest boundary conditions that can affect the link between these identities and important outcomes.

Using digital communication tools to improve interprofessional collaboration and satisfaction in a student-run free clinic.

Interprofessional collaboration can improve the quality of care in complex health conditions often seen in underserved populations. Communication is key to effective collaboration, and digital communication tools can enhance information sharing, collaboration, and satisfaction between professionals, especially when teams are distanced. In a semirural student-run free clinic that provides care to uninsured and underinsured patients with multifaceted health issues, there is a gap in communication and collaboration across interprofessional teams because of the frequent rotation of various staff, part-time hours, and electronic health record (EHR) function and interoperability limitations. The aim of this nurse practitioner-led quality improvement project was to determine whether implementing digital communication tools could enhance communication and improve provider collaboration and satisfaction during clinical decision-making among the several interprofessional teams at the student-run free clinic. Digital communication tools were implemented in a two-part intervention: (1) virtual case conferences to discuss patient care plans and (2) an EHR-linked tool to document the care plans. Survey evaluation across six virtual case conferences found above-average ratings for collaboration, satisfaction, and usability of the EHR-linked tool. There was a 15.78% improvement in global collaboration from the first to third conference, with a sustained improvement of 11.49%. Satisfaction improved by 4.62% from the first to the fourth conference. Digital communication tools can facilitate efficient communication and collaboration among staff while providing a more streamlined approach to patient care. These technologies can be useful in similar settings, especially when teams are distanced.

Overwork Impacts on Low-Wage Workers: Insights from the Food Manufacturing Sector in Oregon and Washington

Unstable scheduling refers to such employer practices as last-minute schedule changes, lack of advance notice, requiring employees to be on-call, split shifts, “clopening,” and variable hours and shift times. Evidence has shown that such practices can lead to underwork, or involuntary part-time hours, particularly for service-sector workers. But another, less-explored dimension of unstable scheduling practices—and the focus of this analysis—is overwork. Overwork stems from practices that can limit the ability of workers to get adequate rest and can heighten the bodily and emotional hazards that workers experience. We identify the following forms of unstable scheduling practices that constitute overwork: • Long work days of over eight hours/day • Long work weeks of over 40 hours/week and/or over five days/week • Long stretches of over seven days without days off • Lack of sufficient breaks during shifts These multiple dimensions of unstable scheduling are sometimes layered together. For instance, workers can experience both optional and mandatory overtime, which can extend both their work day and/or their work week. When workers are assigned mandatory overtime, they face risk of penalty if they refuse to work these extended hours, including potential loss of employment. In addition, workers may experience combinations of overwork, underwork, or other unstable scheduling practices within one job, or as they move between multiple jobs to cobble together full-time, year-round employment, especially if working in an industry with high turnover and widespread seasonality. These combinations compound the strain that workers experience.

Part-Time Workers’ Employment Trajectories by Length of Hours and Reason for Working Part-Time: An 8-Year Follow-Up Study

Using the Finnish Labour Force Surveys merged with register-based follow-up data, we analyzed how different characteristics of part-time work predict employees’ and entrepreneurs’ employment trajectories in an 8-year follow-up. We analyzed careers by the length of weekly working hours and the reason for part-time work, that is, childcare, studies, health, part-time pension, other voluntary choice, or if full-time work was not available (involuntary part-time). We applied sequence analysis to define work career clusters based on the continuum of spells spent in different labor market statuses, that is, in upper and lower white-collar, manual, or entrepreneurial employment, unemployment, studying, pensioned, or inactivity. According to the results, involuntary part-timers have a significantly higher probability of entering the unemployment trajectory than full-time workers. Those working part-time hours due to care responsibilities were also more likely to face frequent periods of unemployment, whereas part-time work combined with studies was associated with stable white-collar trajectories. Our results also show that weakened labor outcomes following marginal part-time jobs associate with disability retirement instead of unemployment later in time, most probably determined by ill health. Therefore, we suggest further studies to consider marginal part-time workers’ health as the determinant of weakening career outcomes. Overall, our results highlight the need to improve part-time working conditions, a concern that organizations like the OECD have also raised. This improvement could reduce the risk of unemployment, promote health, extend work careers, and consequently increase the employment rate.

Synthetic load profiles of non-energy intensive industrial sites: A combined bottom-up and top-down approach

The heterogeneous nature of the industrial sector in terms of process and product variety often hinders assessments of its energy consumption. The generation of synthetic load profiles (LPs) however offers a key instrument to support energy suppliers, grid operators and industries themselves by quickly evaluating the impacts of energy efficiency measures, fuel switch, new technologies etc. Currently, such LP generators are only developed for single real-life industry plants or require comprehensive beforehand data. Within this study, we propose a new model for generating synthetic LPs of industrial process chains without the need for extensive, plant-specific data. This solution includes a series of bottom-up and top-down approaches. We analyse different data sources and develop algorithms based on underlying data science methods and technical and economical modelling paradigms like Markov chains or Economy of Scale. Here, we describe novel findings e.g., a method that proves the prediction of industrial shift models from a top-down perspective or effects on the energy demand of industrial plants for rising production capacities. Furthermore, we prove that only some production processes in industrial facilities are responsible for the main share of energy demand, as the residues can be modelled by numerical analyses. We validate the developed approach by generating synthetic, electrical LPs of different real-life industrial plants and comparing the results to measured LPs. This study contains five case studies, of which we found valid approximations of our synthetic LPs to the measured, real-life plants. However, our model’s results differ from measured LPs, especially when depicting lower energy demands (< 200 kW). Furthermore, long-term periodicities e.g., part-time working hours on Saturdays haven’t been incorporated into our model yet, which leads to certain inaccuracies. We quantified these effects within this study. This, nevertheless, leaves open areas for future research work.

Women's health nurses' experiences of menopause: Considerations for nurse leaders.

Women's health nurses' experiences of menopause: Considerations for nurse leaders.

Factors contributing to pharmacists leaving employment in general practice in Australia: an exploratory study.

To identify perceived factors contributing to pharmacists leaving employment in general practice. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with pharmacists who had left employment in general practice within 12 months of commencing (5 pharmacists out of 14 recruited into these roles) in Canberra, Australia. Thematic analysis was undertaken. The main specific reasons cited for leaving were lack of utilisation and part-time hours, while the over-arching themes identified were: challenges of the new role, poor role definition, professional relationships and job satisfaction. In this cohort of newly appointed general practice pharmacists, employment turnover was relatively high. The interview findings indicated a need for strategies, including having clear role descriptions that are understood by all members of the practice team, so that pharmacists with appropriate skillsets can be supported and retained in the general practice setting.

외국인 유학생의 상황 요인에 따른 대학생활적응에 미치는 영향

This study seeks to understand the situation to help foreigners adapt to college life, and to determine the effect of international students’ situational factors such as Korean language level, part-time job time, part-time job income, and interpersonal skills. A survey was conducted on 198 foreign students attending University K located in Metropolitan City D. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were conducted to investigate college life adaptation and interpersonal skills according to the factors of foreign students. This study identified Pearson correlation coefficients between Korean language level, part-time job time, part-time job income, interpersonal skills, and college life adaptation. In addition, multiple regression analysis established the effect of the aforementioned factors. College life adaptation and interpersonal skills showed an intermediate level, and the relationship between the Korean language level, interpersonal skills, and college life adaptation exhibited a positive correlation. Part-time job hours displayed a positive correlation. Korean language level and interpersonal skills had a positive effect on college life adaptation, but part-time job hours and income did not affect college life adaptation. This study suggests that a program that can increase the level of Korean and interpersonal skills is needed.

Residential Aged Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Staff Survey on Impact and Resources

The current study explored the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on staff in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). A hardcopy, voluntary, anonymous survey was circulated to local RACFs (June-July 2020), exploring challenges, staffing effects, mood within RACFs, and staff perceptions of supports. Overall, 105 staff members responded, which were mainly nursing personnel (67.6%) and owners/managers (10.5%). Seventy percent believed they were equipped to handle patients with COVID-19. One quarter reported personal protective equipment shortages. Respondents reported pressures to accept patients with COVID-19 from hospitals and/or keep residents in the RACF. One third reported staff "calling in sick" related to COVID-19/quarantine. Common compensatory strategies included increasing part-time workers' hours. Reported mood was largely positive. Most (86.4%) respondents felt supported by general practitioner and local geriatric outreach services. Opportunities to best support RACF staff require further research and dialogue. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(3), 13-17.].

Vocational and psychosocial predictors of medical negligence claims among Australian doctors: a prospective cohort analysis of the MABEL survey

ObjectiveTo understand the association between medical negligence claims and doctors’ sex, age, specialty, working hours, work location, personality, social supports, family circumstances, self-rated health, self-rated life satisfaction and presence of...

Schools and the pandemic: what have we learned from this health crisis?

The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented measures being taken to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Due to its multiple social, educational, economic and health impacts, the almost universal closure of schools worldwide during the first lockdown was undoubtedly one of the most striking measures in the management of this pandemic. One year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 800million students, or more than half of the world's school population, are still facing major disruptions to their education, ranging from total school closures to reduced or part-time school hours. Drawing on the scientific data available, consideration of the varied responses proposed in different countries, and the experiences of professionals in the field worldwide, this article analyses the main issues involved in closing and reopening schools, from decision-making to practical implementation in the field. This approach allows us to draw out the first lessons from the crisis and to call for the emergence and sharing, well beyond the school environment, of an educational approach to health. On this basis, it is the production of relevant national frameworks for reflection and the empowerment of local actors that will make it possible to protect pupils, prevent the development of epidemics and maintain a quality educational process.

Unequal but balanced: Highly educated mothers' perceptions of work-life balance during the COVID-19 lockdown in Finland and the Netherlands.

One year after the European work–life balance directive, which recognises the need for work–family policy support, measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic began shaping parents’ work–life balance in significant ways. Academically, we are challenged to explore whether existing theoretical frameworks hold in this new environment with combined old and new policy frameworks. We are also challenged to understand the nuanced ways in which the first lockdown affects the combination of paid work and care. We address both of these issues, providing a cross-sectional comparative analysis of highly educated mothers’ perceptions of work–life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland and the Netherlands. Our findings show that highly educated Finnish mothers have more difficulty combining work and care during the first lockdown than Dutch mothers. The absence of state-provided care during the lockdown creates greater difficulty for full-time working Finnish mothers in a dual-earner/state-carer system than an absence of such care in the Dutch one-and-a-half earner system, where most mothers work part time. Further analyses suggest variation in part-time and (nearly) full-time hours mitigates the work–life balance experiences of highly educated Dutch mothers. Additional factors explaining cross-country variation or similarities include the presence of young children and the presence of a partner. We discuss these findings in light of current theoretical frameworks and highlight avenues for future research.

Establishment of part-time work for certain categories of persons

This article reveals the issue of distinguishing between part-time working hours and part-time working hours; analyzes the grounds for establishing part-time work and the category of persons to whom it is established; and also offers directions for improving the norms of the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus.

Parental work hours and household income as determinants of unhealthy food and beverage intake in young Australian children.

This study examined parental work hours and household income as determinants of discretionary (energy dense, nutrient poor) food and beverage intake in young children, including differences by eating occasion. Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. Three hierarchical regression models were conducted with percent energy from discretionary food and beverages across the day, at main meals, and at snack times being the outcomes. Dietary intake was assessed by 1x24-hour recall and 1-2x24-hour food record(s). Both maternal/paternal work hours were included, and total household income. Covariates included household, parent and child factors. Data from the NOURISH/SAIDI studies were collected between 2008-13. Participants included 526 mother-child dyads (median(IQR) child age 1.99(1.96,2.03) years). Forty-one percent of mothers did not work while 57% of fathers worked 35-40 hours/week. Most (85%) households had an income of ≥$50k AUD/year. Household income was consistently inversely associated with discretionary energy intake (β= -0.12 to -0.15). Maternal part-time employment (21-35 hours/week) predicted child consumption of discretionary energy at main meals (β=0.10, p=0.04). Paternal unemployment predicted a lower proportion of discretionary energy at snacks (β= -0.09, p=0.047). This work suggests that household income should be addressed as a key opportunity-related barrier to healthy food provision in families of young children. Strategies to reduce the time burden of healthy main meal provision may be required in families where mothers juggle longer part-time working hours with caregiving and domestic duties. The need to consider the role of fathers and other parents/caregivers in shaping children's intake was also highlighted.

Державна політика в галузі забезпечення зайнятості в аграрному секторі економіки Болгарії (1989 -2007)

Ensuring the stable socio-economic development of Bulgaria, improving the demographic and infrastructural situation of rural areas and the well-being of villagers are possible primarily under the condition of increasing employment of the rural population level. However, the significant mismatch between the demand and supply of the agricultural labor market, and the lack of competitiveness of agricultural products in most of its sales markets, had a negative impact, first of all, on the efficiency of the use of labor and the differentiation of its activities in the agricultural sphere. Thus, the use of hired labor, the number of hired workers, mobility of the labor force in the labor market, and employment of the population in the agricultural sector of the economy for the period 2000–2007 in Bulgaria decreased by an average of 30% according to each of the above indicators. As a result, a significant and uncontrolled migration of labor resources in the agricultural sector negatively affected the food security of the country as a whole. Taking into account the above-mentioned problem, an urgent issue at the current stage of the development of the agrarian sector of the economy is the formation of effective diversification of the employment of labor resources. This, first of all, provided for the disclosure of the socio-economic essence, definition, characterization, and development of ways to increase the effectiveness of the diversification of labor force employment in the agricultural sector. As a result of the research, we established that there were different approaches to the interpretation of the content of effective state policy in the field of employment. The current state of employment of the population of Bulgaria was primarily characterized by a sharp decrease in the demand for labor, the closure or temporary suspension of the activities of enterprises, the reduction of employees, and part-time working hours. As a result, the number of unemployed increased, which was directly caused by the difficult political and socio-economic situation in Bulgaria. All this substantiated the relevance of this study.

Influence of work design and work status on part-time employees' inclusion and work engagement: some Australian evidence

AbstractIncreasing numbers of people are working part-time (PT) hours, sometimes involuntarily (IPT). Australia has the fourth highest percentage of PT employees among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries (26%). This study examines relationships between work design factors and workplace inclusion for PT employees and identifies how perceived inclusion and work engagement of PT and IPT employees compares with full-time (FT) employees. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed to employees in Australia. A part-time work design model was developed and tested across two independent samples using partial least squares. Results suggest that PT and IPT employees feel less included in the workplace compared to FT employees. PT employees also perceive their roles to be less task interdependent. A key finding was that PT employees' perceived inclusion was related to proactive behaviors, autonomy, and job crafting, in addition to hours worked. Implications for the management of PT employees are discussed.

An analysis of training and vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND: WIOA encourages providers such as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to seek higher wages and more than part-time hours for those with disabilities. Previous studies have evaluated the relationship between (VR) and job outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effect of VR services on wage and hours worked. METHOD: We obtained a national dataset from the Rehabilitation Services Administration to analyze individuals with ID on variables specially related to training and VR services. RESULTS: Results indicated more training resulted in more hours worked, while using more VR services resulted in less hours worked and pay. Differences in hours worked and wage were found within training and VR services. CONCLUSION: Individuals with ID should consider utilizing job counseling with VR agencies and focus on occupational training, as these services may contribute to increased wages and hours worked.

When Does Expanded Eligibility Translate into Increased Take-Up? An Examination of Parental Leave Policy in Luxembourg

This article aims to explore the role of eligibility for parental leave as a determinant of access and as an enabler of leave take-up. To analyse the link between eligibility and take-up, we study a unique policy change in Luxembourg’s parental leave scheme. The country’s 2016 parental leave reform relaxed the eligibility criteria to enable marginal part-time working parents to access the parental leave scheme for the first time. We focus on this change and examine to what extent relaxing the eligibility criteria translated into increased take-up by the marginal part-time working parents who became eligible. To quantify this transition, we analyse trends in and patterns of eligibility for the scheme in Luxembourg between 2009 and 2018 among first-time parents working full-time, part-time, or marginal part-time hours. We use a subsample of Luxembourg-resident, cohabiting, first-time parents (N = 6,254) drawn from the social security data. Our analysis shows that as eligibility is dependent on individual factors, it has similarities among mothers and fathers, whereas take-up is notably greater for mothers. After the reform, we observe that marginal part-time working mothers started taking parental leave, but up to 2018, the reform’s outreach to marginal part-time working fathers remained limited. We also find that foreign national parents are less likely to be eligible for parental leave and have lower take-up rates. Despite the gendered parental leave take-up behaviours in parallel with international evidence, marginal part-time working mothers’ positive response to the reform indicates progress towards strengthening women’s labour market attachment in Luxembourg.

Cross Cultural Workers for women and families from migrant and refugee backgrounds: a mixed-methods study of service providers perceptions

BackgroundWomen from migrant and refugee backgrounds who live in high-income countries are at increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, including mental health issues, preterm birth and maternal and infant mortality. There is a need to implement and evaluate models of care to meet their specific needs in order to improve health outcomes, their experiences of care, and overcome barriers to access. In Sydney, Australia, a unique model of care was implemented to support women and families from migrant and refugee backgrounds to access health and community-based services through the continuum of pregnancy to the early parenting period. This model of care is known as the Cross Cultural Workers (CCWs) in Maternity and Child and Family Health Service (the CCW Service). The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of service providers regarding the CCW Service and identify recommendations for improvement.MethodsA mixed-methods study was conducted consisting of surveys and face to face semi-structured interviews. Service providers were recruited from hospital-based maternity and community-based services. Survey data were analysed descriptively. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsSixty-nine service providers completed surveys and 19 were interviewed. The CCW Service was highly regarded by service providers who perceived it to be critical in improving care for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds. The overarching theme from the interviews was the ability of the CCW Service to act as a ‘bridge to health’ through the provision of culturally responsive care. There were three main categories; supporting access to health and community-based services, improving the healthcare experience, and organisational factors, including part-time hours, capacity, heavy workloads and confusion/lack of clarity regarding the CCW role, which affected CCWs’ capacity to optimally support service providers in providing culturally responsive care. These limitations meant CCWs were not able to meet demand, and fully operationalise the model.ConclusionService providers perceived the CCW model to be a culturally responsive model of care tailored to the needs of women and families from migrant and refugee backgrounds, that reduces barriers to access, and has the potential to improve perinatal outcomes, and women's experience and satisfaction with care.

How well has part-time work on return from maternity leave been accepted in the workplace? Learnings from allied health professional managers in Queensland Health.

Objective The aim of this study was to explore allied health professional (AHP) managers' implementation of the right to request part-time hours on return from maternity leave in Queensland Health (QH) hospitals. Methods Qualitative data were collected via interviews with AHP managers from a cross-section of professions with variations in workforce size and gender composition. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Results Twenty-one of a potential 40 AHP managers agreed to participate in the study (response rate 53%). The main finding was that the implementation of part-time work arrangements was being driven by regulation and work was being managed without complementary changes to established workplace practices or adequate organisational support. Conclusion The use of regulatory instruments to implement part-time work in organisations without complementary work redesign, change management and organisational support suggests that there are significant barriers to this type of flexible working arrangement (FWA) becoming accepted workplace practice for AHPs in QH. A whole-of-organisation approach is needed to make FWA a reality. What is known about the topic? Research has underlined the importance of implementation and management rather than simply the adoption of FWA policies. However, there have been few reports about AHP management of part-time hours on return from maternity leave. What does this paper add? This paper provides information specifically about the management response to part-time work entitlements for AHP in QH. It indicates that managers are implementing part-time work because it is a regulatory requirement, but often without a substantive commitment to FWA complementary redesign of services or sufficient organisational support. What are the implications for practitioners? Complementary work redesign measures and resources are needed to make workplaces genuinely flexible rather than just superficially consistent with regulatory requirements.