Smart Work Research Articles

Crucial and fragile: a multi-methods and multi-disciplinary study of cooperation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addressing global pandemics, robust cooperation across nations, institutions, and individuals is paramount. However, navigating the complexities of individual versus collective interests, diverse group objectives, and varying societal norms and cultures makes fostering such cooperation challenging. This research delves deep into the dynamics of interpersonal cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, using an integrative approach that combines qualitative and experimental methodologies. Through a series of retrospective interviews and a lab-in-the-field experiment, we gained insights into the cooperation patterns of healthcare and manufacturing workers. Within healthcare, professionals grappled with escalating emergencies and deteriorating work conditions, resisting the "new normalcy" ushered in by the pandemic. Meanwhile, manufacturing workers adapted to the altered landscape, leveraging smart working strategies to carve out a fresh professional paradigm amidst novel challenges and opportunities. Across these contrasting narratives, the centrality of individual, institutional, and interpersonal factors in galvanizing cooperation was evident. Key drivers like established relational dynamics, mutual dependencies, and proactive leadership were particularly salient. Our experimental findings further reinforced some of these qualitative insights, underscoring the pivotal role of recognition and the detrimental effects of uncertainty on cooperative behaviors. While contextual and sample-related constraints exist, this study illuminates vital facets of cooperation during crises and lays the groundwork for future explorations into cooperative decision-making.

Response Strategies to Legal Risks of Big Data-Enabled Digital Economy

Under Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei's strategy of its simultaneous development, the digital economy with its networked, digitised and intelligent industrial operations is developing rapidly, and big data is both the object of its production and creation, and can also provide legal protection for the digital economy. Although the use of big data in practice is gradually increasing, it has not been fully embraced at the legislative, law enforcement and judicial levels as an adaptive means of safeguarding the digital economy. Big data can promote digital industrialisation and industrial digitisation, help digital rights and maintain intellectual property rights, regulate the platform economy against monopoly and unfair competition, accelerate data sharing and help protect personal information, can effectively make up for the existing laws and regulations and the traditional regulatory model of the digital economy of the soil and soil, so the law to absorb big data to solve the risks of the digital economy is imperative. Big data should be based on the different needs of criminal, civil and administrative laws, respectively; legislation for high-tech crimes, protection of personal information and intellectual property rights; law enforcement for the platform economy, anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition, and tax evasion; and judiciary for the evidence of big data, the introduction of talents and smart work models, to build a legal risk response strategy for the synergistic development of the digital economy empowered by big data.

EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE COMMUNITY’S ECONOMY THROUGH THE CENTER OF SHARIA BUSINESS INCUBATION (PINBAS) OF INDONESIAN ULAMA COUNCIL NORTH SUMATERA IN ALLEVIATING POVERTY

The Center of Sharia Business Incubation (PINBAS) of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) plays a significant role in developing and promoting businesses that comply with Sharia economic principles to promote the community’s self-sufficiency in alleviating poverty. Yet, the effective strategies for empowering the people's economy are still far from MUI's expectations. The community’s economic empowerment requires more creative efforts and smart work to reveal an adequate solution. The research aims to analyze strategies for community economic empowerment employed by PINBAS of MUI North Sumatera chapter in alleviating poverty. The SWOT analysis and QSPM are applied as research methods. The number of respondents was 6 people and 5 people, respectively. Respondents were appointed based on their understanding of economic empowerment among academics and practitioners. The results obtained from the SWOT analysis recommend the alteration of strategies in quadrant III, 1) So far, the strategies that have been carried out are designated to increase public knowledge and awareness, partnerships with sharia financial institutions, collaboration and innovation, and research. 2) Factors of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, namely creating cooperation programs with other parties, Helping to run government programs to assist in the form of capital training and appropriate human resources, Creating new markets, Maximizing support, Providing promising good results and Providing training programs to the community 3) Urgency of Handling future Internal and External Factors by providing promising results so that they understand sharia business principles in detail, Collaborating with various parties, Overcoming limited available resources, Providing training programs to the community by documenting and sharing them with mass media. 4) The main priority strategy that needs to be implemented is to provide training programs to the community by documenting and sharing them with the mass media so that common people will be aware of the existence of these programs and more people will taking part in the programs. 5) Economic empowerment model community activities carried out by PINBAS in overcoming poverty, namely entrepreneurship/mapping data, creativity patterns (business/figure inspiration), and nurturing togetherness.

The Impact of Smart Work Environment on Working Moms' Job Performance: Dual Mediating Effects of Job Autonomy and Job Satisfaction

The Impact of Smart Work Environment on Working Moms' Job Performance: Dual Mediating Effects of Job Autonomy and Job Satisfaction

Enhancing Productivity at Home: The Role of Smart Work and Organizational Support in the Public Sector

In recent years, Italian Public Administrations (PAs) have swiftly adapted to flexible work arrangements due to the impact of COVID-19. The flexible work has led to addressing new challenges including the need to balance work demands with family commitments, a lack of social support, struggles with inadequate technology, and managing home interruptions that negatively affect home performance. Based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the present study aims at examining the negative impact of home interruptions on smart working performance and the moderating role of two potential job resources: organizational support and perceived quality of the smart working. A convenience sample of 301 Italian public employees engaged in smart working completed an online questionnaire. Multivariate regression analysis results showed that organizational support plays a moderating role in reducing the negative effect of interruptions on home performance. However, the findings did not support a moderating role for the perceived quality of smart working. Overall, these findings highlight the critical role of social factors in buffering the negative effects of smart working, as compared to the quality of the technological arrangements. This information could be valuable for organizations looking to enhance the effectiveness of smart working by focusing on organizational support.

The Covid-19 Pandemic and The Future of Work.

The "future of work" refers to workplace modifications projected to occur following large scale events impacting workforce health and safety such as pandemics, technological advancements, or economic shifts. This paper examines the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future of work. The electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus were explored using search terms such as "post-pandemic," "working force," and "future of work" to retrieve papers published between 2000 and 2023. The main characteristics of the future of work modification revealed are blurring of work-home boundaries, increase in telework and the gig economy, demand for artificial intelligence, smart working, quiet hiring, diversity and inclusion, and algocratic governance. Needed skills include virtual collaboration capability, cross-cultural competency, computational thinking, news media literacy, transdisciplinarity, sense making, and focusing on mental health and well-being. Organizations are remodeling workforces to meet employee, employer, regulatory, and market expectations to adapt to future workplace needs.

A Method and Metrics to Assess the Energy Efficiency of Smart Working

The paper discusses the energy efficiency of smart working (SW) as a solution to traditional work-approach issues, with a focus on evaluating benefits for both employers and employees. Remote working, while offering environmental advantages such as reduced commuting and office space use, poses challenges in assessing its true impact. The study presents results from a dynamic analysis on a real residential building, typical of an architectural style diffused in northern Italy, revealing a 15% average increase in energy consumption when all work tasks are performed from home. To address concerns about the environmental impact of SW, the research proposes a method and metrics for evaluation. Four novel indices (SWEET, SEE, SSEE, and 4E) are introduced, providing a structured approach to assess the energy efficiency of SW initiatives. The paper outlines a methodology for data gathering and metric application, aiming to acquire quantitative insights and mitigate disparities arising from a transfer of burdens to employees. This contribution not only signifies a ground-breaking methodology but also addresses an unresolved research question concerning the evaluation of the actual energy efficiency of smart working implementations for both employers and employees. The results underscore the importance of understanding the nuances of SW’s impact on household energy usage and its broader implications for sustainability goals.

What means of transport did Italians choose during the pandemic? A literature review

The ongoing health emergency is reshaping the environmental, social and economic context. It is therefore necessary to define a new overall mobility ecosystem. The freeze and restrictions imposed since March 2020 have indeed strongly conditioned modal choices and travel frequencies. Italy was among the first countries to suffer dramatic consequences in Europe and to have reported several critical issues in the transport sector, especially for local public transport (PT). In addition, several survey-based studies have mapped the demand for regional mobility in light of the major changes taking place in the world of work, with the introduction of smart working and the consequent reduction in travel. The change in living and commuting habits has also been due to a strong psychosocial change and especially due to the stress and anxiety that people have felt while moving. All this has led to an increase in the choice of the private vehicle for major daily travel as it is connected to a perception of greater safety and lower risk of infection. Therefore, the present work stands as a review of the literature related to different modal choices and travel trends in the Italian context, focusing on the factors that have changed choices in transportation and mobility. The review was conducted using keyword strings in Scopus and Transportation Research Integrated Database (TRID). The findings underscore the need to implement a new mobility to maintain a strong relationship between service operators and customers. The development and success of individual models will depend on the ability of operators to embrace the new needs of the community and on how well institutions are able to rethink the entire mobility ecosystem.

Natural selection or strategic adaptation? Entrepreneurial digital technologies and survival of the species

Research on firm survival has primarily focused on input and outcomes. We shift the conversation by performing a systematic analysis of moderating role of firm size in the relationship between firm survival and strategic adaptation. After establishing a theoretical framework, we empirically assess the impact of strategic adaptation through digital transformation and public financial aid on the likelihood of firm survival. We find that smart working helped small firms, while home delivery and e-commerce had no effect on their survival. In contrast, liquidity support from the government and deferral of credit benefited micro firms. Our study emphasizes the importance of analyzing survival probabilities by differentiating firms by size, with the ultimate goal of exploring how selection or strategic adaptation processes may variably impact them.

Wearable Stretch Sensors for Ergonomics-Related Human Movement Monitoring

Physical ergonomics has shown to be an effective method of keeping an eye on any illnesses associated with, like, job-related tasks. Wearable sensors and artificial intelligence have been used in conjunction to enhance experimental ergonomic research techniques in the field of physical ergonomics, according to a number of recent studies. This study proposes the Smart Work wear System, a module-based ambulatory system that addresses work-related physical and psychosocial stresses that might impact health and performance. It supports risk assessment, technique training, and workplace design while reducing the requirement for expert trainers and ergonomists. Substituting measurements for observations improves measurement accuracy and repeatability. A modular platform allows for the connection of a variety of sensor types based on the individual requirements of each case.

A Bus Network Design Model under Demand Variation: A Case Study of the Management of Rome’s Bus Network

This paper proposed a methodology to design bus transit networks that can be consistently adjusted according to demand variations both in level and distribution. The methodology aims to support the activities of service providers in optimizing the service capacity of the bus network according to a system-wide analysis. It stems from the changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such an experience has imposed a rethinking of the methodology used for the optimal design of robust transit network services that are easy-to-adapt to demand variations without redesigning the whole network every time. Starting from an existing model, this design methodology is articulated in two parts: the first part for solving the problem with the maximum level of transit demand, aiming at giving an upper bound to the solution, and the second part, where the network is optimized for other specific transit demands. This method has been applied to a real context in the city of Rome, considering two levels of demand taken from COVID-19 experiences. They are characterized by the application of different policies regarding different timings for shopping and schools’ openings as well as by policies on smart working. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology to design robust transit networks suited to comply with large demand variations. Moreover, the procedure is suitable and easy to implement, in order to adapt quickly to changes in demand without having to modify line routes, but adapting them in an optimal way, even when dealing with realistic-sized transit networks.

A Conceptual Design for Smart Risk Assessment

Technology cannot be separated from the development of Industry 4.0 in which smart working is the focus. One of the company’s activities that helps the company to achieve its quality goals and objectives is risk management. Based on observations of one SMEs, poor risk management is still found. The risks that occur have not been identified, assessed, and treated appropriately. In addition, documentation that has not been conducted makes the risks that occur later not be handled properly. The aim of this study is to develop a conceptual model of smart risk assessment. The step of this research includes identifying stake holders (as users), identifying functional design, designing context diagram (CD) and data flow diagram (DFD), and designing fidelity prototype. The users involve the production manager, operational manager, and director. The functional design integrates stake holders’ requirements and ISO 31000:2018 risk management process. The design of fidelity prototype focuses on risk assessment, risk treatment, and documentation of risk management. This application is expected to become one of the sustainable development and information systems on Industries.

Smart Working and Remote Working: Innovation within European Union

Alongside the drastic closure of many production sectors, the Covid19 emergency has forced a wide range of businesses to reorganize using the possibilities offered by ICT. Private and, surprisingly, even public sectors have organized themselves with considerable speed, sometimes even circumventing certain legal constraints, to ensure the maximum possible performance through remote working. Employees, teachers, lawyers, consultants and other professionals have, in fact, begun to coordinate online work among colleagues, users and customers, so as to be able to guarantee, at least in part, the performance necessary for their work. The purpose of this study, on the other hand, is to examine the remote working phenomenon which, although easier to identify, implies very significant social changes, which in turn imply rather complex epistemic problems.Namely, I will try to respond the following Research Questions: a) how much is the phenomenon widespread across EU? b) is the introduction of RW only a consequence of the pandemic, or does it depend on a propensity for innovation?

Exploring the restorative benefits of work in smart working structures on vacations in small villages.

Processes of redefinition of work, already in place in the pre-pandemic era, with the advent of COVID-19, have become widely required. A "model of work" that uses new technologies and the development of existing ones to improve workers' performance and satisfaction has emerged. Smart working has changed how people work and, as a result, spaces must also change to support them. The use of prefabricated movable buildings (PMB) could represent an opportunity to create smart (and co-) working spaces in a regenerative contest. Small villages with historical, architectural, and naturalistic elements and slow-life features are potential platforms where vacation and work could merge easily. This paper aims to establish if working in movable offices, like the PMBs, which provide a high level of visual and acoustics interaction with the surroundings, and which is positioned in small villages' squares, can affect workers' sense of restoration and working performance. In a laboratory setting, in the SENS i-Lab, a videowall and a 3D spatial audio system were used to compare, in terms of restorativeness and self-reported cognitive performance, the effects of a high-rise building context of a City Business District (CBD), i.e. the control scenario, and of two typical squares of small Italian villages with historic buildings, without (HIS) and with water elements (HIS-W). The findings of the experimental sessions showed that when working in close contact (visual and auditory) with historical or water elements, where life flows slowly, workers perceived a higher sense of restoration while job performance was unchanged. Implementing smart working policies in small villages that encourage the use of energy-efficient prefabricated movable buildings and that offer a high level of visual and acoustic interaction with the surrounding environment may represent a promising strategy to foster the development of the local economy and contrast the depopulation of small villages, improving the worker well-being and the reducing the impact of their activities of the environment.

Implementation and engagement of the SMART Work & Life sitting reduction intervention: an exploratory analysis on intervention effectiveness

BackgroundTo enhance the impact of interventions, it is important to understand how intervention engagement relates to study outcomes. We report on the level of implementation and engagement with the SMART Work & Life (SWAL) programme (delivered with (SWAL plus desk) and without a height-adjustable desk (SWAL)) and explore the effects of different levels of this on change in daily sitting time in comparison to the control group.MethodsThe extent of intervention delivery by workplace champions and the extent of engagement by champions and participants (staff) with each intervention activity was assessed by training attendance logs, workplace champion withdrawal dates, intervention activities logs and questionnaires. These data were used to assess whether a cluster met defined criteria for low, medium, or high implementation and engagement or none of these. Mixed effects linear regression analyses tested whether change in sitting time varied by: (i) the number of intervention activities implemented and engaged with, and (ii) the percentage of implementation and engagement with all intervention strategies.ResultsWorkplace champions were recruited for all clusters, with 51/52 (98%) attending training. Overall, 12/27 (44.4%) SWAL and 9/25 (36.0%) SWAL plus desk clusters implemented all main intervention strategies. Across remaining clusters, the level of intervention implementation varied. Those in the SWAL (n = 8 (29.6%) clusters, 80 (32.1%) participants) and SWAL plus desk (n = 5 (20.0%) clusters, 41 (17.1%) participants) intervention groups who implemented and engaged with the most intervention strategies and had the highest percentage of cluster implementation and engagement with all intervention strategies sat for 30.9 (95% CI -53.9 to -7.9, p = 0.01) and 75.6 (95% CI -103.6 to -47.7, p < 0.001) fewer minutes/day respectively compared to the control group at 12 month follow up. These differences were larger than the complete case analysis. The differences in sitting time observed for the medium and low levels were similar to the complete case analysis.ConclusionsMost intervention strategies were delivered to some extent across the clusters although there was large variation. Superior effects for sitting reduction were seen for those intervention groups who implemented and engaged with the most intervention components and had the highest level of cluster implementation and engagement.Trial RegistrationISRCTN11618007. Registered on 24 January 2018. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTNISRCTN11618007.

Customer Value and Competitive Advantage in Schools at Cirebon

This study aims to determine the customer value and competitive advantage of schools in Cirebon. Customer value provides customer response with competitive advantages and competition in education by increasing educational competitiveness. Research method with qualitative approach using description analysis. This method is used because Cirebon has 45 high school schools with a sample of 20 varied schools. Data collection techniques use interviews, documentation, and observation. The research results were analyzed using data triangulation techniques. The result of the study is that customer value requires the readiness of all parties involved in the school, and customer value requires commitment from every member of the school element. Competitive advantage requires the carrying capacity of school principals and the smart work of all parties who can manage Education programs.

Participant and workplace champion experiences of an intervention designed to reduce sitting time in desk-based workers: SMART work & life

BackgroundA cluster randomised controlled trial demonstrated the effectiveness of the SMART Work & Life (SWAL) behaviour change intervention, with and without a height-adjustable desk, for reducing sitting time in desk-based workers. Staff within organisations volunteered to be trained to facilitate delivery of the SWAL intervention and act as workplace champions. This paper presents the experiences of these champions on the training and intervention delivery, and from participants on their intervention participation.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative feedback from workplace champions on their training session was collected. Participants provided quantitative feedback via questionnaires at 3 and 12 month follow-up on the intervention strategies (education, group catch ups, sitting less challenges, self-monitoring and prompts, and the height-adjustable desk [SWAL plus desk group only]). Interviews and focus groups were also conducted at 12 month follow-up with workplace champions and participants respectively to gather more detailed feedback. Transcripts were uploaded to NVivo and the constant comparative approach informed the analysis of the interviews and focus groups.ResultsWorkplace champions rated the training highly with mean scores ranging from 5.3/6 to 5.7/6 for the eight parts. Most participants felt the education increased their awareness of the health consequences of high levels of sitting (SWAL: 90.7%; SWAL plus desk: 88.2%) and motivated them to change their sitting time (SWAL: 77.5%; SWAL plus desk: 85.77%). A high percentage of participants (70%) reported finding the group catch up session helpful and worthwhile. However, focus groups highlighted mixed responses to the group catch-up sessions, sitting less challenges and self-monitoring intervention components. Participants in the SWAL plus desk group felt that having a height-adjustable desk was key in changing their behaviour, with intrinsic as well as time based factors reported as key influences on the height-adjustable desk usage. In both intervention groups, participants reported a range of benefits from the intervention including more energy, less fatigue, an increase in focus, alertness, productivity and concentration as well as less musculoskeletal problems (SWAL plus desk group only). Work-related, interpersonal, personal attributes, physical office environment and physical barriers were identified as barriers when trying to sit less and move more.ConclusionsWorkplace champion and participant feedback on the intervention was largely positive but it is clear that different behaviour change strategies worked for different people indicating that a ‘one size fits all’ approach may not be appropriate for this type of intervention. The SWAL intervention could be tested in a broader range of organisations following a few minor adaptations based on the champion and participant feedback.Trial registrationISCRCTN registry (ISRCTN11618007).

Upaya Petani Sawit Dalam Meningkatkan Perekonomian Berdasarkan Perspektif Ekonomi Islam Di Desa Sungai Sayang

The development of the agricultural sector is still an important sector in encouraging the acceleration of regional development For Jambi province,. This can be seen from the still large contribution of the agricultural sector to GRDP and labor absorption for the economy of the Jambi province region. The agricultural sector has contributed around 27.5% to the GRDP of Jambi province and has also been able to absorb a relatively large number of workers, namely 46.88% of the existing workforce.. The aim of this research is to find out how palm oil farmers are making efforts to improve the economy in Sungai Sayang Village and to find out how palm oil farmers are making efforts to improve the economy based on an Islamic economic perspective in Sungai Sayang Village. In this study the authors used a qualitative approach with descriptive analysis method. The results of this research are that people get permanent jobs and income and people get additional income. The community is able to send their children to a higher level. The community is able to help others by hiring workers. The community at work has 3 things that must be implied, namely hard work, smart work and sincere work.

The MAS4AI framework for human-centered agile and smart manufacturing.

Volatility and uncertainty of today's value chains along with the market's demands for low-batch customized products mandate production systems to become smarter and more resilient, dynamically and even autonomously adapting to both external and internal disturbances. Such resilient behavior can be partially enabled by highly interconnected Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) incorporating advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Multi-agent solutions can provide better planning and control, improving flexibility and responsiveness in production systems. Small modular parts can autonomously take intelligent decisions and react to local events. The main goal of decentralization and interconnectivity is to enable autonomous and cooperative decision-making. Nevertheless, a more efficient orchestration of various AI components and deeper human integration are required. In addition, global behaviors of coalitions of autonomous agents are not easily comprehensible by workers. Furthermore, it is challenging to implement an Industry 4.0 paradigm where a human should be in charge of decision-making and execution. This paper discusses a Multi-Agent System (MAS) where several software agents cooperate with smart workers to enable a dynamic and reconfigurable production paradigm. Asset Administration Shell (AAS) submodels hold smart workers' descriptions in machine-readable format, serving as an integration layer between various system's components. The self-description capability of the AAS supports the system's adaptability and self-configuration. The proposed concept supports the plug-and-produce functionality of the production modules and improves human-machine integration in the shared assembly tasks.

Implementing Industry 4.0 technologies: Future roles in purchasing and supply management

Technological advancements associated with Industry 4.0 drive a paradigm shift with economic and social consequences where digitalization, robotization, and other emerging technologies reshape the interconnection between organizations. Critical areas that need to adapt to the change are inter-organizational buyer-supplier relationships managed by Purchasing and Supply Management (PSM) professionals. That is, their future responsibilities and skills are likely to change. Introducing the concept of specialized roles to summarize needed competencies, this research conducted a real-time Delphi study using an internet-based platform involving 47 procurement experts. As a result, the roles of the Data Analyst, Master Data Manager, Process Automation Manager, Supplier Onboarding Manager, System Innovation Scout, and Legislation Specialist were identified as essential Industry 4.0 PSM roles. For these roles, the probability of their occurrence, industry impact, desirability, and level of industry adoption are assessed. Based on emerging technologies in PSM and adopting a human-centered perspective, this research shows the need to focus on talent development to enable a technology-driven revolution. Thus, the contributions lay in the literature on Industry 4.0 and the PSM skills and capabilities domain, highlighting the required roles for Smart Working and effective Smart Supply Chains management as parts of the digital transformation journey.