Working conditions, health and well-being among the scavenger community

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vimal Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Mental Stress ◽  
Job Loss ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter examines the working conditions, health, and well-being among the scavenger community, drawing on the findings from qualitative research, using a mix of participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted in Ladwa, Haryana, Northern India. Through these methods, the study exposes the realities of mental stress that members of scavenger community are experiencing. These stress factors include low wages, irregular salaries, debt, fear of job loss, low status in society, shame attached to work, occupational related diseases, injuries, unpleasant work environment, and caste-based discrimination during work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, exposure to these factors results in high levels of poor health among scavengers. This is an incredibly important study that looks at a highly marginalised group in India, which faces a unique set of challenges in work and in society.

scholarly journals Neoliberal Governmentality and Low-Wage Migrant Labour in India and Singapore

2021 ◽  
pp. 097325862110029
Author(s):  
Mohan J. Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neoliberal Governmentality ◽  
Migrant Labour ◽  
Labour Exploitation ◽  
Comparative Framework ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Drawing on a digital ethnography and in-depth interviews conducted with low-wage migrant workers in hyper-precarious working conditions amidst ongoing neoliberal transformations in India and Singapore, this manuscript offers a comparative framework for examining the limits of pandemic communication. Interrogating the ideology of behaviourism that forms the dominant approach, the narratives point to the organizing role of structures as sites of labour exploitation. The exploitative labour conditions constitute the backdrop amidst which the migrant workers negotiate their health and well-being.

Adaptation to Athletic Retirement and Perceptions About Aging: A Qualitative Study of Retired Olympic Athletes

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Michelle Pannor Silver
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
Athletic Retirement ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Self-perceptions about aging have implications for health and well-being; however, less is known about how these perceptions influence adaptation to major life transitions. The goal of this study was to examine how high-performance athletes’ perceptions about aging influenced their adaptation to athletic retirement. In-depth interviews conducted with 24 retired Olympic athletes using thematic analysis yielded three key themes: (a) perceptions about aging influenced participants’ postretirement exercise habits, (b) perceptions about aging motivated participants to engage in civic activities, and (c) participants who lacked formative perceptions about aging associated their athletic retirement with their own lost sense of purpose. These findings provide evidence that perceptions about aging influence athletes’ adaptation to retirement by directing their subsequent engagement in postretirement activities. Furthermore, this research highlights theoretical implications for the literature regarding embodied processes, retirement transitions, role models, and adaptation to new physical states.

The pandemic and homeless people in the Turin area: the level of housing adequacy shapes experiences and well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Leonardi ◽  
Silvia Stefani
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Homeless Services ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Considering the case study presented, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of the pandemic in local services for homeless people. Drawing from the concept of ontological security, it will be discussed how different services’ levels of “housing adequacy” shaped remarkably different experiences of the pandemic for homeless people and social workers in terms of health protection and agency. Design/methodology/approach This paper focuses on a case study concerning homeless services for people during the COVID-19 pandemic in the metropolitan and suburban area of Turin, in Northern Italy. In-depth interviews with social workers and participant observation during online meetings of workers from the shelters constitute the empirical data that have been collected during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. Findings According to the findings, the pandemic showed shelters as unsafe places that reduce homeless people’s decision power and separate them from the rest of the citizenship. Instead, Housing First projects emerged as imore inclusive and safermore inclusive and safer spaces, able to enhance people’s power over their own lives. The pandemic did not create emerging issues in the homeless services system or discontinuities: rather, it amplified pre-existing problematic aspects. Originality/value The case study presented provides empirical insights to recognise at the political and organisational level the importance of housing as a measure of individual and collective security, calling for an intervention to tackle homelessness in terms of housing policies rather than exclusively social and emergency treatment.

New Model to Promote Well-Being in Work Areas of an Aerospace Industry Facility in Mexicali

2022 ◽  
pp. 150-172
Author(s):  
Carlos Raul Navarro Gonzalez ◽  
Juan Ceballos-Corral ◽  
Olivia Yessenia Vargas-Bernal ◽  
Gustavo Lopez Badilla ◽  
Judith M. Paz-Delgadillo
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Aerospace Industry ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Industrial Operations ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Health And Well Being

This investigation was made to evaluate the health and well-being of workers who made activities in the manufacturing processes of an aerospace industry installed in the city of Mexicali and based on the evidence presented in certain stages of a production line. The cost-benefit of applying ergonomic methods was analyzed, developing a descriptive model, which involved important aspects. Said aspects analyzed were (1) work methods, (2) training of employees in the operational area, (3) evaluation of times and movements of industrial operations, and (4) working conditions as the relationship of workers with supervisors and managers.

Healing work

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
Sarah V. Suiter ◽  
C. Danielle Wilfong
Keyword(s):  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Barriers To Employment ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

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.

Well-Being in Dinka Refugee Women of Southern Sudan

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha B. Baird ◽  
Joyceen S. Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Extensive Field ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Health And Well Being

The purpose of this study was to understand the health and well-being of Sudanese refugee women who were resettled with their children to the United States. The design was an interpretive ethnography using individual interviews and participant observation with extensive field notes. The findings describe personal factors as well as community and social conditions that influenced the health and well-being of the refugee women and their families. These influences are captured in the three themes that emerged from the study: (1) liminality—living between two cultures, (2) self-support—standing on our own two legs, and (3) hope for the future. These themes describe a process of how refugee women achieve well-being in the transition to a new country and culture. The study contributes to our theoretical understanding of how to develop culturally congruent interventions for resettled refugees.

scholarly journals There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Kerrigan ◽  
Victoria Chau ◽  
Melissa King ◽  
Emily Holman ◽  
Alain Joffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Culture ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve health outcomes across populations. We explored the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effects of a pilot MBSR program at a highly-ranked university in the United States. We conducted 23 in-depth interviews with 13 students. Interviews explored stressors and coping mechanisms, experiences with MBSR, and its reported impact and potential future use. Interviews were analyzed using thematic content and narrative analyses. Results indicated that students are exposed to a very high level of constant stress related to the sheer amount of work and activities that they have and the pervasive surrounding university culture of perfectionism. MBSR offered an opportunity to step back and gain perspective on issues of balance and priorities and provided concrete techniques to counter the effects of stressors. We conclude that MBSR and mindfulness programs may contribute to more supportive university learning environments and greater health and well-being among students.

Poor health as a potential risk factor for job loss due to automation: the case of Norway

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Hessel ◽  
Solveig Christiansen ◽  
Vegard Skirbekk
Keyword(s):  
Potential Risk ◽  
Job Loss ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Job Displacement ◽  
Average Risk ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Generalised Linear Models ◽  
Health And Well Being

ObjectiveThis study aimed to quantify the extent to which health characteristics of workers are related to the potential risk of experiencing job displacement due to automation.MethodsLinking the 2015 Norwegian Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (n=6393) with predicted probabilities of automation by occupation, we used Kruskal-Wallis tests and multivariate generalised linear models to assess the association between long-standing illnesses and risk of job automation.ResultsIndividuals with long-standing illnesses face substantially greater risks of losing their job due to automation. Whereas the average risk of job automation is 57% for men and 49% for women with long-standing illnesses, the risk is only 50% for men and 44% for women with limitations (p<0.001). Controlling for age, having a long-standing illness significantly increases the relative risk of facing job automation among men (risk ratio (RR) 1.13, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.19), as well as women (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.17). While, among men, the association between long-standing illness and risk of job automation remains significant when controlling for education and income, it becomes insignificant among women.ConclusionsIndividuals with poor health are likely to carry the highest burden of technological change in terms of worsening employment prospects because of working in occupations disproportionally more likely to be automated. Although the extent of technology-related job displacement will depend on several factors, given the far-reaching negative consequences of job loss on health and well-being, this process represents a significant challenge for public health and social equity.

scholarly journals The Cabin Crew Blues. Middle-aged Cabin Attendants and Their Working Conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Bergman ◽  
Gunnar Gillberg
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Airline Company

This article examines how an airline company uses the labor of a group of middle-aged cabin attendants in an industry increasingly characterized by deregulation and competiveness. The study was based on in-depth interviews with seven women, all with between 24 and 30 years of work experience as cabin attendants. The article focuses on the women’s working conditions and well-being and the analysis reveals three key aspects—intensification of work, vulnerability, and aging—that affect the cabin attendants’ experiences and emotions in relation to the work. It is at the intersection of these three aspects that the cabin attendants’ concerns must be understood. The study’s findings indicated that positive emotions such as job satisfaction and commitment have diminished because of exploitative and otherwise poor working conditions. Taking the cabin attendants’ concerns as its point of departure, the article shows that there is a need to move away from a discussion about emotional labor toward a discussion of working conditions.

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