Working Time Reduction Research Articles

A conceptual model of openness to working time reduction based on interviews with Hungarian fathers

ABSTRACT Why and under what conditions do workers desire working time reductions (WTRs)? As a response to limitations of existing theoretical frameworks to address this question, we propose a conceptual model of working time preference formation based on the concept of work centrality and seven potential functions of work: income, advancement, meaningfulness, relationships, time structuring, pleasurable activity, and autonomy. We argue that openness to specific WTRs depends on how well these functions can be fulfilled at work vs. the non-work domains of life. To demonstrate the applicability of this framework, we draw on 38 interviews with 23 fathers eligible for a substantial parental leave at a multinational company in Hungary. We observe that most interviewees want to reduce paid work eventually, but reject uncompensated WTR as a short-term option. To explain the focus on income and advancement over enjoyment, meaningfulness, and autonomy, we highlight the role of financial security and gender norms in a risk-averse post-socialist context, suggesting that key barriers to WTRs are cultural. Conceptually, we argue that the proposed model offers a deeper understanding of preference formation than its alternatives, helps to identify characteristic worker profiles, and provides a framework for coherent discussions at a suitable level of complexity.

PERBANDINGAN DURASI PEKERJAAN BOR KERING DAN BOR BASAH PADA PEKERJAAN TIANG BOR DI PROYEK X

The duration of construction work is a crucial factor that affects the efficiency and success of a project, especially in bored pile construction. The purpose of this study is to identify the differences in the duration of dry and wet drilling work along with internal and external factors that affect the duration. Dry drilling is a drilling condition without using fluid, while wet drilling is a drilling condition using polymers or fluids to maintain the soil wall so that it does not collapse. The study was conducted through unstructured interviews and field observations by finding 40 data on project X. Data processing in this study was carried out using a comparative method and presented in the form of tables and graphs. Based on this comparison, it can be seen which work is more efficient and faster and the factors that influence it. Based on data analysis, the dry drilling method is more efficient with a total working duration of 3.26 hours compared to 6.37 hours required for wet drilling. The biggest difference is in the drilling and cleaning time which is different by 2.52 hours. In addition, factors such as tool damage, bad weather, and technical difficulties can affect the duration of work, especially when using wet drilling. This study provides important information for choosing the right drilling method to reduce working time and increase project efficiency

Evaluation of the social-economic impacts of hyena attacks on humans and livestock in the Nyang’whale district of Tanzania

BackgroundThe spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is one of the carnivore species that frequently comes into conflict with humans. These conflicts are attributed to their scavenging foraging behaviour and their ability to occupy habitats close to human settlements. In Tanzania, the Geita region has recently experienced an increase in livestock and human attacks by hyenas. However, there are limited studies examining the extent of these attacks and the associated social-economic impacts. Thus, this study evaluated the social impacts and economic losses due to spotted hyena attacks in the Nyang’whale district in the Geita region.Materials and methodsThe study was carried out in three villages in the Nyang’whale district, namely Wavu, which is close to the Mienze Forest Reserve; Bukungu, which is far from the forest but surrounded by many hills; and Izunya, which is far from the forest and the hills. Data collection was done through household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. A Chi-square test assessed the association between hyena fear and daily activities across villages. Poisson regression compared the number of livestock attacked by hyenas by village and species. Linear regression analysis compared financial losses due to livestock attacks and reductions in working time due to hyena fear across villages.ResultsThere was a significant variation in the frequency of livestock and human attacks between the villages. The frequency of livestock attacks was lower in Bukungu village, but human attacks were highest in this village. The Wavu village, which is close to the forest, had the highest livestock number and attacks, but no human attacks were reported. The hyena attacks had created fear, which had changed the daily routines of the villagers. The village with the most human attacks reported a high rate of school dropouts, while the one with the most livestock attacks reported a reduction in sleeping time at night to watch livestock. Economic losses due to livestock attacks averaged $300.5 per household per year, while losses due to reduced working time were equivalent to $285.6 per household per year.ConclusionGiven that villages with a large number of livestock experienced more livestock attacks and fewer human attacks, this suggests that hyenas may target humans when their food resources are limited. Therefore, conducting further studies to assess the hyena population and the availability of their natural prey is crucial for formulating effective intervention strategies. Additionally, villagers should be educated on ways to control human and livestock attacks based on the animals’ ecology and behaviour.

Unravelling motives and time use of additional leave in a flexible benefits plan: a mixed-methods case study in Belgium

Working-time reduction emerges as a promising measure for fostering a well-being economy, as it allows to reconsider time allocation between paid labour and other activities, potentially improving human and environmental well-being. This study investigates the motives for and planned time use of additional leave in the context of a flexible benefits plan, a specific form of working-time reduction that is increasingly popular among employees and employers. Despite its popularity, little is known about the rationale behind this choice and its potential to create socio-environmental benefits. Data were collected from a Belgian media company in 2022 using a mixed-methods approach, comprising a survey (N = 241) and semi-structured interviews (N = 13). The findings reveal that a mix of motives matters for choosing additional leave, including push, pull, personal and contextual factors, as well as the specifics of the flexible benefits plan. While the desire for more leisure emerges as a primary driver, difficulties in taking up the standard amount of leave present a key barrier. Employees plan to use their extra leave for diverse activities, mainly personal and social activities, household tasks, travel, and ad-hoc pursuits. However, preferences vary based on parental status, with couples having children primarily intending to use the leave for caregiving responsibilities. Notably, the primary activities for intended time use align with increased well-being and have relatively low environmental impacts, although positive effects may be partially offset for well-being (such as when paid work is replaced with unpaid care or household work) or for the environment (such as when spending the extra leave on environmentally intensive (travel) activities). These findings tentatively suggest that choosing additional leave in flexible benefits plans could contribute to a well-being economy.

A Bibliometric Analysis on Future Research Trends of Working Time Reduction

Working time reduction (WTR) has been a subject of research in many different areas, affecting work-life balance, productivity and well-being. This subject has attracted media attention and is in the experimental phase or planned in many countries. The primary purpose of this article is to have comprehensive information about the quantity of research conducted on reducing working hours.62 articles focusing on WTR were analyzed. Data were collected from the Web of Science and analyzed with the VOSviewer. The relationship Networks were mapped and interpreted by performed authors, country and keyword analyzed. In studies on WTR, Germany has been identified as the most effective country due to being a pioneer country with the development of technology and the increase in welfare and it has been determined that the UK's publications on the subject have increased with the effects of the implementation of different working models with Covid-19.

Impact of Multiple Sclerosis on different life dimensions among working women in Sweden

Abstract Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS), like many other chronic diseases, may impact the whole life situation. MS is more common among women than men, in addition, women tend to report worse health status. We aimed to explore the self-reported impact of MS on different dimensions of life such as work, family, leisure activities and, contact with friends and acquaintances. Methods All individuals 20-50 years of age listed in the Swedish MS Registry were invited to answer a survey in 2021. Responses from 2659 working women regarding impact of MS in different dimensions (1, not at all; 2-3, occasionally; 4-5, frequently; 6-7 to a high extend) were explored with descriptive statistics. Results Reported impact of MS varied across the different life dimensions. Working women reported that MS had a greater impact on their leisure activities (20.7% - responding to ‘to a high extent’), followed by contact with friends and acquaintances (15.8%), work (15.5%) and family (11.7%). This despite the fact that 77.1% had mild levels of disability. Further, the MS diagnosis was reported to have contributed to reduced working time (31.4%), refrained from changing job (28.8%), changed jobs (20.5%) or changed career track (20.4%). When questioned about positive life-changing experiences due to MS diagnosis, a majority of the women stated that it had contributed to learning how to adapt to things one cannot change (59.2%) and being grateful for everyday (51.7%). Conclusions An MS diagnosis can significantly impact various aspects of life. While work is notably affected, leisure activities also undergo substantial changes after MS diagnosis. However, acceptance, adaptability and finding meaning, among other, can be important parts of the journey. Key messages • At early stages of MS, the disease tend to affect leisure activities more than other dimensions of life. • Finding coping mechanisms to handle MS may contribute to compensate the impact of MS.

Facile photometric quantification of aldehyde content in oxidized starches using 2-aminobenzamide oxime as an aldehyde selective reagent

AbstractThe oxidation of starch to aldehyde starch or dialdehyde starch introduces aldehyde groups to the starch core structure. This functionalization enables a wide range of further derivatization, e.g., oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid or functionalization to the corresponding amine via imine formation and reduction, which can be used for cross-linking. Herein, we report a novel method for efficiently quantifying these aldehyde groups based on the selective adduct formation of 2-aminobenzamide oxime (ABAO) and aldehydes. We initially implemented this photometric assay for C6-oxidized aldehyde starch using a plate reader, enabling parallel analysis of multiple samples in a fraction of the time and consistent with the conventional titration methods. Complementing this stream-lined analytical approach, we present an abbreviated workflow for faster downstream processing of reaction samples toward analysis. All of this was performed at a very small scale, cutting costs for (expensive) reagents and solvents, as well as drastically reducing working time. Finally, we also demonstrate our assay's applicability for quantifying the two aldehyde groups formed in dialdehyde starch derived from NaIO4 oxidation. Graphical abstract

The societal cost of 'unwanted' loneliness in Spain.

Unwanted loneliness negatively affects people's health and quality of life, increasing morbidity and the risk of premature death; this situation can generate major social costs. The aim of this study is to estimate the social costs of loneliness in Spain for 2021: both tangible costs -monetary value of health costs and production losses- and intangible costs -Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). To estimate costs not derived from mortality, information from a sample of 400 people with unwanted loneliness was compared with that derived from two samples of the general population obtained from the Spanish National Health Surveys. To estimate the costs associated with premature deaths, the population attributable fraction was calculated using the relative risks estimated in previous survival studies. In the baseline scenario, the tangible costs of unwanted loneliness are estimated to be around 14,129million euros in 2021, representing 1.2% of Spain's GDP. Approximately 56.8% of the tangible costs correspond to production losses due to reduced working time, and 43.2% are due to healthcare costs related with increased consultation frequency in healthcare services and higher consumption of medicines related to loneliness. In addition, loneliness generates a reduction in quality of life equivalent to 1.04million QALYs, which corresponds to 2.8% of the total stock of QALYs of the Spanish population over 15 years of age.

A comparative review of de- and post-growth modeling studies

In recent years, a small but rapidly growing field of modeling alternatives to growth as represented by the de- (DG) and post-growth (PG) discourses has emerged. We compare selected model characteristics of 75 DG and PG related modeling studies, compiled through a systematic literature review (2000−2023), and link model structures and results to different theoretically contested debates surrounding DG/PG. The reviewed studies cover different geographical and temporal scopes, economic theories, modeling techniques and operationalizations of DG/PG. The majority of studies models DG/PG as intentional transition and does not question its compatibility with a capitalist system, while more radical strands of the DG/PG discourse are excluded. Although DG/PG modeling exercises frequently explore the effects of sustainability policies, they represent only a fraction of theoretical DG policy proposals, with the most frequent being: working time reduction, maximum income caps, carbon taxes and a universal basic income. DG/PG modeling studies have demonstrated the importance of integrating biophysical constraints in economic modeling but also have quantitatively assessed the feasibility of environmental integrity and social well-being without growth. Nonetheless, future modeling could be rendered more realistic by paying more attention to the Global South, introducing heterogeneous agents driving sustainability transitions and including multiple planetary boundaries.

Full Digital Workflow for Aesthetic Rehabilitation of the Upper Teeth: A Case Report

The present case report presents a digital workflow for designing an aesthetic rehabilitation of the upper anterior teeth in an adult male. The patient suffered from a gummy smile resulting from an unfavorable ratio between upper lip length and gingiva/tooth display. In addition, the tooth shapes, color, and position were not accepted by the patient. The treatment planning included gingivectomy based on a digitally designed PMMA guide performed using a soft tissue SOGA laser (Shenzhen Soga Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China). The preparation was guided by the plastic guides for preparation control created digitally in Exocad software (Rijeka 3.1. Darmstadt, Germany) and printed in three-dimensional plastic. Next, both arches and maximum intercuspation were scanned. The milled lithium disilicate veneers were manufactured using CAD-computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) equipment. The restorations were cemented using a translucent light-cure resin cement (RelyX Universal, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA). Next, occlusion adjustment and polishing were executed. Based on the present case report, it can be assumed that the application of digital techniques allows us to achieve an aesthetic and functional result with reduced work time and errors. Emphasizing the clinical impact, these methods enhance patient satisfaction and treatment accuracy in intricate aesthetic rehabilitations.

Aadhaar Card for Digitalization of the Healthcare System

Today, we are living in an era of technology where everything we use comes from technology. Technology has uplifted the lives of people by reducing work time and increasing efficacy and precision. So why not use this technological advancement in healthcare to raise the quality of patient care and digitize the healthcare system to global heights? Aadhaar card consists of a 12 digits unique identification number which is unique to every cardholder and can be helpful as a source of unique patient identifiers. Aadhar card can play an important role in digitizing the healthcare system by generating a database through which past medical history reports of patients in the country can be collected by trained medical professionals and can be used whenever a patient needs treatment. This database can be generated by linking the patient’s unique identification number on Aadhaar card with his/her medical reports, so that, they get stored in the database and can be used whenever required for further treatment in any part of the county. This approach can be very useful in raising patient care quality and also can reduce the workload of both the patients and healthcare professionals by organizing the whole work systematically. The day is not so far when the whole healthcare system will be digitized, and the patient care quality will reach the topmost height.

An organizational working time reduction and its impact on three domains of mental well-being of employees: a panel study

BackgroundWork hours are an important aspect of one’s job and these in turn have the potential to impact people’s well-being. Much research investigating the link between working hours and well-being uses cross-sectional data. Longitudinal studies, especially those studying the same subjects changing their working time, can study the impact of work time more clearly. Using panel data, this study aims to explore the impact of a reduction in working time on three domains of well-being: general well-being, job-related well-being (positive work experience) and work-family well-being (work-family conflict). In addition, our study offers insights into the role of concomitant changes in work and private circumstances of employees as we investigate whether the impact of shorter working hours for well-being is mediated by changes in the participants’ and circumstances related to paid and unpaid work resources.MethodAn organization of about 60 (female) employees trialed a shorter workweek for one calendar year in 2019. All full-time employees reduced their hours. The part-time working employees can be used as a control group. Panel data (survey and time-use diary data) of a 30-h workweek trial in Belgium was collected in four waves over two years in a pre- and post-intervention design. Change over time (waves) was analyzed through multilevel growth models.ResultA decrease in work-family conflict was observed during the shorter workweek. Part of this decrease is explained by concomitant changes in work and private circumstances, such as sufficiency in free time, schedule control, and satisfaction with work pressure. Positive work experience and general well-being tend to have decreased during the shorter workweek, although this could partly be explained by other organizational changes and not by the reduction in working hours per se. Schedule control helped suppress these somewhat negative effects of organizational changes on positive work experience.ConclusionReduced working hours have the largest and most positive impact on work-family conflict. The feeling of having enough leisure time contributes to this increased well-being. Especially for women, who were the majority in this study, a reduction in working time might be beneficial as they often bear more responsibility for household work and care tasks. Next to the duration of working time, schedule control/autonomy has an important impact on well-being.

The Care of the Self and the Meaningful Four-Day Workweek

Those who find their work meaningful often need to be more committed. Over-commitment, in turn, frequently results in stress, personal conflicts, and burnout. Such over-commitment, in other words, leads to employees needing to take more care of themselves. This paper considers the prospects for meaningful self-care in the context of working time reduction. For this, we consider the case of the four-day workweek, asking employees of such organizations to explain how they make meaning out of their newly found time off. Conceptually, we rely upon the work of Michel Foucault, particularly his analysis of the care of the self. On its basis, we coded five self-care practices: (1) rest and recuperation, (2) professional and personal development, (3) domestic work, (4) balancing work, and (5) additional work. We conclude by highlighting the theoretical and practical implications of work reduction for the analytical, ethical, and practical pursuit of meaningful work.

The Recent Use, Patient Satisfaction, and Advancement in Digital Smile Designing: A Systematic Review.

Digital smile designing (DSD) is a concept of dentistry which combines the old and the new and becomes a different world in the world of smile aesthetics and functionality. Dental aesthetics is not just a cosmetic issue but a multidimensional part of oral health that has a great impact on psychological well-being, social life, functional capabilities, and, hence, the quality of life. To put it simply, the recognition of its significance stresses the necessity of complete dental care which is the one that combines beauty and function as well as health. This systematic review aims to analyze the recent use and patient satisfaction of DSD and to show the recent advances in DSD. A thorough literature search was conducted across the online databases for articles about the implementation of digital smile analysis in dentistry. The articles that were published between 2013 and 2023 on DSD were selected which included randomized and non-randomized trials and observational studies covering the effectiveness, advantages, and patients' opinions about the treatment. The National Institutes of Health tool was applied for bias assessment. Ten studies were selected to address the use of DSD in dentistry based on the inclusion criteria. The findings from these studies suggest that DSD is useful in improving communication, reducing working time, minimizing errors, enhancing patient satisfaction, and providing clinical adequacy for final prosthetic pieces, indicating the usefulness of this approach in dental procedures.Smile designing using digital technologies has the potential to improve dental aesthetics and treatment procedures while showcasing their reliability and clinical effectiveness.

Working patterns, leisure dynamics, and energy consumption: a time-use analysis for Italy

ABSTRACT Recent working time reduction policies aim at achieving a triple dividend, yet their impact is uncertain due to potential rebound effects. Saved work time may be spent on energy-intensive leisure activities, complicating the overall outcomes. In our study, we conduct a time use analysis to investigate how different work schedules affect leisure time and its associated energy consumption, using the Italian Time Use Survey from Istat. Our analysis examines how predictive factors such as employment status, gender, and variables related to the household environment affect preferences for leisure activities, employing various econometric models, including Dirichlet regression which best suits compositional data. Results suggest that working time predominantly affects leisure time allocation; employment status, gender, and the presence of a teenager in the household also play a role. From an energy usage standpoint, a time rebound effect is present, although it is not mediated by the aforementioned factors.

Comparison of Conventional and Digital Workflows in the Fabrication of Fixed Prostheses: A Systematic Review.

When considering dental restorations, the use of fixed partial dentures is one of the most widely accepted treatment options. In the past, fabrication was done using traditional techniques and the conventional workflow was by far the popular method; however, nowadays digital workflows are being used as a means to produce the prosthesis. This systematic review aims to compare the workflows by considering their respective qualities, such as precision, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and clinical performance. A complete search has been carried out to incorporate any relevant studies published between the years2012 and 2023 indatabases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers screened articles for inclusion and assessed the studies' methodological quality rating via the NIH Tool. A total of 22 relevant articles were reviewed after a systematic search strategy. The main outcomeof the review was digital workflows were found to reduce working time, eliminate the selection of trays, minimize material consumption, and enhance patient comfort and acceptance. The studies also showed that digital workflows resulted in greater patient satisfaction and higher success rates than conventional workflows. Workflows for digital dentistry demonstrated to be better than traditional ones due to the cost-effectiveness, accuracy, and time optimization for the fabrication of fixed prostheses.

근로시간 단축(주 4일제) 관련 글로벌 동향 분석과 변화 방향 제언

This study attempts to suggest future directions in the perspective of human resource management based on various activities related to working-time reduction as a currently social issue and research findings on reduced working hours. Firstly, this study investigates how expected effects of reduced working-time are closely related to the realized effects of them by summarizing the previous studies. Also, based relevant research, this study suggests the overall potential issues that block the adoption of reduced working hours in terms of employees, firms, and gernal employment characteristics. Based on these literature reviews, this study summarizes the processes and results of global Four Day Week Global(4DWG) experiments, and suggests the limitations and directions of currently global experiments. Furthermore, this study investigates the two domestic firms which adopted the reduced working hours in the same industry. By doing In so doing, this study tries to draw the requirement before the adoption of 4DW as well as the driving forces after the adoption of 4DW. Based on these findings, this study proposes the future directions and HRM practices for successful adoption and operation of reduced working hours. In the discussion part, this study suggests future research directions in the human resource management field.

Evolutionary Approach to Optimal Oil Skimmer Assignment for Oil Spill Response: A Case Study.

We propose a genetic algorithm for optimizing oil skimmer assignments, introducing a tailored repair operation for constrained assignments. Methods essentially involve simulation-based evaluation to ensure adherence to South Korea's regulations. Results show that the optimized assignments, compared to current ones, reduced work time on average and led to a significant reduction in total skimmer capacity. Additionally, we present a deep neural network-based surrogate model, greatly enhancing efficiency compared to simulation-based optimization. Addressing inefficiencies in mobilizing locations that store oil skimmers, further optimization aimed to minimize mobilized locations and was validated through scenario-based simulations resembling actual situations. Based on major oil spills in South Korea, this strategy significantly reduced work time and required locations. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed genetic algorithm and mobilized location minimization strategy in enhancing oil spill response operations.

ANALISIS SENSITIVITAS PENURUNAN WAKTU PRODUKSI UNTUK MEMAKSIMALKAN PRODUK JADI SEKTOR KONSTRUKSI DENGAN MEMPERTIMBANGKAN KESEIMBANGAN LINTASAN

In simple terms, optimal allocation of resources will undoubtedly increase production efficiency, which in turn will increase the company's profit. The track balance (Assembly Line Balancing/ALB) aims to distribute the workload among work stations. The object of this research is the balance of the production line and workload in the girder production process. This study emphasizes the sensitivity analysis on reducing working time. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the parameters that affect operational flexibility and productivity levels. The decrease in processing time on the largest work element will affect the increase in output. In this case, the processing time on the work element waiting for dry cast will be reduced by 10 minutes in each scenario. In the 8th scenario, the processing time of the working elements waiting for the dry cast is 80 minutes. In other words, the resulting output is 6 units, while idle time drops to 150 minutes. This study recommends reducing the processing time of working elements waiting for dry cast to be 80 minutes.

Working Time and the Environmental Intensity of Well-Being

There are serious questions about the viability of economic growth for achieving development goals aimed at improving social and environmental outcomes. Research suggests that structural change away from the growth model is needed to reduce climate-change-causing emissions, decrease the overconsumption of environmental resources, and address inequalities in human well-being. An alternative approach is working-time reduction. Proponents present it as a multi-dividend sustainable-development policy that can improve both environmental and social outcomes. We test this proposition using two indicators, carbon intensity of well-being (CIWB) and ecological intensity of well-being (EIWB). We estimate longitudinal regression models with data from 34 high-income OECD countries from 1970 to 2019. We find that longer working hours are positively associated with higher CIWB and EIWB, suggesting that shorter working hours would decrease CIWB and EIWB, a desirable outcome in terms of sustainability. These results provide direct support for the idea that working-time reduction could improve both social and environmental outcomes simultaneously. These results have important practical and theoretical implications.