Workforce Characteristics Research Articles

Developing employee socio-technical flexibility in a multigenerational workforce

AbstractThis paper identifies how management’s intentional use of participatory management practices can heighten knowledge sharing across a multigenerational workforce through the presence of socio-technical flexibility. In this conceptualization, we identify the value of socio-technical flexibility to effective employee knowledge sharing in three steps. First, we define the prominent characteristics of the current multigenerational workforce. Second, we define the behavioral characteristics of socio-technical flexibility. Third, we describe how an intentional use of salient management practices, including reverse mentoring, flexible work roles, and self-managed teams optimizes multigenerational talents to enhance employee socio-technical flexibility, which in turn, leads to multigenerational knowledge sharing. We believe that by embracing the benefits of multigenerational workforce, management can take intentional steps to create a workplace that optimizes effective knowledge sharing behaviors for improved service through salient participatory management practices.

What is a sustainable remote health workforce? People, practice and place

Introduction: In rural and remote regions, access to healthcare services is reliant on the availability of a competent workforce. The global challenge for the attraction and retention of health professionals in rural and remote regions is exacerbated by inconsistent management practices, as well as the disparity of distribution of health professionals between urban, rural and remote areas. This aim of this study was to examine how remote health professionals describe a sustainable remote health workforce and how they propose it could be achieved. This study contributes to the research in this field by examining how health professionals who are currently working in remote regions of Australia describe aspects of a sustainable remote health workforce. Methods: The findings from two data sources (interviews (n=24) and an online questionnaire (n=191)) were examined to identify the characteristics of a sustainable remote health workforce. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit interview participants, ensuring the sample contained managers and health professionals with longevity working in remote regions. In contrast, the online questionnaire was disseminated by eight health service providers resulting in a random sample of current health professionals. The interview and questionnaire participants were asked the same question: 'What is a sustainable remote health workforce?' A thematic analysis was conducted and the emergent themes from the interviews were used to guide the thematic data analysis for the questionnaire. Results: Examination of the characteristics of a sustainable remote health workforce, as described by health professionals currently working in remote areas, revealed that participants identified three extant themes: people, practice and place. Further analysis revealed that a sustainable remote health workforce is about an appropriate mix of health professionals with suitable personal characteristics and professional attributes to meet the remote populations' needs. Irrespective of geographical location, it seems that infrastructure, resources and community engagement together with the organisational systems influence the effectiveness of management practices. Hence, management practices influence the outcomes of many of the policy choices that can improve workforce sustainability. Conclusions: A sustainable remote health workforce is about an appropriate mix of health professionals with suitable personal characteristics and professional attributes to meet the remote populations' needs. Beyond person-fit, a sustainable remote health workforce requires an appropriate model of service delivery that provides continuity of health care through improved retention of competent health professionals. The solutions-focused approach of this study revealed opportunities for management practices that could positively influence the sustainability of future health workforces. Members of the current remote health workforce, experienced remote health professionals who know the landscape, propose that future health workforce sustainability is achievable with effective management practices focused on people, practice and place.

Wage gap and dispersion in a partially unionized structure in Turkey

In this paper, we estimate the magnitude of the union–nonunion wage differential and the effect of unions on wage dispersion in the case of Turkey. Using the newly available, individual-level microdata for Turkey in 2004 and 2008, we find out that union membership does have a positive wage differential and this differential is higher at lower quantiles. Furthermore, it seems that the unions systematically reduce the variance of wages for the relevant period, though the magnitudes of the effects are smaller when we control for the work force characteristics.

Chinese Medicine in Australia.

Chinese medicine is a complex domain of theoretical and practical approaches that is being increasingly put under the research spotlight. The "Chinese Medicine in Australia" research project attempted to capture the clinical features of practitioners of Chinese medicine. The project involved a national survey of Chinese medicine professional association members and registered practitioners in the state of Victoria, Australia (n = 655; response rate, 42%-55%) completed in 2012-2013. The content and face validated survey was developed using new and previous workforce survey questions. This paper reports on the workforce and practice characteristics of the survey respondents. Chinese medicine practitioners are highly educated, come from diverse backgrounds, and have chosen to practice predominantly in sole or multipractitioner private practice settings. An interest in the philosophy of Chinese medicine and previous experiences contributed to practitioners' decisions to study and practice Chinese medicine. Incorporating a variety of techniques, practitioners describe themselves as practicing predominantly Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. The results from this survey contribute to the understanding of the nature and description of Chinese medicine practice in Australia.

Exploring Demand and Provision in English Child Protection Services.

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study linking the national data-sets for all children in need and child protection services in England. The study was informed by an emerging literature on systems thinking in public services, and aimed to examine variations and patterns of response in local authorities to demand for child welfare services in their area. One hundred and fifty-two local authority census returns and other statistical indicators covering up to a thirteen-year period were combined into a single data-set. Statistical analysis was undertaken to explore the characteristics of demand, workload and workforce, trends over time and variations between local authorities. The results showed that the overall system has become increasingly geared towards protective interventions, especially since the Baby P scandal of 2008. Deprivation levels continue to be the key driver of referrals and other categories of demand, and are strongly associated with variations in service response, particularly in the initial stages of referral and assessment. Implications are considered for the current organisation of child welfare services in light of recent reviews and reforms.

Is Total Quality Management/Continous Quality Improvement or Quality Assurance Applicable in Health Services?

In modern society, people are likely to be consumerism. They tend to be concerned about the quality of goods or services. In the same way, health care had to pay attention as the patients seem to be familiarized with health services quality. Health care has tried to adapt TQM/Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as well as Quality Assurance (QA) which is also adapted from manufacturing. However, some characteristics in the health industry are dissimilar to manufacturing. It can be explained from two points of view: workforce aspects (definition quality, physician domination and empowering); and consumer aspects (consumer ignorance, consumer satisfaction, consumer expectation). First of all, the characteristics of the health workforce, which is different from the workforces in manufacturing because of high autonomy, high professionalism, while having more stress, domination of certain profession. Medical Professions believe that quality is using high technology medical care and working effectively as the goal to making people healthy. Manager have their own value about quality, he may perceive quality in terms of efficiently. Second is the consumers’ variable needs and wants variation which may cause variation of products. They may lack information or knowledge regarding medical process, so they may not recognize their needs and demand in terms of health services. Consequently, they are unlikely to confident to measure the quality of medical process.. Consumers think more about affordability and interpersonal processes. Therefore, health services may require special consideration in implementing quality management tools. It may adjust the principle of TQM/CQI/QA in order to conform with health services characteristics

Managing flexible work arrangements in small not-for-profit firms: the influence of organisational size, financial constraints and workforce characteristics

Small, not-for-profit organisations fulfil a need in the economy that is typically not satisfied by for-profit firms. They also operate in ways that are distinct from larger organisations. While such firms employ a substantial proportion of the workforce, research addressing human resource management (HRM) practices in these settings is limited. This article used data collected from five small not-for-profit firms in Australia to examine the way one significant HRM practice – the provision and utilisation of flexible work arrangements – operates in the sector. Drawing on research from several scholarly fields, the article firstly develops a framework comprising three tensions in not-for-profits that have implications for HRM. These tensions are: (1) contradictions between an informal approach to HRM vs. a formal regulatory system; (2) employee values that favour social justice vs. external market forces; and (3) a commitment to service vs. external financial expectations. The article then empirically examines how these tensions are managed in relation to the specific case of flexible work arrangements. The study reveals that tensions around providing and accessing flexible work arrangements are managed in three ways: discretion, leadership style and distancing. These findings more broadly inform the way HRM is operationalised in this under-examined sector.

Workforce Characteristics and Attitudes Regarding Participation in Worksite Wellness Programs.

To estimate workforce participation characteristics and employees' attitudes regarding participation in workplace wellness programs. Data from a statewide stratified random sample were used to compare small (<50 employees) and larger (50+ employees) workplaces to estimate participation in screening programs and likelihood of participation in workplace wellness programs. A telephone survey of employed Iowans registered to vote. Surveyed were 1171 employed Iowans registered to vote, ages 18 to 65. Among questionnaire survey modules were items from the Wellness Council of America Employee Needs and Interest Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau for employment documentation, and the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire for assessment of sickness absenteeism and presenteeism. Prevalence of participation in screening and wellness programs was analyzed by employment size and levels of likeliness to participate, and multivariable analyses of employee baseline characteristics regarding participation in screening programs and likelihood of participation in wellness programs was presented as top and bottom quartiles. Those employed in smaller workplaces participated less often in screening programs. Multivariable models identified male gender and those with an abnormal body mass index were associated with nonparticipation, while having a primary care physician was associated with participation. Very few items showed significant statistical difference in willingness to participate. Workforce characteristics and access to health care may influence participation in screening and wellness programs. Employment size is not a determining factor for willingness to participate in wellness programs.

Workforce Characteristics, Perceptions, Stress, and Satisfaction among Staff in Green House and Other Nursing Homes

Workforce Characteristics, Perceptions, Stress, and Satisfaction among Staff in Green House and Other Nursing Homes

THEORY OF GENERATIONS AS A TOOL FOR ANALYSIS, FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF LABOUR POTENTIAL

The modern Strauss–Howe generational theory created at the intersection of economic, sociological, historical and psychological Sciences. She focuses primarily on difference of attitudes of generations, due to the specific social environment, corresponding to a certain period of time. Such a perspective on issues related to the human factor in the economy, has recently attracted interest not only from researchers, but also finds application for solving practical problems in some fields of business. Subject / theme. The article is devoted to one of the urgent contemporary socio-economic problems – the issue of the formation and development of labor potential. In this context, the theory of generations is offered by the authors as a tool for the study of qualitative parameters of human resources and the planning of future work opportunities in our country. In particular, the article considers the main aspects of the classical version of the Strauss–Howe generational theory and its Russian adaptation. Statistics describing the General demographics and working population of Russia from the point of view of generational groups. On this basis, a forecast is made of the labor potential of the country in the long term structure, review and compare the basic values and business characteristics of its constituent generations. Problem areas for which use of generational approach is rational are revealed and the corresponding recommendations are made. Objectives. The purpose of this article is justification of the possible application of provisions of modern theories of generations to identify and predict the dynamics of qualitative characteristics of the domestic workforce, as well as the prospects of its use in order to control the formation and development of labor potential. Methods. Methodological basis of the presented work make comparative and economic-statistical and socio-cultural methods of analysis. Results. In the framework of this article, the authors determined that of the five generations living in Russia today four groups constitute the major workforce of the country. At the same time in terms of labour potential for the future advisable to consider three generations, the evaluation value characteristics which showed significant differences in their social and personal attitudes that affect attitudes to education, the acquisition of professional skills and work as a whole. This situation carries the negative points, so it is important to establish quality of intergenerational interaction and choose the right vector of development of labor potential, aimed at the successful development of the domestic economy. Conclusions /significance. Practical value of the study is that the authors offer recommendations for the use of the theory of generations as a management tool can be applied in the framework of the tasks of formation and development of labour potential at the level of countries and individual organizations.

Strategies to win the generation game with special reference to IT industry

The IT Industry is facing a new future in terms of demographics at work: it will soon have five generations in the workplace at once.1Earlier, organisations had only 2–3 generations, but now it is raised to five. The managers are in a dilemma when it comes to managing these employees of different generations. In light of the declining proportion of younger workers and projected shortages, many employers will need to turn to mature, experienced workers in order to gain and maintain a competitive advantage.2 This qualitative applied research paper is an effort made at providing effective tools and assisting the present managers to maximize the organisational efficiency by capitalizing on the unique characteristics of the multigenerational workforce. A descriptive study was conducted based on secondary data collected through books, articles, published reports in various national, international magazines, websites of companies etc. Similarities and dissimilarities were found among the different generations. The outcome of the study includes innovative techniques that can be used by the managers to solve the generation issues. The findings also highlights the difference in expectations of the different generations regarding employment demands, needs for orientation, training, career growth, retirement options, perks and benefits. The bottom line solution for such problems is that, one in every four workers tried to avoid conflict with the worker from other generations.3It is evident that the employees by default do not alien themselves from the other generations. Therefore, proper platform, communication can definitely bring peace and harmony between the generations. This paper is an attempt towards this end to provide various strategies and tools to break this ice between the generations. An intensive literature review was conducted and an effort is made to fill the research gaps.

Regional Influences on Chinese Medicine Education: Comparing Australia and Hong Kong.

High quality education programs are essential for preparing the next generation of Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners. Currently, training in CM occurs within differing health and education policy contexts. There has been little analysis of the factors influencing the form and status of CM education in different regions. Such a task is important for understanding how CM is evolving internationally and predicting future workforce characteristics. This paper compares the status of CM education in Australia and Hong Kong across a range of dimensions: historical and current positions in the national higher education system, regulatory context and relationship to the health system, and public and professional legitimacy. The analysis highlights the different ways in which CM education is developing in these settings, with Hong Kong providing somewhat greater access to clinical training opportunities for CM students. However, common trends and challenges shape CM education in both regions, including marginalisation from mainstream health professions, a small but established presence in universities, and an emphasis on biomedical research. Three factors stand out as significant for the evolution of CM education in Australia and Hong Kong and may have international implications: continuing biomedical dominance, increased competition between universities, and strengthened links with mainland China.

Current Workforce Characteristics and Burnout in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Changes in health care delivery and graduate medical education have important consequences for the workforce in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM). This study compared career preparation and potential attrition of the PEM workforce with the prior assessment from 1998. An e-mail survey was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Sectionon EM and to non-AAP members board certified in PEM. Information on demographics, practice characteristics and professional activities, career preparation, future plans, and burnout (using two validated screening questions) was analyzed using standard descriptive statistics. Of 2,120 surveys mailed, 895 responses were received (40.8% response). Over half (53.7%) of respondents were female, compared with 44% in 1998. The majority (62.9%) practiced in the emergency department (ED) of a free-standing children's hospital. The distribution of professional activities was similar to that reported in 1998, with the majority of time (60%) spent in direct patient care. Half indicated involvement in research, and almost half had dedicated time for other activities, including emergency medical services (7.3%), disaster (6.9%), child abuse (5.0%), transport (3.6%), toxicology (2.3% of respondents), and other (13.6%); additionally, 21.3% had dedicated time for quality/safety. Respondents were highly satisfied (95.6%) with fellowship preparation for clinical care, but less satisfied with preparation for research (49.2%) and administration (38.7%). However, satisfaction with nonclinical training was higher for those within 10 years of medical school graduation. Forty-six percent plan to change clinical activity in the next 5years, including reducing hours, changing shifts, or retiring. Overall, 11.9% of all respondents, including 20.1% of women and 2.6% of men (p<0.001), report currently working part time. Large majorities endorsed feeling burned out at work (88.5%) or more callous toward people as a result of work (67.5%) at least monthly, with one in five reporting such feelings at least weekly. While satisfaction with fellowship preparation for professional activities in PEM is improving, gaps remain in training in nonclinical skills. Symptoms of burnout are prevalent, and there is likely to be substantial attrition of PEM providers in the near future.

The health informatics workforce: unanswered questions, needed answers.

This chapter gives an educational overview of: * The value of health information technology in the health industry and the need for well-trained HIT professionals * The current HI workforce characteristics, occupational status and educational opportunities * Health informaticians roles and functions.

Size and characteristics of the biomedical research workforce associated with U.S. National Institutes of Health extramural grants.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) annually invests approximately $22 billion in biomedical research through its extramural grant programs. Since fiscal year (FY) 2010, all persons involved in research during the previous project year have been required to be listed on the annual grant progress report. These new data have enabled the production of the first-ever census of the NIH-funded extramural research workforce. Data were extracted from All Personnel Reports submitted for NIH grants funded in FY 2009, including position title, months of effort, academic degrees obtained, and personal identifiers. Data were de-duplicated to determine a unique person count. Person-years of effort (PYE) on NIH grants were computed. In FY 2009, NIH funded 50,885 grant projects, which created 313,049 full- and part-time positions spanning all job functions involved in biomedical research. These positions were staffed by 247,457 people at 2,604 institutions. These persons devoted 121,465 PYE to NIH grant-supported research. Research project grants each supported 6 full- or part-time positions, on average. Over 20% of positions were occupied by postdoctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate students. These baseline data were used to project workforce estimates for FYs 2010-2014 and will serve as a foundation for future research.

Impact of primary care nursing workforce characteristics on the control of high-blood pressure: a multilevel analysis

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of Primary Health Care (PHC) nursing workforce characteristics and of the clinical practice environment (CPE) perceived by nurses on the control of high-blood pressure (HBP).DesignCross-sectional analytical...

Analysis of communication executives and managers in Spain: Socio-demographic, organizational and attitudinal characteristics from a gender perspective

Abstract The organizational and attitudinal characteristics of the communications workforce have recently become the subject of an emergent research field in Spain. To date, no studies have been conducted on organization and work processes in the field of corporate communications and public relations, an area that has experienced tremendous growth in recent decades. This article is a socio-psychological analysis of these professionals, from a gender perspective. An online survey, based on a nationwide sample of 190 professionals belonging to the Spanish Association of Communications Executives and Managers (DIRCOM), was conducted from May to September 2014. With low levels of burnout and high levels of engagement, communications executives and managers have a positive opinion of the sector and of their quality of life. Unlike other areas of communications, sex-based horizontal segregation was not detected. However, as in advertising and journalism, vertical segregation was observed.

Wage inequality and neoliberalism: The Australian experience

This article examines wage inequality in Australia from 1982 to 2012 using income distribution data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The analysis shows that wage inequality grew steadily during this period, and that the growth was particularly strong from 1996 onward. Through the use of quantile regression it is possible to decompose the growth in inequality into three components: changes in the wage structure, changes in workforce characteristics and a residual (‘unobservables’). The results of this analysis are conclusive among male full-time employees: despite the conventional wisdom that the changing nature of the workforce contributed to the growth of inequality, I find that the changes in the wage structure accounted for more than three-quarters of this growth. In the case of female full-time employees, changes in the wage structure accounted for about half of this growth. The article locates these findings within an analysis of neoliberalism in Australia and suggests that deindustrialisation and financialisation appear to be closely related to increased wage inequality.

Exploring physician assistant data sources.

To assess four physician assistant (PA) proprietary datasets and inform researchers about data quality for addressing healthcare policy and workforce questions. The quality of datasets was assessed by experienced researchers. Descriptive analysis included overview, collection methodology, variables, and availability. Assessment included each dataset's strengths and limitations. Datasets from the American Academy of Physician Assistants, National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Physician Assistant Education Association, and Optum Provider360 Database include overlap in variables reflecting organizational mission and/or design. Attributes include variables for validation; limitations were lack of public use files, requirements for specific data requests or data purchase. The datasets do not have unique identifiers and cannot easily be linked. The PA datasets contain variables of interest but are limited in scope. Better data collection and shared platforms could further the understanding of PA workforce characteristics and contributions to American healthcare. Researchers await more comprehensive, longitudinal, linked, and publicly available datasets.

The State of School Social Work: Revisited

The purpose of this paper was to report the results of the 2nd National School Social Work Survey. Here, we review the responses of 3769 school social workers using descriptive and bivariate statistics to better understand the current state of school social work in the USA. We also describe the characteristics and utilization patterns of students accessing school social work services, summarize the level (primary prevention vs. secondary/tertiary) of practice focus of school social workers, and review practitioner responses to items summarizing their utilization of resources to identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based practices. In addition to these descriptive analyses, we report bivariate analyses that aim to examine the relationship between prevention orientation and caseload, grade level, community setting, geographic region, and licensure status. Results suggest that the workforce characteristics and service provision trends of school social workers remain largely unchanged from 2008 and that students accessing school social work services are exposed to many factors placing them at increased risk of school failure. Pre- and post-service training recommendations arise from our assessment of the state of school social work in America to better serve children and youth who struggle with mental and behavioral health issues.