Work Preferences Research Articles

Is it All About the Money? Motivations and Preferences for Work Across Emirati and Non-Emirati Youth in the UAE

This policy paper examines the values and preferences of United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) youth regarding work and the workplace. Drawing on interviews with non-Emirati and Emirati youth, the study reveals key factors influencing their employment decisions. Flexibility in the workplace, opportunities for growth, and a supportive environment emerge as critical considerations. Additionally, the desire for meaningful, purposeful work transcends financial compensation. Emirati and non-Emirati youth exhibit nuanced differences in their priorities for work and the work environment. While both value supportive environments, the study finds that Emirati youth are more likely to prefer work closer to home and work environments where there is lenience and flexibility in terms of management style compared to their non-Emirati counterparts. It also finds that non-Emirati youth value supportive environments for goals of career advancement and financial stability as opposed to Emirati youth who value nurturing environments for reasons of personal development and purposeful work. Understanding these distinct motivators is essential for organizations seeking to attract, engage, and retain young talent in the UAE's rapidly growing economy.

Heuristic and swarm intelligence algorithms for work-life balance problem

Employee satisfaction significantly influences the success of business. This emphasises on the importance of employees managing their work, family and personal lives to maintain their physical and mental well-being. This is especially crucial in health-care sector, where physical and mental well-being directly affects the quality of out-coming services provided. Work-life balance, defined as the challenge of striking a reasonable equilibrium between work, family, and personal life, is gaining more attention. However, many studies do not adequately consider employee preferences when addressing this issue. This study introduces a mathematical model for work-life balance problem prioritising the worker preferences focusing on healthcare workers as a special case where personnel preferences are integrated into decision-making. The model has been comparatively solved with population-based algorithms for optimising weekly personnel schedules in order to make them more suitable for work-life balance. The population-based heuristic algorithms used for optimising the schedules are swarm intelligence algorithms; namely ant colony and particle swarm optimisation algorithms. The proposed approach allows the employees to opt their working hours and periods in the work-place, flexibly. We demonstrated with comparative analysis that the produced results with swarm intelligence algorithms evidently outperform one of the state-of-art works done with genetic algorithms, which proves the strength of the proposed problem solvers.

Aligning expectations with real-world experiences: a talent management study on the restaurant industry in Finland

PurposeSkilled workers are crucial for an organization’s success, and managing, retaining and attracting them is vital in long-term. This study aims to explore talent management practices in the Finnish restaurant industry and to align workers' expectations with the real-world experiences of their work to reduce turnover and enhance job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a mixed methods approach, including a survey and interviews with workers and managers to gain insights into their expectations and experiences of work. The study considers themes for designing and implementing effective talent management procedures.FindingsThis study highlights the importance of employees' experiences of their work conditions, leveraging positive emotions and fair utilization of temporary agency work (TAW). Understanding the different work preferences of generational cohorts and addressing the challenges associated with owner disengagement and TAW can also contribute to attracting and retaining talent in the restaurant industry.Originality/valueSkilled workers have often been portrayed as targets that need to be managed, with insufficient consideration given to their preferences, needs and expectations. With the findings of this study, companies can establish mutual understanding with their employees and attract diverse talent.

Occupational Exoskeletons: Understanding the Impact on Workers and Suggesting Guidelines for Practitioners and Future Research Needs

This paper examines occupational exoskeletons and their effects on workers. The study includes a thorough evaluation of the current literature on occupational exoskeletons, with an emphasis on the impact of these devices on workers’ health and the safety, performance and users’ subjective perceptions. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge of how exoskeletons affect the workers and to identify practical suggestions for practitioners. The findings of the study suggest that exoskeletons can have both positive and negative effects on workers. Some users claimed enhanced comfort and decreased fatigue, whilst others reported discomfort and suffering. The study highlights the importance of considering the individual needs and preferences of workers when selecting and implementing exoskeletons in the workplace, with a focus on health, safety, performance and user acceptance. Based on the findings, the paper presents suggestions for employers and practitioners to ensure the effective and safe use of exoskeletons in occupational settings. These recommendations cover areas such as the assessment of workplace requirements, the selection and fit of exoskeletons, the optimization of design and ergonomics and the evaluation of performance. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for further research in this area, particularly in the areas of long-term use.

A Study on Exploration of Hybrid System in HRM at Solara Active Pharma Science, Puducherry

In the wake of the global pandemic, many organizations and companies have transitioned to a hybrid working model, recognizing the changing preferences of employees who have developed a preference for remote work. This research aims to delve into the dynamics of this evolving work structure, specifically focusing on the effectiveness of the hybrid working model and its impact on employee productivity and efficiency. Additionally, the study examines the crucial aspect of whether employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance within this novel working paradigm. To conduct this investigation, a rigorous approach is employed, utilizing random sampling methods to select 107 participants from Solara Active Pharma Science Company. This pharmaceutical company serves as a case study, allowing for an in-depth analysis of the hybrid working model's practical implications in a real-world organizational setting. The chosen methodology enables a comprehensive understanding of how employees in this specific context navigate their work responsibilities and personal lives under the hybrid model. the study aims to provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for organizations contemplating or currently implementing hybrid working models. The findings are anticipated to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the future of work and organizational structures post-pandemic.

Job preferences of Chinese primary health care workers: A discrete choice experiment.

Primary health workers (PHWs) are a critical pillar of health systems but primary health care centers often struggle to attract and retain talented staff. To better understand why this is, we investigated the job preference of PHWs in a Chinese urban setting. In a discrete choice experiment, PHWs from 15 primary health care centers in Guangzhou, China, made trade-offs between several hypothetical job scenario combinations of salary, type of health institution, bianzhi (permanent post), work years required for promotion, career development and training opportunities, educational opportunities for children, and community respect. Based on the estimate of the mixed logit model, willingness to pay and policy simulations were applied to estimate the utility of each attribute. Data were collected from 446 PHWs. The PHWs were willing to forgo Chinese Renminbi 2806.1 (US$ 438.5) per month to obtain better education opportunities for their children, making it the most important non-monetary factor. Their preferences were also influenced relatively more by salary, bianzhi, and community respect, than with the other attributes we tested for, work years required for promotion, career development and training opportunities, and type of health institution. Salary is a robust predictive factor, while three non-monetary factors (opportunities for children's education, bianzhi, and community respect) are essential in retaining health workers in primary care.

The effect of different levels of protein and fat on dietary preference and survival of western honey bees workers, Apis mellifera L.

This study was conducted at the bee laboratory in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Kufa to investigate the possibility of using artificial feeding with protein and fat as an alternative to pollen. The study also aimed to examine the preference of nurse honey bees for artificial feeding mixtures and their consumption compared to a sugar solution (Sucrose 1 M ), and finally to determine the effect of feeding mixtures on the lifespan of nurse bee workers. The results showed that the highest consumption rate of nurse honey bees was in the control treatment (Sucrose 1 M ) at 72.57 microliter /bee /day, while the lowest consumption rate was 27.70 microliter /bee /day in the treatment (15:1 P: F). The consumption rates in the treatments (0:1 P:F), (1:1 P: F), (5:1 P: F ), and (10:1 P: F) were 64.80, 47.24, 44.70, and 32.42 microliter /bee /day, respectively. The results also revealed that the highest survival rate was in the control treatment (Sucrose 1 M) at 96.25%, while the treatment (0:1 P: F) had the lowest survival rate at 67.50%. The survival rates in the treatments (1:1 P: F), (5:1 P: F), (10:1 P: F), and (15:1 P: F) were 81.25%, 73.75%, 83.75%, and 86.25%, respectively.

Optimal investment in defined contribution pension schemes with forward utility preferences

Optimal investment strategies of an individual worker during the accumulation phase in the defined contribution pension scheme have been well studied in the literature. Most of them adopted the classical backward model and approach, but any pre-specifications of retirement time, preferences, and market environment models do not often hold in such a prolonged horizon of the pension scheme. Pre-commitment to ensure the time-consistency of an optimal investment strategy derived from the backward model and approach leads the supposedly optimal strategy to be sub-optimal in the actual realizations. This paper revisits the optimal investment problem for the worker during the accumulation phase in the defined contribution pension scheme, via the forward preferences, in which an environment-adapting strategy is able to hold optimality and time-consistency together. Stochastic partial differential equation representation for the worker's forward preferences is illustrated. This paper constructs two of the forward utility preferences and solves the corresponding optimal investment strategies, in the cases of initial power and exponential utility functions.

Proactive digital workplace transformation: Unpacking identity change mechanisms in remote-first organisations

Digital transformation fundamentally changes the way individuals conduct work in organisations. In accordance with this statement, prevalent literature understands digital workplace transformation as a second-order effect of implementing new information technology to increase organisational effectiveness or reach other strategic goals. This paper, in contrast, provides empirical evidence from two remote-first organisations that undergo a proactive rather than reactive digital workplace transformation. The analysis of these cases suggests that new ways of working can be the consequence of an identity change that is a precondition for introducing new information technology rather than its outcome. The resulting process model contributes a competing argument to the existing debate in digital transformation literature. Instead of issuing digital workplace transformation as a deliverable of technological progress and strategic goals, this paper supports a notion of digital workplace transformation that serves a desired identity based on work preferences.

Recruitment and retention of staff in rural dispensing primary care practice: a qualitative inquiry.

Rural primary care practices struggle to employ and retain staff, and existing literature regarding recruitment and retention is focused on doctors. Shortages of qualified staff affect practice functioning, quality of care, and patient experience. Dispensing of medications is a rural service valued by patients. However, little is known about how dispensing services are valued by practices or related to the recruitment and retention of staff. To understand barriers to, and facilitators of, joining and remaining in rural dispensing practice employment, and to explore how rural practices value dispensing services. Qualitative inquiry in rural primary care practices across England. Semi-structured interviews with rural dispensing staff were undertaken, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using framework analysis. In total, 17 staff from 12 practices across England were interviewed between June and November 2021. Reasons for taking up employment in rural dispensing practices included perceived career autonomy, development opportunities, and preference for working and living in a rural setting. Skills required for dispensers' roles balanced against low wages were a barrier to recruitment. For nurses, barriers included perceived lack of knowledge around their role in rural care. Revenue from dispensing, opportunities for staff development, job satisfaction, and positive work environments drove retention of staff. However, negative perceptions of rural practice, travel difficulties, lack of applicants, and insufficient remuneration for roles were barriers to retention. Barriers to, and facilitators of, rural primary care recruitment and retention vary by role, and include factors unique to the rural setting.

Preference for young workers in mid-career recruiting using online ads for sales jobs: Evidence from Japan

This study uses an original dataset of online mid-career job ads for full-time sales jobs collected from July 2018 to December 2019 to examine the use of explicit and implied age limits on job applicants and the characteristics of firms that set them. Although Japanese law prohibits age discrimination in employment, several exemptions, such as hiring young workers without prior work experience on regular contracts, are allowed. Firms can set an age limit, require job-related experience, or search broadly; however, they can also express their age preference in other ways. In the sample, 24 % of ads included explicit age limits generally capped at 35 years, 26 % set experience requirements, and nearly all contained some form of implied age preference. Consistent with theoretical predictions, the results show that firms with higher capital, those with fewer employees, older firms and those located in urban centers tended to set requirements on applicants. Further, domestic firms, firms with fewer employees, in urban centers and firms using probation periods for new hires were more likely to set age limits. Moreover, firms setting either requirement did not seem to be sensitive to local labor market conditions. Firms searching broadly responded to population age-related increased wage expectations while reducing labor costs by increasing the number of working hours covered by a baseline wage.

Missing voices: Office space discontent as a driving force in employee hybrid work preferences

AbstractThis paper draws on rich qualitative and survey data to show that employee discontent with office space is a major driving force in employee hybrid‐work preferences. Despite voice marginalisation, employees wish to take advantage of increased control over their physical working conditions and the locus of work that hybrid work has unexpectedly brought in their working lives. Taking cues from the literature on employee voice, this paper suggests that employee missing or silenced voices can be conceptualised as latent: hidden but potentially influential and inactive but potentially triggered by shifts in the labour market conditions or other external to organisations changes. The paper also brings attention to empirical academic studies as an employee voice mechanism.

The Qurʾān and Knowledge of God in West Africa: The Sufi Tafsīr of Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse

Abstract Qurʾān exegesis (tafsīr) in African Muslim societies represented the pinnacle of scholarly achievement, and public explanation of the Qurʾān was the event that marked the emergence of one of Africa’s most successful Sufi revivals, the “Community of the Flood” of the Senegalese Shaykh Ibrāhīm Niasse (d. 1975). Niasse’s network of knowledge transmission, foregrounding the direct experiential knowledge of God (maʿrifa bi-Llāh), continued to emphasize Qurʾān learning, but Niasse’s own recorded Arabic tafsīr demonstrated a shift away from traditional West African sources in this field. Prior understandings of the West African tafsīr discipline locate the fifteenth-century Egyptian Tafsīr al-Jalālayn as the primary influence on West African understandings. But Niasse’s tafsīr exhibits a clear preference for an early eighteenth-century Ottoman multivolume work, Ismāʿīl Ḥaqqī’s “Spirit of Explanation” (Rūh al-bayān), one of the most comprehensive summaries of Sufi understandings of the Qurʾān. This paper not only demonstrates the globally-connected nature of Islamic knowledge production in West Africa but also argues that Niasse’s emphasis on gnosis built on the Rūḥ al-bayān to ultimately occasion a noteworthy addition to the existing literary corpus of Qurʾān exegesis.

Exploring the Validity of the Work Preferences Questionnaire

Abstract: This study aimed was to develop and validate a new instrument called the Work Preferences Questionnaire (WPQ) to measure individuals’ preferences for work characteristics that are relevant to today’s work environment. A multi-step approach and two samples were used to develop and validate the WPQ across various industries. In the first study, a group of experts developed a bank of items that were then administered to 984 workers. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a nine-factor structure with good internal consistency. In the second study, an independent sample of 687 workers was used to confirm the factorial structure and highlight the distinctness of the work preference dimensions. The study found small mean differences in interindividual preference scores based on age and confirmed data equivalence between gender and education level. The WPQ addresses limitations of existing measures by focusing on a narrow set of work preferences that are highly relevant in the current work environment and includes modern aspects such as teleworking and work-life balance. The WPQ promises to be an effective tool for research and human resources practices, enabling individuals and organizations to better understand work preferences and make informed decisions about work design and personnel selection.

Continuing medical education in China: evidence from primary health workers’ preferences for continuing traditional Chinese medicine education

BackgroundContinuing Medical Education (CME) is an important part of the training process for health workers worldwide. In China, training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) not only improves the expertise of medical workers, but also supports the Chinese Government’s policy of promoting TCM as an equal treatment to western medicine. CME, including learning Traditional Chinese Medicine Technologies (TCMTs), perform poorly and research into the motivation of health workers to engage in CME is urgently required. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study assessed the CME learning preferences of primary health workers, using TCMT as a case study of CME programs.MethodsWe conducted a discrete choice experiment among health workers in Shandong Province, Guizhou Province, and Henan provinces from July 1, 2021 to October 1, 2022 on the TCMT learning preferences of primary health workers. The mixed logit model and latent class analysis model were used to analyze primary health workers’ TCMT learning preferences.ResultsA total of 1,063 respondents participated in this study, of which 1,001 (94.2%) passed the consistency test and formed the final sample. Our key finding was that there were three distinct classes of TCMT learners. Overall, the relative importance of the seven attributes impacting the learning of TCMTs were: learning expenses, expected TCMT efficacy, TCMT learning difficulty, TCMT mode of learning, TCMT type, time required to learn, and expected frequency of TCMT use. However, these attributes differed significantly across the three distinct classes of TCMT learners. Infrequent users (class 1) were concerned with learning expenses and learning difficulty; workaholics (class 2) focused on the mode of learning; and pragmatists (class 3) paid more attention to the expected TCMT efficacy and the expected frequency of TCMT use. We recommend targeted strategies to motivate TCMT learning suited to the requirements of each class of TCMT learners.ConclusionRather than a single TCMT medical education program for primary health workers, CME programs should be targeted at different classes of TCMT learners.

Designing and Implementing the Adaptive Learning Meeting Cycle: The (re)solve Project Experience in Burkina Faso.

Through the collection and utilization of timely data, program implementers can review feedback and make rapid adjustments and adaptations to interventions while they are in progress.Responsive feedback mechanisms (RFMs), which emphasize flexibility and iterative adaptation, provide opportunities for improving the fit and feasibility of a program, as well as its effectiveness. The (re)solve project-a 5-year, multicountry project testing new, context-specific solutions to address unmet need for family planning-used responsive feedback to ensure products and services designed and implemented were responsive to the context and preferences of health care workers, women, and girls. The adaptive learning meeting (ALM) cycle was designed as an RFM during implementation. This frequent series of rapid, actionable, cross-team meetings builds on several existing frameworks and practices. The ALM cycle used rapid, close to real-time data and observations from a wide range of stakeholders; routine monitoring data; and a structured, facilitated process to examine and act on feedback. Each cycle was repeated every 2 weeks for 3 months in Burkina Faso. During each cycle, the team interpreted data and feedback from multiple sources; assessed pragmatic, actionable options to address the feedback; and identified and agreed upon short- and long-loop adaptations that could improve the implementation process, coordination, efficiency, and outputs of the project. The ALM cycle proved helpful in engendering practices of surfacing and checking assumptions, careful interpretation of data, options analysis, and decision-making. The emphasis was on actionable feedback for improvement of the intervention rather than rigor of results and findings. The (re)solve project's experience with designing, structuring, and implementing the ALM cycle to address challenges and gaps in implementation can be informative for similar programs seeking to implement RFMs in complex and dynamic settings, especially where technology-based RFMs are not an option.

What about us? A vignette study explaining training preferences with contracts and specificity

AbstractTo enhance their employability, workers rely on the development of human capital through work‐related training. While several studies investigate actual levels of training participation, far less is known about the preferences of workers. This study uses a vignette experiment to shed a light on this matter. Based on human capital theory, signaling theory, and insights from the new employment relationship, it is hypothesized that preferences for training depend on the kind of skills at which the training aims (organization‐specific, sector‐specific, or general) in combination with the type of employment contract (open‐ended versus temporary). These hypotheses are tested using 2,946 responses of 982 workers from the Netherlands (3 vignettes per respondent). The results show that contracts and training type have a combined effect: workers with open‐ended contracts have a stronger preference for organization‐specific skills than temporary workers and temporary workers have stronger preference for general skills than workers open‐ended contracts. At the same time, workers with open‐ended contracts also prefer training aimed at general skills over organization‐specific training. Finally, it is concluded that workers with temporary contracts receive less training in practice than they prefer.

Innovation and Thought Leadership by Women in Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the innovation and thought leadership of women in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used a phenomenological qualitative design. Participants were women health leaders (WHLs) from multiple hospital administration levels. Their thought leadership profile and innovation were assessed. Results: All WHLs indicated awareness of strengths and weaknesses, actively prioritised tasks, showed openness to feedback, and effectively assessed sources of conflict. Most were willing to listen to others, accept advice, and open to change. They were confident of their credibility and comprehensibility of their messages, felt capable of solving problems and handling conflict, utilised a negotiating style, and showed situation-appropriate emotion. They were confident in managing teamwork, allocated resources efficiently, and supported employee work preferences. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of WHLs’ capabilities in leading healthcare organisations during crisis and the shift to virtual care in Saudi Arabia. Establishing women’s leadership programs that focus on placing women in healthcare executive positions is necessary to utilise their untapped potential. Facilitating research on women’s leadership capacity, administrative skill, and impact on providing the highest quality healthcare would be valuable. Evaluating infrastructure and preparedness of healthcare organisations to expand virtual care and the potential for innovation to sustain performance during crises are crucial. Supportive hospital culture provides confidence to WHLs to manage and achieve organisational goals with relative fluidity.

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE EFFECT OF 5 FACTOR PERSONALITY TRAITS ON CAREER PLANNING: HEALTH SECTOR EXAMPLE

Personality encompasses a range of attitudes and behaviors that are exhibited uniquely by each individual. There are as many different personalities as there are people in life. Individuals have unique personality traits that distinguish them from one another. Similar to the uniqueness of fingerprints, personalities too exhibit individual variations. 
 The 5-factor personality qualities, sometimes known as the big five personality components, are derived from a well recognized model of personality commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Career planning is a systematic approach employed by individuals to strategize and make informed decisions regarding their future occupational or work preferences, taking into consideration their unique set of abilities, interests, beliefs, and personal aspirations. The concept of the mediating role of education pertains to the capacity of education to serve as a conduit in establishing a connection between personality qualities and the process of career planning. Education serves as a mechanism for moulding one's personality and comprehending the various aspects that influence personality in the context of career planning.
 The management of one's career is a complex issue that necessitates the collaborative efforts of both businesses and people. In contrast to its previous characterization as a linear trajectory, the contemporary notion of a career has evolved into a more fluid and uncertain phenomenon. The provision of professional development opportunities and the retention of competent personnel are crucial considerations for firms. The implementation of robust career management policies is crucial for ensuring the long-term success of both businesses and individuals. Organizations possess several tasks and obligations within the professional realm. The manner in which professional activities are structured can have an impact on the growth and achievements of individuals.
 The primary objective of this study is to investigate the mediating function of education in the impact of 5-factor personality traits on career planning. 250 Health sector employees from various institutions participated in the research. There is a statistical relationship between five factor personality traits and dimensions and career planning. However, when education level was added, the relationship between five factor personality traits and dimensions and career planning decreased, and also education level had a partial mediating effect.

Do Stereotypical vs. Counter-stereotypical Role Models Affect Teacher Candidates’ Stereotypes and Attitudes toward Teaching Computer Science?

Computer Science (CS) stereotypes promote the mindset that nerdy White males who have a high IQ and are technology enthusiasts are the ones to succeed in the field, leading to gender and racial disparities. This quasi-experimental study investigated if exposing teacher candidates to a stereotypical vs. counter-stereotypical CS role model affects their stereotypes and attitudes toward teaching CS. Participants exposed to a counter-stereotypical role model reported a statistically significant decrease in stereotypes about social skills, and slightly weaker stereotypes about appearance, cognitive skills, and work preferences. Participants exposed to a stereotypical role model reported no changes in stereotypes. Participants in both groups showed increasingly positive attitudes toward teaching CS. Implications for CS teacher education are discussed.