Private Sector Employees Research Articles

The employment effects of collective wage bargaining

This study examines the wage and employment effects of Italian collective wage bargaining. It analyzes monthly data on the population of private-sector employees, matched with the information on contractual pay levels set by industry-wide agreements, which were bargained by the representatives of trade unions and employers at the national level. The research design exploited the generalized wage growth induced by changes in the contractual pay levels, whose timing and size differ across collective agreements. The specification adopted compared the outcomes of interest within sectors and geographical locations, and among workers subject to different collective contracts. The study results show that contractual wage growth raised the actual pay levels and had significant negative effects on employment. These employment effects were broadly consistent with the Hicks–Marshall laws and with several hypotheses of traditional centralized wage bargaining models.

Revisiting the proven relationship of green leadership, green education, and green finance with sustainable development goal 3 in the context of China: does public health expenditure really mediate the relationship?

How effectively our leaders are trained and prepared for the future is the ultimate success as it helps in achieving sustainable development goals. Simultaneously, education also holds a central position to acknowledge social, environmental, and ethical issues. Besides, healthcare sector is the major subject of discussion when there is a discussion of sustainable development, the reason being its direct linkage with SDG 3 which purely preaches healthcare and well-being. The healthcare sector itself aspires to protect health; however, it is also the highest emitter of pollution that creates vicious cycle. This establishes a greater interest to determine the factors that break the cycle through the sustainable healthcare organizations which is subjected to reduce emissions and protect environment, nature, and society. The study specifically focusing on sustainable development goal 3 intends to examine the collective role of green leadership, green education, and green finance from the perspective of private sector employees. We explore whether these factors are helpful to achieve SDG3 agenda in the presence of mediator, public health expenditure. With the help of PLS-methodology, the study concludes that green leadership and green education are strong indicators of SDG3. Besides, green finance also facilitates economies to find innovative ways through which health and well-being of individuals can be taken care of. The positive and significant mediation effect of public health expenditure indicates that there is a need to dedicate the efforts toward public health expenditures.

Occupational Stress and Work-Life Balance in the Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry has become a crucial sector in Malaysia, leading to a high demand for employees, especially in management positions. However, job stress is a prevalent issue that can affect employees' work-life balance. Thus, this study aims to identify the factors that contribute to job stress in the private sector, specifically at the management level, which is vital for ensuring smooth daily operations. Private sector employees have the most control over occupational stress. The study focuses on conflict at work, job requirements, and job environment as contributing factors. A self-administered survey questionnaire was used to gather data, with 201 sets distributed to employees in food manufacturing at Selangor. The analysis of 190 valid questionnaires using the latest version of Statistic Packages for Social Science (SPSS) revealed that there is a significant influence of occupational stress on employees' work-life balance in the manufacturing industry with the work environment as the most influential factor. Conflict at work is the second most influential factor, while job requirements do not significantly contribute to job stress. The findings of this study can help managers and business owners in the manufacturing industry to understand the factors that cause employee, and job stress and encourage them to focus on implementing strategies to reduce stress in the workplace.

Sustaining Retirement during Lockdown: Annuitized Income and Older American’s Financial Well-Being before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The landscape of employer-sponsored retirement plans in the U.S. has changed dramatically during the past few decades as more and more private-sector employers have decided to freeze or terminate traditional pension plans. Defined contribution (DC) plans became the primary choice or the only choice for employees to participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans. In the next ten to twenty years, the income from pension plans will only count for a third of the total retirement income for GenXers when compared to their baby boomer counterparts. It is important for research to provide evidence on how the change in retirement income resources impacts retirees’ retirement security and financial wellness. Using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines the association between annuitized income and various measures of older Americans’ financial well-being over time, particularly during the pandemic. This study finds that receiving annuitized income has a statistically significant relationship with reduced subjective financial well-being for both measurements, while only one of the measures of objective well-being, having liquid assets greater than the median household income, has a statistically significant positive relationship with receiving annuitized income.

Work, retirement, and post-retirement employment among older adults in India

Older adults in India, particularly those in Goa, where there is a high elderly population, have been insufficiently researched. Some older adults are financially vulnerable in their old age and must continue working, while others choose to work to stay active. Although some studies have examined the health and social issues faced by the elderly, this study contributes to a previously unexplored area in Goa. 400 Goan seniors were surveyed using multistage sampling to investigate their occupations before and after retirement, determine reasons for voluntary retirement and associated factors, and assess variables predisposing them to work. Binary Logistic Regression, Chi-square, and Fisher's Exact Tests were used. The findings showed that many were former government and private sector employees, farmers, and educators. 73 participants retired voluntarily due to factors such as health issues, family commitments, stress, and leisure. Among them, 20.5% are currently employed after retirement. Significant correlations were observed between post-retirement work and age groups such as the young-old and old-old. Factors that attracted the participants to engage in post-retirement work include insufficient income, education, experience, good physical health, and mental alertness. The study found that individuals categorized as young-old, with low household income, financially dependent, and having fewer comorbidities, were more likely to continue working after retirement. These findings highlight the need to end age discrimination and provide equal opportunity for older adults to contribute to society. Policymakers must focus on improving the wellbeing of vulnerable older adults who have inadequate resources and poor health. There is potential for further research in various states of India to understand the labor market decisions of older adults and implement necessary improvements where they are lacking.

Labour market trajectories after part-time sickness absence: a nationwide cohort study from Finland

ObjectivesThe use of part-time sickness absence (pSA) enables return to part-time work from full sickness absence. However, subsequent labour market outcomes of pSA users depend on various individual and work-related...

The Gendered Relationship Between Temporary, Informal Employment and Wages: Evidence from the Turkish Labor Market

This article examines the relationship between types of employment and wages by gender and gender pay gaps among permanent, temporary, and informal workers. There are substantial gender inequalities in bargaining, and these inequalities are argued to be more prevalent for temporary and informal jobs. Hence, larger wage penalties for women in such positions are expected. Moreover, the inverse association between wages and non-permanent contracts is larger for low-paid women. To this end, the study employs unconditional quantile regression techniques and counterfactual decomposition analysis, and accounts for selection bias. The dataset is based on labor force surveys over the period 2005–19 in Turkey and focuses on private sector employees. The findings highlight the disproportionate impact of temporary and informal employment on women’s earnings and suggest that employment type can be a contributing factor to the gender pay gap in Turkey, particularly for low wage groups. HIGHLIGHTS In Turkey, employment opportunities, social norms, and gender roles limit women’s bargaining power. Gender inequalities in bargaining can vary significantly across employment types. Women employees with temporary or informal jobs suffer from larger pay penalties. Residual gender pay gaps are larger for low-paid temporary and informal workers.

Activity-based working and their impact on organisational culture – employees’ perspectives

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how the existing organisational culture of organisations changed with the introduction of activity-based working (ABW) office layouts from the employees’ perspectives.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to measure the influence of introducing ABW. The study focused on three different industry sectors in Australia – financial, IT and government – and one organisation from each sector who had introduced ABW during the period of 2012–2019 was selected. The Competing Value Framework was used to measure the dimensions of organisational culture. A paired sample test was used to measure the changes in employees’ perceptions after the layout changes.FindingsFindings identify that the nature of workplace designs has a considerable impact on an organisation’s corporate culture which can be used to leverage and change its culture. However, some noticeable discrepancy between the perceptions of public and private sector employees was identified, where public sector employees felt that standardised procedures still governed their actions even in ABW layouts.Originality/valueThis research highlights that workplace designs directly influence culture by supporting the engagement, motivation and behaviours of the employees. It emphasises the importance of in-depth examination of the behavioural and attitudinal characteristics of employees to obtain a better understanding of how they interact in ABW layouts. Such an analysis provides the context for a more inclusive understanding of the operation of modern office layouts.

National culture has an impact on antecedents of engagement. Or does it?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the applicability of employee engagement theories in a South Asian country, Sri Lanka, and determine whether engagement theories are universally applicable beyond the Western countries in which they have been developed and tested.Design/methodology/approachA heterogeneous sample of 451 private-sector employees in Sri Lanka was used. A mixed-method design was adopted; quantitative findings were compared with previous studies conducted in Western countries, and qualitative findings enabled a more nuanced understanding of employee engagement in the Sri Lankan context.FindingsDespite cultural differences between Sri Lanka and Western countries, the antecedents of engagement did not manifest differently in a consistent way. Combined results suggest that the different manifestations of engagement in Sri Lanka cannot be attributed solely to cultural variance.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors used cross-sectional data and tested only four antecedents of engagement.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of multinational organisations' awareness of how employee engagement manifests across different contexts and going beyond cultural adaptation when developing context-specific engagement strategies.Originality/valueThis is among the first studies on an Asian country to examine whether cultural differences impact the antecedents of engagement to empirically test Kahn's (1990) theory of engagement and the motivational process of the job demands-resources theory in a single study and to use a heterogeneous sample and mixed-methods design. The authors challenge the centrality of national culture as a determinant of employee engagement and highlight the importance of considering other contextual factors when examining employee engagement in different countries.

A Study on Retirement Preparedness and Confidence among Private Sector Employees in Malaysia

Retirement planning is particularly significant for an individual since it ensures that the individual's financial demands are met during the post-retirement period. A good plan prior to retirement is associated with significantly higher life satisfaction after retirement, given that many people spend a significant portion of their lives after a lengthy employment period. Personal retirement planning, on the other hand, is up to the individual. To ensure a comfortable retirement, employees must make a deliberate decision to set aside some of their earnings. However, past studies on retirement planning show that workers in Malaysia have made little or no preparation for their retirement. They only realize the need for retirement preparation when their savings are not enough to cover post-retirement expenses. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of attitude towards retirement, goal clarity, social influence, and financial literacy on the preparedness and confidence of private sector employees in Malaysia. Aside from that, the study intends to compare employees' retirement preparedness and confidence by gender as well as age group. The data for this study was collected through the use of a questionnaire. This study used ordered probit regression to see the effect of the determinants on retirement preparedness and confidence. The results of the study showed that attitude towards retirement, goal clarity, social influence, and financial literacy have a significant positive effect on retirement preparedness and confidence. Apart from that, male employees are found to be more prepared and confident to retire compared to female employees. Finally, employees between the ages of 31 and 40 are the most prepared and confident in their ability to retire. The study's findings have important implications for the retiring population in order for them to plan ahead of time so that they can survive throughout their retirement phase.

Formation of Informal Groups in Healthcare: A Field Survey in Istanbul/Turkiye

Groups within the healthcare organisations are widespread subjects of research nowadays. Nevertheless, informal groups are rarely examined in healthcare. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine the formation of informal groups and its dimensions in Turkey. A survey design was adopted and sample size was 208. The questionnaire was validated using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The study unveiled that the ownership of hospitals are prominent determinants of informal groups. Demographic, social and environmentally proximity are the main factors for public employees to take part in an informal group while intellectual life and closeness are the main factors for private sector employees. The study suggests that managers should assume the most part of responsibility to determine employee’s abilities, preferences and social features to cooperate with informal groups.

Employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: The Roles of Religiosity and Morale Among Public and Private Sector Employees in South-East Nigeria

Employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: The Roles of Religiosity and Morale Among Public and Private Sector Employees in South-East Nigeria

EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND ITS IMPACT ON ORGANISATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

Employee retention is a process in which the employees are encouraged to remain with the organization for life time or maximum period of time. It is a strategic tool for the success of the firm. Employee retention is a process in which the employees are encouraged to remain with the organization for life time or maximum period of time. It is a strategic tool for the success of the firm. Employee retention is a technique adopted by businesses to maintain an effective workforce and at the same time meet operational requirements. Employees are the greatest asset for an organization. Therefore, every organization must treat their employees as ends and not means to ends because they add value to the organization. The objective of the study was to measure the perception of employees for employee retention. For this purpose the investigator selected 70 employees working in government and private sector from Delhi region. Employee retention scale given by Walker (2001) was used. The collected data were processed by applying ‘t’ test. The result of the study reveals that there was no significant difference among male and female employees for employee retention also there was no significant difference between the perception of government and private sector employees.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK FRIENDSHIP AND INTENTION TO LEAVE: A LATENT PROFILE ANALYSIS

The main purpose of this study is to reveal whether the intention to leave changes according to the characteristics of the relationships established with close friends in the workplace with a person-centered approach. For this purpose, latent profiles were established by ensuring that workplace friendship is affected by the intention to leave and job satisfaction. This article presents an example of a three-stage study using implicit profile analysis with 433 data obtained from private sector employees. The analysis uncovered four latent profiles. The Partially Autonomous Very Strong Bond profile has the highest job satisfaction and the lowest intention to leave. If the level of trustworthiness, competency, job satisfaction is higher and the intention to leave is lower. The Integrated Very Strong Bond profile is the profile with the highest intention to leave. In cases were caring personal relationships and socio-cultural similarity are high, lower job satisfaction and the higher intention to leave have been observed.

A Missing Link in Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response: Engaging Private Sector Employers for Pandemic Workplace Policies.

A Missing Link in Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response: Engaging Private Sector Employers for Pandemic Workplace Policies.

Quality of Work Life of Private Banking Sector in Kerala Based on the Fee Based Modern Banking Services

At present modern banking services, particularly fee-based services, is an unavoidable part of the banking business ensuring a significant income for banks with little capital outlay. It is accomplished through the efficient use of manpower within a bank. They are now being considered in the performance evaluation of bank branch managers in the private sector. A study carried out to determine effect of including fee-based modern banking services in the performance target on the quality of work life of private sector bank branch managers in Kerala. It should be noted that the modern fee-based services targets have a significant impact on their satisfaction, commitment, and productivity. This study investigates the effect of modern banking services on the quality of work life of bank employees in Kerala's private sector and to identify the quality of work life factors most influenced by the inclusion of fee-based banking services in the targeted performance.

Investigation of Dietary Habits and Lifestyle in relation to Diabetes Mellitus Type II among Private-Sector Employees of Lahore: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Although some studies have shown the association between dietary patterns and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a general population but the associations in Pakistan have been rarely studied to date. Aim: To characterize the dietary patterns and lifestyle of private sector employees in Lahore adults aged above 25 to evaluate the relationship of dietary habits, and lifestyle with the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the private sector employees of Lahore, Pakistan. Two hundred and sixteen people participated in it and each provided their informed consent for data collection on their demographic, physical and biochemical characteristics along with the information on lifestyle and dietary patterns. Result: According to the observations from our study among the private sector employees in relation to their dietary habits, lifestyle and physical activity almost 174 private sector employees are diabetic out of which 42 are pre-diabetic.Their dietary intake was assessed using FFQ. The results show that diabetic people are taking more carbohydrates, saturated, trans-fats and red meat. Furthermore, pre-diabetic people are consuming high processed foods which contain more fats, calories and sugar without nutritional value. Conclusion: We have found that dietary habit, and lifestyle of private sector employees was associated with increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. As a result, in order to stop or reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, it is necessary to promote healthy eating or dietary habits and physical activity to improve their lifestyle. Keywords: Cross-sectional study, informed consent, dietary intake, Diabetes Mellitus, FFQ, pre-diabetic.

Thriving at Work as a Mediator of the Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior

Thriving at work is a positive psychological state in which individuals experience a sense of vitality and learning. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the effect of transformational leadership on innovative work behavior and the mediating effect of thriving at work on the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior among private sector employees in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from 224 private sector employees. The results of the study reveal that transformational leadership is positively related to thriving at work and thriving at work is positively related to innovative work behavior. Furthermore, thriving at work fully mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Incentives and effort in the public and private sector

AbstractWhile public service motivation theory suggests that public sector employees have higher levels of intrinsic motivation, average pay levels in the public sector are not lower, so public sector employees also value financial incentives. We investigate the relationship of financial incentives with effort (measured with unpaid overtime) for public versus private sector employees using a UK sample. Bonuses are used much less in the public sector, but their relationship with effort is not different between sectors. Public sector employees exert more effort when base pay is higher and do so to a somewhat higher extent than private sector employees. However, public sector employees increase effort more when effort is an important promotion criterion and when perceived job security is higher. Thus, implicit incentives resulting from being in a secure job and developing in that job are more effective for public sector employees than for private sector employees.

Opportunity to Use New Ways of Working: Do Sectors and Organizational Characteristics Shape Employee Perceptions?

The diffusion of New Ways of Working (NWW) is an important trend in contemporary organizations. Many related empirical studies have been produced, but none have focused on differences in employees’ perceptions of the opportunity to use NWW according to organization sector (private, semi-public, public). This study, based on neo institutionalism and HR attributions theory, investigated these differences via a survey (n = 2693) of employees at private (n = 358), semi-public (n = 204), and public (n = 2131) organizations. Based on the use of the PLS-SEM method, as well as ANOVA tests and pairwise comparisons of marginal linear predictions, we uncover differences in perceptions between employees in different sectors regarding the possibility of using NWW. Indeed, the results show that public employees reported less opportunity to use NWW than their private and semi-public counterparts. Furthermore, private sector employees were more likely to attribute well-being and productivity benefits to NWW than their public sector and semi-public counterparts. We also show that institutional and organizational variables specific to the characteristics of organizations in the three sectors partially explain the degree of perceptions with respect to the opportunity to use NWW.