Migrant domestic workers' character strengths and the role of work‐related factors: A strengths‐based perspective

Burnout: the state of the art Burnout: the state of the art This manuscript presents an overview of the state-of-the-art in burnout research. Burnout is a work-related syndrome of extreme fatigue (exhaustion), distancing from work (cynicism), and low levels of professional efficacy, that is rooted in either the characteristics of one’s job or on individual’s way of coping with these characteristics. Being a work-related phenomenon, burnout can be distinguished from other, more general mental illness such as depression. Further, burnout and engagement can be distinguished as well.Burnout can be assessed by asking workers about their personal and subjective experience of their health. Objective ways of measuring burnout (e.g., using psychophysiological measures) have as yet not been useful. The emphasis on burnout as a work-related phenomenon is also evident from current theoretical perspectives. On the one hand, these perspectives highlight the role of work-related factors, whereas on the other hand these perspectives focus on the role of personality characteristics such as neuroticism and (over-)commitment. Burnout affects the organization as well as individual workers; it is related to elevated levels of sickness absence, a higher risk of work disability, and a lower level of work performance. Both person-directed and organization-directed interventions may affect burnout positively.

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Translating People and Policy: The Role of Maid Agents in Brokering between Employers and Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore’s Migration Industry

International Migration Review ◽

10.1177/0197918319897570 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 992-1015

Author(s):

Kellynn Wee ◽

Charmian Goh ◽

Brenda S.A. Yeoh

Keyword(s):

Migrant Workers ◽

Migrant Worker ◽

Domestic Workers ◽

Labor Migrants ◽

Labor Market Intermediaries ◽

International Labor ◽

Language Brokers ◽

Working And Living Conditions ◽

Migrant Domestic Workers

There has been a surge of recent interest in the migration industries that facilitate the movement of migrants, particularly that of low-waged laborers engaged in temporary contracts abroad. This article extends this research to include migration brokers working in destination contexts, thus drawing analytical attention to the arrival infrastructures that incorporate migrants into host societies. Based on ethnographic research involving the employment agents who recruit women migrating from Indonesia to work as migrant domestic workers in Singapore, we use the concept of “translation” as a broad theoretical metaphor to understand how brokers actively fashion knowledge between various actors, scales, interfaces, and entities. First, we argue that through the interpretation of language, brokers continually modulate meaning in the encounters between potential employers and employees at the agency shopfront, reproducing particular dynamics of power between employers and workers while coperforming the hirability of the migrant worker. Second, we show how brokers operate within the discretionary space between multiple sets of regulations in order to selectively inscribe the text of policy into migrant workers’ lives. By interrogating the process of translation and clarifying the latitude migration brokers have in shaping the working and living conditions of international labor migrants, the article contributes to the growing conceptual literature on how labor-market intermediaries contour migration markets.

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De invloed van psychosociale en fysieke werkgerelateerde factoren op vroegpensioen in elf Europese landen

Gedrag & Organisatie ◽

10.5117/2011.024.004.453 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Suzan J.W. Robroek ◽

Tilja I.J. Van den Berg ◽

Alex Burdorf

Keyword(s):

Early Retirement ◽

European Countries ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Related Factors ◽

Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽

Early Exit ◽

Work Related ◽

Share Study

The role of work-related factors on early retirement in 11 European countries The role of work-related factors on early retirement in 11 European countries Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 24, November 2011, nr. 4, pp. 451-463.With the ageing population there is a need to increase work participation. The longitudinal ‘Survey on Health and Ageing in Europe’ (SHARE-study) makes it possible to identify possible predictors of early retirement. The hypothesis is that poor working conditions might predict early retirement. The SHARE-study contains data from 4,673 workers aged 50-60 year with paid employment at baseline and information on work status during the four-year follow-up. During the follow-up period 14% of the workers exited the workforce due to early retirement. A low educational level, excessive alcohol consumption, a reduced self-perceived health, and a lack of job control were the most important predictors of early retirement. Preventive interventions aimed to prevent health problems might contribute to the prevention of early exit from work.

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Where to Look for Change?

European Journal of Migration and Law ◽

10.1163/15718166-12340021 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 83-107

Author(s):

Vera Pavlou

Keyword(s):

Domestic Workers ◽

Legal Scholarship ◽

Significant Growth ◽

Modern Slavery ◽

Forced Labour ◽

And Migration ◽

Migration Law ◽

Corrective Lens ◽

Migrant Domestic Workers

Abstract Once an overlooked theme in legal scholarship, the legal treatment of migrant domestic workers has recently seen a significant growth of scholarly interest. In European legal scholarship, much of the focus has been on severe forms of exploitation such as slavery, forced labour and trafficking. While extreme abuses of migrant domestic workers certainly do take place in Europe, they are only part of the story. This article critiques the turn to modern slavery and trafficking as the dominant frame for analysing migrant domestic workers’ vulnerability in Europe and proposes a corrective lens. I argue that it is instead more useful, and potentially more deeply transformative, to comparatively examine the role of national labour and migration law regimes in the regulation of migrant domestic workers, as well as, the role of eu law in constructing and challenging these regimes.

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Exposure to Adverse Social Behavior in the Workplace and Sickness Presenteeism among Korean Workers: The Mediating Effects of Musculoskeletal Disorders

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph15102198 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 2198 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sookja Choi ◽

Yunjeong Yi ◽

Jiyun Kim

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Working Environment ◽

Related Factors ◽

Sickness Presenteeism ◽

Work Related ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Health Related

Adverse social behavior (ASB) by colleagues or superiors in the workplace is considered highly stressful for workers in South Korea. The authors investigate the mechanism by which ASB reduces productivity (measured in terms of sickness presenteeism (SP)), by examining the potential mediating role of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). All data are derived from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey, which investigated a representative sample of the working population. The authors analyze their general characteristics (age, gender, income, and education), work-related factors (job type, occupational ergonomic risk, job resource, employment contract, work schedule, working hour, and job demand), and health-related factors (self-rated health and MSDs). The authors use a two-step regression analysis to estimate the direct effect of ASB on SP and the indirect effect of SP via MSDs. The authors find that MSDs mediate 16.7% of the total effect of ASB on SP. When employment type and job conditions are considered, the role of the mediating variable in the group with a permanent contract, no shift or night work, and high working time is greater than the counterpart of each variable. Various strategies are needed to address MSDs according to the working environment, which might help limit the negative impact of ASB on SP.

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EXAMINING THE ROLE OF ADVERSITY AND POSITIVE LIFE EVENTS IN THE RELATION BETWEEN GRATITUDE AND WELL-BEING

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3378 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S928-S928

Author(s):

Omar E Staben ◽

Frank Infurna ◽

Kevin Grimm ◽

Suniya Luthar

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Character Strengths ◽

Well Being ◽

Major Life ◽

Family Work ◽

Work Related ◽

Positive Life Events ◽

Positive Experiences

Abstract Character strengths are emerging as a key outcome of interest in midlife and old age. One key avenue that has been largely unexplored is what the key antecedents are and the moderating role of adversity and positive life events experiences. The limited current research on the topic has examined the direct relations among character strengths and well-being, whereas less is known regarding the role of negative and positive experiences, which may provide a better understanding of what contributes to character strengths. This study explores whether major life adversities (i.e. personal, family, work related) and positive life events (i.e. job promotion, engagement, vacations) experiences are associated with character strengths— namely gratitude, and well-being. We use data from a sample of participants in midlife (n=362, ages 50-65) who completed monthly online surveys for a period of two years. Multilevel models showed that greater adversity was associated with poorer well-being, whereas positive life events were predictive of higher overall well-being. Individuals’ experience of fewer positive life events was associated with stronger increases in well-being when individuals expressed more gratitude. Conversely, adversity was associated with increasing well-being when individuals expressed more gratitude. Collectively, our findings provide evidence for the role of adversity and positive life experiences to the extent that character strengths have the potential to shape the course of development in adulthood. Our discussion focuses on the potential links that underlie our findings and how they can inform interventions aimed at mitigating the consequences of adversity.

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The Effect of Emotional Labor on Presenteeism of Chinese Nurses in Tertiary-Level Hospitals: The Mediating Role of Job Burnout

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.733458 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Jia Song ◽

Fang Liu ◽

Xiaowei Li ◽

Zhan Qu ◽

Rongqiang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Emotional Labor ◽

Job Burnout ◽

Total Effect ◽

Tertiary Level ◽

Surface Acting ◽

Related Factors ◽

Deep Acting ◽

Work Related

Background: Employees who are physically present but work insufficiently because of illness are deemed as having presenteeism. In the health care setting, the issue has taken on greater importance because of the impairment of the physical and mental health of nurses and the nursing safety of the patients. According to the Job Demand-Resource Model, burnout may link emotional labor with presenteeism. Thus, this study analyzed the role of burnout as a mediating factor between the three types of emotional labor strategies and presenteeism among nurses in tertiary-level hospitals.Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1,038 nurses from six Chinese hospitals was conducted. The questionnaires, including the 14-item emotional labor strategies scale, 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory scale, 6-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale, and items about demographic characteristics and work-related factors, were used to collect data. A multivariable linear regression was used to predict work-related factors and investigate the correlation of emotional labor, burnout, and presenteeism. The structural equation model was implemented to test the mediating effects of job burnout.Results: The results of the study showed that the average presenteeism score of the participants was 14.18 (4.33), which is higher than in Spanish, Portuguese, and Brazilian nurses. Presenteeism was explained by 22.8% of the variance in the final model in multivariable linear regression (P < 0.01). Presenteeism was found to be positively correlated with surface acting, emotionally expressed demands, deep acting, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment (P < 0.01). Notably, presenteeism was negatively correlated with deep acting (P < 0.01). In addition, burnout partially mediated the correlation between emotionally expressed demands, deep acting, and presenteeism with a mediatory effect of 24 and 63.31% of the total effect. Burnout completely mediated the association between surface acting and presenteeism, a mediating effect of 86.44% of the total effect.Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that different emotional labor strategies affect presenteeism, either directly or indirectly. Nursing managers should intervene to reduce presenteeism by improving the ability of the nurses to manage emotions, thereby alleviating burnout.

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The art of labour organizing: Participatory art and migrant domestic workers’ self-organizing in London

Human Relations ◽

10.1177/0018726719890664 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 001872671989066 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zhe Jiang ◽

Marek Korczynski

Keyword(s):

Domestic Workers ◽

Ideal Type ◽

Organizational Processes ◽

Participatory Art ◽

Art Practices ◽

Self Organizing ◽

Migrant Domestic Workers

There has been an upsurge of interest regarding how actors engage with art within organizational processes. However, scholars have tended not to study the role of art within contemporary collective labour organizing. This article focuses on how participatory art may support flat, participative labour organizing, particularly among marginalized, relatively powerless workers. We present an ethnographic account of how art practices are deeply embedded within the flat organizing processes of Justice for Domestic Workers, a self-organizing group of migrant domestic workers in London. We reflect on this case to theorize the art of flat organizing, an ideal type of a set of participatory art practices that are compatible with and supportive of flat labour organizing.

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