scholarly journals Working conditions, health and retirement intentions: a case study of truck drivers

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês C. Sousa ◽  
Sara Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Retirement Intentions

Purpose Being a professional truck driver implies prolonged exposure to physical and psychosocial risks, which can affect health and work ability in the short and long term. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of working conditions in truck drivers’ perceived health and retirement intentions in a Portuguese transportation company. Design/methodology/approach Using ergonomic work analysis (EWA), this study incorporates document analysis, observation and 16 interviews. Content analysis is applied to interviews’ transcripts. Findings In line with previous research, drivers acknowledged their activity as physically demanding (e.g. static postures, repetitive movements, heavy lifting) and psychologically demanding (e.g. high time pressure, lack of control, lack of work–family balance). Despite that, drivers report themselves to be in good health, with only some complaints related to back and knee pain. However, hard working conditions associated with ageing can contribute to gradual health deterioration, leading them to desire to retire before the legal retirement age. Practical implications The company can promote drivers’ health by creating a unit to provide psychosocial support and career orientation, improving the mentoring programme, and investing in training on occupational risk prevention. Originality/value This study is the first to use EWA to examine the impact of the complex relationship between truck drivers’ work and health in their retirement intentions, adopting a temporal perspective.

Every coin has two sides: the impact of time pressure on employees’ knowledge hiding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianchun Zhang ◽  
Zhu Yao ◽  
Wan Qunchao ◽  
Fu-Sheng Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Job Security ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Time pressure is the most common kind of work pressure that employees face in the workplace; the existing research results on the effect of time pressure are highly controversial (positive, negative, inverted U-shaped). Especially in the era of knowledge economy, there remains a research gap in the impact of time pressure on individual knowledge hiding. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of different time pressure (challenge and hindrance) on knowledge hiding and to explain why there is controversy about the effect of time pressure in the academics. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected two waves of data and surveyed 341 R&D employees in China. Moreover, they used regression analysis, bootstrapping and Johnson–Neyman statistical technique to verify research hypotheses. Findings The results show that challenge time pressure (CTP) has a significant negative effect on knowledge hiding, whereas hindrance time pressure (HTP) has a significant positive effect on knowledge hiding; job security mediates the relationship between time pressure and knowledge hiding; temporal leadership strengthen the positive impact of CTP on job security; temporal leadership can mitigate the negative impact of HTP on job security. Originality/value The findings not only respond to the academic debate about the effect of time pressure and point out the reasons for the controversy but also enhance the scholars’ attention and understanding of the internal mechanism between time pressure and knowledge hiding.

Intelligent and efficient? An empirical analysis of human–AI collaboration for truck drivers in retail logistics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Loske ◽  
Matthias Klumpp
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Econometric Model ◽  
Efficiency Analysis ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
The Impact

PurposeTechnological advances regarding artificial intelligence (AI) are affecting the transport sector. Although fully autonomous delivery, or self-driving trucks, are not operating currently, various AI applications have become fixed components of cargo vehicles. Since many research approaches primarily concentrate on the technical aspects of assistance systems (ASs), the economic question of how to improve efficiency is seldom addressed. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to apply an efficiency analysis to measure the performance of truck drivers supplying retail stores.Design/methodology/approachFor this comparative study, 90 professional truck drivers in three groups are compared with (1) trucks without AS, (2) trucks with AS that cannot be turned off and (3) trucks with AS that can be turned off. First, we build a model investigating the impact of performance expectation, effort expectation, social influence and facilitating conditions on the behavioural intention to use AS. Second, we explore the impact of truck drivers' behavioural intention on actual technology use, misuse and disuse; operationalize these constructs; and merge them with our behavioural constructs to create one econometric model.FindingsThe human–AI system was found to be the most efficient. Additionally, behavioural intention to use ASs did not lead to actual usage in the AI-alone observation group, but did in the human–AI group. Several in-depth analyses showed that the AI-alone group used AS at a higher level than the human–AI group, but manipulations through, for example, kickdowns or manual break operations led to conscious overriding of the cruise control system and, consequently, to higher diesel consumption, higher variable costs and lower efficiency of transport logistical operations.Research limitations/implicationsEfficiency analysis with data envelopment analysis is, by design, limited by the applied input and output factors.Originality/valueThis study represents one of the first quantitative efficiency analyses of the impact of digitalization on transport performance (i.e. truck driver efficiency). Furthermore, we build an econometric model combining behavioural aspects with actual technology usage in a real application scenario.

The impact of working conditions on the health of taxi drivers in an urban metropolis

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 671-686
Author(s):  
Husayn Marani ◽  
Brenda Roche ◽  
Laura Anderson ◽  
Minnie Rai ◽  
Payal Agarwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Taxi Drivers ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis descriptive qualitative study explores how working conditions impact the health of taxi drivers in Toronto, Canada.Design/methodology/approachDrivers were recruited between September 2016 and March 2017. A total of 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews and one focus group (n = 11) were conducted. Transcripts were analyzed inductively through a socioecological lens.FindingsThe findings of this study are as follows: drivers acknowledged that job precariousness (represented by unstable employment, long hours and low wages) and challenging workplace conditions (sitting all day and limited breaks) contribute to poor physical/mental health. Also, these conditions undermine opportunities to engage in health-protective behaviors (healthy eating, regularly exercising and taking breaks). Drivers do not receive health-enabling reinforcements from religious/cultural networks, colleagues or their taxi brokerage. Drivers do seek support from their primary care providers and family for their physical health but remain discreet about their mental health.Research limitations/implicationsAs this study relied on a convenience sample, the sample did not represent all Toronto taxi drivers. All interviews were completed in English and all drivers were male, thus limiting commentary on other experiences and any gender differences in health management approaches among drivers.Practical implicationsGiven the global ubiquity of taxi driving and an evolving workplace environment characterized by growing competition, findings are generalizable across settings and may resonate with other precarious professions, including long-haul truck operators and Uber/Lyft drivers. Findings also expose areas for targeted intervention outside the workplace setting.Originality/valueHealth management among taxi drivers is understudied. A fulsome, socioecological understanding of how working conditions (both within and outside the workplace) impact their health is essential in developing targeted interventions to improve health outcomes.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on conventional work settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 909-927
Author(s):  
Randa Diab-Bahman ◽  
Abrar Al-Enzi
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeTo give insight into human resource (HR) policy makers of the impact of the abrupt change in working conditions as reported from their primary stakeholders – the employees.Design/methodology/approachReported from a first-person point of view, 192 employees from Kuwait who are currently working from home were surveyed as to how the lockdown circumstances have impacted their conventional work expectations. The study compares the old working conditions (OWC) to the current working conditions (CWC) to give insight into the overall sentiments of the abrupt changes to the workplace.FindingsIt was found that most employees agreed that OWC need to be reviewed, and that the general sentiment was almost equally split on the efficiency of CWC in comparison to OWC, yet the majority was enjoying the flexible conditions. Moreover, the majority of respondents found that overall conventional work elements either remained the same or had been impacted positively rather than negatively. Also, if given an option of a hybrid model inclusive of partly working remotely and partly working on-site, a considerable majority reported that they are able to efficiently conduct atleast 80% of their work expectation. Finally, it was found that employee expectation is changing as they consider post COVID-19 conditions.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted using virtual crowd-sourcing methods to administer the survey and may have been enhanced should other methods have been integrated for data gathering. Also, a more comprehensive phenomenological approach could have been incorporated to add a qualitative method to the investigation. This could have freed the results of answer limitation and experience bias. Moreover, it is good practice to involve both quantitative and qualitative elements to any research when possible. Finally, future research can benefit from a bigger pool of participants so as to gain a clearer picture.Originality/valueThis research will give policy makers a look at what needs to be reviewed/changed for a successful roll-out of remote work in accordance with their original strategies.

scholarly journals Light-Mediated Decreases in Cyclic di-GMP Levels Inhibit Structure Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Juliane Kahl ◽  
Alexa Price-Whelan ◽  
Lars E. P. Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Matrix Production ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Light is known to trigger regulatory responses in diverse organisms, including slime molds, animals, plants, and phototrophic bacteria. However, light-dependent processes in nonphototrophic bacteria, and those of pathogens in particular, have received comparatively little research attention. In this study, we examined the impact of light on multicellular development in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a leading cause of biofilm-based bacterial infections. We grew P. aeruginosa strain PA14 in a colony morphology assay and found that growth under prolonged exposure to low-intensity blue light inhibited biofilm matrix production and thereby the formation of vertical biofilm structures (i.e., “wrinkles”). Light-dependent inhibition of biofilm wrinkling was correlated with low levels of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP), consistent with the role of this signal in stimulating matrix production. A screen of enzymes with the potential to catalyze c-di-GMP synthesis or degradation identified c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases that contribute to light-dependent inhibition of biofilm wrinkling. One of these, RmcA, was previously characterized by our group for its role in mediating the effect of redox-active P. aeruginosa metabolites called phenazines on biofilm wrinkle formation. Our results suggest that an RmcA sensory domain that is predicted to bind a flavin cofactor is involved in light-dependent inhibition of wrinkling. Together, these findings indicate that P. aeruginosa integrates information about light exposure and redox state in its regulation of biofilm development. IMPORTANCE Light exposure tunes circadian rhythms, which modulate the immune response and affect susceptibility to infection in plants and animals. Though molecular responses to light are defined for model plant and animal hosts, analogous pathways that function in bacterial pathogens are understudied. We examined the response to light exposure in biofilms (matrix-encased multicellular assemblages) of the nonphotosynthetic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that light at intensities that are not harmful to human cells inhibited biofilm maturation via effects on cellular signals. Because biofilm formation is a critical factor in many types of P. aeruginosa infections, including burn wound infections that may be exposed to light, these effects could be relevant for pathogenicity.

Analyzing time pressure for software economics

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 758-777
Author(s):  
Seher Razzaq ◽  
Jianglin Huang ◽  
Hongyi Sun ◽  
Min Xie
Keyword(s):  
Communication Complexity ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Software Economics ◽  
Free Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The research on people and project factors is found extensively in general but not specific to software engineering. Secondly, the existing research has not concentrated on the communication and time complexity of the teams on software economics. The purpose this paper is to develop a model to investigate and quantify the impact of time pressure (TP) on software economics through the communication influence of software team sizes (TS). Design/methodology/approach A research model and five hypotheses are developed based on the gaps in the literature. The data set from International Software Benchmarking Standards Group repository is used for testing the hypotheses. Findings Important findings include: smaller TS tends to exert less TP on average; TP is directly proportional to software economics, however; and TP does not affect the productivity required for the software. Research limitations/implications The study has the following implications: Selection of an appropriate TS for project completion that ensures minimum pressure on team members; and maximize software outcomes in stress-free environment. Practical implications This work is useful for organizations carrying out software projects with teamwork. The project managers can benefit from the results while planning the team factors for achieving the project goals. Social implications The results uphold not to exert pressure on the team as it will not only affect the duly completion of the project but also the well-being of employees. Originality/value The paper is the first one where the proposition of TP estimation is done using TS and communication complexity, and empirically evaluating the impact of TP on four major software economics are the major key contributions of this research work.

The impact of effort-oriented epistemological beliefs on mentoring support

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frankie J. Weinberg ◽  
Jay P. Mulki ◽  
Melenie J. Lankau
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of mentor beliefs about effort related to the knowledge and learning process on their extent of mentoring at work, and to determine the role that the mentor’s perception of psychological safety plays in tempering this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted at an 820-member organization maintenance and operations organization consisting of a number of professions in which apprenticeship-style learning is prevalent. Data collection resulted in 570 members self-identifying as having mentored a less experienced colleague. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm that the measurement instrument represents one unified factor, and a structural equation modelling approach was used to assess the relationships among the study’s latent variables. Findings – Results reveal that mentors who hold sophisticated effort-oriented beliefs are more likely to offer psychosocial support to their protégés. Further, although the relationship between effort-oriented beliefs and vocational support is not significant, the mentor’s perception of a psychologically safe work environment significantly moderates both sets of relationships. Research limitations/implications – As approximately 88 per cent of respondents work in service, as opposed to administrative groups, caution should be exercised in generalizing this study’s findings to the general workforce population. Further, the present study did not differentiate mentors who identified a current or previous subordinate as their protégé from those whose protégés were not a subordinate, nor did the authors differentiate formal from informal mentoring relationships. Thus, further investigation is needed to determine whether our hypothesized relationships differ in any unique manifestations of mentoring relationships at work. Practical implications – By providing a better understanding of the relationship between effort-oriented beliefs and mentoring at work, this study may help in the design of more effective mentoring relationships and ultimately enhance knowledge management and workplace learning. Originality/value – There is no previous research that investigates how one’s cognitions about the effort associated with the knowledge and learning process, in particular, influence mentoring at work. This study provides a model for understanding and developing enhanced mentoring relationships, which are considered a critical element of organizational learning.

scholarly journals All precarious? Institutional change and turning points in labour market trajectories in Spain

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martí López Andreu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Employment Protection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Work And Employment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of changes in employment regulation in Spain on individual labour market trajectories. It is well known that the Spanish labour market has been strongly hit by the 2007 recession. Furthermore, after 2010 and in the benchmark of “austerity”, several reforms were implemented to further flexibilise employment regulation. At the same time, public sector budgets suffered severe cutbacks, that impacted working conditions and prospects of public sector workers. These reforms were implemented by different governments and substantially changed previous existing patterns of employment. This paper explains how these reforms have reinforced previous existing trends towards greater flexibility and weaker employment protection and how they lead to a shift in the position of work in society. Design/methodology/approach The emerging patterns that these changes provoked are illustrated thorough data from narrative biographies of workers affected by a job loss or a downgrading of working conditions. The workers of the sample had relatively stable positions and careers and were affected by changes that substantially modified their paths. Findings The paper shows how reforms have expanded work and employment insecurities and have broken career paths. It demonstrates how the reforms have weakened the position of work and organised labour in society and how, when institutional supports are jeopardised, the capacity to plan and act is harassed by the traditional social inequalities. Originality/value The paper enhances the knowledge about the impact of institutional changes by analysing their effects in individual working lives by means of narrative biographies.

scholarly journals A qualitative exploration of post-migration stressors and psychosocial well-being in two asylum reception centres in Belgium

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Whitehouse ◽  
Ella Lambe ◽  
Sofia Rodriguez ◽  
Umberto Pellecchia ◽  
Aurelie Ponthieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Asylum Seeker ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Daily Stressors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Significant Burden

Purpose Prolonged exposure to daily stressors can have long-term detrimental implications for overall mental health. For asylum seekers in European Union transit or destination countries, navigating life in reception centres can represent a significant burden. The purpose of this study was to explore post-migration stressors during residency in reception centres, and to formulate recommendations for adequate service provision in Belgium. Design/methodology/approach Research was conducted in two reception centres in Belgium. A total of 41 in-depth interviews were carried out with asylum seeker residents (n = 29) and staff (n = 12). Purposive recruitment was used for asylum seekers (for variation in length of centre residency and family status) and staff (variation in job profiles). Interviews were conducted in English, French or with a translator in Arabic or Dari. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and manually coded using thematic analysis. Findings Asylum seekers face significant constraints with regard to their living conditions, including total absence of privacy, overcrowding and unhygienic conditions. These act as continuous and prolonged exposure to daily stressors. Several barriers to accessing activities or integration opportunities prevent meaningful occupation, contribute towards eroded autonomy and isolation of asylum seeker residents. Inadequate capacity and resources for the provision of psychosocial support in reception centres leads to a sense of abandonment and worthlessness. Originality/value Analysis indicates that structural and practical challenges to adequately support asylum seekers are rooted in policy failures necessary for appropriate resourcing and prioritization of preventative measures. Such deliberate decisions contribute towards state deterrence strategies, eroding both individual well-being and manufacturing a crisis in the systems of support for asylum seekers.

Mentoring relationships between doctoral students and postdocs in the lab sciences

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-279
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Blaney ◽  
Jina Kang ◽  
Annie M. Wofford ◽  
David F. Feldon
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Hands On ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Student Socialization ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics doctoral students interact with postdocs within the research laboratory, identifying the nature and potential impacts of student–postdoc mentoring relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 53 doctoral students in the biological sciences, this study uses a sequential mixed-methods design. More specifically, a phenomenological approach enabled the authors to identify how doctoral students make meaning of their interactions with postdocs and other research staff. Descriptive statistics are used to examine how emergent themes might differ as a product of gender and race/ethnicity and the extent to which emergent themes may relate to key doctoral student socialization outcomes. Findings This study reveals six emergent themes, which primarily focus on how doctoral students receive instrumental and psychosocial support from postdocs in their labs. The most frequent emergent theme captures the unique ways in which postdocs provide ongoing, hands-on support and troubleshooting at the lab bench. When examining how this theme plays a role in socialization outcomes, the results suggest that doctoral students who described this type of support from postdocs had more positive mental health outcomes than those who did not describe this type of hands-on support. Originality/value Literature on graduate student mentorship has focused primarily on the impact of advisors, despite recent empirical evidence of a “cascading mentorship” model, in which senior students and staff also play a key mentoring role. This study provides new insights into the unique mentoring role of postdocs, focusing on the nature and potential impacts of student–postdoc interactions.

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