Organisation Of Working Time Research Articles

Unlimited Employee Autonomy over Working Time? The Potentially Empty Notion of Autonomous Workers in EU law

Digital technology is often associated with greater working time autonomy: in theory at least, digitalisation can result in workplaces where employees are less subordinate to their employers in terms of working time. Article 17(1) of Directive 2003/88/EC on certain aspects of the organisation of working time acknowledges that certain working time measures do not apply in case of ‘autonomous workers’. However, the Court of Justice of the European Union has interpreted this exception strictly, excluding from its scope workers who enjoy only partial autonomy over their working time. The aim of this study is to explore whether the EU concept of autonomous worker meets practical requirements or needs to be amended. In section 2, I argue for a more permissive interpretation, as a predominantly autonomous schedule could still justify some flexibility as regards working time rules. This interpretation would also better fit the dual system of subordinated employees and self-employed workers who enjoy more flexibility in the determination of the working hours. Under section 3, the article explores the various methods that employers use to maintain control over the organisation of working time in non-standard work environments. Research shows that the combination of different controlling measures can ensure that employers have a decisive influence over the measure and schedule of working time, even in nominally flexible working arrangements. Consequently, while a broader understanding of the concept of autonomous workers is suggested, it shall be carefully assessed in each case whether the worker actually enjoys autonomy in respect of working time.

Сучасні детермінанти інтеграції українських мігрантів у ринок праці ЄС

The aim of the publication is to substantiate the modern determinants of the integration of migrants into the labor market of the recipient countries. Based on the study of literary sources, the consequences of migration for the donor country and the recipient country are determined. The contentual characteristics of the concept of «integration» are substantiated and it is proved that integration is not a one-sided process, since it involves the interaction of different parties. The key spheres of integration of migrants are identified, on the basis of which economic, professional, educational, social, cultural, political, and civic kinds of integration are allocated. Indicators of economic integration are defined, which include: status (employed, unoccupied); form of legal regulation of employment; type of employment (employee, independent professional activity, entrepreneurial activity); social status (worker, technical employee, professional/specialist, manager); form of organization of working time (full-time, part-time employment); stability of employment (permanent, temporary, seasonal); form of organization of workplaces (standard, non-standard); salary level; correspondence of work (profession) to the level of qualification (education) and professional mobility (changes in professional career). Based on the comparison of studies conducted by different organizations in different periods of time on the share of employed Ukrainian migrants in the EU countries, it is concluded that there has been progress in economic integration. At the same time, the share of employed people is small in most countries. Among the main problems hindering effective economic integration is the discrepancy between the professions in which Ukrainian migrants work and the level of their qualifications. The prerequisites for the economic integration of Ukrainian migrants into the EU labor market are defined as follows: creation of an appropriate legal framework; improvement of the EU policies and programs; bringing the professional and educational qualifications of Ukrainian citizens in line with the EU qualifications; development of language competencies; creation of conditions for doing business, remote employment.

The important factors nurses consider when choosing shift patterns: A cross-sectional study.

To gain a deeper understanding of what is important to nurses when thinking about shift patterns and the organisation of working time. A cross-sectional survey of nursing staff working across the UK and Ireland collected quantitative and qualitative responses. We recruited from two National Health Service Trusts and through an open call via trade union membership, online/print nursing profession magazines and social media. Worked versus preferred shift length/pattern, satisfaction and choice over shift patterns and nurses' views on aspects related to work and life (when working short, long, rotating shifts) were analysed with comparisons of proportions of agreement and crosstabulation. Qualitative responses on important factors related to shift preferences were analysed with inductive thematic analysis. Eight hundred and seventy-three survey responses were collected. When nurses worked long shifts and rotating shifts, lower proportions reported being satisfied with their shifts and working their preferred shift length and pattern. Limited advantages were realised when comparing different shift types; however, respondents more frequently associated 'low travel costs' and 'better ability to do paid overtime' with long shifts and 'healthy diet/exercise' with short shifts; aspects related to rotating shifts often had the lowest proportions of agreement. In the qualitative analysis, three themes were developed: 'When I want to work', 'Impacts to my life outside work' and 'Improving my work environment'. Reasons for nurses' shift preferences were frequently related to nurses' priorities outside of work, highlighting the importance of organising schedules that support a good work-life balance. General scheduling practices like adhering to existing shift work guidelines, using consistent and predictable shift patterns and facilitating flexibility over working time were identified by nurses as enablers for their preferences and priorities. These practices warrant meaningful consideration when establishing safe and efficient nurse rosters. This survey was developed and tested with a diverse group of stakeholders, including nursing staff, patients, union leads and ward managers. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies (STROBE) checklist for cross-sectional studies was used to guide reporting.

Modern trends in the process of individualization in the social and labor sphere

The scientific article is devoted to the study of the processes of individualization in the social and labor sphere, which are an important aspect of the fair determination of the peculiarities of the legal status of a person. The article analyzes the modern transformational processes that are progressing and changes the accounting of the economy and society, the theoretical aspects of the essence, the consequences of the formation and development of the modern trend towards the formation of an individualized society in which social priority belongs to individualized individuals are considered.
 Conducting a scientific study, the author found that during the spread of individualization processes, the dependence of a person on the social environment, social groups and rigid social circumstances is weakened. Social life is filled with opportunities for self-affirmation and self-realization, confirmation of the priority of individual interests. Individualized personality becomes more and more independent, original in behavior, thinking, priorities, values and way of life.
 Covering more and more representatives of society, these processes affect all components of both the socio-economic sphere and the sphere of work. Under their influence, the content, structure and nature of social and labor relations changes: the flexibility of the labor market increases; there is a transformation of the sphere of employment, a change in its basic forms, types and content, new progressive technologies, primarily information and communication, are being intensively implemented; new models of working time organization are being formed at enterprises, institutions and organizations; the importance of the intellectual and creative component of work increases.
 The conducted research convinces that the deployment of individualization processes in the social and labor sphere is an objective factor that, in order to achieve high standards of the quality of working life, must take into account not only the technological, economic, organizational, but also the social nature of work.
 As a result of the study, it was concluded that the social and labor sphere, under the conditions of individualization of labor relations, faces problems and challenges that require updating and improving the legal framework for regulating the latest changes in the sphere of employment and working conditions, as well as finding mechanisms for ensuring social protection of workers employed in non-standard forms of work and whose work regimes are flexible.

Motivation to work remotely in the face of organizational and cost conditions

Motivation: Working conditions have changed significantly as remote working has become widespread in many countries. These changes were caused by a pandemic, as a result of which the possibility of direct communication as well as control and integration of employees was limited. There are also new cost categories for employees and employers, such as installing a better internet connection, purchasing new hardware and software, and implementing better security for data transmission outside the company’s premises. These changes resulted in changes in the employee motivation factors against the background of organizational and cost conditions, which is important for the proper development of the organization.Aim: The aim of the article is to assess motivation to work remotely, based on a survey of opinions among 450 employees in total in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The assessment was performed by verifying, using the logistic regression method, ten hypotheses describing organizational and cost conditions as well as individual effects, such as career opportunities, increase in knowledge and skills, and the occurrence of stress that arose as a result of working remotely. The motivation to work remotely was verified by establishing the willingness to continue working through an opinion.Results: Motivation in remote work is influenced by both efficient communication and technical assistance provided to the employee remotely. Motivation resulting from the independent organization of working time is also important, and it is based on the decision to choose the duration of work, hours and intensity of its performance. Organizational and cost-related factors are related to motivation, as well as individual effects experienced by the employee. Directly from the survey, it appears that only 26.8% of the respondents incurred higher costs related to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the respondents want to continue it with their current earnings. The study found that employees are motivated to work remotely because the organizational conditions and earnings meet their needs. They also admitted that thanks to remote work, they have a better chance of developing a professional career, as well as a higher level of their knowledge and skills, which is also associated with the motivation to continue working remotely.

Human Resource Management across Generations within the Context of World of Work 4.0

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the expectations of cohorts of workers from Generations X, Y, and Z with regards to their perceptions of what a "good workplace" is. Two research questions were formulated accordingly. Respondents representing workers from Generations X, Y, and Z, from Italy and Austria, were asked to consider and rate (on a 1-5 scale) eighteen criteria on work environment and managerial approach. Multi-sample testing was applied during processing with the ANOVA and Shapiro-Wilk and the Kruskal-Wallis test was subsequently used for multi-sample testing. The findings show that the most popular criterion for all three generational cohorts is "good work atmosphere", followed by "all employees are valued, treated, and rewarded fairly". Interestingly, generational differences were observed for "customer orientation", which was more important for Generation X, and "autonomous organization of work (time)", which was more important for Generations Y and Z. The most surprising result was the significance of corporate image, with less than 4% identifying this as an important issue across all three generations. These findings can help human resource managers create appropriate working environments and motivational tools that meet the real expectations of employees. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-03-013 Full Text: PDF

The legal framework of on call duty for teleworkers

Today’s Labour Law acknowledges the importance of flexibility in the individual work relationships by the widescale use of teleworking programs. However, the teleworking phenomenon proliferates in parallel with an opposite trend, by which teleworkers are less protected, as a consequence of the current practices by which they are required to respond work-related calls at any time, wherever they are, and the general standards regulating the working time are ignored. While the European Union states show obvious concern with removing such risks, the practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union, given in its interpretation of the Directive concerning certain aspects in the organization of working time, is extremely important. The present study starts from the analysis of certain points in the content of the Working Time Directive 2003/88 adopted across the European Union with regard to the working time, and goes on to provide an overview of relevant decisions issued by the CJEU on working time, then draws conclusions on the legal framework (juridical regime) of on-call duty in the case of teleworkers.

Considerations on the protection of teleworkers, in light of the current European regulations. Elements of comparative law

The proliferation of the teleworking phenomenon entails a number of aspects, such as the organization of working time or the work safety and health of teleworkers, which are not fully covered by the current legislation. This puts teleworkers at an increased risk of being treated less favorably than regular workers and implicitly calls for additional protective measures for teleworkers. Consequently, the present paper offers an overview of the main legislative documents adopted by the European Union, which concern teleworkers directly or indirectly, in order to ascertain the extent to which the current legislative standards meet the specific needs of the teleworkers. Also relevant for this aim is the comparative law analysis which demonstrates how some states of the European Union have increased their efforts to amend their legal systems, in order to eliminate the discriminatory practices detrimental to teleworkers and to enhance the protection they enjoy. The study presents the different legislative perspectives of Germany, France, Spain, Italy.

Organization of working time in public authorities and influence of personal qualities of employees on organizational efficiency

Organization of working time in public authorities and influence of personal qualities of employees on organizational efficiency

Proposal of an effective time management system

In this study, we review studies on time management and propose an effective time management system. We introduce an algorithm for identifying time management problems in the form of a decision support system, which allows a consistent review of problems in this area and can be used by individuals and teams. We have proposed and described a series of actions and measures to address each of the five identified problems, i.e., procrastination, inability to achieve long-term, medium-term and short-term goals, and a permanent lack of time (personal or professional). Possible applications of this system include a preliminary description of one’s time use during the day, tracking spent time, analysis of results, “bottlenecks” identification, setting rating points, repeating the study, and summarizing. The presented effective time management system has a theoretical basis and practical application in personal and working time organization.

Czas w przestrzeni organizacyjnej: perspektywa kadr kultury

Time in Organizational Space: The Perspective of Employees of a Cultural Organization Cultural institutions are exceptional spaces where time gains new meanings. By interacting with stakeholders, responding to the needs declared by potential recipients, and setting trends – they become active participants in the process of shaping and giving meaning to cultural heritage, of which one of the most important components is also time. Therefore, it turns out that employees of cultural institutions are responsible not only for managing themselves but for managing the processes taking place within an organization as well, moreover they are also obliged to closely observe the dynamically changing world. This text aims to diagnose and describe the importance of time – according to employees – in working in cultural institutions. To prepare the article, the author used the research conducted for the purposes of her thesis entitled Time management – aporia or utopia? In line with the adopted methodological strategy, the method of narrative collage was used, consisting of collecting fictional stories from employees of cultural organizations. The analysis of the obtained research material made it possible to diagnose the challenges faced by cultural institutions, related to, inter alia, inadequate financing, failure of taking into account the individual needs and expectations of employees and chaos in the working time organization.

Co-Working Spaces in Greece During the COVID-19 Era

The organization of space and working time, especially their location and geography, is a significant concern to researchers and politicians. However, in today's globalized economy and online age, the way we work and the workplace's whole location and geography are being redefined and researched. This paper investigates the current situation of co-working spaces in Greece, and the authors further analyse the case study of the Athens municipality. They examined views on new workplaces satisfaction and the benefits of the location. The research also explored the factors influencing ‘co-working spaces' satisfaction and views on the location's benefits. Finally, there is a detailed record of the areas in question throughout the territory, and they are scattered and concentrated in certain areas. Their characteristics are then explored, and policies and actions are proposed for their operation and development in the post-COVID-19 era.

THE FUTURE OF REMOTE WORK – LEGAL DILEMMAS

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many areas of life, and has also directly affected ways of performing work. The biggest change has been the expansion of remote working on an unprecedented huge scale. This form of work has allowed many workers to move their work activities online, thus reducing the pandemic threat. Remote working has many benefits for employees, saving the time needed to commute, as well as for employers, who can save the funds needed to maintain offices. Aside from its many advantages, remote working raises numerous legal dilemmas that relate to range of important issues, starting with the right to establish such work. Other problems include the provision of work tools, covering the costs of performing work at the employee’s home, appropriate organisation of working time, together with respect for the principle of work-life balance. Other dilemmas concern the protection of privacy of the employee and his/her family. It is also connected with providing the employer with the possibility to control the performance of work by employees, as well as ensuring an appropriate level of occupational health and safety. This paper indicates such dilemmas, and discusses the key issues related to them. These issues need to be taken into account when developing regulations on remote working, both at international and national levels

K-12 MODERN SCHOOLS IN SERBIA: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH REGARDING TEACHERS GENUINE KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF AI-BASED OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION

LINK Educational Alliance (LEA is an educational group based in the Republic of Serbia which involves privately owned providers of formal and informal education, the format for the development of Educational Technologies services and Business support for their business. The exploratory research was conducted among K-12 teachers among a total population of 152 and a sample of 77 respondents (50.66%) to provide information about the perception of the teachers towards implementation of the Artificial intelligence-based solutions and the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) will bring into their daily activities, as well as their genuine knowledge about AI. For data analysis, we used SmartPLs Software version 3.0, making inferential and variable association analyses. The teaching process, based on the opinion of K-12 teachers regarding activities that might be automatised through AI implementation in the educational process, supported by their level of awareness and knowledge about AI. For example, AI offers opportunities to automate specific strategies and activities, which would achieve better organisation of teachers' working time and productivity and increase the share of time that teachers spend "directly interacting with students" is the central hypothesis whose validity is tested. The aim of this study is to provide adequate model for testing AI attitudes in K-12 level of education in Republic of Serbia, among teachers in elementary and secondary schools.

2022/9 The organisation of working time in a company must not infringe employees’ rights to weekly rest (RO)

2022/9 The organisation of working time in a company must not infringe employees’ rights to weekly rest (RO)

Temporal Dimensions of Job Quality and Gender: Exploring Differences in the Associations of Working Time and Health between Women and Men.

Research shows strong links between working time organization and workers’ health outcomes. Working time is also known to be highly gendered, with men and women working to different schedules. This article merges these two strands of research and takes a gender-based approach to investigating the relationship between temporal job quality and self-reported health in Europe. First, the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) is used to establish the relationship between temporal dimensions of job quality and health and well-being outcomes for employed women and men. This is then corroborated using larger samples and more restricted measures of job quality drawn from micro-data from the 2019–2020 EU Labor Force Survey (LFS). The analyses show that good temporal job quality is positively associated with health and subjective well-being for both women and men, but this effect is significantly stronger for women, who are also at a greater risk of exposure to low control over working time and time under-employment. The findings highlight the importance of studying the impact of working and employment conditions on health from gender perspective, and the need for further exploration of job quality due to changes in the spatio-temporal organization of work during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risk Factors Psychology Workers Sena (Center for the Petrochemical Industry) Regional Bolívar, Colombia

Determining factors in Psychology workers SENA (Center for Petrochemical Industry) Regional Bolívar. Descriptive study, with a population under 111 workers, information was collected using the instrument Dr. Bocanument, survey for the Evaluation of psychosocial risk factors, which was validated by Quintin J, Contreras H, instrument that allowed as measure psychosocial risk factors in four areas: content of the task, human relations, organization of working time and personnel management. A descriptive analysis of the variables investigated was conducted, tabulated in Microsoft Excel 2007, psychosocial risk factors to which workers are exposed SENA (Center for Petrochemical Industry) Regional Bolivar were obtained. Of the 111 employees surveyed, a predominance of male gender with 66% found the average age is between 35 and 40 years, the level of more frequent training is professional with 76%, 88% is contract defined by provision of services, seniority is between 11 and 16 years with 49%.was found that the most prevalent risk factor was the personnel management. The presence of psychosocial risk factors, mainly in personnel management, area under the responsibility of the directives, and to lesser extent in the organization of working time, the content of the task and human relations are determined.

Involved fatherhood and the workplace context: A new theoretical approach

AbstractThe prevalence of the ideal worker norm and the unwillingness of organizations to acknowledge the transition to fatherhood as a life‐changing event are key factors that continue to inhibit men who pursue greater involvement as parents. This article applies fresh theoretical perspectives that influence the situated agency of new fathers in the workplace. It argues that informal structural conditions at organizational level, specifically the organization of working time (materialized by the influence of organizational rhythms) and the difficulty of articulating a caring masculine identity are factors that significantly contribute to the debate on fathers' reluctance to embrace involved fatherhood. Drawing together the issues discussed above, the article presents a conceptual model, which argues for a recursive relationship between fathers' ability to achieve involved fatherhood and these structural conditions in an organizational context. The article concludes by considering the practical implications of the model for fathers and organizations and presenting a research agenda based on the issues raised.

Features of Remote Work in Ukraine and the European Union: Comparative Legal Aspect

The relevance of the study is based on the development of scientific and technological progress and the expansion of the labor market, including in the framework of international cooperation. Moreover, the introduction of quarantine due to the spread of Covid-19 has led to increased attention to remote work. The aim of the study is to analyze the legal aspects of remote work in accordance with the labor legislation of Ukraine and the European Union, focusing on the concept of remote work, the rights and obligations of remote workers. In our study, we determined that in the European Union, the key points in relation to the rights granted to teleworkers, which the countries parties to the agreement have undertaken to incorporate into their national legislation and collective agreements, are data protection; the voluntary nature of telecommuting; equipment; organization of working time; privacy. The originality of the study is based on more effective ways to improve labor productivity in Ukraine, labor discipline, compliance with labor guarantees for remote work. It is necessary to revise and legislatively regulate the key principles of compliance by employees with labor discipline, providing the employee with proper working conditions, supporting the employer in search of new opportunities to provide employees with work, improving the technical aspects of ensuring the relationship between business and government, responsibility for results and the labor process.

Telework during the COVID-19 epidemic in Portugal and determinants of job satisfaction: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundTelework satisfaction is a Public Health concern, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its determinant factors may be related with the negative health effects of teleworking. However, there is still little research exploring this issue. This study aimed to characterize telework during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Portugal and to identify the major predictors of telework satisfaction.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study aimed at all teleworkers working in Portugal, during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic. Data were collected through a Google Forms platform online questionnaire distributed by a snowball method on social networks. Descriptive statistics included crude and relative frequency data. The associations between sociodemographic characteristics, self-perceived health, organization of working time, concentration at work, work-life balance, work disconnection, working conditions, and organizational demands (flexibility and organizational trust based on E-work Life Scale) with telework satisfaction were estimated through logistic regression.ResultsThis study included 1004 participants. Teleworkers satisfaction levels were high (69%). Better concentration at work (OR = 1.54; 95%CI 1.01–2.34); the satisfaction with the balance between work life and extra work when teleworking (OR = 1.79; 95%CI 1.17–2.74); and higher work flexibility (OR = 2.26; 95%CI 1.46–3.49) were good predictors of greater levels of satisfaction with telework. However, its major predictors were the company’s trust in teleworkers (OR = 4.50; 95%CI 2.89–7.02) and feeling good in the workspace at home (OR = 3.72; 95%CI 1.46–9.49).ConclusionsOur findings point that work environment and organizational culture play a crucial role in affecting telework satisfaction. More studies are needed to monitor telework satisfaction and its effects on physical and mental health, so that Public and Occupational Health (and Safety) can be able to identify and implement the best interventions that allow promoting individual health and foster a healthy work environment for teleworkers.