Work Organization Research Articles

How Work Becomes Invisible: The Erosion of the Wage Floor for Workers with Disabilities

How does work come to be constructed as a service to the worker? In the United States, the payment of subminimum wages to disabled workers has been legal since 1938 and was entrenched by 1986 legislation eliminating the previously mandated floor of 50 percent of the minimum wage. This article draws on primary historical materials to explain the passage of these amendments, which I analyze as a case of delaborization, a process through which work is mystified as such and reclassified as something else (e.g., service). I find that the managers of segregated workshops for disabled manual laborers rose to control disability employment policy in the aftermath of deinstitutionalization. Professionals mobilized disability stigma to frame the subminimum wage as a social welfare issue subject to their expertise and to lobby successfully for its entrenchment. Weaknesses in the disability–labor coalition enabled this seizure of jurisdiction. This research illuminates professional expertise, the withdrawal of labor unions, and identity-based stigma as major mechanisms driving delaborization, an important contemporary influence on the organization of work. The case of the subminimum wage thus develops sociological literatures on labor, disability, and politics.

Implementing workplace health promotion in nursing – A process evaluation in different care settings

ObjectiveWorkplace health promotion (WHP) in Germany is receiving increasing support from health insurance funds. Nevertheless, there is hardly any knowledge on the process of how health outcomes are achieved, especially in nursing. The aim of the study was to find out how and what can be implemented in different care settings and to examine the reactions and interactions of the participants under routine conditions.MethodsGuided by a logic model, a holistic WHP approach was implemented in four acute care hospitals, seven inpatient care facilities and four outpatient care services from April 2021 to October 2022. Data on realized WHP interventions, participant assessment and topics of work design was collected and analyzed descriptively.ResultsThe realized WHP interventions were adapted depending on the content and context. Mainly short relaxation interventions were delivered or those with an event character were received by participants. The highest participation rate of planned participants was achieved in team building training. Participants predominantly assessed WHP interventions as useful, the quality as (very) good and were generally (very) satisfied with the intervention components. For work design topics, intentions for the design of work organization were mainly documented in action plans.ConclusionCooperation with practitioners in research should be continued as a contribution to quality development. This could provide suggestions as to which content adjustments lead to greater acceptance by the target group in a specific context.Trial registrationThe project was registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00024961, 2021/04/09).

НАУЧНАЯ ШКОЛА «ПРАВОВОЕ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЕ ИСПОЛНЕНИЯ И ОТБЫВАНИЯ УГОЛОВНЫХ НАКАЗАНИЙ»: СОЗДАНИЕ, РАЗВИТИЕ, ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

The article deals with the creation and development of the scientific school “Legal regulation of the execution and serving of criminal penalties”, functioning at the penal law and the organization of educational work with convicts department. Considerable attention is paid to the founder of the scientific school, Doctor of Law, Professor M. P. Melentyev. The individual scientific directions developing within the framework of the scientific school in modern conditions are revealed, attention is focused on promising areas of development of the scientific school.

Organization of Work on Collecting an Empirical Base for Clarifying the Biological Criteria of Sanity, Limited Sanity, and Insanity (Pilot Project)

The science of criminal law and forensic psychiatry do not draw clear boundaries between the biological criteria of sanity, limited sanity, and insanity. The paper is devoted to the consideration of the prospects for using modern achievements of neuroscience to clarify the boundaries of biological criteria of sanity, limited sanity, and insanity. The paper provides information on the current state of development of neuroscience in terms of research using neuroimaging methods of the brain of individuals committing criminal offenses. The feasibility of conducting relevant research in Russia is substantiated and an option for organizing such work in the form of a pilot project is proposed. In particular, it is proposed to create a single information database, which is supposed to reflect brief information about persons who have committed criminal acts, about the acts they are accused of, and the results of neuroimaging of the brains of these persons. Several stages of organizing work on collecting an empirical base to clarify the biological criteria of sanity, limited sanity, and insanity are identified and described. Particular attention is given to the issue of the legality of compulsory neuroimaging studies in relation to persons who have committed criminal offences.

Time Won’t Give Me Time: Intersections of Racialized and Gendered Organization of Work in Tech

Abstract Drawing on theories of gendered and racialized organizations and research on racialization and citizenship, we weave together an intersectional understanding of gendered racial meaning making in tech work. We focus on workers’ control over time, an important point of overlap between gendered and racialized organizations theories. Based on interviews with 85 tech workers who are either U.S. workers or Indian men in the United States with temporary non-immigrant visas (primarily H-1B visas), we examine the organization of work for tech workers with and without visa restrictions, focusing on control over time. We find that permanent U.S. engineers, mostly men, have considerably more control than Indian temporary workers, who have virtually none. U.S. managers have the most control, but because of the perception that they trade schedule control for less technical work, this work is feminized and devalued among engineers. Together, these conditions help to create a lower status, feminized managerial track and lower status, racialized but masculine technical track drafting the Indian workers in racially subordinated masculinity while preserving agency over time and status for technical workers with permanent legal status. These findings allow us to offer an intersectionally grounded revision of the abstract ideal worker concept.

TRANSFORMATION OF THE SPHERE OF MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS IN WAR AND POST-WAR TIMES

The article reveals the peculiarities of the transformation of the sphere of management and social and labor relations in the war and post-war periods. It was established that non-traditional forms of employment and organization of work spread during this period. It has been proven that the function of human resources management becomes a catalyst for coordinating the interests of employers and employees. The transformation of the field of management and social and labor relations in the wartime period took place with the help of the spread of the remote work format. It has been found that the successful organization of the enterprise's work is possible if there is experience in working remotely and due to the availability of material and technical resources and software. The purpose of the research is the analysis of the management system and social-labor relations in the conditions of war, the study of obstacles and favorable factors of remote work and the development of remote management of human resources in the post-war period. It has been found that following the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine has actualized the active spread of remote work in Ukraine, which is able to ensure the stability of the national economy and the preservation of productive employment of the population in the context of the deployment of the digital economy. In our opinion, the field of management in combination with progressive information and communication technologies and the created national legal framework is suitable for the transition to new forms of labor organization inherent in the new economy - remote work, automation and digitization of routine operations

Striking the balance: ethical challenges and social implications of AI-induced power shifts in healthcare organizations

AbstractThe emergence of new digital technologies in modern work organizations is also changing the way employees and employers communicate, design work processes and responsibilities, and delegate. This paper takes an interdisciplinary—namely sociological and philosophical—perspective on the use of AI in healthcare work organizations. Using this example, structural power relations in modern work organizations are first examined from a sociological perspective, and it is shown how these structural power relations, decision-making processes, and areas of responsibility shift when AI is used. In the subsequent ethical part, opportunities for a fairer organization of work, but also dangers due to possibly changed power relations are elaborated and evaluated by presenting a realistic scenario from everyday clinical practice. After combining a proceduralist account of organizational ethics with a virtue-ethical approach, it is argued that certain organizational and character dispositions are necessary for employers and employees to meet the challenge of changing structural power relations in the future. With the same goal, a summative sociological perspective discusses challenges to workplace co-determination.

ПРАВОВЫЕ И ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННЫЕ ОСНОВЫ ОКАЗАНИЯ ПОЛИЦИЕЙ ПОМОЩИ НЕСОВЕРШЕННОЛЕТНИМ (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КРЫМ)

The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that the protection of minors is an important and priority ar-ea of activity of the system of state bodies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, both on the scale of the Russian Federation and in its individual regions. The analysis of statistical data allows us to state the positive results of the organization and implementation of purposeful and comprehensive work of juvenile affairs units, namely, assistance to minors, updating the forms and methods of such activities.

Integration of ADEI Competencies in the Specialized Practice of Social Work Students and in the Act of Professionalization of Social Work

Considering the set of key competencies supported by social work organizations in the development of the social work profession at the global level, we aim to analyze from a theoretical point of view those competencies that presuppose the involvement in professional practice of attitudes and behaviors that support non-discrimination, cultural diversity, equity and inclusion in the training of social work students. The student in the field of social work here can be both the one who benefits from training and continuing education, and the one who in turn perpetuates future practices and balanced client-professional relationships, after being integrated into specific social work organizations. The analysis starts from how the professionalization of future social workers is correlated with their guidance and involvement in practices based on anti-racism/non-discrimination, equity, equal opportunities, cultural diversity and inclusion. The objective of this paper is to draw, at a theoretical level, lines of connection between professionalization practices at the international level - as formulated by the Boston University School of Social Work in agreement with the Council on Social Work Education, the national association that represents education of social work from the United States, with Romanian national norms - adopted from European and international practices - the National College of Social Workers in Romania (NCSWR/ CNASR - the acronym in Romanian language), in agreement with UNICEF and ISCO.

ACADEMICIAN V. P. BURKAT (1939–2009) – FOUNDER OF MODERN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF BREEDING, ORGANIZER OF RESEARCH WORK IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IN UKRAINE (to the 85th anniversary of the birthday)

The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the major life milestones and creative path of the recognized scientist in the field of animal husbandry, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Academician of UAAS V. P. Burkat. Research methods are general scientific (analysis, synthesis, classification), special historical (problematic-chronological, comparative-historical), biographical and source studies. The contribution of the scientist to the development of theoretical and methodological principles of breeding, selection, and biotechnology of reproduction of farm animals is substantiated. The important role of V. P. Burkat in the organization of domestic research work in animal husbandry, in particular, in the formation of the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics named after M.V. Zubets NAAS was proven. The scientific heritage of the scientist is systematized, the priority of his research on the formation of a systematic concept of the breed, linear breeding, development of genetic and biotechnological bases of selection in animal husbandry, the actualization of the problem of conservation and rational use of the farm animals, etc. is substantiated. The contribution of V. P. Burkat to the formation of the modern theory and methodology of breeding in dairy and beef cattle breeding, the breeding of specialized breeds and types of cattle is revealed. It is shown that among his scientist's methodological developments, the most significant is the method of creating the Ukrainian Red-and-White Dairy breed, which is the basis for the development of other specialized domestic breeds of dairy and beef production directions. The program of activities and achievements of established by V.P. Burkat of the scientific school "Breeding and Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry" is summarized. The scholar's scientific search for the popularization and representation of the history of agricultural science in Ukraine is highlighted.

Job satisfaction of nurses and the determinants of organizational climate: insights from hospitals in Lubelskie Voivodeship

Abstract Aim. Evaluation of nurses’ job satisfaction and the interconnectedness of the infl uence of dimensions of organizational climate. Material and methods. The study was conducted in 2022 among 300 nurses working in fi ve hospitals in Lublin Voivodeship. Methodology focused on outcomes was employed, highlighting the signifi cance of factors related to the organizational environment in shaping “job satisfaction”. The research tool was the Organizational Climate Questionnaire by L. Rosenstiel and R. Boegel, adapted from the Polish version by K. Durniat. Results. Most respondents report a high 121 (40.3%) or relatively high 142 (47.3%) level of satisfaction with their profession. Only 37 (12.4%) nurses reported a low level. Factors contributing to decreased satisfaction included negative relationships with management, diminished importance of organizational procedures implemented by supervisors, insufficient time for direct patient care, failure to meet patient and family expectations, and inadequate compensation. Conclusions. Nurses’ job satisfaction depended on the overall organizational climate in the hospital and its components: the overall image of the organization, employees’ perceptions of their superiors’ leadership style, and various aspects of the work organization process, ways of structuring, division of tasks and the degree of control over their implementation.

Psychological distress, work–family conflict and family life satisfaction: A quantitative study of social workers in the UK

Frontline social workers work in difficult circumstances with clients who face significant trauma and distress. The increasing turnover of social workers is a matter of concern. This quantitative research explores psychological distress, work–family conflict and family life satisfaction in a sample of 104 social workers in North-West England. The findings revealed significant correlations among the variables. It was seen that family life satisfaction partially mediated the effects of depression on the manifestation of work-to-family conflict. Social work organisations need to introduce measures to enhance work–life balance, reduce psychological distress and promote the well-being of social work practitioners.

Методология управления проектами в условиях цифровой трансформации предприятия

The article examines the Agile methodology, presents its advantages and disadvantages. A new way of interaction between project work participants at the enterprise is proposed. This approach to organizing project work takes into account new challenges of digital transformation and digital solutions aimed at implementing tasks in order to optimize the use of enterprise resources. The considered methodology of project management in the context of digital transformation of the enterprise includes the overall organization of work, effective interaction of participants, the formation of cross-functional working groups in the development of digital transformation projects, the implementation of the digital transformation strategy, and the development of digital culture. The proposed approach made it possible to form a theoretical and methodological basis for understanding the need to create and use cross-functional working groups in the implementation of digital transformation projects.

Ensuring quality higher education in Ukraine in times of war

This study focuses on exploring the issue of ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It synthesizes and analyzes literature sources, legal documents, secondary data, original (survey) data, and the author’s experiences with enhancing the quality of higher education. Using analysis of the legal documents, such as the National Doctrine of the Development of Education, the Law of Ukraine ‘On education’, and the Law of Ukraine ‘On higher education’, I study the legal framework for Ukrainian higher education. Using secondary data obtained from online sources, I find irrefutable evidence of mass destruction from Russian military aggression on educational institutions of Ukraine and the educational process in general, and specific initiatives from the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian universities, and international institutions to support the Ukrainian higher education system in wartime conditions. Using original data collected through surveys, I present first-hand information on the processes of changes in higher education in Ukraine under the conditions of Russia’s ongoing military aggression and the issue of ensuring quality higher education through the prism of the experience of students at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Using the author’s personal teaching experience in the implementation of joint global classrooms, I analyze the possibilities of developed partnerships for motivating students and ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of war. Based on the analysis and synthesis of secondary data, I identify the main responses of the higher education system of Ukraine which enable it to maintain the quality of higher education as the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals during the war, namely (i) improvement and wider implementation of an online education system; (ii) organization of work of higher education institutions relocated from the occupied territories to territories controlled by Ukraine; (iii) support of international institutions; and (iv) partnership programmes with partner universities. The analysis of the results of the survey of students highlighted that the top priority of a Ukrainian university during wartime should be the safety of all participants in the educational and research process and high-quality education, and the most serious problems that create obstacles to ensuring the quality of education are the distressed psychological states of the participants in the educational process and organizational issues in the conditions of military aggression. By analyzing the experience of the implementation of joint global classrooms format, I also highlight that this format can be an effective additional measure in motivating students and ensuring the quality of higher education in the difficult conditions of war, and a developed partnership plays a crucial role in its implementation.

Problems of legal regulation and organization of rotational work in the northern regions

The object of the study is labor relations developing in the northern regions. The subject of the study is regulatory legal acts devoted to the legal regulation of labor of persons working and living in the northern regions, special legal literature devoted to the consideration of this issue. Particular attention is paid to the study of the regulation of labor relations under the rotation method of work. Today there is a need for an in-depth analysis of the impact of this method on social relations, the health of workers and their social adaptation, as well as legal regulation of issues of wages and working conditions. Based on the analysis, conclusions are drawn that the provision of human resources in the context of the development of the northern regions is an essential component of strategic planning that requires special attention, given the negative migration trends manifested by the outflow of population from these regions. The research methodology is based on the fact that the shift method, or rather the interest in it, expands beyond the technical and economic aspect, also covering the social, psychological and legal aspects of its application. As a result of the study, the following conclusions were formulated: it is important to pay attention to research and analysis aimed at identifying the main challenges and problems in the field of labor regulation in the north; establish a federal body that will deal with the registration and classification of rotation workers and Arctic base cities; provide housing and relocation support for all employees and create conditions to meet the leisure and sports needs of shift workers, ensuring comfortable living through the improvement of the urban environment. It is important to involve corporate structures in cooperation with municipalities to implement infrastructure development projects.

Проблемы социокультурной адаптации китайских студентов в российских вузах

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the socio-cultural adaptation of Chinese students in Russian universities. The purpose of the study is to analyze the problems encountered by students from China in the process of studying in Russia. The article examines the specific problems and difficulties of Chinese students in the process of learning, learning the Russian language, spending leisure time, and intercultural communication with other students. The research is supported by data from a sociological study, and methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison and generalization are used. The stages of adaptation from cultural shock to the dialogue of cultures are highlighted. The experience of domestic universities in identifying difficulties and ways of adapting Chinese students was analyzed. On this basis, the authors identified the following specific problems of Chinese students studying at Russian universities: the language barrier; adaptation to climatic conditions. There are: availability in the structure of the specialized university services to support and accompany Chinese students; conducting introductory trainings on the issues of admission; increasing the number of hours for studying Russian language, including the organization of additional teaching and methodological work; inclusion in active social life, organization of international cultural and educational events; conducting trainings on communication with Russian students aimed at establishing mutual understanding and cultural interchange; conducting cultural and communicative trainings for professorial and pedagogical staff working with international students; providing psychological support; obtaining feedback and evaluating the effectiveness of the sociocultural adaptation measures used.

Timing of acute cold exposure determines UCP1 and FGF21 expression - Possible interactions between the thermal environment, thermoregulatory responses, and peripheral clocks

Thermoregulation is synchronized across the circadian cycle to uphold thermal homeostasis. To test if time-of-day matters for the response to environmental cold exposure, mice were acclimated to thermoneutrality (27 °C) for 2 months were subjected acutely (8 h) to cold ambient conditions (15 °C), whereas controls were maintained at thermoneutral conditions. The thermal exposure was tested in separate groups (N = 8) at three distinct time-of-day periods: in the LIGHT phase (L); the DARK phase (D); and a mix of the two (D + L). The magnitude of UCP1 protein and mRNA induction in brown adipose tissue (BAT) in response to acute cold exposure was time-of-day sensitive, peaking in LIGHT, whereas lower induction levels were observed in D + L, and DARK. Plasma levels of FGF21 were induced 3-fold by acute cold exposure at LIGHT and D + L, compared to the time-matched thermoneutral controls, whereas cold in DARK did not cause a significant increase of FGF21 plasma levels. Cold exposure affected, in BAT, the temporal mRNA expression patterns of core circadian clock components: Bmal1, Clock, Per1, Per3, Cry1, Cry2 Nr1d1, and Nr1d2, but in the liver, none of the transcripts were modified. Behavioral assessment using the Thermal Gradient Test (TGT) showed that acute cold exposure reduced cold sensitivity in D + L, but not in DARK. RNA-seq analyses of somatosensory neurons in DRG highlighted the role of the core circadian components in these cells, as well as transcriptional changes due to acute cold exposure. This elucidates the sensory system as a gauge and potential regulator of thermoregulatory responses based on circadian physiology. In conclusion, acute cold exposure elicits time-of-day specific effects on thermoregulatory pathways, which may involve underlying changes in thermal perception. These results have implications for efforts aimed at reducing risks associated with the organization of shift work in cold environments.

Novel Perspectives on Inclusion Across Levels of Analysis: Work Groups, Organizations and Industries

Novel Perspectives on Inclusion Across Levels of Analysis: Work Groups, Organizations and Industries

An examination of the use of standard operating procedures on family operated farms

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can improve farm work organization by ensuring processes are standardized among the different people completing the same task. In this study, we examined the use of SOPs on family operated farms and determined the influence of the number of people working on farm on SOP use. A survey of 315 Irish dairy farms was completed examining the human resource and workload management practices; this study used a subset of questions from that survey. Of the 315 farms surveyed, average herd size was 125 cows and there was 1 other person working with the farmer (range 0 to 5 people). Categorizing farms based on the number of people working on farm, 35% of the farms were owner-operators, 37% had 1 other worker and 28% had 2 or more workers. Overall, 31.3% (n = 98) of all farms surveyed had written SOPs while 68.7% (n = 217) had no written SOPs. Interest in ready-made SOPs among farmers was high (77%). Farms without SOPs found it significantly more difficult to write down work processes and lacked time to create SOPs compared with farms with SOPs. Standard operating procedures most frequently existed for milking (89%), management of fresh cows (35%) and reproduction (29%). Respondents indicated that consistency in work completion was the greatest benefit of having SOPs (39.8%; n = 39), followed by increase in efficiency (17.3%; n = 17) and health and safety (12.2; n = 12). Forty 3 percent of farms with more 3 or more people had significantly more written SOPs present compared with 25% of owner-operator farms and 27% farms with 2 people. This research provides a greater understanding of the use of SOPs on family operated dairy farms, highlighting that the presence of SOPs increases as the number of workers on farm increases.

The effects of hope and spirituality on the work‐group mentality in the Chilean miners catastrophe

This article analyses the role that hope and spirituality play in enhancing the capacity of work teams and organisations to face extreme contexts of crisis and disasters. The study utilises Bion’s concept of sophisticated work‐group mentality to examine how these phenomena can contribute to the generation of new capabilities within the group to address the dilemmas and challenges that emerge in times of crisis. It addresses an iconic case of catastrophe–the case of the Chilean miners rescued in 2010 after surviving entrapment for almost seventy days–in order to analyse the relationships that unfold within and around the hopeful endurance of disaster. This article empirically examines the constructive dimension of basic assumptions mentalities, contrary to the predominant view in the socio‐analytic field that emphasises the regressive and disabling nature these phenomena have on the achievement of the group’s task. For this purpose, the concept of work‐group pairing (French & Simpson, 2010) is used to show the productive nature of hope on the group members’ psychic functioning. Thus, this article contributes original insights on the role of hope in the psychosocial construction of pathways for organisational recovery and resilience during and after a crisis.