Exploring Blue- and White-Collar Employees' Well-Being at Work System

2022 ◽  
pp. 1526-1549
Author(s):  
Seppo Tapio Vayrynen ◽  
Heli Katariina Kiema-Junes

The aim of this study was to examine occupational group-related differences in well-being at work (WBW) indicators ranging from real accidents, absences and retirement to experienced pleasure at work. Occupational group included two categories: blue- and white-collar employees. The study is based on analysing national statistics or ones of various industrial sectors (Study 1), or bases on findings of questionnaires in Finnish case companies (N=7) (Studies 2 and 3). WBW questionnaires answered by 3500 employees. Analysis utilised data that employees of two occupational groups, or company and national statistics revealed about WBW. Analysis was based on factors related to employee, task, tool, organisation and work environment (traditional work system (WS)), psychosocial factors, and information and communication within WS. The biggest and statistically significant differences were emphasised in results and discussion. Although two groups' roles and tasks provide reasons for many differences, the ones should be measured, thoroughly discussed and consciously managed.

Author(s):  
Seppo Tapio Vayrynen ◽  
Heli Katariina Kiema-Junes

The aim of this study was to examine occupational group-related differences in well-being at work (WBW) indicators ranging from real accidents, absences and retirement to experienced pleasure at work. Occupational group included two categories: blue- and white-collar employees. The study is based on analysing national statistics or ones of various industrial sectors (Study 1), or bases on findings of questionnaires in Finnish case companies (N=7) (Studies 2 and 3). WBW questionnaires answered by 3500 employees. Analysis utilised data that employees of two occupational groups, or company and national statistics revealed about WBW. Analysis was based on factors related to employee, task, tool, organisation and work environment (traditional work system (WS)), psychosocial factors, and information and communication within WS. The biggest and statistically significant differences were emphasised in results and discussion. Although two groups' roles and tasks provide reasons for many differences, the ones should be measured, thoroughly discussed and consciously managed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-61
Author(s):  
Liv Ingrid Aske Håberg ◽  
Kjartan Leer-Salvesen

The institution of the kindergarten serves important functions in western societies. The mandate of kindergarten staff reflects this, encompassing aspects of vital importance for children’s well-being and their learning and development processes. Empirical research is needed to scrutinise how kindergarten staff perform these tasks. Analyses of previous studies (Gulbrandsen, Johansson & Nilsen, 2002; Hopperstad, Hellem & Kjørholt, 2005; Borg, Backe-Hansen & Kristiansen, 2008) indicate that while assistants are the main occupational group in Norwegian kindergartens, they have rarely been engaged as informants in kindergarten research. This article reports results from a literature review that investigated which occupational groups have featured as informants in Norwegian kindergarten research from 2008 to 2017. The searches resulted in 149 hits; kindergarten assistants were included as informants in only 43 hits, and they were never the sole occupational group investigated. In closing, the article discusses the methodological and epistemological implications resulting from the skewed representation of kindergarten staff.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heli Kymäläinen ◽  
Juha Laitila ◽  
Kari Väätäinen ◽  
Jukka Malinen

This study assessed the situation of Finnish cut-to-length (CTL) machine operators’ work well-being with workability index (WAI), investigated CTL machine operators’ lifestyle habits, and collected operators’ good practices to maintain and promote well-being and vitality at work. A questionnaire was conducted in electronic form, including questions concerning background information, work environment, work organisation, well-being at work and free time, and workability index. Mean WAI among respondents was 42.2 points (max. 49) falling into the rank »good«, while the current workability compared with the lifetime best was 8.2 (range 0–10). WAI was strongly impacted by age (p<0.000), the score declined during ageing, and standard deviation grew. The results were in line with previous WAI studies. Statistic differences were found between youngest age group (age≤25) versus all others. Compared to other studies and occupational groups, CTL machine operators’ WAI was average. Operators revered independent nature of work and forest as a working environment, thus promoting and maintaining well-being at work. Furthermore, breaks during work shift, with or without physical exercise, was recognised to ensure and retain vitality and concentration at work.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vy Kim Nguyen ◽  
Justin Colacino ◽  
Chirag J Patel ◽  
Maureen Sartor ◽  
Olivier Jolliet

Background: According to the World Health Organization, occupational exposures to hazardous chemicals are estimated to cause over 370,000 premature annual deaths. The risks due to multiple workplace chemical exposures, and those occupations most susceptible to the resulting health effects, remain poorly characterized. Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify occupations with elevated toxicant biomarker concentrations and increased health risk associated with toxicant exposures in a working US population from diverse categories of occupation. More specifically, we aim to 1) define differences in chemical exposures based on occupation description, 2) identify occupational groups with similar chemical exposure profiles, and 3) identify occupational groups with chemical biomarker levels exceeding acceptable health-based biomarker levels. Methods: For this observational study of 51,008 participants, we used data from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We characterized differences in chemical exposures by occupational group for 129 chemicals by applying a series of generalized linear models with the outcome as biomarker concentrations and the main predictor as the occupational groups, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty income ratio, study period, and biomarker of tobacco use. We identified groups of occupations with similar chemical exposure profiles via hierarchical clustering. For each occupational group, we calculated percentages of participants with chemical biomarker levels exceeding acceptable health-based guidelines. Results: Blue collar workers from "Construction", "Professional, Scientific, Technical Services", "Real Estate, Rental, Leasing", "Manufacturing", and "Wholesale Trade" have higher biomarker levels of toxic chemicals such as several heavy metals, acrylamide, glycideamide, and several volatile organic compounds compared to their white-collar counterparts. For these toxicants, 1-58% of blue-collar workers from these industries have toxicant concentrations exceeding acceptable levels. Discussion: Blue collar workers have toxicant levels higher relative to their white-collar counterparts, often exceeding acceptable levels associated with noncancer effects. Our findings identify multiple occupations to prioritize for targeted interventions and health policies to monitor and reduce high toxicant exposures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 52-52
Author(s):  
Katharina Runge ◽  
Sander K R van Zon ◽  
Ute Bültmann ◽  
Kène Henkens

Abstract This study investigates whether the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), and its components, differs by occupational group among older workers (45-65 years) and whether health behaviors (smoking, leisure-time physical activity, diet quality) can explain these differences. We analyzed data from older workers (N=23 051) from two comprehensive measurement waves of the Lifelines Cohort Study and Biobank. MetS components were determined by physical measurements, blood markers, medication use, and self-reports. Occupational group and health behaviors were assessed by questionnaires. The association between occupational groups and MetS incidence was examined using Cox regression analysis. Health behaviors were subsequently added to the model to examine whether they can explain differences in MetS incidence between occupational groups. Low skilled white-collar (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.39) and low skilled blue-collar (HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.69) workers had a significantly higher MetS incidence risk during 3.65 years follow-up than high skilled white-collar workers. Health behaviors reduced the strength of the association between occupational group and MetS incidence most among low skilled blue-collar workers (i.e. 10.3% reduction) as unhealthy behaviors were more prevalent in this occupational group. Similar occupational differences were observed on MetS component level. To conclude, MetS incidence in older workers differs between occupational groups and health behaviors only explain a small part of these differences. Health promotion tailored to occupational groups may be beneficial specifically among older low skilled blue-collar workers. Research into other factors that contribute to occupational differences is needed, as well as studies spanning the entire working life course.


1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
Gavriel Salvendy ◽  
Joe Sharit

The pervasive nature of stress is an all too familiar phenomenon. That undesirable levels of stress can affect our productivity and the quality of our work as well as our general health and well-being has been thoroughly established. These critical effects however that stress has on our working and leisure life for both blue and white-collar workers and its significant contribution to the development of coronary heart disease makes it essential for industrial engineers to understand this phenomenon, with the objective that consideratons of stress-management be given during the design and maintenance of the work environment. This paper discusses the phenomenon of stress, reviews methodologies for measuring stress, discusses some sources of occupational stress, and presents some strategies for its management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Aimzhan Iztayeva

As both paid and unpaid work were disrupted during the COVID-19 crisis, the two roles that working custodial single fathers occupy—breadwinners and caregivers—have intensified significantly. Using two independent sets of interviews, this study examines how custodial single fathers navigated work and caregiving responsibilities prior to COVID-19 and compares them to the experiences of single fathers interviewed during the pandemic. The findings are organized into three key themes. First, men with white-collar jobs experienced less work-family conflict than men with blue-collar jobs. The COVID-19 crisis further widened this divide as lack of flexibility put men with blue-collar jobs in a precarious position in the labor market. Second, the way single fathers arranged childcare varied with the availability of extended family and the coparenting relationship with the child(ren)’s mother. The pandemic significantly complicated these arrangements by removing men’s access to extended family and intensifying already conflicted coparenting relationships. Finally, prior to the pandemic, many single fathers struggled with lack of leisure time and diminished social support networks that shrunk with their initial break from their child(ren)’s mother. The resulting feelings of fatigue and loneliness seeped into men’s psychological well-being. COVID-19 and related social distancing measures further exacerbated single fathers’ isolation.


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