Improving health in the military and beyond using salutogenic design

Purpose Service members of the US Department of Defense (DoD) have alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety, probable stress disorders and suicidality, all of which are negative health conditions exacerbated by various external stressors. High-stress work conditions – to include shift work, hazardous territories, high-stakes mission sets and generally disconnected sites – require a work environment that facilitates, rather than inhibits, stress reduction and mental well-being. This paper aims to present “salutogenic design” as an innovative approach: Salutogenic design offers demonstrated architectural solutions that improve health and well-being. Design/methodology/approach This paper describes salutogenic design strategies beginning with the need for such an approach, the call to action to implement strategic and tactical solutions and the challenges and financial impacts of such a broad and innovative strategy to improve workplace health, well-being and performance in the DoD and beyond. Examples of these strategies, via biophilic design solutions, are presented in the central Table 1 as an easy-to-reference tool and supported by the voluminous literature as referenced, in part, through this research paper. Findings Salutogenic design strategies offer innovative, financially viable solutions to help mitigate stress and improve workforce well-being while maintaining the highest level of building security requirements in access-controlled spaces and disconnected sites, such as military installations and government compounds. Research limitations/implications Issues of mental and physical health are complex and multi-faceted, and they require complex and multi-faceted solutions. Salutogenic design is presented as one facet of that solution: a tangible solution to an often-intangible issue. Further, as a novel approach to address a critical DoD issue, Table 1 bridges the common gap between high-concept design theory and practical construction-application solutions, with positive value to the health, performance, quality-of-life and well-being of service members. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to approach the DoD’s imperative to reduce service members’ mental stress with “salutogenic design.”

Work and Demand Making: Productionist and Consumptionist Politics in Latin America

How does the world of work in Latin America affect the way workers act to defend their interests? To what extent have “productionist” demands, those concerning jobs, work conditions, and wages, which are highly salient across the region, been “displaced” by consumptionist or political demands? While the literature has distinguished formal and informal work grosso modo, we explore individual traits of work, which cross-cut the formal-informal distinction. Analyzing survey data from four Latin American capital cities, we find, not surprisingly, that both work-based atomization and insecurity depress demand making in the work arena. But these traits of work also affect demand making on the state, albeit in somewhat different ways. Insecurity is associated with a shift from productionist to consumptionist and political demands, while atomization is associated with a more generalized demobilization across issues. These findings have implications for the representation of worker interests in light of current labor market restructuring and raise the question if labor can reclaim an important voice in that restructuring process.

Solvent Effect in Glycyrrhizic Acid Spectra (Absorption and Fluorescence)

In this research paper, a method built on UV/VIS spectrofluorophotometer and spectrophotometer by finding the fluorescence of glycyrrhizic acid in licorice root. Glycyrrhizic acid is an imperative active component present in licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch). Solvent effect had been studied in different solvents like deionized water and methanol. The differences between them were explored by the glycyrrhizic acid absorption and emission spectra. Under work conditions, i.e. 100% methanol solvent, a liquid ratio concentration 10−2 to 10−5 g /mL and second solvent with same conditions 100% deionized water in the same concentrations ,was done. The effect of the solvent was significant by change the value for λmax. The result was validated for parameters confines for Ex (λ Excitation) in different solvents. The results of absorption spectra obey Beer-Lambert's law. Because of the same property of these solvents (protic), the absence of a significant difference in the absorption spectra are shown. From florescence spectra, the spectrum at concentration 10−4 is the best for both solvents..

Climate Adaptation and Indoor Comfort Improvement Strategies for Buildings in High-Cold Regions: Empirical Study from Ganzi Region, China

The improvement of building and living conditions in high-cold areas has always been an issue worthy of attention, but there is currently no research using field survey data for evaluation. The Ganzi region, based in the western plateau of China, is a typical example for such a study. Restricted by factors such as natural conditions and economic level, the winter indoor thermal environment of western plateau houses is generally poor. Taking the new residential houses in the Ganzi region as a case study, the authors of this paper conducted field research and analyses. First, the authors analyzed the construction technology and functional layout of the building through thermal environment testing and investigation; second, the authors analyzed the user’s activity path according to the production and lifestyle; thirdly, the authors comprehensively evaluated the indoor thermal comfort through questionnaires and a predicated mean vote (PMV)-predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) evaluation model. The research results showed that: (1) the construction technology, functional layout, and temperature distribution of the new residential building were consistent with the user’s activity path, which could effectively improve thermal insulation ability and thermal comfort; (2) compared to the developed eastern regions, the users in the building showed a stronger tolerance and wider acceptable temperature range in the extreme climate environment; and (3) under certain cooperative work conditions, an indoor temperature of 10–14 °C could meet basic thermal environment requirements and thus lower the limits of the standards. The author’s method was proven to be more resilient than current standards in dealing with climate change. Therefore, this research can provide a practical reference for the improvement of peoples’ living conditions and sustainable development in cold regions and other harsh areas.

Job satisfaction of graduates of rural oriented medical students training project in Jiangsu Province, China: a cross-sectional study

Background The Chinese government has worked out the “Rural Oriented Medical Students Training Project” to address physician maldistribution, which attempted to train physicians for rural areas. The present study attempted to evaluate the job satisfaction of the graduates of this project in Jiangsu Province, China. Methods Online questionnaires were sent to the graduates of the “Rural Oriented Medical Students Training Project” (group A) and their colleagues, who were rural physicians recruited from different sources (group B). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou Medical University, and the approval number was 2,018,057. Information on demographic characteristics, work conditions, and self-reported satisfaction was collected to compare the satisfaction differences between the two recruited rural physicians using the Chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U test. Additionally, factors correlated to the satisfaction of group A were assessed using multivariate linear regression. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Group A exhibited moderate satisfaction (2.81 ± 0.687). The satisfaction score from the highest to the lowest was for occupational ecology, life satisfaction, stress, competency, and internal environment. Positive factors related to the satisfaction of group A were area, monthly income, working hours per week, professional title, and post. Conclusion The satisfaction of the graduates of the “Rural Oriented Medical Students Training Project” was moderate. Factors related to satisfaction included economic incentives, workload, and professional confidence. Possible solutions for increasing satisfaction should consist of economic support and possible ways to improve the professional identification of these graduates.

Threat or opportunity: accelerated job demands during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of accelerated job demands on employee outcomes during the COVID-19 crisis. An integrated model was developed to explore the relationships between different types of job demands (learning, decision-making, work intensification), employee turnover intention (TI) and burnout (BU).Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from professionals whose work conditions were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. An online survey was distributed anonymously. A total of 566 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.Findings The findings revealed that employees' perception of job demands impacts the significance and direction of the relationships between different forms of job demands and employee outcomes. Furthermore, the findings confirm that mediating role of perceived organizational support alleviates the adverse effects of job demands on employee outcomes. Finally, the present study supported the moderation effect of positive affectivity between work intensification and employee BU.Practical implications This study provides employers with insights about supporting employees to cope with increased job demands in conditions where rapid changes are inevitable.Originality/value The unique context of research (COVID-19) enabled this study to account for the acceleration of job demands that employees experience in rapidly changing situations. This study employed an instrument that allowed for the assessment of acceleration in job demands. Furthermore, the granular approach of the measurement model extended the perspectives of job demands and work intensification.

Psychological consequences of firefighters' working conditions: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: A high-risk job, firefighting involves a wide range of tasks. Given the difficult nature of the job with all the responsibilities included, and in addition to the impending physical injuries, firefighters undergo several emergencies which can endanger their psychological health. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the psychological consequences of firefighters' work conditions. Materials and Methods: The research method was qualitative and phenomenological. Using the purposeful sampling method, 16 firefighters were selected from fire stations across the city of Kerman, Iran; saturation criteria were used in the selection of participants. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. In this way, first, the interviews were coded, and then based on the similarity of codes, 4 main categories were extracted. Results: results showed that persistent stress (caused by the sound of fire alarms and announcement of fire emergencies, trying to make it to the scene on time, worrying about not being on time, and not finding the address of the incidents, complications, and uncertainties of the incidents), sleep problems (these include sleep disturbances, insomnia, difficulty maintaining sleep, startled waking up, somniloquy), negative emotions reminiscent of painful events, and difficulty in establishing good relationships with family members, are the most important psychological consequences that firefighters faced due to their working conditions. Conclusion: Considering the important role of firefighters in providing services in emergencies, the psychological consequences of this job are risk factors that harm the health and the performance of firefighters. Therefore, appropriate measures and planning need to be taken to manage and reduce ongoing stress and improve the quality of firefighters' sleep. To manage and reduce negative emotions and their family problems, appropriate training should be provided.

Factors associated with presenteeism in nursing workers

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze factors associated with presenteeism in nursing workers with sociodemographic variables, health and work conditions, productivity and musculoskeletal symptoms. Methods: this is a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, with 306 nursing workers from a hospital and municipal emergency room in a Brazilian capital. The Stanford Presenteeism Scale, the Work Limitations Questionnaire, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire on nursing professionals’ working conditions and health were used. Bivariate and multivariate analyzes were performed, respecting a significance level of 5%. Results: presenteeism was found in 43.8% of professionals and significant associations with CLT work (p=0.002), workplace - Intensive Care Units (p=0.008), physical exercise twice a week (p=0.008), presence of musculoskeletal symptoms, with low back pain being representative (p=0.001). The productivity loss was 8.8. Conclusions: the study confirms a high rate of presenteeism among nursing workers.

Impact of Diversity Management on Employees’ Engagement: The Role of Organizational Trust and Job Insecurity

The frequent world changes raised by globalization, new technology development, and the increase in migration movements have generated an immensely diversified workforce. To face these challenges, managers started to seek the best strategies to effectively run this mixed environment and implement the leading diversity management policies for human resource management sustainability, which is also considered as very constructive in boosting employees’ performance, motivation, satisfaction, as well as their work engagement. Consistently, this paper examines the impact of service companies’ diversity management systems on employees’ engagement and the moderating role of organizational trust and job insecurity in that relationship. As we opted for a quantitative study, we managed a survey based on a questionnaire dedicated to 580 employees working in Hungarian companies, specializing in Marketing, Management consulting, IT, and logistics services, to effectively assess the hypothesis concluded from the literature review. With the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) as a data analysis tool, our findings reveal that diversity management has a positive significant effect on Employees’ engagement and that organizational trust and job insecurity truly and significantly mediate that association. Along with social exchange theory, our research contributes to affirming that by implementing proper diversity management practices and by ensuring a trustworthy environment and outstanding work conditions, managers are constructively able to assist their employees, raise their involvement, and minimize the level of job insecurities.