scholarly journals Informal care-giving and the intention to give up employment: the role of perceived supervisor behaviour in a cohort of German employees

Author(s):  
Diego Montano ◽  
Richard Peter

AbstractCurrent social policies in the European Union addressing employment, retirement and long-term care are expected to result in increasing employment rates among informal carers. The present investigation contributes to previous research by focusing on how specific work-related factors, in this case supervisor behaviour, may facilitate the fulfilment of the demands arising from paid work and care and ultimately influence the desire to give up employment. To this end, population data from the German Cohort Study on Work, Age, Health and Work Participation conducted in 2011 and 2014 are analysed (n = 3916). Three research hypotheses investigating the associations between care-giving, supervisor behaviour, the intention to give up employment and work-private-life conflict are tested by means of cumulative link models. The results suggest that the intention to give up employment is stronger among employed carers. In addition, the perception that one’s supervisor is considerate towards subordinates and is effective in planning, coordinating work and solving conflicts is found to be negatively related to the desire to give up employment, especially among carers. The statistical analyses reveal that supervisor behaviour mediates the association between the level of work-private-life conflict and the intention to give up employment. It is concluded that the working conditions may exert a substantial influence on the levels of psychosocial load carers experience by facilitating or hindering the extent to which carers are allowed to accommodate their work schedules and job assignments to the conflicting demands of their dual role as workers and carers.

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Lippényi ◽  
Tanja van der Lippe

Care leave applications in Dutch workplaces Care leave applications in Dutch workplaces A substantial number of people combine work and care in the Netherlands and Dutch law entitles employees to take short-term and long-term care leave if necessary. Although most employers are willing to honor care leave requests, workers make only limited use of this possibility. There is relatively little known in the literature about how organizational and work-related factors influence applying for care leave within organizations. To answer this question, we use the Labor Demand Panel [Arbeidsvraagpanel] 2011 by the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning Office [SCP]. Multiple regression analyses show that at the level of work autonomy and part-time work at the organization substitute the need for care leave. Care-friendly organizational culture and employee representation facilitate applying for care-leave, while possible barriers for applications (such as high workload and economic problems within the organization) have little impact on applying for care leave. Applying for long-term leave is scantly influenced by organizational factors, although having a works council facilitates applying for this leave option as well. We conclude emphasizing the importance of self-organization and care-friendly organizational design for informal caretakers.


Work ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-432
Author(s):  
Marjon D.F. van Eijsden-Besseling ◽  
Karien A.M. van den Bergh ◽  
J. Bart Staal ◽  
Rob A. de Bie ◽  
Rob J.E.M. Smeets ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Joanna Gaitens ◽  
Marian Condon ◽  
Eseosa Fernandes ◽  
Melissa McDiarmid

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a number of added obstacles to safe employment for already-challenged essential workers. Essential workers not employed in the health sector generally include racially diverse, low-wage workers whose jobs require close interaction with the public and/or close proximity to their coworkers, placing them at increased risk of infection. A narrative review facilitated the analyses of health outcome data in these workers and contributing factors to illness related to limited workplace protections and a lack of organizational support. Findings suggest that this already marginalized population may also be at increased risk of “moral injury” due to specific work-related factors, such as limited personal protective equipment (PPE) and the failure of the employer, as the safety and health “duty holder,” to protect workers. Evidence suggests that ethical and, in some cases, legally required safety protections benefit not only the individual worker, but an employer’s enterprise and the larger community which can retain access to resilient, essential services.


BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e055827
Author(s):  
Helene Seljenes Dalum ◽  
Reidar Tyssen ◽  
Erlend Hem

ObjectivesSeveral studies have shown increased suicide rates among veterinarians. We investigated the self-reported prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and contributing and independent factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours among veterinarians in Norway.DesignCross-sectional, nationwide survey.Participants2596 veterinarians in Norway (response rate: 75%).Main outcome measurePaykel’s five-item questionnaire.ResultsIn total, 27% (n=682/2567) of veterinarians in Norway felt that life was not worth living during the last year, 5% (n=139/2562) had serious suicidal thoughts, and 0.2% (n=6/2537) had attempted suicide. Female veterinarians reported significantly higher prevalence of suicidal feelings and thoughts than males. For serious suicidal thoughts, women had nearly twice the prevalence as their male colleagues (6.2% (n=108/1754) vs 3.6% (n=28/766), χ2: 6.5, p=0.011). Independent factors associated with serious suicidal thoughts were being single (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.72, p<0.05), negative life events (OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.68, p<0.001) and the presence of mental distress (OR 2.75, 95% CI 2.14 to 3.52, p<0.001). The veterinarians related their serious suicidal thoughts to work and personal problems, and a lesser degree to family, social and other problems. Nearly twice as many women (53%, n=57/108) as men (28%, n=7/25) reported work problems as the most important contributing factor to their serious suicidal thoughts (χ2: 4.99, p=0.03). 4% (n=6/139) reported work problems as the only factor of importance.ConclusionsVeterinarians in Norway have relatively high prevalence of suicidal feelings and thoughts, including serious suicidal thoughts. In multivariable analyses, the individual factors were more important than work-related ones, while work problems were the most reported contributing factor to serious suicidal thoughts by the veterinarians themselves. The role of gender and specific work-related factors should be further investigated to better understand the complexity of suicidal behaviour among veterinarians.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
E. Randolph Soo Hoo ◽  
Stephen L. Demeter

Abstract Referring agents may ask independent medical evaluators if the examinee can return to work in either a normal or a restricted capacity; similarly, employers may ask external parties to conduct this type of assessment before a hire or after an injury. Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are used to measure agility and strength, but they have limitations and use technical jargon or concepts that can be confusing. This article clarifies key terms and concepts related to FCEs. The basic approach to a job analysis is to collect information about the job using a variety of methods, analyze the data, and summarize the data to determine specific factors required for the job. No single, optimal job analysis or validation method is applicable to every work situation or company, but the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offers technical standards for each type of validity study. FCEs are a systematic method of measuring an individual's ability to perform various activities, and results are matched to descriptions of specific work-related tasks. Results of physical abilities/agilities tests are reported as “matching” or “not matching” job demands or “pass” or “fail” meeting job criteria. Individuals who fail an employment physical agility test often challenge the results on the basis that the test was poorly conducted, that the test protocol was not reflective of the job, or that levels for successful completion were inappropriate.


Crisis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Alderson ◽  
Xavier Parent-Rocheleau ◽  
Brian Mishara

Background: Research shows that there is a high prevalence of suicide among nurses. Despite this, it has been 15 years since the last literature review on the subject was published. Aim: The aim of this article is to review the knowledge currently available on the risk of suicide among nurses and on contributory risk factors. Method: A search was conducted in electronic databases using keywords related to prevalence and risk factors of suicide among nurses. The abstracts were analyzed by reviewers according to selection criteria. Selected articles were submitted to a full-text review and their key elements were summarized. Results: Only nine articles were eligible for inclusion in this review. The results of this literature review highlight both the troubling high prevalence of suicide among nurses as well as the persistent lack of studies that examine this issue. Conclusion: Considering that the effects of several factors related to nurses' work and work settings are associated with high stress, distress, or psychiatric problems, we highlight the relevance of investigating work-related factors associated with nurses' risk of suicide. Several avenues for future studies are discussed as well as possible research methods.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Al-Adsani ◽  
K. Khudadah ◽  
H. Ali ◽  
O. Booz ◽  
M. Moussa ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Farrow ◽  
Anthony Ahrens ◽  
Kathleen C. Gunthert ◽  
Jay Schulkin

We assessed neuroticism, perceived stress, and work-related factors among obstetrician-gynecologists (ob-gyns), and examined the relationships between these variables. Surveys were sent to 500 physician members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and we received 287 (57.4%) completed responses. Analyses included descriptive statistics and linear regressions. Ob-gyns reported high levels of perceived stress. After controlling for neuroticism, variables that significantly predicted stress levels included average hours worked, perception of working too many hours, colleague support for work–home balance, isolation due to gender/cultural differences, and perception of workplace control. Because these work-related factors are linked to stress even when controlling for neuroticism, administrators and physicians may consider whether any of these factors are modifiable to mitigate physician stress. This in turn may affect physicians' own health and the quality of care patients receive.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110233
Author(s):  
Kostas Dimopoulos ◽  
Christos Koutsampelas ◽  
Anna Tsatsaroni

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments worldwide to produce solutions to the abruptly interrupted work in education. School systems appear to have responded rapidly, creating home schooling and online educational environments, where teachers and students would interact with safety. In this paper, we attempt a synthesis of Sen’s capability approach, Bourdieu’s theory of capital and Bernstein’s framework in order to theorize the relationships between home and school conditions and practices, and to analyse the data of the 2nd Survey of Schools: ICT in Education (a survey conducted in 2019 on behalf of the European Commission collecting data regarding digitalization in education and digital technologies in learning in the European Union). The survey is complemented by a second set of indicators provided by Eurostat to further investigate the availability and functionality of household space per family in selected European countries. We find significant differences in important social and environmental conversion factors, likely limiting children’s capability to benefit from digital schooling. The most important differences are found in regard to parents’ familiarity with information and communications technology use, while inequalities in environmental factors, such as overcrowded housing, are also existent. Overall, there are large inequalities within and between countries in Europe, which need to be addressed by policymakers.


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