Work - Volume 49, issue 1

Authors: Dhar, Rajib Lochan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The construction industry is considered to be one of the oldest trades of mankind. Even though this industry has shown phenomenal growth in the developing economies like India, hardly any research has been done to understand the living condition and status of the people who have contributed with their sweat and blood for the growth of this industry. OBJECTIVES: The study aims at understanding the living condition of the low income construction workers from one of the small …construction companies of eastern India, from the state of Jharkhand. PARTICIPANTS: In all twelve families staying at the construction site agreed to volunteer. The average age of the respondent parents (i.e. mother as well as father) was 28.5 years. METHODS: Qualitative methods have been used in order to collect the data. Ethnography and photo elicitation was used as a primary method of data collection. Apart from this, in-depth interviews were also conducted with the workers of the construction company. RESULTS: Discussion with the participants led to the emergence of four themes. They were (1) Daily Rituals, (2) Living Condition, (3) Quality of food and (4) Health and Hygiene. The research findings indicate that the conditions at which the workers live at the construction site can be considered to be in a state of pitiful situation which is mainly due to their acute level of poverty. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the study findings, there is an imperative that the societal forerunners, policy makers and philanthropists continue to use research findings to understand the living condition of the low income construction workers and draft strategies accordingly, to improve their status and Quality of Life. Show more

Keywords: Labour, living conditions, health, photograph, manual, stress, qualitative, India

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131654

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 87-105, 2014

Authors: Kawada, Tomoyuki | Otsuka, Toshiaki

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The relationship between job stress and job satisfaction by the follow-up study should be more evaluated for workers' health support. OBJECTIVE: Job stress is strongly affected by the content of the job and the personality of a worker. This study was focused on determining the changes of the job stress and job satisfaction levels over a two-year interval, using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). METHODS: This self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the same 310 …employees of a Japanese industrial company in 2009 and 2011. Sixty-one employees were lost from 371 responders in 2009. Data of 16 items from 57 items graded on a four-point Likert-type scale to measure the job stressors, psycho-physical complaints and support for workers, job overload (six items), job control (three items), support (six items) and job satisfaction score (one item) were selected for the analysis. RESULTS: The age-adjusted partial correlation coefficients for job overload, job control and support were 0.684 (p< 0.001), 0.474 (p< 0.001) and 0.612 (p< 0.001), respectively. The concordance correlation coefficient (and 95% confidence interval indicated within parentheses) for job overload, job control and support were 0.681 (0.616–0.736), 0.473 (0.382–0.555), and 0.623 (0.549–0.687), respectively. There were no significant differences in the mean score for job overload, job control or support, although significant decline in the job satisfaction level was apparent at the end of the two-year period (p< 0.05). There was also a significant decline in the job satisfaction in 2009 and in 2011 for subjects with keeping low job strain. CONCLUSIONS: No significant changes in the scores on the three elements of job stress were observed over the two-year study period, and the job satisfaction level deteriorated significantly during this period. There was a decline in the job satisfaction in the two-year period, although subjects did not suffer from job stress at the same period. Show more

Keywords: Occupational survey, demand-control-support model, questionnaire, agreement, follow-up study

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131658

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 107-111, 2014

Authors: Løvseth, Lise Tevik | Aasland, Olaf Gjerløw | Fridner, Ann | Schenck-Gustafsson, Karin | Jónsdóttir, Lilja Sigrun | Einarsdóttir, Torgerdur | Marini, Massimo | Minucci, Daria | Pavan, Luigi | Götestam, K Gunnar | Linaker, Olav Morten

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Concerns about protecting patient's privacy can interfere with proper stress adaptation which isassociated with physician's health. It is important to investigate relevant organizational confounders to this phenomenon to enable interventions that can ameliorate the subjective burden of patient confidentiality. OBJECTIVES: This study investigatesfactors in the psychosocial work environment that can explain patient confidentiality's prominence in social support seeking among physicians, and if these factors covary differently with support seeking …according to country. PARTICIPANTS: University hospital physicians in four European cities (N=2095) in Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Italy participated in a cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Questionnaire comprised items on psychosocial work environment, basic socio-demographics, presence of formal and informal meetings at work, and measurement of confidentiality as a barrier for support. RESULTS: High role conflict, availability of formal or informal meetings, lack of control over decisions, and lack of control over work pace were predictors of confidentiality as a barrier to support. There were differences between countries in how these factors covaried with confidentiality as a barrier to support. High role conflict was the strongest predictor of confidentiality as a barrier to support across all samples. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial work factors predicted confidentiality as a barrier to support seeking among physicians. It is important to create routines and an organizational framework that ensures both the patient's right to privacy and physician's ability to cope with emotional demanding situations from work. Show more

Keywords: Professional secrecy, doctor, social support, work environment, role conflict

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131725

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 113-121, 2014

Authors: Nilsen, Gudrun | Anderssen, Norman

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A significant part of the population suffers from non-malignant chronic pain that is not treated by pain specialists. No successful long-term treatment exists. The patients have to deal with their condition in collaboration with health personnel establishing treatment programmes under uncertain circumstances with few guidelines. Thus, there is a strong need for knowledge on how patients with chronic non-malignant pain manage their condition. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to explore …how patients with chronic non-malignant pain deal with their condition. METHODS: Twenty patients with chronic non-malignant pain (aged 26–63 in year 2006) told in an open-ended interview situation, how they lived with and dealt with their condition. The interviews were analysed within a phenomenological meaning condensation framework. RESULTS: For all patients the pain was as an integrated part of their life that required huge efforts to cope with. Typically, the patients experienced loneliness, fear of stigmatization and despair because of their unpredictable condition, and they wanted to come back to a normalized daily life, first and foremost by getting back to paid work. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the patients developed individual strategies that were influenced by their local contexts and life situation as well as the pain itself. This may be interpreted in line with Bourdieu's notions of habitus, strategies and social capital. Show more

Keywords: Work, nature, Bourdieu

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131642

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 123-132, 2014

Authors: Nitzsche, Anika | Jung, Julia | Kowalski, Christoph | Pfaff, Holger

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the theoretical development and initial validation of the newly developed Work-Life Balance Culture Scale (WLBCS), an instrument for measuring an organizational culture that promotes the work-life balance of employees. METHODS: In Study 1 (N=498), the scale was developed and its factorial validity tested through exploratory factor analyses. In Study 2 (N=513), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine model fit and retest the …dimensional structure of the instrument. To assess construct validity, a priori hypotheses were formulated and subsequently tested using correlation analyses. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a one-factor model. Results of the bivariate correlation analyses may be interpreted as preliminary evidence of the scale's construct validity. CONCLUSION: The five-item WLBCS is a new and efficient instrument with good overall quality. Its conciseness makes it particularly suitable for use in employee surveys to gain initial insight into a company's perceived work-life balance culture. Show more

Keywords: Work-life balance, organizational culture, validation

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131643

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 133-142, 2014

Authors: Puig-Barrachina, Vanessa | Vanroelen, Christophe | Vives, Alejandra | Martínez, José Miguel | Muntaner, Carles | Levecque, Katia | Benach, Joan | Louckx, Fred

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Precarious employment is becoming an increasingly important social determinant of health inequalities among workers. The way in which contemporary employment arrangements and their health consequences are addressed in empirical research is mostly based on the contract-related or employment instability dimension. A broader conceptual approach including various important characteristics of the degrading of employment conditions and relations is needed. OBJECTIVE: The general objective of this paper is to empirically test …a new multidimensional construct for measuring precarious employment in an existing database. Special focus is on the social distribution of precarious employment. METHODS: A subsample of 21,415 participants in the EU-27 from the Fourth European Working Conditions Survey-2005 was analysed. A cross-sectional study of the social distribution of precarious employment was conducted through the analysis of proportional differences according to gender, social class and credentials for the European Union as a whole and within each country. The 8 dimensions of the employment precariousness construct were represented by 11 indicators. RESULTS: In general, women, workers without supervisory authority, those with fewer credentials, and those living in Eastern and Southern European countries suffer the highest levels of precarious employment. Exceptionally, men, workers with supervisory authority and those with the highest credentials suffer the highest levels of long working hours, schedule unpredictability and uncompensated flexible working times. CONCLUSIONS: This article offers the first validation for an innovative multidimensional conceptualisation of employment precariousness applied to the analysis of existing survey data, showing the unequal distribution of precarious employment across the European labour force. This set of indicators can be useful for monitoring precarious employment. Show more

Keywords: Precarious employment, health inequalities, monitoring, gender, social class

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131645

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 143-161, 2014

Authors: Vaez, Marjan | Josephson, Malin | Vingård, Eva | Voss, Margaretha

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Work-related violence is one of the most serious threats to employee safety and health. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the extent of self-reported violence or threats of violence at work in relation to the general health of public sector employees. METHODS: The study population comprised 9,611 female (83%) and male public employees in Sweden. A questionnaire based on items derived mainly from validated instruments was constructed to cover aspects such as health, lifestyle, …and physical and psychosocial work conditions. RESULTS: One in three employees reported work-related violence, with the highest proportions among psychiatric nurses (79%) and psychiatric attendants (75%). Work-related violence more often affected those who were < 45 years old, worked < 40 hours/week, worked nights, or reported poor health. Regardless of gender, age, hours of work, night work, and type of occupation, exposure to work-related violence was associated with less than good general health, and this relationship was strongest for psychiatric nurses (OR=3.19; 95% CI=1.28–7.98), medical doctors/dentists (OR=2.46; 95% CI=1.35–4.49), compulsory school teachers (OR=2.14; 95% CI=1.33–3.45), and other nurses (OR=1.87; 95% CI=1.23–2.84). CONCLUSIONS: Work-related violence was frequently reported by employees in the most common public sector occupations, and it was associated with poor health in both genders. Show more

Keywords: Psychiatric nurses, medical doctors/dentists, health status, work conditions, health care workers

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131715

Citation: Work, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 163-171, 2014