Work Life Research Articles

Unlocking the Transformative Potential of Outdoor Office Work—A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study

White-collar workers around the world are reconfiguring their ways of working. Some have found their way out, performing office work outdoors, through walk-and-talks, outdoor meetings, or reading sessions. Working outdoors has proved both invigorating and challenging. This qualitative interview study aims to develop a conceptual framework concerning the implications of white-collar workers incorporating the outdoors into their everyday work life. Applying a constructivist grounded theory approach, 27 interviews with a total of 15 participants were systematically analyzed. Findings evolved around the following categories: practicing outdoor office work, challenging the taken-for-granted, enjoying freedom and disconnection, feeling connected and interdependent, promoting health and well-being, enhancing performance, and finally adding a dimension to work. These categories were worked into a conceptual model, building on the dynamic relationship between the practice of working outdoors on one hand, and how this challenges the system in which office work traditionally takes place on the other. Interviews reflected the profound learning process of the employees. Drawing on the concepts of free space and resonance, we demonstrate how performing office work outdoors may unlock a transformative potential by opening up connectedness and interdependence and contribute to a sustainable work life as well as overall sustainable development.

Predictive factors of occupational stress among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Kashan, Iran

BackgroundConsidering the severe and sudden changes in the job conditions of nurses during the covid-19 pandemic, the increase in job tensions during this critical period and its consequences on the quantity and quality of nursing care, this study aims to investigate the job stress of nurses during the covid-19 pandemic and its predictors in Iran.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 nurses in ‘Kashan’, Iran, who were randomly selected using stratified sampling. Data were collected using two questionnaires on occupational stress and potential related factors. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 16.ResultsThe results showed that the occupational stress of nurses in Iran was at a medium to high level with a mean and standard deviation of 103.773 ± 15.742 (scale of 34–136). Factors such as satisfaction with physical health, quality of work life, satisfaction with the availability of facilities, sense of coherence, education level, work experience, job burnout, male gender, being native, and workplace were predictors of occupational stress and explained 23.3% of the variance in occupational stress score. The highest contribution was related to satisfaction with physical health.ConclusionConsidering the consequences of occupational stress for nurses, it is crucial for health and nursing authorities to take these factors into consideration in policy-making and planning.

Biographies of uncertainty regulation in the labor market and extension of working life in Chile

Abstract Despite lacking policies targeting the extension of working life, Chile is the Latin American country that has exhibited the largest increase in the labor force participation rate of people aged 65+ in the last two decades. In this research, following an analytical framework on regulation of endogenous uncertainty and relying on rich qualitative data (life story interviews of 90 older workers aged 60–86, across 21 cities and 6 regions), we approached the complexity of extended working lives in Chile by addressing an unexplored dimension. Specifically, we explore individuals’ agency over their employment trajectories (i.e., both in adulthood and old age) among those who remained active in the labor market after the legal retirement age. Our findings provide strong evidence that extended working lives not only result from precarious social conditions, but are also shaped by complex processes involving both expansive and adaptive individual agency in which people engaged throughout their life course. Therefore, the high exogenous uncertainty in the labor market should not merely be interpreted from the perspective of “precarity,” but also as a scenario that encouraged individuals to behave in a way that led them to engage in the labor force across their lives in accordance with their preferred level of endogenous uncertainty.

THE SOUTH DOES ALSO EXIST: THE CONTINENTAL DRIFT DEBATE IN THE ACCOUNT OF THE SOUTH-AFRICAN PALEOBOTANIST EDNA PLUMSTEAD

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a letter sent by the South African paleobotanist Edna Plumstead in 1982 to the US philosopher of science Henry Frankel, in answer to his questions about her involvement in the early debates on the concept of continental drift. Her response gave a biographical account of her life and explained in what context she first became acquainted with the themes that would become her life's work, and the scientific network of people who influenced her along the way. Beginning with her undergraduate years in the 1920s, Plumstead was aware that continental drift was being discussed in scientific circles in South Africa, earlier than in the northern hemisphere. This was followed by her more direct involvement in paleontological studies on fossils of the seed-plant Glossopteris, her important description of Glossopteris reproductive organs in direct attachment to the leaves, and how the distribution of these fossils contributed to the concept of Gondwanaland and the continental drift theory. These contributions, although extremely relevant to science, were mostly ignored in the Global North.

Balancing work and family when family is work: a reconceptualization of work–family integration, burnout and detachment in family business

PurposeBuilding from calls for greater interdisciplinary research in interpreting family business phenomena, we integrate research on work–family conflict, detachment and burnout from both organizational and family studies. Using the characteristic work–family integration of family business settings as a backdrop we develop theoretical arguments that emphasize the reconciliatory role of interdisciplinary perspectives to explain the ostensibly contradictory findings in extant research. The diminishing barriers separating work and life spheres occurring in most global industries illustrate the importance of conceiving the study of work–life phenomena through recursive, rather than linear, logics and emphasizing the relevance of family business research in providing a contextual foundation for interdisciplinary discussions.Design/methodology/approachThis theoretical paper integrates perspectives from the literatures on organizational behavior and family systems theory to form six propositions on the relationship between work–life integration and the antecedents and consequences of burnout and psychological detachment.FindingsThis paper explores the nuances that overlapping work and family roles might be a source of both harmony and discord in family firms. In doing so, our research contributes to the growing relationship between family systems theory and family business research, and creates the foundation for future empirical studies on the psychological dynamics that underlie work–family integration.Originality/valueThis research advances a novel perspective on the interactions between work–family integration and burnout and detachment, and does so by noting that the way the family business literature treats work–family integration may apply to any employee that experiences tension between these different spheres of their identity.

Performance prediction and operating parameters optimization for proton exchange membrane fuel cell based on data-driven surrogate model and particle swarm optimization

The operating parameters of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are critical to its performance and working life. This study presents a data-driven modeling approach combining a surrogate model with the particle swarm optimization algorithm to optimize operating parameters for PEMFC and obtain the maximum power density. The results show that the operating parameters significantly influence power density under high current densities, with inlet temperature having the most significant effect. Lower inlet temperature, relative humidity in the cathode and anode, along with higher operating pressure yield improved output performance. The Genetic Algorithm-Backpropagation Neural Network based surrogate model exhibits excellent predictive performance with correlation coefficients of 0.99896 and 0.99815 for the training and test sets, respectively. Optimized conditions achieve a 3.3% increase in power density compared to initial settings, with only a 0.15% error in simulation calculations. This data-driven approach provides valuable insights for maximizing PEMFC efficiency and performance.

Best management practices for integrating refugee employees

AbstractThe number of international refugees in developed countries continues to increase due to various factors, including war, poverty, poor economic conditions, and environmental disasters. While prior research has focused on the challenges faced by refugees in finding work, prior research has neglected the organisational perspective. Therefore, our research question is: Which HR and management practices are viewed by refugees and organisational leaders as being most effective for the workplace integration of refugee employees? To address this research question, we conducted an exploratory semi‐structured interview study, drawing on quality of work life research. We conducted 37 semi‐structured interviews with refugees and people seeking asylum, as well as 35 interviews with managers who supervise refugees (including managers who develop employment programs and provide employment assistance for refugees). Based on the interview findings, we identify best HR practices and management strategies for integrating refugee employees in the workplace. Our interview findings and best HR practices for integrating refugee employees are summarised through the following five overall themes, each with additional sub‐dimensions: (1) workforce planning, (2) training and development, (3) inclusive work practices, (4) meaningful work, and (5) well‐being‐focused management. Our interview findings have important practical implications for organisations, managers, and policymakers who are working to advance the integration of refugees and people seeking asylum in the workforce.

The mental health toll among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malawi

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers worldwide, with frontline personnel experiencing heightened rates of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess the mental health toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers in Malawi. A cross-sectional survey utilising the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) was conducted among 109 frontline healthcare workers. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 healthcare workers to explore their experiences and challenges during the pandemic. The results indicated a high prevalence of COVID-19-related depression (31%; CI [23, 41]), anxiety (30%; CI [22, 40]), and PTSD (25%; CI [17, 34]) among participants. Regression analysis revealed significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among healthcare workers in city referral hospitals compared to district hospitals. Qualitative findings highlighted the emotional distress, impact on work and personal life, and experiences of stigma and discrimination faced by healthcare workers. The stress process model provided a valuable framework for understanding the relationship among pandemic-related stressors, coping resources, and mental health outcomes. The findings underscore the urgent need for interventions and support systems to mitigate the mental health impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare workers in Malawi. Policymakers should prioritise the assessment and treatment of mental health problems among this critical workforce to maintain an effective pandemic response and build resilience for future crises.

Durability evaluation and lifetime prediction of recycled coarse aggregate self-compacting concrete after freeze-thaw and sulfate erosion coupling

This paper aims to study the durability of recycled coarse aggregate self-compacting concrete (RCASCC) after being subjected to freeze-thaw and sulfate coupling. The durability comprehensive evaluation index of RCASCC based on the entropy weight method was defined, and the variation law of the durability comprehensive evaluation index concerning RCA substitution rate, freeze-thaw environment, and coupling frequency was obtained. GM (1, 1) model based on grey system theory was used to evaluate the durability of RCASCC under the coupling effects of freeze-thaw and sulfate attack. The results show that there are some differences in the accuracy of the four GM (1, 1) models. It is recommended that the EGM model can be used to predict the durability of the RCASCC under the coupled effects of freeze-thaw and sulfate erosion. Moreover, the working life of RCASCC under the coupling effects in the outdoor environments of northeast, north, and northwest China was calculated, when the comprehensive evaluation index of durability decreases to 75% as the failure criterion. A multi-criteria analysis employing TOPSIS and VIKOR methods was conducted to evaluate the durability of RCASCC under these coupling effects. A multi criteria analysis was conducted on the durability of RCASCC under the coupling effects of freeze-thaw and sulfate erosion using TOPSIS and VIKOR methods. Under these two rankings, the splitting tensile strength is the index that changes the most after coupling effects, while the compressive strength changes relatively little. The importance of dynamic elastic modulus and weight is different due to different materials and evaluation methods. RC100-H typically exhibits the largest variation, while NC-H and RC50-NM typically exhibit smaller variations.

Characteristics of Teacher Trainee Students in Malta and Their Readiness for the Labour Market

In view of challenges related to global teacher shortages as well as teacher shortages and attrition in Malta, attracting individuals to the teaching profession and retaining them is crucial. In this regard, students’ personal life has been identified as the strongest predictor of resilience in Maltese teacher trainee students besides self-efficacy, social and emotional competence, and self-efficacy in behaviour management. Therefore, the objective of this research is to investigate the social and economic conditions of teacher trainee students in order to understand their specific needs and evaluate the extent to which these needs are being met through present education programmes in Malta. This research focuses on the profile of teacher trainee students (n=142) based on the overall EUROSTUDENT VII dataset for Malta (n=1,226). Considering the factors that influence teacher trainee students’ resilience, the research investigates teacher trainee students’ satisfaction with their workload related to studies and paid work and difficulties encountered related to studies, work and personal life. It will also explore teacher trainee students’ self-reported readiness for the labour market.

Green Skyscrapers: A Comprehensive Approach to Integrate Greenery and Bioclimatic Design in High-Rise Mixed-Use Buildings

Green Skyscrapers: A Comprehensive Approach to Integrate Greenery and Bioclimatic Design in High-Rise Mixed-Use Buildings

Determinants of Quality of Work Life and Job Satisfaction in Private Degree Colleges

Determinants of Quality of Work Life and Job Satisfaction in Private Degree Colleges

Making Sense of Change: Emotive-Cognitive Reframing of Young People in Post-crisis Spain

This article explores how people interpret deep transformations, how they integrate them into their everyday meaning-making and what role emotion work plays therein. To do so, the article draws on the experiences of young people (n=68) in post-crisis Spain and their narratives of change. In the wake of the severe economic crisis of 2008, many of them had lost their jobs as well as their future prospects. They experienced a mismatch between their expectations of their (working) life and the actual opportunities on the precarious labour market. Disappointed expectations and crumbling future prospects made it necessary for them to search for explanations and coping strategies. The article proposes the concept of emotive-cognitive reframing to capture the ways in which the young people adapted their emotions, ideas and expectations and the different forms and directions this could take. It shows that emotive-cognitive reframing was a complex and embodied process of emotional and cognitive work in which existing patterns of explanation were questioned and partly replaced by new ones. If these explanations were individualistic in nature, people considered their emotions and how they dealt with them to be a personal matter. In this case, emotion work was more about appeasing and suppressing emotions rather than channelling them into action. If the explanations were systemic, though, emotion work consisted primarily of turning emotions inside out and redirecting them from the individual towards external actors and structural conditions laying the seeds for collective mobilisation.

Essential Factors and How they Affect Demographic Variables in the Corporate Environment to Maintain Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance (WLB) remains a significant concern for industries, with research highlighting the consequences of imbalance between work and family life. In today's competitive global landscape, companies supporting WLB practices gain a competitive edge. This study aims to explore the impact of demographic variables on WLB factors in Haryana, India. A sample of 300 employees from various private and public banking and insurance branches was analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The study finds that technological advancements have facilitated the implementation of WLB practices, blurring the boundaries between work and personal life. However, despite family-friendly policies, many employees still perceive negative consequences. Normative attitudes and values continue to influence gender roles, affecting women's career prospects. Supervisors' awareness of WLB practices varies, influencing their ability to support employees. Organizations are increasingly focused on fostering a supportive workplace culture to accommodate employees' expectations regarding both family and professional life

Exploring the association between multiple factors and urolithiasis: A retrospective study and Mendelian randomization analysis.

To investigate the relationship between several factors and urinary stone as well as different stone compositions. To guide the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of urinary stone recurrence. We used bidirectional Mendelian randomization to analyze the causal relationship between hypertension and urinary stones, diabetes and urinary stones, and body mass index (BMI) and urinary stones. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients with urinary stones admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Chongqing, China, from July 2015 to October 2022. Patients were included when they were first diagnosed with urinary stones. The odds ratio of calculi on hypertension estimated by inverse variance weighted was 8.46 (95%CI: 4.00-17.90, P = 2.25 × 10-8). The stone composition analysis showed that there were 3101 (67.02%) mixed, 1322 (28.57%) calcium oxalate monohydrate, 148 (3.20%) anhydrous uric acid, 16 (0.35%) magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate, 11 (0.24%) dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, 10 (0.22%) carbonate apatite, 8 (0.17%) L-cystine, 4 ammonium uric acid (0.09%), and 7 other stone types (0.15%). Mendelian randomization studies have proven that urinary stones may be a potential risk factor for hypertension, while there is no causal relationship between diabetes and stones, BMI, and stones. Our retrospective study has shown that urinary stone components are closely associated with sex, age, hypertension, diabetes, and BMI. It is reasonable to suspect that treating a single stone component is ineffective in preventing recurrence. We also found that the peak incidence of urinary stones was at the most active stage of most people's working lives.

Unlocking Productivity and Well-Being: Exploring the Four-Day Workweek and Design Thinking for Its Implementation

Work life balance is the most important factor for employees of this generation in keeping their jobs. Meanwhile, the five-day workweek working system that is implemented today is raising concerns as the workload increases which leads to work life imbalance, declining productivity, also burnouts and mental-health issues of the employees. To overcome it, this study proposes a four-day workweek system as a possible solution. The study aims to explore the potential benefits of a fourday workweek as well as the usage of design thinking method in enabling a successful implementation of the system. By examining factors like work scheduling, business needs, and employee satisfaction, this study also seeks to optimize the four-day workweek model. The study finds that four-day work week can increase employees’ well-being, mainly in improving work-life balance and decreasing fatigue and stress with more day off, also increases job satisfaction and employee’s motivation to contribute more to their jobs. Using design thinking method may help the implementation of this system with understanding employee needs and preferences, identifying potential challenges and develop solutions, optimizing collaboration and communication, and evaluating and iterating the whole process. By prioritizing human-centered solutions and iterating based on feedback, organizations can create a work model that benefits both employees and the organization's overall goals.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR BANK WOKERS IN ADO-EKITI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE

Stress has debilitating effect on the productivity of any company or establishment. When stress has overcome or take over thehuman resources of any establishment, the end thereof of the establishment production will be low; thence work stress needs to be managed both at individual level and in a general level for better productivity. This study seek to examine stress management techniques for bank workers in Ado-Ekiti local government area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. The research design that was used for thisstudy was survey design of the descriptive type of research. The sample size of four hundred (400) bank workers was sampled for the study using simple random sampling technique. The respondents were drawn from commercial banks in the study area. The instrument for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire. The split half method of reliability was used to ascertain the reliability of the instrument using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Spearman Brown’s formula. A coefficient of 0.93 was obtained. Formulated hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics of Pearson Chi-Square, the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The researcher concluded that there is significant occurrence of stress during work among bank workers, break between work period and Physical therapies will be a stress managing technique among bank workers. The researcher recommended that each bank worker should balance family, work, social and spiritual life in order to keep up an effective and quality stress management. The management of banks should set up organizational stress prevention programme to provide an environment will less stress for optimal productivity from their workers. The bank management should design and implement interventions based on the information gathered from their interaction with the workers. These interventions should be priotized.

Quality of work life for health professions in Colombia’s adult critical care: An integrative analysis

BackgroundHealth professionals in Colombian and many parts of the world, in some cases, work in precarious conditions and intend to migrate to other countries in search of better living conditions for themselves and their families, which results in inadequate distribution worldwide and in the quality of care throughout the health system, which can ultimately influence the quality of life of patients in their health-disease processes.PurposeDescribe in depth what quality of life at work is like for the health workforce in adult critical care (ACC).MethodsThis is an investigation of convergent parallel mixed methods approach that are integrated by means of a matrix in terms of convergence, divergence, and complementarity. Two methods are used: a transversal analytical method in which three instruments were applied to 209 participants to study the relationship between Quality of Life at Work, exposure to psychosocial risks, compassion fatigue and the intention to rotate; other than from the experiences narrated by 10 Human Talent in Health explore organizational practices in critical care.ResultsThe dimension of quality of work life with the greatest dissatisfied was the management of free time (77%), the most compromised psychosocial risk was the pace of work (84%). They have high compassion satisfaction (67%) and there is an intention to migrate to another country (66%). The narrative results in discrimination/harassment as normalized practices and faceless spirituality. The integration of mixed methods shows convergence between the use of the instrument that measures quality of life at work and the narratives of the participants, complementarity with the other instruments, and divergence regarding the intention to rotate to another health institution.ConclusionThe positive trend that converges with the two approaches is that of safety at work and well-being achieved through work, embodied in the constant updating of technology and care protocols, experience time, balance between salary and work effort, staffing and supplies, and disconnection with work.

Organizational Commitment, Work-Life Balance and Teachers’ Effectiveness In School Teachers

Modern day life has many problems within different dimensions and keep up a crucial Work-Life Balance (WLB) along with a strong Organizational Commitment (OC), of which one is a part of WLB is the degree to which individuals prioritise the professional and personal responsibilities in their lives, as well as the presence of work-related activities in their homes. Work life equilibrium can impact numerous factors, including satisfaction on job, commitment towards the organisation and, of course, performance on job. WLB allows for healthy compartmentalization of work and hence can possibly be hypothesized to affect Teacher Effectiveness (TE) in the workplace. Similarly, organizational commitment may be understood as the psychological attachment or bond an individual may have to an organization. The bond is important as it can allow increased feeling of belongingness to the organization and increased motivation to work harder. The study aims to investigate how OC and WLB relate to teachers' effectiveness in a school set up. The results suggest statistically significant positive association between organisational commitment and TE. Further, a significant positive link was also found between OC and WLB. Although, no significant association was found between teachers’ effectiveness and WLB.

Let Them Shine: Associations of Schools’ Support for Strengths Use with Teachers’ Sense of Meaning, Engagement, and Satisfaction

The present research builds on the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development and on research demonstrating the contribution of perceived organizational support for strengths use (POSSU) to the quality of employees’ work life. Specifically, we focus on teachers, whose training and development in schools often aim to narrow competence gaps and correct deficits. We propose that focusing on the development of their strengths may more positively impact their engagement, satisfaction, and sense of meaning at work. A total of 47 school principals (30 women; Mage = 48.37, SD = 7.31) and 235 of their teachers (197 women; Mage = 40.73, SD = 7.78) reported perceptions of their schools’ organizational support for strengths use (POSSU), and of their school support for deficit correction (POSDC). In addition, teachers completed measures of their strengths use, sense of meaning at work, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Teachers’ POSSU was associated (more strongly than POSDC) with teachers’ strength use and positive work-related well-being. Teachers’ strengths use mediated the associations of POSSU with the other variables. Principals’ POSSU was not associated with teachers’ POSSU or with teachers’ strengths use, but was associated with teachers’ sense of meaning and satisfaction at work. The findings highlight the potential benefits of a strengths-supporting school culture to teachers’ work-life quality.