Workplace Management Research Articles

Implementation of '6S' practices adapted for an electrical assembly line

The Japanese housekeeping ‘5S’ methodology added with safety has constituted in ‘6S’ principles. Implementing the ‘6S’ to enhance the productivity of machine, component maintenance, reduction in unnecessary waste, that costs, the safety of workers and overall production efficiency by effective workplace management. This paper attempts to highlight challenges in implementing ‘6S’ in a shop floor based on the pre-implementation and post-implementation data and compared on parametric industrial accidents, process time and cost. After ‘5S’ implemented, investigating on unorganised production sections, uncomfortable working environment, excessive inventory and lack of safety practices. The results of pre-implementation and post-implementation exhibits a reduction in process time, reduction in costs and industrial accidents reduced with effective safety training to employees. This study shows that ‘6S’ implementation has created a positive effect in uplifting the morale of workers by reducing the cost and time of the production process

Donning the Mask: The Impact of COVID-19 on Emotional Labour Performance

Emotional labour, the workplace management of emotions, is integral to work performance and relies on the observation and recognition of emotion in the service industry. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sudden global increase in the number of employees and service users required to wear face masks, resulting in a new normal for emotion expression and emotion recognition in the emotional labour performance. This paper explores emotional labour theory and proposes a theoretical consideration of the challenges and benefits this modification to the service user-employee interaction may have. Suggested challenges include changes to the service user-employee relationship due to impaired communication and increased customer anxiety and frustrations. Organisational responses are discussed in relation to training and cross-industrial sharing of knowledge. Finally, opportunities for organisational research are discussed alongside suggestions for future research.

Health implications of job-related stress, motivation and satisfaction in higher education faculty and administrators

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze job-related stress, motivation and satisfaction in higher education institutions, and assesses their implications on health in various industries including higher education. In total, 52 higher education faculty and administrators from institutions in more than 16 countries participated in the study that utilized the organizational surveys, Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® from human synergistics. Subgroup analysis was done to compare faculty and administrators; males to females, private, public, for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.Design/methodology/approachTo assess health implications, 160 respondents employed in seven industries were surveyed using a custom medical/stress questionnaire to collect self-reported data on levels of job-related stress, motivation and satisfaction as well as the presence of several medical conditions, including myocardial infarction, stroke, angina pectoris/coronary heart disease, hypertension, gastro-esophageal reflux disease and diabetes mellitus. The results from each of the two surveys were statistically analyzed separately.FindingsResults show undesirable levels of job-related stress, motivation and satisfaction in some segments of higher education employees; as well as associations between poorer health and high stress levels. The study established a potential justification consequently, the authors recommend organizational offerings of: stress relief programs; health fairs and health club memberships; stress management workshops; use of mobile apps for stress relief; job description reviews to eliminate work-related demands; changes to managerial styles that align with the culture of employees; re-evaluation of organizational structure; and enhanced communication amongst workplace management and employees.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this study include small sample sizes and the presence of confounding factors that were not considered. In addition, this study did not look into whether occupational position or occupational difficulty compromised the nature of work causing employees to experience lower levels of satisfaction, since the extent to which employees feel satisfied with their work may influence their physical well-being.Originality/valueThere are a number of factors that can affect employees with regards to medical illnesses in a job-related setting. There are three factors in particular that have been shown to negatively affect the health of employees: job-related stress; motivation; and satisfaction. These effects have not been studied in depth in faculty and administrators of higher education institutions, hence this study seeks to achieve that.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF WORKSTATIONS IN SOCIAL ENTERPRISES. THE CASE OF AN OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVATION COMPANY

People with disabilities in Poland can work in the open and protected labour market. Enterprises that offer work on the protected labour market are social enterprises, which include, among others, professional activation companies (PAC). PACs are created to employ people with different levels of disability, which form a bridge between a closed and open labour market. People with disabilities are ready to work in the open labour market after finishing work in PAC. The aim of the article is to assess the organization and management of workplaces for people with disabilities in a vocational activation plant which operates on the local market in Czestochowa. The application is based on the results of own research, which was conducted in 2019.

Systems and human resource development for occupational health in India: Effective occupational health management for Japanese enterprises with overseas branches

This study aimed to collect and assess information about occupational health in India, for Japanese enterprises. We conducted a preliminary survey through literature reviews and internet search engines. We then conducted interview-based surveys at a central government agency, an international organization, the Japanese embassy, educational and research institutions, and Japanese enterprises in India. This information was categorized into: (1) organizations, legal and inspection systems in occupational health, (2) occupational health management and specialists in workplaces, (3) occupational health-related activities in workplaces resulting from legal obligations, and (4) healthcare and workers' compensation systems. The Indian Ministry of Labour and Employment is primarily responsible for occupational safety and health. There are four main acts of legislation covering occupational safety and health in the factories, ports, mines, and construction sites. The Factories Act, 1948, mandates the establishment of an occupational health center and a safety committee in the factories; the appointment of factory medical officers and safety officers. These medical officers must possess an Indian medical degree, and undertake a three months' course to obtain an Associate Fellow of Industrial Health certificate. The rules and regulations under this act differ in each Indian state. Low-wage workers are registered with a medical insurance scheme. Most workers are covered by workers' compensation schemes, although the number of reported occupational injuries are low. Japanese enterprises should consider the local conditions of occupational health in India because of the different legalities and occupational health status in each state. Regardless of the Factories Act, 1948, stipulating a variety of occupational health-related activities, inadequate legal compliance is suspected to be common because of the ineffective labor inspection requirements and a shortage of specialists on human resources. The study also revealed a deficient social security system. Therefore, the internal educational support for specialists, external support from the company headquarters in Japan, and the local institutions in India; and the systemic support for effective occupational health-related activities are required for improving the status of occupational health in the factories in India.

Promoting creativity and innovation: expected and unexpected consequences

Purpose The paper aims to explore the role of climate for creativity and innovation as the situational variable to lead to both expected and unexpected consequences (e.g. performance and unethical behavior), by discovering the relationships among task characteristics (e.g. difficulty, clarity and performance pressure), individual psychological aspects (e.g. mindfulness and self-justification) and work environmental conditions (e.g. peer behavior and climate for creativity and innovation). In this study, task characteristics are proposed to positively associate with unethical behavior via mindfulness. Moreover, climate for creativity and innovation is proposed to moderate the relationship between self-justification and unethical behavior. Finally, unethical behavior is predicted to positively influence on performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the sample of salespeople, who are working for variety of companies in Vietnam. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and SmartPLS 3 are implemented to test the path model. Findings Emphasizing both bright and dark sides of promoting creativity and innovation, the study highlights the role of climate for creativity and innovation in strengthening the positive relationship between self-justification and unethical behavior. In turn, unethical behavior positively influences performance. Further, the findings indicate that mindfulness contributes in explaining unconscious unethical behavior. Originality/value Exploring the relationships among climate for creativity and innovation, unethical behavior and performance, this paper contributes for deeper understanding of variety aspects of innovation. Demands for an intelligent management in modern workplaces are suggested.

Conflict pressure cooker: Nurse managers' conflict management experiences in a diverse South African workplace.

BackgroundNurse managers are central to conflict management and a healthy work environment. South Africa is one of the most diverse countries globally and workplace diversity is a reality in healthcare organisations. There is a gap in academic literature on conflict management by nurse managers in diverse workplaces in South Africa.AimThis research aims to understand nurse managers’ experiences of conflict management within a diverse South African workplace (military hospital) in order to facilitate a healthy work environment.SettingThe context was a diverse, medical military organisation servicing all nine South African provinces. This military hospital employed staff of varying nationalities, catering to military and private patients, and functioned within a strict hierarchical structure.MethodsPurposive sampling was used. Thirteen unstructured, individual interviews were conducted based on a qualitative, phenomenological design. The interviews were followed by content analysis and five main themes emerged as a result.ResultsA hierarchical, diverse organisational culture complicates conflict management. The ranking structure, resource shortages, intergenerational dynamics, poor communication and distrust cause conflict. Nurse managers experience conflict daily and are central to conflict management. As such, they have certain personal characteristics and display specific conflict management skills. Conflict management skills can be taught, but this requires an intra- to interpersonal process. A major challenge for the nursing profession today is the younger nurses who seem less passionate and nurse managers who are under more pressure than before.ConclusionA medical military organisation presents an organisational culture that combined with diversity is predisposed to conflict, which endangers the work environment. Yet, both conflict and workplace diversity can, when managed correctly, enrich a healthcare organisation. Nurses and nurse managers will benefit from reflective conflict management training as an intra- to interpersonal process.

Sensor Data Visualization for Indoor Point Clouds

Abstract. Integration and analysis of real-time and historic sensor data provides important insights into the operational status of buildings. There is a need for the integration of sensor data and digital representations of the built environment for furthering stakeholder engagement within the realms of Real Estate 4.0 and Facility Management (FM), especially in a spatial representation context. In this paper, we propose a general system architecture that integrates point cloud data and sensor data for visualization and analysis. We further present a prototypical web-based implementation of that architecture and demonstrate its application for the integration and visualization of sensor data from a typical office building, with the aim to communicate and analyze occupant comfort. The empirical results obtained from our prototypical implementation demonstrate the feasibility of our approach for the provisioning of light-weight software components for the service-oriented integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM), Building Automation Systems (BASs), Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMSs), and future Digital Twin (DT) platforms.

Gender differences in managers’ attitudes toward depressed employees: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Depression is known to carry negative attitudes within society and organisations. In the workplace, managers are responsible for the psycho-social work environment and attitudes to depression will likely affect that environment. The few studies performed among managers have found that female, more educated and managers working in the public sector were less likely to report negative attitudes. However, these studies did not take organization characteristics into account. The aim was to investigate the association between gender and negative attitudes toward employees with depression controlling for individual and organisational factors. Methods A cross-sectional web-survey was sent to 4737 Swedish managers, aged 20-65 years in 2017, response rate 71%; We included those answering the “Managerial stigma toward employee depression” instrument, n = 2663 (901 women, 1762 men), consisting of 12 items tapping negative attitudes towards depression. The 3rd quartile was used as a cut-off. Multivariate logistic regression analyses on attitudes towards depression were performed (95% CI) to generate odds ratios (OR) adjusted for co-variates (individual and organisational characteristics). Results Male managers were more likely to report negative attitudes compared to female managers (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.28 - 2.10) irrelevant of individual (age, education, current workplace management experience, lifetime experience in management, managerial position) or organisational (work sector, staff gender composition, presence of staff members with Common Mental Disorders) characteristics. Conclusions A gender difference in reporting negative attitudes was appraised regardless any of the co-variates included. To manage depression within the workplace, companies should also address managers’ attitudes towards depression. Key messages Important to heed managers’ attitudes to CMDs and their impact on RTW processes. Gender-tailored approach in managers’ training is suggested for awareness and knowledge on mental health.

Удаленная работа: эволюция, анализ, перспективы

“Industry 4.0”, demographical and value changes as well as other numerous factors transform approaches to company competitive performance a lot. New business models require modern approaches to increase labour and human resources management effi ciency. Changes on the labour market are refl ected in new social and economic models — share economy is rapidly developing. On the one hand, part-time job, short-term work contracts, remote work provide decrease of personnel costs and, on the other hand, they give an opportunity to attract people with necessary professional competencies in the company. Research results are presented by system analysis and characteristic of elements of remote work. The evolution of the studied approach to employment and workplace management is presented in the article. Also, both positive and negative aspects of remote work to an employee and an employer are described. In terms of HR-strategy implementation the focus is made on the novelty in the Labour Code of the Russian Federation from the point of the use of remote work. Some technological solutions on how to organize remote work are described. Benchmarking includes the practices of such companies as the bank «Tinkoff», «Automattic», «Apple», «CSSSR», «Beeline». Applicability of remote work is proved by the review of platforms providing communication between employers and professional employees. Development prospects of remote work is based on a number of international researches. The research is carried out by a project team by the request of management of the group of companies. Their aim is to use HR-strategy to provide a breakthrough in labour and HR management efficiency — the optimization of personnel costs with the increase of staff potential quality based on the current trend of remote work.

The APHIRM toolkit: an evidence-based system for workplace MSD risk management

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) continue as one of the largest occupational health and safety problems worldwide. One reason for this situation is that current workplace risk management practices fail to meet some important evidence-based requirements for effective reduction of MSD risk. In particular: they largely fail to address risk arising from psychosocial hazards; do not allow sufficient participation by workers; and often fail to control risk at its sources.To address these deficiencies, A Participative Hazard Identification and Risk Management (APHIRM) toolkit has been formulated in accordance with both a framework developed by the World Health Organisation and implementation science principles. It comprises a set of online tools that include automated data analysis and reporting modules, and procedures to guide users through the five stages of the conventional risk management cycle. Importantly, it assesses both hazard and risk levels for groups of people doing a particular job, focusing on the job overall rather than only on tasks deemed to be hazardous. Its intended users are workplace managers and consultants responsible for occupational health and safety, with active participation from workers also. Resultant risk control interventions are customized to address the main physical and psychosocial hazards identified for the target job, and repetitions of the risk management cycle enables ongoing evaluation of outcomes in terms of both hazard and risk levels.

The Prevalence and Consequences of Intragroup Conflicts for Employee Well-Being in Women-Dominated Work

ABSTRACTThis study examined the prevalence and consequences of intragroup conflicts for well-being in three women-dominated occupations from a gender perspective. Using survey data from 1299 nurses, teachers, and social workers, we found that task conflict was the most common type of conflict but it was unrelated to well-being. Relationship conflict was negatively associated with vigor and positively associated with employee stress, burnout, and depression. Process conflicts were positively associated with depression. Our findings revealed that women and men in the same occupation experience intragroup conflicts in the same way. Organizations should therefore primarily reduce relationship conflicts to ensure employee well-being.Practitioner Points:● Not all types of conflicts at work are destructive. Some types of conflict may in fact be a good thing!● Task conflict is the most common type of conflict in women-dominated workplaces, but it does not impair employee well-being. Instead, the contesting of ideas may lead to nuanced decisions.● Managers in women-dominated workplaces should pay close attention to, and try to resolve, relationship conflicts as they may reduce employee well-being.

The fantasy of control: Behaviourist transgressions of neoliberal subjectivity

Neoliberal governance of individuals has largely been based on a specific notion of self and society, emphasising human capital, authenticity and essentialism. I argue that this comprises an essentially humanist view of the self. However, within contemporary society, remnants of the mechanistic conception of man continue to surface in politics and workplace management. By examining strands of humanism and behaviourism within political and economic modes of governance, I trace how images outside of neoliberal discourse can take on a transgressive ideological function. I propose that, rather than challenging neoliberalism, such apparent transgression strengthens it.

Bad bosses and self‐verification: The moderating role of core self‐evaluations with trust in workplace management

AbstractWho responds most strongly to supervisor social undermining? Building on self‐verification theory (Swann, 1983, 1987), we theorize that employees with positive views of the self (i.e., higher core self‐evaluations [CSEs]) who also maintain higher trust in workplace management are more likely to experience heightened stress and turnover intentions when undermined. We argue that this subset of employees (high CSE, high trust) are more likely to feel misunderstood when undermined by their supervisor and that this lack of self‐verification partially explains their stronger responses to supervisor undermining. We find initial support for the first part of our model in a study of 259 healthcare workers in the United States and replicate and extend our findings in the second study of 330 employees in the United Kingdom. Our results suggest that the employees Human Resources often wishes to attract and retain—employees with high CSE and high trust in workplace management—react most strongly to supervisor social undermining.

Leadership by Humanistic Approach in Workplace Management

Leadership by Humanistic Approach in Workplace Management

Workspace management as a part of FM mission: a study of German FM education

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the nature of facility management (FM) and workspace management (WSM) and explores their interrelation with the aim of establishing whether WSM can be considered a part of the mission pursued by FM. Functional overlaps and gaps are identified and compared within the current system of FM education in Germany. Even though the research focussed on Germany, the findings may be extendable to other regions.Design/methodology/approachThe data used were collected by means of a questionnaire, which was sent to the respondents, who complied with the eligibility requirements, namely, such individuals should have been office workers and work in Germany. The data collection was preceded by a literature review and followed by a quantitative analysis.FindingsThe literature analysis carried out demonstrates that the agenda of WSM can be considered as part of the FM mission. However, notwithstanding the overlap of the objectives of WSM and FM, it has also been identified a major discrepancy in that FM in Germany is predominantly concerned with the management of tangible and functional elements of a working environment and pays less attention to its non-tangible and psychological counterparts, whereas WSM, as a discipline, tends to cover both tangible and intangible elements of a workspace on a more equal footing. The element of employees’ “psychological comfort” (PsC) at work is capable of exerting the most profound influence on overall organisational productivity.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the work should not, without proper adjustments, be extrapolated to other geographical markets or industries, whose workspace characteristics may differ from those existing in Germany.Practical implicationsFM educational programmes may be adjusted to enable the facility managers to perform most or all activities within WSM.Social implicationsTo impart facility managers with WSM competencies will contribute to employees’ psychological comfort and their productivity and, hence, will increase the acceptance and appreciation of the FM profession.Originality/valueThe paper introduces new thinking on the subject of WSM in the context of FM. It encourages FM educators to include WSM into their educational programmes or to add missing links to existing workplace management courses.

Real estate in the digital era

This article describes the relationship between economic and technological change and the design and management of contemporary workplaces. The article describes the changing nature of workstyles resulting from economic and technological change which are driving new business models. General management is increasingly having to address the nature of the workplace in order to attract and retain skilled and expensive workers.

Occupational violence among female workers in an Iranian industrial area

ABSTRACTFew studies have examined violence against female workers in the industrial sector. This study explored the prevalence of various types of violence and associated factors among female workers in the industrial sector. This descriptive survey was conducted in eleven industrial sites in Kashan, Iran, from April through September 2014. We used a 78-item questionnaire to obtain data from 817 female workers. More than half of the participants reported having experienced at least one type of violence. The prevalence rates of verbal aggression, sexual harassment, and physical violence were 52.5%, 12% and 11.5%, respectively. Single female workers (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.09–4.27), and age older than 35 years were (AOR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.26–2.93) each significantly related to increased odds of verbal violence. Short duration of employment (≤ five years) was the most strongly associated factor for sexual harassment (AOR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.7–2.94). Working the night shift was significantly associated with encountering verbal violence (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.69–3.06). The high prevalence of violence suggests that management in industrial workplaces should invest time and resources in addressing violence. Developing a reporting procedure and training programs are recommended in dealing with workplace violence risk.

Drivers for IWMS implementation in real estate management

PurposeIT platforms such as integrated workplace management system (IWMS) gain higher importance in real estate management, but there is a lack of knowledge on what IWMS is and what the drivers are for its implementation in real estate organisations. The paper aims to provide knowledge on this.Design/methodology/approachThe research combines theories of real estate management, IT implementations and change management, with a qualitative case study of IWMS implementation in a public real estate organisation in Denmark. The research data consist of customer surveys, document studies, semi-structured interviews and in-depth analysis of IWMS features.FindingsThe paper identifies several drivers for IWMS implementation, such as data standardisation, validation and easier data exchange, business process optimisation, decrease in IT costs and improved customer service. Furthermore, the case study reveals that the IWMS implementation is not considered as a definite IT project but as an organisational change project impacting the entire organisation.Originality/valueThere has so far not been any public real estate organisations in Denmark using IWMS, and the knowledge about IWMS in public real estate sector is therefore limited. To date, no one has analysed what the drivers are for IWMS implementation in real estate organisations. This research paper brings new knowledge on IWMS and presents drivers for IWMS implementation, observed from an implementation process in a public real estate organisation.

Perceived organizational support, psychological entitlement, and extra-role behavior: The mediating role of knowledge hiding behavior

AbstractResearch on the knowledge sharing has exploded over the past decades due to trends and integration of knowledge and talent management in modern workplace. However, knowledge hiding has been left unexplored; moreover, efforts to foster knowledge sharing remain because employees are unwilling to share their knowledge for several reasons. Drawing on psychological ownership and social exchange theory, this article investigated the nexus between perceived organizational support, psychological entitlement, knowledge hiding behavior, and extra-role behavior, and the mediating role of knowledge hiding behavior. Utilizing survey data collected from 375 employees in Jordanian commercial banks, a structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data. Results from structural equation modeling show that (1) perceived organizational support has a positive impact on extra-role behavior, (2) knowledge hiding behavior has a negative impact on extra-role behavior, (3) psychological entitlement has a positive impact on knowledge hiding behavior, and (4) knowledge hiding behavior mediated the relationship between psychological entitlement and extra-role behavior. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.