scholarly journals Factors Associated with the Work Engagement of Employees Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Author(s):  
Hoichi Amano ◽  
Yoshiharu Fukuda ◽  
Katsuhiko Shibuya ◽  
Akihiko Ozaki ◽  
Takahiro Tabuchi

This study aimed to identify factors influencing the work engagement of employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Employees’ work engagement was examined using the following survey questions: “Do you feel energized when you are at work? (yes or no)” and “Do you take pride in your work? (yes or no)” After adjusting for potential confounders, Poisson regression was used to examine prevalence ratio and 95% confidence intervals for employees’ work engagement. We analyzed 15,670 individuals (11,894 of whom did not work from home and 3776 of whom worked from home). Their mean age was 45.6 ± 13.8 years, and 58.3% were men. Those who worked from home were younger than those who did not (43.9 ± 13.1 vs. 46.1 ± 13.9, p < 0.001). About 44% of all employees reported high work engagement. Among the employees who worked from home, an increase in sleep hours, effective interactions with supervisors, and working hours of ≤40 h/week were associated with engagement. Sensitivity analysis showed similar results. Close communication with superiors, refraining from working long hours, and obtaining adequate sleep may boost the work engagement of employees working from home.

F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Diego Urrunaga-Pastor ◽  
Fernando M. Runzer-Colmenares ◽  
Tania M. Arones ◽  
Rosario Meza-Cordero ◽  
Silvana Taipe-Guizado ◽  
...  

Background: Physical performance in the older adult has been extensively studied. However, only a few studies have evaluated physical performance among older adults of high Andean populations and none have studied the factors associated with it. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors associated with poor physical performance by using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in older adults living in 11 Peruvian high Andean communities. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in inhabitants aged 60 or over from 11 high-altitude Andean communities of Peru during 2013-2017. Participants were categorized in two groups according to their SPPB score: poor physical performance (0-6 points) and medium/good physical performance (7-12 points). Additionally, we collected socio-demographic, medical, functional and cognitive assessment information. Poisson regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with poor physical performance. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95 CI%) are presented. Results: A total of 407 older adults were studied. The average age was 73.0 ± 6.9 years (range: 60-94 years) and 181 (44.5%) participants had poor physical performance (0-6 points). In the adjusted Poisson regression analysis, the factors associated with poor physical performance were: female gender (PR=1.29; 95%CI: 1.03-1.61), lack of social support (PR=2.10; 95%CI: 1.17-3.76), number of drugs used (PR=1.09; 95%CI: 1.01-1.17), urinary incontinence (PR=1.45; 95%CI: 1.16-1.82), exhaustion (PR=1.35; 95%CI: 1.03-1.75) and cognitive impairment (PR=1.89; 95%CI: 1.40-2.55). Conclusions: Almost half of the population evaluated had poor physical performance based on the SPPB. Factors that would increase the possibility of suffering from poor physical performance were: female gender, lack of social support, number of drugs used, urinary incontinence, exhaustion and cognitive impairment. Future studies with a larger sample and longitudinal follow-up are needed to design beneficial interventions for the high Andean population.


Author(s):  
Hannah M. Schade ◽  
Jan Digutsch ◽  
Thomas Kleinsorge ◽  
Yan Fan

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees were asked to start working from home for an extended time. The current study investigated how well employees worked and felt in this novel situation by following n = 199 German employees—56% of them female, 24% with childcare duties—over the course of two working weeks in which they reported once daily on their well-being (PANAS-20, detachment) and motivation (work engagement, flow). Participants reported on organizational and personal resources (emotional exhaustion, emotion regulation, segmentation preference, role clarity, job control, social support). Importantly, they indicated how well their work-related basic needs, i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness, were met when working from home and how these needs had been met in the office. Multilevel models of growth showed that work engagement, flow, affect and detachment were on average positive and improving over the two weeks in study. Higher competence need satisfaction predicted better daily work engagement, flow, and affect. In a network model, we explored associations and dynamics between daily variables. Overall, the results suggest that people adapted well to the novel situation, with their motivation and well-being indicators showing adequate levels and increasing trajectories. Avenues for improving work from home are job control and social support.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261969
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Y. Chu ◽  
Thomas W. C. Chan ◽  
Mike K. P. So

During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many employees have switched to working from home. Despite the findings of previous research that working from home can improve productivity, the scale, nature, and purpose of those studies are not the same as in the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects that three stress relievers of the work-from-home environment–company support, supervisor’s trust in the subordinate, and work-life balance–had on employees’ psychological well-being (stress and happiness), which in turn influenced productivity and engagement in non-work-related activities during working hours. In order to collect honest responses on sensitive questions or negative forms of behavior including stress and non-work-related activities, we adopted the randomized response technique in the survey design to minimize response bias. We collected a total of 500 valid responses and analyzed the results with structural equation modelling. We found that among the three stress relievers, work-life balance was the only significant construct that affected psychological well-being. Stress when working from home promoted non-work-related activities during working hours, whereas happiness improved productivity. Interestingly, non-work-related activities had no significant effect on productivity. The research findings provide evidence that management’s maintenance of a healthy work-life balance for colleagues when they are working from home is important for supporting their psychosocial well-being and in turn upholding their work productivity.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Urrunaga-Pastor ◽  
Fernando M. Runzer-Colmenares ◽  
Tania M. Arones ◽  
Rosario Meza-Cordero ◽  
Silvana Taipe-Guizado ◽  
...  

Background: Physical performance in the older adult has been extensively studied. However, only a few studies have evaluated physical performance among older adults of high Andean populations and none have studied the factors associated with it. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors associated with poor physical performance by using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in older adults living in 11 Peruvian high Andean communities. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in inhabitants aged 60 or over from 11 high-altitude Andean communities of Peru during 2013-2017. Participants were categorized in two groups according to their SPPB score: poor physical performance (0-6 points) and medium/good physical performance (7-12 points). Additionally, we collected socio-demographic, medical, functional and cognitive assessment information. Poisson regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with poor physical performance. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95 CI%) are presented. Results: A total of 407 older adults were studied. The average age was 73.0 ± 6.9 years (range: 60-94 years) and 181 (44.5%) participants had poor physical performance (0-6 points). In the adjusted Poisson regression analysis, the factors associated with poor physical performance were: female gender (PR=1.29; 95%CI: 1.03-1.61), lack of social support (PR=2.10; 95%CI: 1.17-3.76), number of drugs used (PR=1.09; 95%CI: 1.01-1.17), urinary incontinence (PR=1.45; 95%CI: 1.16-1.82), exhaustion (PR=1.35; 95%CI: 1.03-1.75) and cognitive impairment (PR=1.89; 95%CI: 1.40-2.55). Conclusions: Almost half of the population evaluated had poor physical performance based on the SPPB. Factors that would increase the possibility of suffering from poor physical performance were: female gender, lack of social support, number of drugs used, urinary incontinence, exhaustion and cognitive impairment. Future studies with a larger sample and longitudinal follow-up are needed to design beneficial interventions for the high Andean population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1-Feb) ◽  
pp. 157-166
Author(s):  
Antima Bansal ◽  
K Rajagopal

Job satisfaction of employee is one of the most important factors when it comes to organization growth. The research on topic “Jobs satisfaction” is being conducted by several researchers and the factors that influence the job satisfaction is researched and reviewed over varied dimensions. One of the recent and contemporary approach is to explore the impact of work from home option (during this COVID-19 pandemic situation) on the job satisfaction of the employees. Due to COVID-19 whole world has already seen unexpected shift of the work place and work force from offices to home in almost all sectors. This also raised many questions around, whether the factors which were influencing the Job satisfaction factors earlier at workplace will hold good for Work from Home (WFH) facility. Main purpose of this study is to find out different influencing factor for employees to get satisfied while working from home. The present study has adopted the descriptive research design to make an analysis of those factors which effects employee’s satisfaction specifically while they are in the work from home option mode. The selected area for the study is Pune City. Both primary and secondary data is used for the study. Questionnaire will be framed for the collection of primary data. The Sampling Size for the study is 120 respondents who are working professionals selected using convenient sampling procedure across the business sectors. Appropriate statistical tools and techniques will be used for data analysis. The result of the study shows that the majority of employee were dissatisfied when they are working from home during the pandemic. There are certain critical factors like constant work pressure, prolonged working hours, very few options for interaction with the colleagues and peers, doing repetitive jobs without any break, and pressure from the domestic end in terms of family expectations and family commitments are causing utmost dissatisfaction when the employees are made to work fromhome.


Actuators ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Otremba ◽  
José Romero Navarrete ◽  
Alejandro Lozano Guzmán

Road safety depends on several factors associated with the vehicle, to the infrastructure, as well as to the environment and experience of vehicle drivers. Concerning the vehicle factors influencing the safety level of an infrastructure, it has been shown that the dynamic interaction between the carried liquid cargo and the vehicle influences the operational safety limits of the vehicle. A combination of vehicle and infrastructure factors converge when a vehicle carrying liquid cargo at a partial fill level performs a braking maneuver along a curved road segment. Such a maneuver involves both longitudinal and lateral load transfers that potentially affect both the braking efficiency and the lateral stability of the vehicle. In this paper, a series of models are set together to simulate the effects of a sloshing cargo on the braking efficiency and load transfer rate of a partially filled road tanker. The model assumes the superposition of the roll and pitch independent responses, while the vehicle is equipped with Anti-lock braking System brakes (ABS) in the four wheels. Results suggest that cargo sloshing can affect the performance of the vehicle on the order of 2% to 9%, as a function of the performance measure considered. A dedicated ABS system could be considered to cope with such diminished performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leeberk Raja Inbaraj ◽  
Sindhulina Chandrasingh ◽  
Nalini Arun Kumar ◽  
Jothi Suchitra ◽  
Abi Manesh

Abstract Varicella infection during pregnancy has serious and/or difficult implications and in some cases lethal outcome. Though epidemiological studies in developing countries reveal that a significant proportion of patients may remain susceptible during pregnancy, such an estimate of susceptible women is not known in India. We designed this study to study the prevalence and factors associated with susceptibility to varicella among rural and urban pregnant women in South India. We prospectively recruited 430 pregnant women and analysed their serum varicella IgG antibodies as surrogates for protection. We estimated seroprevalence, the validity of self-reported history of chickenpox and factors associated with varicella susceptibility. We found 23 (95% CI 19.1–27.3) of women were susceptible. Nearly a quarter (22.2%) of the susceptible women had a history of exposure to chickenpox anytime in the past or during the current pregnancy. Self-reported history of varicella had a positive predictive value of 82.4%. Negative history of chickenpox (adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) 1.85, 95% CI 1.15–3.0) and receiving antenatal care from a rural secondary hospital (adjusted PR 4.08, 95% CI 2.1–7.65) were significantly associated with susceptibility. We conclude that high varicella susceptibility rates during pregnancy were noted and self-reported history of varicella may not be a reliable surrogate for protection.


Author(s):  
Abdullah Nimer ◽  
Suzan Naser ◽  
Nesrin Sultan ◽  
Rawand Said Alasad ◽  
Alexander Rabadi ◽  
...  

Burnout syndrome is common among healthcare professions, including resident physicians. We aimed to assess the prevalence of burnout among resident physicians in Jordan, and a secondary aim was to evaluate the risk factors associated with the development of burnout syndrome in those residents, including gender, working hours, psychological distress, training sector, and specialty. In this cross-sectional study, 481 residents were recruited utilizing multistage stratified sampling to represent the four major health sectors in Jordan. Data were collected using an online questionnaire, where the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) was used to assess the prevalence of burnout. The prevalence, group differences, and predictors of burnout were statistically analyzed using STATA 15. Overall, 373 (77.5%) residents were found to have burnout. Factors associated with higher levels of burnout were psychological stress (β = 2.34, CI = [1.88–2.81]), longer working hours (β = 4.07, CI = [0.52–7.62], for 51–75 h a week, β = 7.27, CI = [2.86–11.69], for 76–100 h a week and β = 7.27, CI = [0.06–14.49], for >100 h a week), and obstetrics/gynecology residents (β = 9.66, CI = [3.59–15.73]). Conversely, medical sub-specialty residents, as well as private and university hospital residents, had lower burnout levels. We concluded that decreasing the workload on residents, offering psychological counseling, and promoting a safety culture for residents might help in mitigating burnout consequences.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 878
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Baraka ◽  
Amany Alboghdadly ◽  
Samar Alshawwa ◽  
Asim Ahmed Elnour ◽  
Hassan Alsultan ◽  
...  

Factors reported in the literature associated with inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials include physicians with less experience, uncertain diagnosis, and patient caregiver influences on physicians’ decisions. Monitoring antimicrobial resistance is critical for identifying emerging resistance patterns, developing, and assessing the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. Improvement in prescribing antimicrobials would minimize the risk of resistance and, consequently, improve patients’ clinical and health outcomes. The purpose of the study is to delineate factors associated with antimicrobial resistance, describe the factors influencing prescriber’s choice during prescribing of antimicrobial, and examine factors related to consequences of inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobial. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers (190) in six tertiary hospitals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The research panel has developed, validated, and piloted survey specific with closed-ended questions. A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. All data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS version 23.0). 72.7% of the respondents have agreed that poor skills and knowledge are key factors that contribute to the inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials. All of the respondents acknowledged effectiveness, previous experience with the antimicrobial, and reading scientific materials (such as books, articles, and the internet) as being key factors influencing physicians’ choice during antimicrobial prescribing. The current study has identified comprehensive education and training needs for healthcare providers about antimicrobial resistance. Using antimicrobials unnecessarily, insufficient duration of antimicrobial use, and using broad spectrum antimicrobials were reported to be common practices. Furthermore, poor skills and knowledge were a key factor that contributed to the inappropriate use and overuse of antimicrobials, and the use of antimicrobials without a physician’s prescription (i.e., self-medication) represent key factors which contribute to AMR from participants’ perspectives. Furthermore, internal policy and guidelines are needed to ensure that the antimicrobials are prescribed in accordance with standard protocols and clinical guidelines.


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