Working Time Systems Research Articles

Simulation Experiment Research on the Production of Large Box Girders

This paper introduces system simulation technology into large-scale beam field production and uses the simulation software Arena (14.0) to construct a simulation model of the beam field production system considering the randomness of the actual beam field production process operation time. The relationship between the production efficiency of the beam yard and the working time system was studied. In this paper, the improvement in beam-making efficiency in the existing beam field that is achieved by the commonly used reinforcement pre-binding method in the existing beam field is analyzed and calculated, and the improvements in the production efficiency in the ordinary beam field and the intelligent beam field are quantitatively calculated and compared. The results show that (1) when the working time system is increased from 8 h/d to 12 h/d, the average occupancy time of the traditional beam-making pedestal is shortened by 11.5 h when the working time is extended by 1 h per day; (2) with the extension of the working time system, the advantages of the pre-binding method of reinforcement gradually decrease; and (3) the application of intelligent technology not only improves the production efficiency of the beam yard but also makes the beam yard’s production more flexible and more resistant to risks.

Effects of digital transformation on working time systems and working time protection in church-owned hospitals from the perspective of employee representatives

Effects of digital transformation on working time systems and working time protection in church-owned hospitals from the perspective of employee representatives

Do women's working hours inputs yield higher household economic welfare than men's?

Time allocation, which encompasses various aspects of the labor market and the household sphere, is a key factor affecting both genders in the employment and household spheres. Using the data from China Family Panel Studies Survey (CFPS) of 2014, 2016 and 2018, the paper examines the impact of working hours input on household economic welfare. The research results indicate that women's working hours input significantly contributes to the household economy and passes a series of robustness tests; the positive effect of women's working hours input on the household economy is stronger than that of men using the household savings rate to measure household economic welfare; and there are increasing working hours input and enhancing household economic welfare through the mechanism of increasing household income. Theoretically, time allocation is placed within the logical framework of the household microcosm. It suggests that individual working hours influence household economic welfare. Practically, the research findings provide useful policy insights: raising workers' wage levels, narrowing the gender labor gap, and improving working time systems and work arrangements to promote the equal development of both genders in the employment and household spheres.

Analisis Kelelahan Pekerja Over Time dan Shift pada Produksi Kerupuk Tahu dengan Metode Bourdone Wiersma

UD Company. Dua Putra has a total of 5 employees and applies a working time system of 2 shifts per day. In the production process, the target that must be met within 1 month is 2000 packing crackers. From April 2022 to September 2022, the production output of tofu crackers experienced an average decrease of 17% or 350 packs of crackers. This is caused by changes in working hours and operator fatigue during production activities. In overcoming this problem, overtime is an option to complete the predetermined targets. The aim of this research is to measure the level of work fatigue and determine the factors causing fatigue among workers in tofu cracker production operators and provide suggestions for improvements to reduce the level of worker fatigue. The method used in this problem is the Bourdone Wirsma method, which is a simple measurement method that can determine mental work load and measure speed, accuracy and concentration as well as monotonous work in employees. From the analysis of the Bourdone Wirsma test method for speed levels, the results obtained were 80% of the weighted score results of "8.5", "8", "13", "12" in the quite good category. Accuracy calculations for tofu cracker production employees obtained results of 100% from the weighted score results of "5", "5.5" in the doubtful category. Concentration calculations get results of 100% from the weighted score results of "5.5", "5" and "4.5" in the doubtful category.

EMPLOYMENT FLEXIBILITY IN TIMES OF CRISIS

This article addresses the issue of legitimacy and legal consequences of the introduction of various forms of flexible employment in times of crisis, above all focusing on issues related to the flexibility of the workplace (telework, remote work), as well as those of flexible working time (part-time work, modifications of working time systems and schedules). Bearing in mind the specifics of the crisis, the following legal constructions will also be analyzed: term employment contracts, non-employee civil law work, work in cottage industry, self-employment, temporary work, casual work, on-call work, job sharing, and employee outsourcing. Each flexibilisation of employment introduced into the legal order due to the crisis, although temporary, each time leaves its mark on the regulations in force also in times free from a crisis (specific legal constructions remain, permanently modifying a given legal order). This article is also devoted to this issue.

Erhalt der Beschäftigungsfähigkeit von Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern

Maintaining the employability of employees: gradual reintegration in a large German chemical company Objectives: Gradual reintegration is a measure in the return-to-work process and is part of the occupational health management at BASF SE, which is the responsibility of Corporate Health Management. This article aims to describe the gradual reintegration of employees of BASF SE in Ludwigshafen in the years 2016 to 2021. Methods: Data on the start and end of the gradual reintegration, the results of reintegration and the duration of previous incapacity for work, including relevant diagnoses, was entered into the electronic patient file (AMEDIS) by the responsible occupational physicians and supplemented by information on age, gender, working time system and occupational group as well as occupational health screening data on smoking status, weight and height. Results: From 2016 to 2021, 3260 gradual reintegrations were carried out on 2826 people at BASF SE’s main site in Ludwigshafen. The participants were on average 49 years old and 18 % were female. More than 90 % of the reintegrations were successfully completed (with or without health restrictions). Ill-health retirement was required for less than 1 % (n = 11). Participants were unable to work for 137 days (median; IQR: 92–218) prior to the start of reintegration. The most common diagnosis groups were mental and behavioural disorders and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, followed by cardiovascular diseases, injuries and cases of poisoning. A successful gradual reintegration took a median of 27 days (IQR: 23–40) to complete. Conclusions: Gradual reintegration is well established as a successful tool for maintaining employability after prolonged incapacity for work. Occupational physicians bring their knowledge of the jobs and the organisational structure within the company and are thus able to shape the gradual reintegration individually and according to requirements. Keywords: gradual reintegration – corporate integration management – incapacity for work – preservation of employability

Digital Methods of Working time Management in a Flexible Labor Market

Abstract Subject and purpose of the work: Working time management has become particularly relevant by mid-20th century. It has now become one of the top areas of interest for scientists who conduct research on management. This study is designed to review and evaluate selected new forms of work organization in the reality of today’s digital economy. Materials and methods: This research was based on literature review covering scientific publications exploring working time management and forms of work organization in the digital economy. A descriptive method was used. Results: The latest information technologies, computerization and digitization, the use of mobile devices and smartphones, and advanced geolocation technologies add a new dimension to the modern types and methods of working time management. The development of the digital economy accelerates and drives the transformation of the labor market, promoting the uptake of flexible employment systems, which produces multiple types of remuneration and working time systems, and leads to a variety of forms of employment contracts and their reduced duration. Conclusions: Digital technology creates a virtual labor market which is dominated by informal and flexible forms of employment based on outsourcing programs, individual orders, and fixed deadlines with are not accompanied by any regulations of the contractor’s working time. Under these conditions, flexibility and multifunctionality, and the ability to adapt to changing conditions are the key features that make a particular employee competitive.

Choice and allocation characteristics of faculty time in Korea: effects of tenure, research performance, and external shock

Academics generally should meet both teaching duty and research performance requirements. Since their work time is finite, academics need to allocate time for research, teaching, and other types of work. This means that universities or governments might enhance the efficiency of their faculty systems or educational policies by understanding academics’ preferences for choice and allocation of their work time. We analyzed the work time allocation preferences of 450 Korean academics in science and engineering fields based on the multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model. We classified work time into either of research, teaching, or other tasks and investigated the relationship between academics’ preferences in choosing and allocating their work time and faculty system (e.g., tenure), individual characteristics (e.g., research productivity) and external shock (e.g., COVID-19). Analysis results show that academics with either of tenure, higher research productivity, or commercialization experience preferred to allocating their work time firstly to research, i.e., rather than to teaching or other tasks, while this was not the case for the academics after the pandemic. In general, academics appeared not to prefer allocating their work time firstly to teaching. Implications of our study are twofold. First, the higher education sector needs to incentivize academics’ teaching time allocation for enhanced effectiveness of education. Second, universities and governments urgently need systems and policies to facilitate academics’ research time allocation for enhanced research productivity as we find deteriorated preference for research time allocation after COVID-19.

Health and safety regulations concerning working time according to the FRG-using the example of the COVID-19 working time ordinance (COVID-19-ArbZV)

Das BMAS hat gemeinsam mit dem BMG im April 2020 für einen begrenzten Zeitraum die COVID-19-ArbZV erlassen, um die Patientenversorgung und die der Allgemeinbevölkerung sicherzustellen. Die darin genehmigten Abweichungen vom ArbZG stehen im scharfen Gegensatz zu den vorliegenden arbeitswissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen zur Arbeitszeitgestaltung und sollten theoretisch zu einer Reduzierung des Arbeitsschutzniveaus führen.Nach einer kurzen Diskussion der Widersprüche zwischen den Vorgaben der Verordnung und vorliegenden gesicherten arbeitswissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen werden anhand rechnergestützter Risikobewertungen des Unfallrisikos und der Risiken gesundheitlicher und sozialer Beeinträchtigungen die mit dieser Verordnung verbundenen Absenkungen des Arbeitsschutzniveaus und die damit wiederum verbundenen Risiken für die Beschäftigten, die Patienten- und die Allgemeinversorgung demonstriert.Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass alle untersuchten, nach der Verordnung zulässigen Arbeitszeitmodelle mit erheblichen Risikosteigerungen für die Sicherheit und Gesundheit der Beschäftigten verbunden sind, ebenso wie mit Risiken für die Patientensicherheit und die Allgemeinversorgung. In der Diskussion wird aufgezeigt, dass die von dieser und weiteren Arbeitszeitregelungen erlaubten Massierungen der Arbeitszeit der Beschäftigten keinen erfolgversprechenden Lösungsansatz für fehlende Personalkapazitäten darstellen kann und der Arbeitszeitschutz in der BRD zurzeit keinen hohen Stellenwert hat.Praktische Relevanz: Eine Umorientierung des Arbeitsschutzes in der BRD unter der im ArbZG gebotenen Berücksichtigung gesicherter arbeitswissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse erscheint dringend erforderlich.

Performance Analysis of a Full-Duplex TWDM-PON Using OFDM Modulation with Red LED Visible Light Communication System

Today’s access networks are in high demand to fulfill the high bandwidth requirement because of extensive improvement in high transmission rate applications for cloud computing, big data analytics, and other next-generation 5G smart applications. In this work, the symmetrical and bidirectional time and wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network (TWDM-PON) system is proposed and demonstrated. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with 4-level quadrature amplitude modulation is used for downstream and upstream transmission. Also, 625 nm red light-emitting diode is utilized for visible light communication (VLC) using a wireless link to encourage the economic high transmission rate fiber/VLC optical network. The TWDM-PON employing OFDM with the VLC system has been analysed for downstream and upstream channels for variable fiber-wireless link range. Additionally, the impact of a high transmission rate and usage of digital signal processing (DSP) unit to reduce losses due to fiber nonlinearity effects in the proposed link has been investigated. The results show that the maximum faithful wireless and wired range for the proposed system is 140 m and 60 km respectively at 20 Gbps to attain the minimum 3.8 × 10−3 BER. The decrease in error vector magnitude (EVM%) by almost 52% with the use of DSP in the proposed system provides a high transmission rate of 200 Gbps in the proposed link. Further, comparative performance of the proposed system with previous latest works in literature reveals a superior performance of the proposed link. The proposed TWDM-PON system provides a next-generation access network from rural areas to urban areas.

The basics of Polish labour law

Polish legal system recognizes the difference between labour law and employment law. Labour law is the notion formally recognized by the name of its basic legal act — the Labour Code. Labour law regulates only part of the entire labour market, limited to subordinate forms of work conduct. Employment law is a wider notion, which has scientific rather, than legal basis. It contains labour law within, together with all other employment forms, such as civil contracts for services, self-employment etc. The article discusses the basic regulations of polish labour law. Remarks on polish labor law development after economic system change from centrally regulated to market economy introduce to the topic. After that the sources of law were presented. Those are particularly important for labour law system, which includes not only common sources, but also particular ones, like collective agreements. The article concentrates on presentation of polish individual labour law regulations which are the core of the employment system. This is the regulation of employment contract, which is contained mostly in the Labour Code. This part of article undertakes issues of employment contract types, forms, obligations of the parties and termination. Working time systems and limitations, guarantees of free time presented in the article, are very influential for the whole social system. The article presents also some atypical forms of employment, used in Poland, such as telework, temporary work and self-employment. At the end text presents the basic regulations of collective labour law: workers and employers representations and collective disputes.

Autonomiczny charakter zadaniowego czasu pracy nauczyciela akademickiego

Autonomous character of task-based working time of a academic teacher Employment relationship of a academic teacher, determined by pragmatic regulations of the higher education act, demonstrates specific characteristics in various aspects, with particular focus on the aggregate of rights and obligations. This kind of reflection makes also regulation of working time to be perceived through the prism of the characteristics of the employment relationship of a academic teacher since its particular content elements determine differences in defining the task-based working time. The mechanism of implementing the system of working time, tasks of a academic teacher, and in particular regulations connected with providing the teaching obligations are essential factors in defining the autonomous character of the task-based working time system of a academic teacher.

The Concept of Ergonomic Analysis of a Company’s Organization of Working Time

The aim of this article is to present the concept of the analysis of working time organization in a company and to present the results of empirical research. The analysis of working time organization is still a poorly recognized issue of economic analysis. The basic research problem of the research is to identify the organizational gap which is the difference between the applied working methods and the working time systems already in use, as well as to indicate a way to bridge this gap. The goal is to determine the suitability of the applied working time system to the type of working method of given department. The concept of the working method adopted in the article includes: elements of the production system, elements of the work system and working conditions. The proposed course of analytical proceedings (research methodology) includes the following stages: identification of organizational units within the enterprise and the working method used, analysis and evaluation of the working time system and identification of ways to improve the working time system. The empirical part of the article presents the results of an analysis and evaluation of the working time system in a steel industry enterprise (case study). The results of the economic analysis were complemented by management and employee feedback in order to improve the existing working time system. The following were used to achieve this objective: the research results, economic analysis, elements of ergonomic analysis, interviews and questionnaires.

Simulation Analysis of Alternative Personnel Structures in the Shipping Division of a Tinplate Manufacturer

In the shipping division of a tinplate manufacturer, alternatives of assigning employees to activities should be examined: a personnel structure where an employee can perform any job or just one type of activity (universalists versus specialists). The aim of the first project stage was to check whether the actual situation can be improved by further qualification measures. A simulation model was developed to analyze different qualifications of the employees and load scenarios of the shipping division. Various difficulties arose due to different shipping materials (coils with horizontal or vertical axis, and panels) and different types of loading (truck, wagon, ship, container). Furthermore, modeling was hampered by fuzzy descriptions of work processes and the lack of time data. For these reasons, the model had to simplify reality. After validating the simulation model based on historical order data, predicted load scenarios were then assumed for the actual investigation. The deployment of specialists led to only minor deterioration in wagon and truck loading, and on the other hand, the lead times of ship and container loading were reduced. However, the universalists approach was accompanied by an increase in lead times for all types of shipping. Therefore, the recommendation was derived to work towards a stronger specialization in future personnel development. In a second project stage, the influence of working time systems on employees’ work-life balance was examined. The statistical analysis showed different effects with regard to the target criteria, but the results were only valid for the regarded shipping division.

MULTIPLE THRESHOLDS IN THE NEXUS BETWEEN WORKING HOURS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Changes in working hours may have two contrasting effects on productivity: a “fatigue effect” and a “learning effect.” An increase in working hours may lead to the accumulation of workers' proficiency and skill in his or her job, while it may cause the level of workers' fatigue to increase. Our estimation results find multiple thresholds in the linkage between working time and productivity, supporting the existence of learning effect as well as fatigue effect from working time extension. The results of our study provide some implications for the recent discussion on reform of the working time system: for example, (i) the overall effects of changes in working time depend upon a variety of factors, such as the initial level of working hours and the features of the industry concerned; and (ii) job sharing may induce employers to substitute part‐timers for full‐time workers, thereby hindering workers' accumulation of skills. (JEL J24, D24, D92, O47)

Nonlinearity in Nexus between Working Hours and Productivity

Average weekly working hours in most industrialized economies have displayed steady declines since the 1970s. Changes in working hours may have two contrasting effects on hourly productivity: a and a effect. An increase in working hours may lead to the accumulation of a worker’s proficiency and skill in his or her job, while it may at the same time cause the level of the worker’s fatigue to increase. Estimation of the Cobb-Douglas and translog production functions with Hansen’s (1999) threshold regression methods shows that there exist multiple (at most four) thresholds in the linkage between working time and productivity, supporting the existence of a learning effect as well as a fatigue effect from an extension in working hours. The results of our study provide some implications for the recent discussion on reform of the working time system: (i) a reduction in working hours, on one hand, may increase productivity by reducing fatigue and allowing more leisure, but on the other hand, it may hinder workers from accumulating proficiency and skills, thereby reducing their productivity; (ii) the overall effects of changes in working time depend upon a variety of factors, such as the initial level of working hours and the features of the industry concerned.

Who can you trust? The Swedish Confederation for Professional Employees (TCO) and trust-based working time 1950-1970

mrev management revue , Seite 52 - 68

Research on the Design Method of the Navigation Message for GLONASS Signal Simulator

Navigation message provides receivers with important information about the satellite ephemeris, satellite work status and time systems. Correct navigation message enables receivers to achieve the rapid positioning, time service and other functions. The generation of navigation data is a key part of the GLONASS signal simulator.This paper studies the software part of GLONASS satellite signal simulator and describes the generating process of navigation message in detail. This paper studies the structure of GLONASS signal simulator, focusing on the design and calculation of important parameters of navigation message. After commercial receivers test the output signal from the satellite signal simulator, analysis results show that the navigation message is reasonable in this design method.

Shift work and risk of non-cancer mortality in a cohort of German male chemical workers

Shift work is widely considered to be a health risk. In a previous study, we observed no elevated risk of total mortality in BASF shift workers followed up until the end of 2006. The present study aims to investigate non-cancer mortality, especially mortality caused by ischaemic heart disease (IHD), relative to shift work. The cohort consisted of 14,038 male shift and 17,105 male day workers from manufacturing plants, who were employed for at least 1year between 1995 and 2005. Vital status was followed from 2000 to 2009. Cause-specific mortality was obtained from death certificates. Non-cancer mortality as well as mortality specific to diagnoses from I20.0 to I25.9 according to International Classification of Disease version 10 was compared between the two working-time systems. To estimate the impact of shift work on the outcome of interest, Cox proportional hazard model was used to adjust for potential confounders such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, job level, and disease status at baseline. The effect estimates were then given as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Between 2000 and 2009, a total of 1,062 deaths occurred in the cohort: 513 (3.6%) in shift and 549 (3.2%) in day workers. Among them were 122 deaths resulting from IHD, 55 (0.39%) and 67 (0.39%), respectively. After adjustment for age at entry and job level, no increased risk of non-cancer mortality (HR 0.94; 95% CI 0.77-1.15) as well as of IHD-caused mortality was found among shift workers (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.52-1.14). The risk estimates were robust after further adjustment for more factors in all models and consistently tended to be in favour of shift workers. Considering the duration of exposure to shift, no dose-response relationship was found. The present analysis does not find strong evidence for an increased mortality risk due to non-cancer disease and, more specifically, IHD-caused mortality associated with this shift system. Initial selection based on health criteria as well as ongoing health surveillance and health promotion is likely to have contributed to this result. Shift work over 34years may lead to a loss of this initial selection advantage over time, but the respective risk estimates lacked statistical precision.

Gender Differences in Time Use over the Life Course in France, Italy, Sweden, and the US

This contribution analyzes how men and women in France, Italy, Sweden, and the United States use their time over the life cycle and the extent to which societal and institutional contexts influence the gender division of labor. In order to test the hypothesis that contextual factors play a crucial role in shaping time allocation, this study considers countries that diverge considerably in terms of welfare state regime, employment and paid working time systems, family policies, and social norms. Using national time-use surveys for the late 1990s and early 2000s and regression techniques, the study not only finds large gender discrepancies in time use in each country at all stages of life but also determines that institutional contexts, in particular the design of family policies and employment regimes, do shape gender roles in different ways, and that Sweden displays the lowest gender gap in time allocation across the life course.