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Journal articles on the topic 'Flexible workplaces'
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van der Voordt, Theo J. M. "Productivity and employee satisfaction in flexible workplaces." Journal of Corporate Real Estate 6, no. 2 (April 2004): 133–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14630010410812306.
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Hassanain, Mohammad A., Ali K. Alnuaimi, and Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire. "Post occupancy evaluation of a flexible workplace facility in Saudi Arabia." Journal of Facilities Management 16, no. 2 (May 8, 2018): 102–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jfm-05-2017-0021.
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Purpose This paper aims to present an assessment of user satisfaction of an innovative workplace design, otherwise known as flexible workplaces. Design/methodology/approach The study first sought to establish the level of flexibility of the workplace through the identification of flexibility criteria presented in a checklist format. In total, 29 criteria were identified and subsequently assigned weights by ten professionals. These professionals further assessed a case study office building through a walkthrough exercise to determine its level of flexibility. Furthermore, a post occupancy evaluation (POE) was conducted to assess the level of users’ satisfaction with functional performance elements. Questionnaire surveys were administered to 142 users, with a 63 per cent response rate. The feedback was analyzed and presented using the mean satisfaction index approach. Findings The results showed that the total flexibility achieved by the facility is 67.63 per cent, which is considered to be “averagely flexible”. The POE results also showed that users were strongly dissatisfied (SD) with the “adequate number of enclosed offices,” which is one of the corner-stones of flexibility where open-plan offices are strongly encouraged. Users expressed dissatisfaction with other issues, while their overall satisfaction with the facility was noted. Originality/value This study is based on the premise that innovative workplace facilities will only fulfill its intended objectives if designers consider the satisfaction of its users. The study makes a specific contribution in the assessment of workplace flexibility and occupants’ satisfaction of flexible workplaces. This will be of significant value to facility managers, designers and space planners involved in the design and management of workplace facilities.
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Kojo, Inka Vuokko Ilona, and Suvi Nenonen. "Places for multi-locational work – opportunities for facilities management." Facilities 33, no. 1/2 (February 2, 2015): 20–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/f-05-2013-0043.
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Purpose – This research aims to aggregate and categorise distinct places for multi-locational work from the 1960s until today. Based on an understanding of the user needs connected to these locations, the paper aims to identify the service concepts and workplace design solutions by which these needs can be met. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review is based on academic journal papers, reports and books related to the topic. Findings – The paper categorises the main multi-locational workplace locations, namely, organisational offices, home offices, mobile workplaces and flexible offices. The user needs in these locations vary from concept to concept, and therefore, the service offers are distinct. Based on the results, the service provision of organisational offices and flexible offices should focus on providing users with the chance for socialisation using collaborative space solutions and community management policies. In the cases of home offices and mobile workplaces, service provision should instead emphasise ensuring functionalities such as efficient virtual connectivity and accessibility. Additionally, more concept-specific user needs are identified. Research limitations/implications – The paper offers an overview of and framework for future research and concept development. The limitations of cultural differences could have been investigated more. Practical implications – The results provide insight into the purposes of facilities management and workplace design when developing service concepts for multi-locational workplaces. Originality/value – The paper establishes a literature-based framework for the service concepts of places for multi-locational work.
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Ender, Johanna, Jan Cetric Wagner, Georg Kunert, Fang Bin Guo, Roland Larek, and Thorsten Pawletta. "CONCEPT OF A SELF-LEARNING WORKPLACE CELL FOR WORKER ASSISTANCE WHILE COLLABORATION WITH A ROBOT WITHIN THE SELF-ADAPTING-PRODUCTION-PLANNING-SYSTEM." Informatyka, Automatyka, Pomiary w Gospodarce i Ochronie Środowiska 9, no. 4 (December 15, 2019): 4–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.35784/iapgos.36.
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For some time, the focus of past research on industrial workplace designs has been the optimization of processes from the technological point of view. Since human workers have to work within this environment the design process must regard Human Factor needs. The operators are under additional stress due to the range of high dynamic processes and due to the integration of robots and autonomous operating machines. There have been few studies on how Human Factors influence the design of workplaces for Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Furthermore, a comprehensive, systematic and human-centred design solution for industrial workplaces particularly considering Human Factor needs within HRC is widely uncertain and a specific application with reference to production workplaces is missing.
The research findings described in this paper aim the optimization of workplaces for manual production and maintenance processes with respect to the workers within HRC. In order to increase the acceptance of integration of human-robot teams, the concept of the Assisting-Industrial-Workplace-System (AIWS) was developed. As a flexible hybrid cell for HRC integrated into a Self-Adapting-Production-Planning-System (SAPPS) assists the worker while interaction.
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Chung, Heejung. "‘Women’s work penalty’ in access to flexible working arrangements across Europe." European Journal of Industrial Relations 25, no. 1 (January 22, 2018): 23–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959680117752829.
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Many assume that women and workers in female-dominated workplaces will have better access to flexible working arrangements. Some use this as justification for the low wages found in these workplaces. Yet, empirical results are mixed. I explore this question by examining workers’ access to schedule control across 27 European countries, and find no discernible gender differences in access to schedule control when individual and company-level characteristics are taken into account. However, working in female-dominated jobs and/or sectors significantly reduces access to schedule control for both men and women. This ‘women’s work penalty’ in female-dominated sectors varies across Europe but nowhere was the access better compared to sectors where both genders are equally represented. This raises concerns regarding the lack of favourable working conditions, in addition to low pay found in female-dominated workplaces.
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Boge, Knut, Alenka Temeljorov Salaj, Ida Bakken, Magnus Granli, and Silje Mandrup. "Knowledge workers deserve differentiated offices and workplace facilities." Facilities 37, no. 1/2 (February 4, 2019): 38–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/f-01-2018-0002.
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence effective workplace designs for knowledge workers.Design/methodology/approachDuring spring 2016, the employees in a large institution for research and higher education, a large consultancy company and a medium-sized consultancy company (in total 4367 employees) in Norway received invitations to participate in an anonymous online survey about workplaces and facilities. In all, 1,670 employees answered the survey (38.2 per cent response rate). The data have been analyzed with IBM SPSS version 23, among others through use of exploratory factor analysis and two-way ANOVA.FindingsMost respondents at the institution for research and higher education have cell offices. Most respondents in the two consultancy companies have open and flexible offices. This paper indicate the respondents’ preferences or perception of their workstation and the workplace’s fit for their tasks is affected both by the respondents’ type of office and how much time they spend at their workstation during the week. There are also possible age or generation effects.Research limitations/implicationsOne methodical weakness in the present paper is that two-way ANOVA has been applied on survey data. Experiments are usually arranged to provide almost equal numbers of observations in each category. This is usually not possible with survey data. However, despite this weakness, the present paper provides several findings that challenge some of the workplace research’s taken for givens.Practical implicationsThe present paper indicates that facility managers and others responsible for office and workplace design are advised to take the employees’ tasks and work patterns into consideration when designing workplaces and providing offices and workstations to their end-users. The present paper also indicates that employees require different kinds of support facilities and services depending on what kind of offices and workplaces they have.Originality/valueThis is a large N empirical study among knowledge workers in three organizations, one public administration and two private enterprises. The present paper indicate that provision of offices and workstations with supporting facilities should be differentiated according to the end-users’ work tasks and work patterns.
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Gordon, Catherine E. "Flexible Workplace Practices: Employees’ Experiences in Small IT Firms." Articles 69, no. 4 (January 21, 2015): 766–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1028111ar.
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This paper examines how employees experience flexible workplace practices (FWPs), such as flex-time, in the context of small firms. Past research consistently documents that employees’ experiences vary according to whether or not the workplace culture is supportive of FWPs and work-life balance needs. Studies, however, typically use individual level data or focus on large companies. Little research has focused on the experiences of employees of small firms. Possibly, employees of small firms have somewhat unique experiences of FWPs because of the workplace context. Like past research, this paper considers how gender and age relations structure the workplace. Also taken into account are the control strategies that management employs over the workforce.Data are taken from a Canadian study on small information technology (IT) firms that employed between four and 21 individuals. A multiple case study of 17 firms is conducted using web-surveys, semi-structured interviews, case study reports, field notes, and HR policy documents. Three different workplace contexts emerged among study firms based on their flexibility and workplace culture with respect to time. Some of these workplaces reproduced hegemonic gender, age, and class expectations, whereas others somewhat challenged them. The three firm-types did not vary according to firm-specific characteristics, such as business specialization, but patterns with regard to age and gender characteristics of the owners and employees were evident. Employees’ experiences varied according to where they worked. The findings suggest that similar and different processes occur in small firms compared to the large companies often studied in the literature. Like large firms, small firms are not neutral or based on a consensus. Small firm employees, however, may be considerably more vulnerable.
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Smith, Peter J. "Learners and their workplaces: towards a strategic model of flexible delivery of training in the workplace." Journal of Vocational Education & Training 53, no. 4 (December 2001): 609–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13636820100200180.
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Rikitake, Ryoko, Satoru Kamitani, Miyako Takahashi, and Takahiro Higashi. "Workplace Support Systems in Small- and Medium-Sized Companies for Employees Receiving Medical Treatment in Japan." Global Journal of Health Science 12, no. 3 (February 15, 2020): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v12n3p91.
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BACKGROUND: Maintaining one’s current job is important for patients. Few studies have investigated the presence of support systems in small- and medium-sized companies to help balance the therapeutic needs and occupational roles of workers in Japan.
AIMS: To understand whether small- and medium-sized companies in Japan have established workplace policies to help employees with chronic disease balance medical treatment and professional life.
METHODS: We surveyed a sample of small- and medium-sized companies in Japan identified from a large database of corporate credit and marketing research companies between February and March 2017. A questionnaire addressed workplace policies that supported employees’ medical treatments and professional lives, such as flexible work arrangements and the preparation of manuals and forms to facilitate communication with treating physicians.
RESULTS: Of the 4158 companies initially contacted, 1140 companies (27%) responded to the survey. Of the valid respondents, 21% of the workplaces reported having established sufficient office rules to address employee’s necessary medical needs. Approximately half of the workplaces (53%) shared that they had a system in place to provide temporary medical leave for employees with chronic diseases. Few (12%) workplaces had established a process for having a trial return to work after a period of absence due to a medical condition.
CONCLUSIONS: Currently, a minority of small- and medium-sized companies in Japan have established workplace policies to address the medical needs of employees with chronic diseases.
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Frieder, Rachel E. "The Rules of Social Exchange: Unchanged but More Important Than Ever." Industrial and Organizational Psychology 11, no. 3 (September 2018): 535–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/iop.2018.108.
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Social exchange theory (SET) is one of the most prominent and well-known theories in the organizational sciences literature (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). In the focal article, Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu (2018) asserted that SET needs to be adjusted to account for changes in the nature of work, workers, and workplace characteristics. Specifically, they identify that workplaces are now more volatile, complex, uncertain, and ambiguous (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014), and work itself has become more flexible, virtual, and technology dependent; accordingly, today's workers are sourced from a global talent pool and more frequently occupy nontraditional employment arrangements (e.g., freelancing). It is undisputable that the workplace landscape is vastly different from that of the workplace landscape during which early forms of SET were originally articulated (Gouldner, 1960; Homans, 1958).
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De Bruyne, Evi, and Marion Beijer. "Calculating NWoW office space with the PACT model." Journal of Corporate Real Estate 17, no. 2 (May 11, 2015): 122–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jcre-12-2014-0032.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the working of the PACT calculation model, a tool to determine office space dimensions. New ways of working (NWoW) seem to have become a fixed value in facility management (FM) practice in The Netherlands today. Stimulated by new technological possibilities, companies are rethinking their office environments to make workplaces more flexible and their use “activity related”. However, this requires a different approach to quantify the needed space and determine the types of workplaces to fit organizations’ processes. The PLaces and ACTivities (PACT) calculation model allows (facility) managers to gain an insight in the number and type of spaces needed, modulated by different scenarios and fitting to the organization and its work processes. Design/methodology/approach – This article mainly aims to present the PACT model: an office space calculation tool. A case study is presented and calculated to compare an actual work environment of an organization to the PACT calculated results. As input for the model, data were used that were available before the work environment changes in 2007. Additionally, one scenario of a different workplace use is calculated which helped to visualize the accuracy and validity of the model. Findings – When comparing the post hoc PACT calculated space to the real-life work environment, the number of calculated workplaces and the ratio to the number of employees do not seem to differ strongly. However, substantially less meeting space is calculated by the model, and some elements might require more testing to verify it completely. The scenario calculation shows that the model output changes to adapt to a more flexible work process. Originality/value – Even though calculation and simulation models for office space are available, the described model puts together many different elements to provide a more holistic calculation. Elements like, for instance, absence, activities and occupational choices are combined.
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Leeson, Whitney. "Family-Friendly Workplaces: Recruiting and Retaining Top Faculty through Flexible Policies." Anthropology News 50, no. 8 (November 2009): 3–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-3502.2009.50803_2.x.
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Lorenz, Frances, Lisa Whittaker, Julia Tazzeo, and Allison Williams. "Availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies: an international scoping review follow-up study." International Journal of Workplace Health Management 14, no. 4 (June 25, 2021): 459–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-10-2019-0136.
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PurposeThe purpose of this scoping review was to identify the availability of caregiver-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs) from January 2015 to June 2019.Design/methodology/approachIn order to determine changes over time, the present review is consistent with the methodology used in a scoping review of CFWPs conducted by the same research group five years earlier. This included applying an iterative database search to identify relevant articles, applying inclusion-exclusion criteria and performing qualitative thematic analysis on eligible articles. Both academic literature and literature that is not peer-reviewed were considered.FindingsA total of 80 papers were included, with 82 unique workplaces identified. Three main qualitative themes were discussed: (1) inclusivity, (2) generosity and (3) culture. The finance, education, healthcare and technology industries were most generous. The most common CFWPs offered were support services; paid leave; backup adult care and flexible work arrangements.Practical implicationsThis review narrows the gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive synthesis of CFWPs availability to better understand how workplaces are currently supporting caregiver-employees (CEs) while providing recommendations on how to support CEs moving forward.Originality/valueThis paper discusses significant differences from the first scoping review undertaken by the same research group five years ago, suggesting that progress has been made in the workplace culture needed to accommodate carer-employees.
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Doan, Thi Mai Huong, and Quynh An Ngo. "Flexibility and security policies for elderly workers: a case study in Vietnam." E3S Web of Conferences 157 (2020): 04036. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202015704036.
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National policies in Vietnam show policy shifts towards active ageing and to improving flexibility and security in the labour market. The main question relates to the practice and the introduction of these macro policies at the workplace level is how an employer can combine greater flexibility for the organisation as well as work security for older workers. This paper presents the findings of a survey of wage paid elderly workers and human resource officer in Vietnam (Hanoi, Thaibinh, Ninhbinh) (n=39 companies and 428 elderly workers). A flexibility combining security approach for senior workers is most visible in the Vietnam workplaces because of a broader range of facilities such as phased retirement, flexible working hours, education and training, and wage flexible. The survey shows different strategies addressing the issue of older workers. The transport and telecom service sector favour for flexibility in recruitment. The education and health sector are still focused on a ‘relief’ strategy (adapting workload, tasks and working hours), while the construction industry favour and employability policy. Most of the workplace policies for senior workers show passivity in all items favours flexibility of the organisation, only small rate favour employment security for the workers.
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Andrews, Deborah C. "A Space for Place in Business Communication Research." International Journal of Business Communication 54, no. 3 (November 9, 2016): 325–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2329488416675842.
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Many corporate leaders believe that the physical environment of the workplace can play a major role in fostering the interdisciplinary collaboration they link to organizational innovation and in creating a brand that attracts and keeps highly talented employees. Their belief aligns with a recent materialist turn in scholarship that addresses the mutual creation of objects and subjects. Taking advantage of ubiquitous communications technology, the open plan design of these new workplaces offers a variety of settings, created more through furnishings than architecture, to support the four modes of 21st-century work: collaborate, socialize, learn, and focus. In this flexible, “mobile” workplace, people and things mutually reconfigure themselves as projects and preferences change. A tension exists, however, between group-oriented communication conducted face-to-face and private, individual thinking. Exploring the fit between the rhetoric of what space can do, especially enhancing collaboration and achieving innovation, and results on the ground, is an inviting, largely untapped, area for business communication research.
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Tyurin, Alexander, Pyotr Zavialov, and Alexander Zikov. "NOISE PROTECTION DEVICE DEVELOPMENT FOR LOCAL NOISE CANCELLATION." Akustika 32 (March 1, 2019): 59–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.36336/akustika20193259.
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Currently the noise factors influence on stationary workplaces is prevalent in the other harmful factors influence total share. The information proposed below reveal the gist of the technical solution related to devices for ensuring the workplace acoustic safety. Noise clipping is provided by digital technology. The technical result is expressed in increasing the noise cancellation efficiency in the device upper local zone, so at the user's head level. The device can be used on stationary workplaces, the technological process implementation on which does not require active physical movements. Product using reduces the load on the human auditory system and ensures its protection. Basic expressions are presented that allow noise control in a noisy space between loudspeakers. The noise protection device contains detecting microphones, a control unit for the active noise cancellation process, loudspeakers and a noise shield located on the frame. A specially designed shield is made in the spherical segment form, to the outer edge of which a rim on flexible brackets is attached with the possibility of detecting microphones free movement along it.The device bearing frame is made in a U-shaped form, in the upper part of which the loudspeakers are mounted with diaphragms facing each other.
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Nowrouzi-Kia, Behdin, and Mary T. Fox. "Factors Associated With Intent to Leave in Registered Nurses Working in Acute Care Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ontario, Canada." Workplace Health & Safety 68, no. 3 (December 24, 2019): 121–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2165079919884956.
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Background: The work environment factors associated with nurses’ intention to leave their jobs are not well understood because most studies have used non-probabilistic sampling methods, thus restricting the generalizability of the results. This study examined the relationship between work environment factors and intent to leave among nurses working in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Methods: This study included a random sample of 1,427 registered nurses who were part of a larger cross-sectional study and who responded to a mailed survey that included measures of resource availability, interprofessional collaboration, job satisfaction, and demographics. Results: Most of the respondents were female (94.8%), with an average age of 45.6 years, and 14.5 years of nursing experience at their current workplace, which included mostly urban (94.6%) and non-teaching hospitals (61.8%). In the multivariate model, we observed that the work environment variables explained 45.5% of the variance in nurses’ intent to leave scores, F(9, 1362) =125.41, p < .01, with an R2 of .455 or 45.5%. Job satisfaction ( p < .01), flexible interprofessional collaborative relationships ( p = .030), and resource availability ( p < .01) were significantly associated with nurses’ intent to leave scores. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Nurses who reported greater job satisfaction, flexible interprofessional relationships, and resource availability were less likely to express an intent to leave their hospital workplaces. Employers and health policy makers may use these findings as part of a broader strategy to improve the work environment of nurses. Occupational health nurses are ideally positioned to demonstrate leadership in promoting retention efforts in the workplace by advocating for the importance of job satisfaction, flexible interprofessional relationships, and resources.
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Konrad, Annika. "Reimagining Work: Normative Commonplaces and Their Effects on Accessibility in Workplaces." Business and Professional Communication Quarterly 81, no. 1 (January 31, 2018): 123–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2329490617752577.
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This article investigates how normative attitudes about work construct barriers to workers who are blind and visually impaired. The researcher collected narratives about rhetorical experiences from blind and visually impaired participants in the United States and analyzed accounts of these workplace interactions to identify rhetorical commonplaces that drive arguments about work. These commonplaces reveal the ableist assumptions that construct access barriers and constrain rhetorical possibilities for disabled workers’ self-advocacy. The author proposes that business and professional communication students and practitioners should engage in collaborative approaches to flexible thinking and leadership necessary for reimagining work in ways that promote accessibility.
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Petrulaitiene, Vitalija, Pia Korba, Suvi Nenonen, Tuuli Jylhä, and Seppo Junnila. "From walls to experience – servitization of workplaces." Facilities 36, no. 9/10 (July 2, 2018): 525–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/f-07-2017-0072.
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Purpose New ways of working challenge workplace management: increasing mobility and diminishing organizational boundaries require re-evaluation of both workplace design and service delivery. However, structures and processes of workplace management are still traditional, and managers, together with outsourced facility service providers, often do not succeed at fulfilling the needs of mobile employees. The aforementioned changes stimulate discussions in many areas in both industry and academy. Nevertheless, workplace literature from business perspective seems to be scarce. In this paper, the focus is on workplace service offering for mobile knowledge workers. This paper aims to study the current state of workplace servitization. To answer this, the authors identify value offering elements that are used in office business market to deliver workplace as a service. Design/methodology/approach This study follows multiple case study methodology including five case studies. Primary data were collected through interviews with workplace service providers. Secondary data included observations and publicly available data. The authors took business model design approach to study selected business offerings. Findings The results indicate that workplace business models include elements of servitization on various levels. Physical space is no longer the central offering in the office business; instead, it acts as a component on which the service portfolio is built. The highest value from workplace comes from experience-related service offerings. Originality/value Academically, research contributes to the workplace management studies by providing servitization perspective to a topic previously approached with a more technical and psychological point of view. This study can also support service providers and customer organizations in their quest to make service provision more flexible and experience-oriented.
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Suiter, Sarah V., and C. Danielle Wilfong. "Healing work." Social Enterprise Journal 16, no. 1 (November 17, 2019): 82–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sej-07-2019-0046.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore women’s experiences in one such social enterprise, and to analyze the ways in which this social enterprise supports and/or undermines its employees’ health and well-being. Finding and keeping employment during recovery from addiction is a strong predictor of women’s ability to maintain sobriety and accomplish other important life goals. Many treatment organizations have programs that support job readiness and acquisition; however, less priority is placed on the quality of the workplaces and their consequences for continued health and well-being. Social enterprises that exist for the purpose of employing women in recovery have the potential to be health-promoting workspaces, but understanding how health is supported for this particular population is important. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides an ethnographic account of Light Collective, a social enterprise run by women in recovery from addiction. Data were collected through 2 years of participant observation, 38 interviews and 2 focus groups. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Findings Light Collective provides a health-promoting workplace by keeping barriers to employment low and making work hours and expectations individualized and flexible. Furthermore, the organization creates a setting in which work is developmentally nurturing, provides the opportunity for meaningful mastery and serves to build community amongst women who are often marginalized and isolated in more traditional contexts. Originality/value This study contributes to literature exploring the potential for social enterprises to create health-promoting workplaces by focusing the types of workplace commitments required to support a particularly vulnerable population. This study also explores some of the challenges and contradictions inherent in trying to create health-promoting work environments vis-à-vis the constraints of broader economic systems.
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Orel, Marko. "Supporting work–life balance with the use of coworking spaces." Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal 39, no. 5 (June 27, 2019): 549–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/edi-01-2019-0038.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the topic of parents who work on a flexible basis and use coworking facilities to find a work–life balance and overcome work–family conflicts. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a qualitative approach to explore the research questions. The first part of the empirical research undertakes an ethnographical approach in carrying out the unobstructed participant observation within five European coworking spaces targeted at improving comprehension of the spaces’ mediation mechanisms and development of supportive interactions. The second part traverses into conducting unstructured interviews with parents who work on a flexible basis and use a coworking space as their daily workplace. Findings This research paper reveals that flexible workers who found themselves juggling work tasks and family obligations tend to seek better conditions that assist them in tackling conflictual situations and, in addition, enhance their social lives to create further career opportunities. Coworking spaces are thus perceived as optimal workplaces by working parents in that they can find stability and scale their social networks within. Moreover, the continually evolving user interactions resulting from effective mediation mechanisms let these individuals find emotional support, increase productivity and exchange knowledge. Originality/value While the coworking industry is rapidly evolving and the academia is keener on investigating the field, the subcategory of work–life and family care within these collaborative environments is virtually unresearched. This paper provides valuable insight into the topic and serves as a knowledge base for the future exploration of this field.
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Devonish, Dwayne. "Managers’ perceptions of mental illness in Barbadian workplaces: an exploratory study." Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice 12, no. 3 (May 8, 2017): 161–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jmhtep-09-2016-0047.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of private and public sector managers in Barbados regarding the concepts of mental health and illness at work. It also explored their interactions and experiences with persons with mental illness at work and various forms of support and resources needed to improve the overall management of these persons within the organisational setting. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used an exploratory research design based on two focus groups of private and public sector managers. Findings The findings revealed that both private and public sector managers understood the distinction between the concepts of mental health and mental illness. However, managers believed that high levels of stigma and discrimination exist in both private and public sector workplaces due to a lack of understanding of mental illness, cultural norms, and socialisation in Barbados regarding mental illness and negative stereotypes. However, workplace education and promotion, associated workplace policies, and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) were identified as key strategies for effectively addressing issues of mental health stigma and the management of persons with mental illness at work. Research limitations/implications Due to the qualitative approach used and small sample selected based on non-probability sampling, generalising the findings to larger populations is heavily cautioned. Practical implications Organisations in both private and public sectors should emphasise workplace mental health interventions such as mental health education and awareness, the development and implementation of supportive and flexible policies, and EAPs. These strategies are likely to help destigmatisation efforts and enhance managers’ understanding of mental health and the management of persons with mental illness. Originality/value This study provided a rich and in-depth understanding of mental health and illness from the perspective of private and public sector managers in a small developing country in the Caribbean. The Caribbean region possesses a dearth of empirical research concerning issues of mental health and illness at work.
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Clancy, Shayna M., Marissa Stroo, Ashley Schoenfisch, Thushani Dabrera, and Truls Østbye. "Barriers to Engagement in a Workplace Weight Management Program: A Qualitative Study." American Journal of Health Promotion 32, no. 3 (March 6, 2017): 763–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0890117117696373.
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Purpose: To investigate (1) why some participants in a workplace weight management program were more engaged in the program, (2) specific barriers and facilitators for engagement and weight loss, and (3) suggest how workplaces may better engage employees in these programs to improve their effectiveness. Design: Qualitative study (8 focus groups). Setting: A large academic university and medical system. Participants: Twenty-six (5%) of the 550 employees who participated in a weight management program as part of the Steps to Health study. Measures: A trained moderator guided the audio-recorded focus groups. Analysis: Transcripts were analyzed using the directed content analysis approach. Results: Participants faced numerous barriers to engagement in workplace weight management programs, both within and outside the workplace. Participants viewed the coaches positively and reported that the coaches had a strong influence on their engagement in the program. Participants suggested increased frequency and variety of contact by coaches, on-site group exercise classes, and tailored educational materials. Conclusion: Workplace weight management programs may be improved by being more flexible around participants’ schedules and changing needs, by increasing access to affordable, convenient exercise facilities, and by implementing institutional changes that encourage healthy eating and physical activity during the workday. Employers should measure program engagement and solicit participant feedback to ensure that the programs are appropriate and delivered in an optimal manner.
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Allvin, Michael, and Gunnar Aronsson. "The Future of Work Environment Reforms: Does the Concept of Work Environment Apply within the New Economy?" International Journal of Health Services 33, no. 1 (January 2003): 99–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/1d2l-2hv2-0qll-4pgw.
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“Work environment,” as a conceptual framework for reforming working life, may not be readily transferable from the tangible conditions of the industrial context in which it was conceived to the more flexible conditions of modern labor. Since the flexible conditions of work generally presuppose an increased responsibility and some sort of personal commitment on the part of the worker, isolating the environmental conditions from the personal abilities of the worker is becoming more difficult. As a consequence, only to a limited extent can the problems of modern labor be interpreted as work environment issues and subjected to work environment measures. With the propagation of flexible working conditions, work environment institutions and their reform ambitions will be passed by. And work environment reforms, rather than being a practical task of coordinating different protective measures at workplaces, will be reduced to an argument within the ideologically motivated rejection of an increasingly polarized labor market.
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Parker, Justine, Corey Boles, Natalie Egnot, Alexander Sundermann, and Alan Fleeger. "Return to normal operations: COVID-19 mitigation strategies for workplaces." Toxicology and Industrial Health 36, no. 9 (September 2020): 711–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0748233720967525.
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As spikes and resurgences of COVID-19 cases continue to increase in different geographical regions across the United States, more and more companies are left with numerous questions about reopening or restarting their operations. The current pandemic in the United States poses unique challenges unlike any other for businesses and employers as they begin to reopen. Businesses and employers are forced to ensure that they are not only in compliance with federal guidances but also with state and local guidances. In addition to the complex and ever evolving guidances, we are still learning about and adapting best practices during these reopening phases. Therefore, it is crucial for businesses to stay up-to-date not only with the released guidances but also with the latest understanding and information about SARS-CoV-2. As part of reopening, it is crucial for businesses to have comprehensive reopening plans prior to restart of operation. These plans must be clear, concise, and flexible enough to include updated guidances and information. In this publication, we describe reopening frameworks, considerations, and strategies that can be used as a starting point for businesses to further optimize and tailor to their unique operations.
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Cibulka, Viliam. "Application of Synchronizing Procedure with Multistage Variants of how an Assembly Operation Process in the Design Layout of the More Assembly Lines Workplace." Applied Mechanics and Materials 309 (February 2013): 195–205. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.309.195.
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This paper deals with the knowledge of the author of the application procedure for synchronizing with multistage operations variants of how an assembly processes in the design layout of the workplace of more assembly lines and its verifying the selected applications. This is a new balancing method, which allows for the set as follows to minimize the number of workplaces more of that line. Operations synchronizing on the assembly process over the line in a question is performed by exchanging variant ways of making assembly operations, technological advances over the present line of products according to their coefficient of efficiency. Switching of variations on how an operation is achieved minimizing the total idle time line of more in question line and at the same time increasing of product added value flow of before stated arbor line in question. Algorithm of synchronizing operations assembly processes of more lines in question takes place in two stages. Use them to reach new designs layout of workplaces over the routes with fewer offices than in the first stage, but with a lower total cost (purchase and production) and these are also evaluated by the coefficient of efficiency over the present line. The highest increase in the value of the flow of value-added variant achieves the highest value of the coefficient of efficiency over the present line. The aim of synchronizing the application of the proposed action is to increase the flow of value added products in question more assembly lines and flexible response to customer needs.
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Ruppert, Tamás, Szilárd Jaskó, Tibor Holczinger, and János Abonyi. "Enabling Technologies for Operator 4.0: A Survey." Applied Sciences 8, no. 9 (September 13, 2018): 1650. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app8091650.
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The fast development of smart sensors and wearable devices has provided the opportunity to develop intelligent operator workspaces. The resultant Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (H-CPS) integrate the operators into flexible and multi-purpose manufacturing processes. The primary enabling factor of the resultant Operator 4.0 paradigm is the integration of advanced sensor and actuator technologies and communications solutions. This work provides an extensive overview of these technologies and highlights that the design of future workplaces should be based on the concept of intelligent space.
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Petrulaitiene, Vitalija, Eelis Rytkönen, Suvi Nenonen, and Tuuli Jylhä. "Towards responsive workplaces – identifying service paths for time- and place-independent work." Journal of Corporate Real Estate 19, no. 3 (September 11, 2017): 144–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jcre-10-2016-0034.
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Purpose The need to understand work processes and end-users has become an issue in corporate real estate and workplace management. Flexible work practices and technological advancement allow end-users to move outside the building boundaries. This influences workplace management to become more service-oriented and demand-driven, and better serve the needs of end-users. For that, this paper aims to investigate the ways in which new workplace services support the knowledge creation processes of mobile workers. Design/methodology/approach This study is exploratory and follows a multiple-case study strategy. Literature is reviewed on workplace and knowledge theories, and the market analysis consists of data from 57 firms that offer services to support the mobile knowledge worker. Findings Workplace services were categorized into three new groups that support knowledge creation processes for the mobile knowledge worker in various work environments. The analysis indicated that new services are driven by technological development and community formation around the physical or virtual place. Practical implications The proposed service groups can be examined as new business opportunities by workplace service providers, and the results suggest that the CRE managers should re-think their service portfolios, boost their collaboration with the service providers and invest in building a community. Originality/value This paper categorizes workplace services from a mobile knowledge worker perspective and follows a service-oriented approach to workplace management.
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Taylor, Melissa Kempf. "Xennials: a microgeneration in the workplace." Industrial and Commercial Training 50, no. 3 (March 5, 2018): 136–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ict-08-2017-0065.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the microgeneration between Generation X and the Millennial generation. The research question addressed was “What makes the Xennial generation unique and how might the knowledge of these differences be beneficial to organizations?” Design/methodology/approach The research question was analyzed by a review of literature through the lens of generational theory. This study reviewed current literature on generational theory, years encompassing specific generations, and differences between recent generations in the workplace. Findings It was discovered the exact years distinguishing generations were unclear because generations fade into one another without a distinct starting and stopping point. This overlap creates a cusp generation or microgeneration. The presented findings suggest microgeneration employees could aid in reducing workplace generational tensions. Practical implications Organizations can benefit from creating flexible workplaces accommodating the desires of multi-generational employees while still meeting the goals of the organization as a whole. It is important managers approach generational differences with a clear perspective of what information is valid and what may simply be popular. It is crucial to remember employees are individuals who never completely fit a stereotype, generational, or otherwise. Originality/value Very few academic articles on generational differences mention cusp generations and none address their unique opportunities for organizations in the workplace. Members of microgenerations between major generational cohorts may be a key to reducing workplace friction between employees of different generations.
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Belghith, Khaled, Froduald Kabanza, and Leo Hartman. "Randomized path planning with preferences in highly complex dynamic environments." Robotica 31, no. 8 (May 22, 2013): 1195–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0263574713000428.
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SUMMARYIn this paper we consider the problem of planning paths for articulated bodies operating in workplaces containing obstacles and regions with preferences expressed as degrees of desirability. Degrees of desirability could specify danger zones and desire zones. A planned path should not collide with the obstacles and should maximize the degrees of desirability. Region desirability can also convey search-control strategies guiding the exploration of the search space. To handle desirability specifications, we introduce the notion of flexible probabilistic roadmap (flexible PRM) as an extension of the traditional PRM. Each edge in a flexible PRM is assigned a desirability degree. We show that flexible PRM planning can be achieved very efficiently with a simple sampling strategy of the configuration space defined as a trade-off between a traditional sampling oriented toward coverage of the configuration space and a heuristic optimization of the path desirability degree. For path planning problems in dynamic environments, where obstacles and region desirability can change in real time, we use dynamic and anytime search exploration strategies. The dynamic strategy allows the planner to replan efficiently by exploiting results from previous planning phases. The anytime strategy starts with a quickly computed path with a potentially low desirability degree which is then incrementally improved depending on the available planning time.
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Wells, Don. "Labour Markets, Flexible Specialization and the New Microcorporatism The Case of Canada’s Major Appliance Industry." Relations industrielles 56, no. 2 (October 20, 2002): 279–306. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/000026ar.
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Summary“High performance” management systems in unionized workplaces have the potential to create a more microcorporatist industrial relations system in Canada. Increasing interfirm and intrafirm competitiveness, combined with restratification of internal and external labour markets, promote a deepening of “core” workforce dependency on employers. Microcorporatist tendencies reflect more active worker cooperation in achieving management productivity, quality and flexibility goals. Analysis of development of these tendencies in the major appliance industry suggests that microcorporatism has contradictory implications. In one direction lies the displacement of both “social movement” unionism and social democratic labour politics by a local-centred unionism that is increasingly captured by the logic of market competition. In a second direction lies a logic of greater worker resistance related to increased worker control of labour processes.
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Santos, Susana. "Gendered workplaces: Resistance, adaptation and agency in large legal firms ‐ The perspectives of young lawyers1." Portuguese Journal of Social Science 19, no. 2 (September 1, 2020): 259–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/pjss_00029_1.
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Gender inequality at work is a persistent and complex phenomenon. Taking the case of a small group of young lawyers working in large legal firms in Portugal, this article intends to discuss how gender inequality manifests and evolves from internship through first years of professional activity. Based on a data set of nineteen biographical interviews ‐ ten male and nine female ‐ we discuss the centrality of gender in analysing professional organizations, combining structural and actor perspectives. Female and male lawyers are confronted with a gendered organization with (in)visible gender lines that naturalize asymmetries of treatment, position, opportunities and expectations. Both learn how to adapt and invent strategies of resistance that include flexible professional projects.
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Dahmen, Christian, and Carmen Constantinescu. "Methodology of Employing Exoskeleton Technology in Manufacturing by Considering Time-Related and Ergonomics Influences." Applied Sciences 10, no. 5 (February 27, 2020): 1591. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app10051591.
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This article presents a holistic methodology for planning, optimization and integration of exoskeletons for human-centered workplaces, with a focus on the automotive industry. Parts of current and future challenges in this industry (i.e., need of flexible manufacturing but as well having demographic change) are the motivation for this article. This challenges should be transformed in positive effectiveness by integrating of exoskeletons regarding this article. Already published research work from authors are combined in a form of summary, to get all relevant knowledge, and especially results, in a coherent and final context. This article gives interested newcomers, as well as experienced users, planners and researchers, in exoskeleton technology an overview and guideline of all relevant parts: from absolute basics beginning until operative usage. After fixing the motivation with resulting three relevant research questions, an introduction to the exoskeleton technology and to the current challenges in planning and optimizing the ergonomics and efficiency in manufacturing are given. A first preselection method (called ExoMatch) is presented to find the most suitable exoskeleton for workplacesm by filtering and matching all the important analyzed attributes and characteristics under consideration to all relevant aspects from environments. The next section treats results regarding an analysis of influencing factors by integrating exoskeletons in manufacturing. In particular, ergonomic-related and production-process-related (especially time-management) influences identified and researched in already published works are discussed. The next important step is to present a roadmap as a guideline for integration exoskeleton. This article gives relevant knowledge, methodologies and guidelines for optimized integrating exoskeleton for human-centered workplaces, under consideration of ergonomics- and process-related influences, in a coherent context, as a result and summary from several already published research work.
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Červeňanská, Zuzana, Pavel Važan, Martin Juhás, and Bohuslava Juhásová. "Multi-Criteria Optimization in Operations Scheduling Applying Selected Priority Rules." Applied Sciences 11, no. 6 (March 19, 2021): 2783. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app11062783.
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The utilization of a specific priority rule in scheduling operations in flexible job shop systems strongly influences production goals. In a context of production control in real practice, production performance indicators are evaluated always en bloc. This paper addresses the multi-criteria evaluating five selected conflicting production objectives via scalar simulation-based optimization related to applied priority rule. It is connected to the discrete-event simulation model of a flexible job shop system with partially interchangeable workplaces, and it investigates the impact of three selected priority rules—FIFO (First In First Out), EDD (Earliest Due Date), and STR (Slack Time Remaining). In the definition of the multi-criteria objective function, two scalarization methods—Weighted Sum Method and Weighted Product Method—are employed in the optimization model. According to the observations, EDD and STR priority rules outperformed the FIFO rule regardless of the type of applied multi-criteria method for the investigated flexible job shop system. The results of the optimization experiments also indicate that the evaluation via applying multi-criteria optimization is relevant for identifying effective solutions in the design space when the specific priority rule is applied in the scheduling operations.
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Choffin, Zachary, Nathan Jeong, Michael Callihan, Savannah Olmstead, Edward Sazonov, Sarah Thakral, Camilee Getchell, and Vito Lombardi. "Ankle Angle Prediction Using a Footwear Pressure Sensor and a Machine Learning Technique." Sensors 21, no. 11 (May 30, 2021): 3790. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21113790.
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Ankle injuries may adversely increase the risk of injury to the joints of the lower extremity and can lead to various impairments in workplaces. The purpose of this study was to predict the ankle angles by developing a footwear pressure sensor and utilizing a machine learning technique. The footwear sensor was composed of six FSRs (force sensing resistors), a microcontroller and a Bluetooth LE chipset in a flexible substrate. Twenty-six subjects were tested in squat and stoop motions, which are common positions utilized when lifting objects from the floor and pose distinct risks to the lifter. The kNN (k-nearest neighbor) machine learning algorithm was used to create a representative model to predict the ankle angles. For the validation, a commercial IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor system was used. The results showed that the proposed footwear pressure sensor could predict the ankle angles at more than 93% accuracy for squat and 87% accuracy for stoop motions. This study confirmed that the proposed plantar sensor system is a promising tool for the prediction of ankle angles and thus may be used to prevent potential injuries while lifting objects in workplaces.
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McDonald, Paula K. "How ‘flexible’ are careers in the anticipated life course of young people?" Human Relations 71, no. 1 (May 11, 2017): 23–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726717699053.
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Bridging literature that addresses the work–family interface and the changing nature of careers, this article examines, from a life course perspective, the extent to which, and why, young people anticipate careers as ‘flexible’. Drawing on 123 interviews with men and women engaged in different post-secondary education pathways in Australia, the study draws attention to the role of gender and to some extent class in shaping careers in a network of social relations. Three dimensions of flexible careers are examined: temporal, that is, through imagined possibilities in various stages of early adulthood; structural, including opportunities and constraints afforded by different industry sectors and workplaces; and relational, in terms of household-level role negotiations. The findings revealed that women continue to adapt their career goals to accommodate care, but that both men’s and women’s careers are shaped by contingencies including household income, home ownership, access to flexible work and ideological expectations of market/family work roles. These contextual dynamics directly impact on decisions in the present. The article underscores the need for an expanded research focus on work and care from a life course perspective in order to promote career flexibility in ways that align with young people’s broader aspirations for gender equality.
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Jason, Kendra. "WORKPLACE SUPPORTS FOR WORKING LONGER: A CASE FOR THE BLACK LOW-WAGE WORKER." Innovation in Aging 3, Supplement_1 (November 2019): S193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igz038.695.
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Abstract Government-sponsored retirement programs and employer benefits are directly tied to individual employment history and wages. Consequently, Black workers disproportionally face challenges in labor market compensation and retirement benefits. Due to a history of racial discrimination and economic oppression, Black workers earn less income over the life course and are less likely to have insurance support in comparison to their white counterparts in older age. This leads Black adults to remain in the workforce longer for financial support and presents unique physical and psychosocial challenges balancing work obligations and family responsibilities. Further, Black adults also suffer from more chronic illnesses, poor health outcomes, and death at higher rates compared to nearly all other racial groups. Drawing on data derived from a workplace case-study with interviews from 15 low-wage Black workers aged 50+ years, with multiple chronic conditions in the Southern United States. My aims are to (1) understand what workplace supports enable vulnerable workers to remain in the workforce, and (2) identity other buffers (i.e., resilience) to working with chronic conditions that enable prolonged work engagement. Findings suggest that workplaces can better support low-wage workers who cannot afford to retire by offering better pay and health benefits. Supervisor and coworker supports, flexible work arrangements and scheduling, and less stressful work environments also enable sustained work engagement. Research, policy and practice implications of this research include identifying workplace attributes and determining strategies to strengthen them, which is paramount to addressing disparities in work and health outcomes in the vulnerable communities.
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Syma, Carrye. "Invisible disabilities: perceptions and barriers to reasonable accommodations in the workplace." Library Management 40, no. 1/2 (January 14, 2019): 113–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/lm-10-2017-0101.
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Purpose The subject of invisible disabilities is becoming more prevalent in the workplace. Invisible disabilities (as defined by the Invisible Disabilities Association) refers to symptoms such as “debilitating pain, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive dysfunctions, brain injuries, learning differences and mental health disorders, as well as hearing and vision impairments.” There are times when employees are hesitant to disclose their invisible disability to their employer or coworkers, which means that accommodations for disabilities may not be requested or made. Accommodations made in the workplace for invisible disabilities can include flexible schedule, special software for assisting with scheduling or prioritizing tasks, or architectural changes such as a standing desk. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach For this literature review, articles on invisible disabilities and accommodations were researched and used to support the importance of accommodations in the workplace. Findings Invisible disabilities are affecting the workplace and must be addressed. Those struggling with invisible disabilities need to consider sharing information about their disability with their employer as well as requesting accommodation. The question of whether or not to inform coworkers should be left to individual employees and what they feel comfortable divulging. More research needs to be done on how to create learning opportunities and sensitivity in the workplace to those with invisible disabilities. Perhaps training should be offered at the time a new employee begins work. Originality/value This literature review is of value because it speaks to an important issue facing today’s workplaces – invisible disabilities and accommodations. Mental illnesses are an invisible disability and as more people are diagnosed and enter the workforce, employers are faced with an increasing demand to meet the needs of these workers. Educating employers and employees on the topic of invisible disabilities and accommodations paves the way to a greater and more productive workforce.
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Mele, Valentina, Nicola Bellé, and Maria Cucciniello. "Thanks, but No Thanks: Preferences towards Teleworking Colleagues in Public Organizations." Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 31, no. 4 (April 29, 2021): 790–805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muab012.
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Abstract Over the last decades, one of the most significant changes in the workplaces of government agencies around the world has been the introduction of telework. The relatively scant public administration research on this innovation and on its semantic or substantive variations such as telecommuting, home-work, remote work, and smart work has examined its effects on teleworkers and only recently on non-teleworkers. However, scholars have overlooked the relational dynamics triggered by telework. This is the focus of our study. We start by connecting telework with specific features of public bureaucracies, such as control, modularity, and the separation of professional and personal life. Next, we explore through a mixed-methods design a relational dynamic overlooked by previous studies, that is, the preferences of non-teleworkers towards teleworking colleagues and the motives behind them. Results from a discrete choice experiment with over 1,000 non-teleworking public employees revealed a remarkably strong preference toward non-teleworkers. A qualitative follow-up based on semi-structured interviews found the workplace collective as the locus of the tensions caused by telework and illuminated critical issues perceived by non-teleworkers, ensuring a more fine-grained understanding of the impacts of flexible work arrangements on the functioning of public organizations.
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Dickson-Swift, Virginia, Christopher Fox, Karen Marshall, Nicky Welch, and Jon Willis. "What really improves employee health and wellbeing." International Journal of Workplace Health Management 7, no. 3 (September 2, 2014): 138–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-10-2012-0026.
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Purpose – Factors for successful workplace health promotion (WHP) are well described in the literature, but often sourced from evaluations of wellness programmes. Less well understood are the features of an organisation that contribute to employee health which are not part of a health promotion programme. The purpose of this paper is to inform policy on best practice principles and provide real life examples of health promotion in regional Victorian workplaces. Design/methodology/approach – Individual case studies were conducted on three organisations, each with a health and wellbeing programme in place. In total, 42 employers and employees participated in a face to face interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and the qualitative data were thematically coded. Findings – Employers and senior management had a greater focus on occupational health and safety than employees, who felt that mental/emotional health and happiness were the areas most benefited by a health promoting workplace. An organisational culture which supported the psychosocial needs of the employees emerged as a significant factor in employee's overall wellbeing. Respectful personal relationships, flexible work, supportive management and good communication were some of the key factors identified as creating a health promoting working environment. Practical implications – Currently in Australia, the main focus of WHP programmes is physical health. Government workplace health policy and funding must expand to include psychosocial factors. Employers will require assistance to understand the benefits to their business of creating environments which support employee's mental and emotional health. Originality/value – This study took a qualitative approach to an area dominated by quantitative biomedical programme evaluations. It revealed new information about what employees really feel is impacting their health at work.
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Aylett-Bullock, Joseph, Carolina Cuesta-Lazaro, Arnau Quera-Bofarull, Miguel Icaza-Lizaola, Aidan Sedgewick, Henry Truong, Aoife Curran, et al. "J une : open-source individual-based epidemiology simulation." Royal Society Open Science 8, no. 7 (July 2021): 210506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210506.
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We introduce J une , an open-source framework for the detailed simulation of epidemics on the basis of social interactions in a virtual population constructed from geographically granular census data, reflecting age, sex, ethnicity and socio-economic indicators. Interactions between individuals are modelled in groups of various sizes and properties, such as households, schools and workplaces, and other social activities using social mixing matrices. J une provides a suite of flexible parametrizations that describe infectious diseases, how they are transmitted and affect contaminated individuals. In this paper, we apply J une to the specific case of modelling the spread of COVID-19 in England. We discuss the quality of initial model outputs which reproduce reported hospital admission and mortality statistics at national and regional levels as well as by age strata.
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Graczyk-Kucharska, Magdalena, and G. Scott Erickson. "A person-organization fit Model of Generation Z: Preliminary studies." Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation 16, no. 4 (2020): 149–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.7341/20201645.
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The study looks at developing a person-organization fit model based on the unique characteristics of the new generational cohort, Generation Z, now entering the workforce. Theory suggests competitive advantage may come to a firm based on its unique human capital, the human resources it employs and develops. Further, organizations will be more successful in attracting the valuable employees they seek if they can provide a workplace appealing to them in terms of organizational values, culture, and other aspects that may also include more familiar enticements such as pay and benefits. To address the gap, this pioneering study investigates the context of person-organizational culture for the Z Generation entering the labor market. The key questions answered by the authors when describing the Person-Organization Fit Framework for Generation Z include the differences in how organizational culture appeals to Gen Z men and Gen Z women. The research results are presented in three steps: an analysis of workplace environment elements for Gen Z, correlation analysis between the workplace environment elements required by Gen Z, and presentation of a Person-Organization Fit Framework for Gen Z. From a sample of 3393 students at technological secondary schools in the Wielkopolska Region, the survey results provided evidence of the workplace preferences for this cohort. In addition, results were further analyzed for differences in gender and intended profession. For this region, Generation Z has variable individual needs and wants, some of which can be easily identified (gender, profession) but some of which may be less clear. These research results may be used for designing appealing workplaces taking into account person-organization needs for young people. Based on this novel research, organizations employing the resulting work framework for Gen Z will be better prepared to consider the nature and communication of what they have to offer as well as how they can be flexible in adapting these offerings to unique individuals.
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Chukarina, Natalya, Viktoriia Vasilyeva, Valery Kirpichnikov, and Natalia Tourkina. "THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE NOISE EMISSION OF THE FLEXIBLE CONNECTION OF THE ABRASIVE BELT-GRINDING WOODWORKING MACHINES." VOLUME 39, VOLUME 39 (2021): 157. http://dx.doi.org/10.36336/akustika202139157.
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This paper presents the results of theoretical studies of the drive belting and grinding belts` acoustic characteristics as elements of flexible connections, that fundamentally distinguishes them from bobbin sanding and cylinder-grinding woodworking machines. It also has the significant differences in comparison with other sources in terms of stiffness and tension forces. The choice of the noise source models is justified by the characteristic features of the kinematics of the machine tools and the grinding technological process. The arrangement of the machines` acoustic system of chosen group suggests that the main sources of energy radiation are: grinding belts and belt drives of the work pieces and grinding units, ground work pieces, electric motors. It is compared the expected noise levels with sanitary standards for determining the excess and the sources that generate them. These data are the main information for the acoustic calculation and design of the noise reduction systems of the above sources at the design stage in such woodworking equipment, and it also determines the acoustic efficiency of the noise protection systems and consider to design these systems in accordance with the implementation of the sanitary noise standards at the machine operator workplaces.
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Doellgast, Virginia, and Peter Berg. "Negotiating Flexibility: External Contracting and Working Time Control in German and Danish Telecommunications Firms." ILR Review 71, no. 1 (April 5, 2017): 117–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0019793917703659.
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This study examines how different participation rights and structures affect employee control over working time. The analysis is based on a comparison of matched call center and technician workplaces in two major telecommunications firms in Germany and Denmark. It draws on data from semi-structured interviews with managers, supervisors, and employee representatives between 2010 and 2016. Unions and works councils in both firms agreed to a series of concessions on working time policies in the early 2010s in exchange for agreements to halt or reverse outsourcing. The authors use Lukes’ concepts of decision-making and agenda-setting power to explain these common trends, as well as later divergence in outcomes. Germany’s stronger formal co-determination rights over working time proved a critical power resource for employee representatives as they sought to re-establish employee control in new, more flexible working time models.
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Mathekga, Jerry Mmanoko. "The analyses of non-standard employment and contemporary labour protest in South Africa." African Journal of Employee Relations (Formerly South African Journal of Labour Relations) 40, no. 2 (February 18, 2019): 139–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.25159/2520-3223/5856.
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This paper analyses the contemporary non-standard employment and labour unrest in South Africa, with special emphasis on the South African Post Office (SAPO) and universities across South Africa. The paper argues that attempts by SAPO and the universities to cut labour costs and to be more flexible and competitive through the use of non-standard employment have not reduced exploitation. Marginalisation, inequality, poor working conditions, lower wages and lack of protection and representation still prevail in most workplaces across the country, with companies and institutions still benefiting extensively. The paper relies on both primary and secondary sources. No empirical research has been done. It aims to advance knowledge of non-standard employment through discussion of this practice and of the entities in which it takes place. The impact of non-standard employment on workers is discussed. The paper also provides a critical view on non-standard employment.
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Høy-Petersen, Nina, and Ian Woodward. "Working with difference: Cognitive schemas, ethical cosmopolitanism and negotiating cultural diversity." International Sociology 33, no. 6 (August 21, 2018): 655–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0268580918792782.
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This article empirically explores the types and limits of ethical varieties of cosmopolitan openness by analysing in-depth interviews with a sample of professionals and volunteers ( N = 20) in culturally heterogeneous workplaces that are characterised by interpersonal interactions requiring intercultural competencies. It analyses the way people relax and harden the borders of openness around people, objects and practices they see as unfamiliar and different. Within the context of two primary schemes for deliberating the principles and schemas for acting in ways that are open to valuing difference, the article finds that the interviewees use flexible and contextually shifting categorisations of otherness and sameness that serve apparently conflicting agendas of ethical openness, self-protection, instrumentalism and parochialism. Exploring the schemas associated with these forms of everyday ethical understandings, the results show their cosmopolitan ethical practice to be performative and contextual, entangled with a variety of potentially conflicting schemas of evaluation and judgement.
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de Fazio, Roberto, Donato Cafagna, Giorgio Marcuccio, Alessandro Minerba, and Paolo Visconti. "A Multi-Source Harvesting System Applied to Sensor-Based Smart Garments for Monitoring Workers’ Bio-Physical Parameters in Harsh Environments." Energies 13, no. 9 (May 1, 2020): 2161. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en13092161.
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This paper describes the development and characterization of a smart garment for monitoring the environmental and biophysical parameters of the user wearing it; the wearable application is focused on the control to workers’ conditions in dangerous workplaces in order to prevent or reduce the consequences of accidents. The smart jacket includes flexible solar panels, thermoelectric generators and flexible piezoelectric harvesters to scavenge energy from the human body, thus ensuring the energy autonomy of the employed sensors and electronic boards. The hardware and firmware optimization allowed the correct interfacing of the heart rate and SpO2 sensor, accelerometers, temperature and electrochemical gas sensors with a modified Arduino Pro mini board. The latter stores and processes the sensor data and, in the event of abnormal parameters, sends an alarm to a cloud database, allowing company managers to check them via a web app. The characterization of the harvesting subsection has shown that ≈ 265 mW maximum power can be obtained in a real scenario, whereas the power consumption due to the acquisition, processing and BLE data transmission functions determined that a 10 mAh/day charge is required to ensure the device’s proper operation. By charging a 380 mAh Lipo battery in a few hours by means of the harvesting system, an energy autonomy of 23 days was obtained, in the absence of any further energy contribution.
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Eastwood, C. R., J. Greer, D. Schmidt, J. Muir, and K. Sargeant. "Identifying current challenges and research priorities to guide the design of more attractive dairy-farm workplaces in New Zealand." Animal Production Science 60, no. 1 (2020): 84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an18568.
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Globally, dairy farmers face issues with attracting and retaining high-quality staff. In the present study, a qualitative research method was used to explore the current challenges in relation to people on farm, the approaches currently used by farmers to make dairying more attractive and productive for people, and perspectives on the challenges for attracting and retaining people on future farms. Current challenges were in the areas of recruitment, productivity, skills and learning, farm and industry structural issues, and impact of farm profitability on ability to implement new people practices. Participants’ vision of the future dairy workplace was one that is highly dynamic, more open to consumers and the community, and largely data-driven. We suggest that dairy workplace research priorities focus on the design and testing of new systems to provide people with meaningful work and a good lifestyle, without compromising profit. Specific priorities include using new ways of connecting and communicating to create engaged and effective teams, developing flexible farm teams who deeply understand their role in the value chain and the consumer connection, defining the opportunity for technology to make the job easier and more enjoyable, developing farm systems that are safe, innovative, and provide a good career, and helping farming businesses demonstrate their people performance to consumers.
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Ozik, Jonathan, Justin M. Wozniak, Nicholson Collier, Charles M. Macal, and Mickaël Binois. "A population data-driven workflow for COVID-19 modeling and learning." International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications 35, no. 5 (September 2021): 483–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10943420211035164.
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CityCOVID is a detailed agent-based model that represents the behaviors and social interactions of 2.7 million residents of Chicago as they move between and colocate in 1.2 million distinct places, including households, schools, workplaces, and hospitals, as determined by individual hourly activity schedules and dynamic behaviors such as isolating because of symptom onset. Disease progression dynamics incorporated within each agent track transitions between possible COVID-19 disease states, based on heterogeneous agent attributes, exposure through colocation, and effects of protective behaviors of individuals on viral transmissibility. Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, CityCOVID model outputs have been provided to city, county, and state stakeholders in response to evolving decision-making priorities, while incorporating emerging information on SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology. Here we demonstrate our efforts in integrating our high-performance epidemiological simulation model with large-scale machine learning to develop a generalizable, flexible, and performant analytical platform for planning and crisis response.
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Venkatraman, Sitalakshmi, Tony de Souza-Daw, and Samuel Kaspi. "Improving employment outcomes of career and technical education students." Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 8, no. 4 (November 12, 2018): 469–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/heswbl-01-2018-0003.
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Purpose In this rapidly changing world, we are experiencing the fourth industrial revolution, known as “Industry 4.0,” that requires education systems to redesign qualifications in order to meet the needs of an individual and the workplace of the digitized economy. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the relatively new approaches being explored mainly in the UK and Australia within the higher education (HE) sector and to propose a framework with selected career training pathways for the tertiary education system within the Australian context. The implementation plan postulated from the reports of recent studies conducted in England’s apprenticeship system is intended as a guideline for facilitating a sustainable career and technical education (CTE) with three pillars of innovation, integration and collaboration in order to improve employment outcomes required for the digitized economy in Australia. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a descriptive, pragmatic research methodology to review and analyze education methods found in contemporary degree and vocation programs, particularly the degree apprenticeships adopted in England. This approach is used to explore, explain and develop a framework for student-centric apprenticeship options in CTE with graduate outcomes in the re-designed HE programs to successfully meet the needs of Industry 4.0 workplaces in Australia. Findings A student-centric framework is designed for HE programs with a proposal to include practical variations in apprenticeships to embrace flexible structures and industry responsiveness. The paper develops tactical plans and implementation flowcharts for the proposed framework with four CTE pathways, such as degree apprenticeships, start-up focus degrees, tailored studies and multiple majors that are designed for tertiary education programs to meet the dynamically changing employment needs of industry. Originality/value This proposal is a relatively new approach to improve employment outcomes of students undergoing degrees and vocational education with a focus on apprenticeship in four different forms. The strength of this pragmatic approach is in providing an insight into “what works” through a set of flexible, sustainable and practical implementation plan for the proposed CTE pathway framework in order to meet the future need of re-skilling and training for the digital economy.