Menu Costs and the Bullwhip Effect: Supply Chain Implications of Dynamic Pricing

Suppose that technology reduces price-adjustment costs (e.g., the costs of printing and changing price tags), and as a result prices at grocery stores change more dynamically. Will this change mean less stability or more stability for grocery supply chains? In other words, will more dynamic pricing downstream mean more last-minute purchases, more overtime work, and more empty space in trucks and warehouses? Or will it mean more regular and more standardized orders, smoother schedules, and less waste? To answer this question, we fit a pricing and ordering model to data from a large Chinese supermarket chain (daily prices, sales, inventories, and shipments from products from seven categories at 78 stores for 3.5 years) and then simulate a counterfactual grocery chain in which the estimated price-adjustment costs are set to zero. We find that the removal of price-adjustment costs stabilizes the supply chain, reducing both its shipment volatility, its sales volatility, and its bullwhip (the difference between the shipment and sales volatility).

Association between long working hours and psychological distress: The effect of sick leave criteria in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study investigated the effect of sick leave criteria on the association between long working hours and psychological distress. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in December 2020, and 27,032 workers completed the questionnaire. First, after testing the interaction effect of overtime work hours and sick leave criteria on psychological distress, we conducted stratified analyses using sick leave criteria. Results: A significant interaction effect was found. When we conducted stratified analyses, the odds ratios increased with longer working hours, both with and without sick leave criteria groups; however, the risk was greater in the without sick leave criteria group, compared with the criteria group. Conclusion: We revealed that working without sick leave criteria could strengthen the association between long working hours and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WORK–LIFE BALANCE IN THE CURRENT JAPANESE CONTEXT

Background: Work style reform in Japan is under way in response to a predicted shortfall in the workforce owing to the country’s low birth rate and high longevity, health problems due to excessive working hours, and the need for diversification of employment. A legal limit for physicians’ overtime work will be introduced in 2024. Objectives: This study examines the work–life balance among Japan’s doctors in the context of ongoing work style reform. Methodology: The study applied included selective reviews of demographic shifts, legislation against long working hours, and trends in doctors’ participation in the labor force. Results: Japan’s doctors work long hours, which creates a conflict between their working and private lives. The proportion of female doctors in Japan is the lowest among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Employment trends among women doctors by age group show an M-curve: many quit their jobs upon marriage or childbirth. Gender role stereotyping has led male Japanese doctors to devote themselves entirely to their professions and working excessively long hours: they leave all family work to their female partners. This stereotyping obliges female doctors to undertake household chores in addition to their career tasks, which makes it difficult for them to re-enter their careers. Because of the harsh working conditions (including long working hours), there has been a decline in newly graduated doctors in some medical specialties. Conclusions: For sustainable, effective health care in Japan, it is necessary to improve the work conditions for Japan’s doctors towards achieving work–life harmony.

Irregular working hours and overtime work

Rostrud gave clarifications on issues related to the establishment of irregular working hours and overtime work.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Intensive Care in Northern Saitama Japan

Background We examined and compared the actual impact of COVID-19 on local medical care in northern Saitama Japan, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), before (2019) and during (2020) the pandemic. Methods The impact of COVID-19 on emergency care responses was compared with acceptances and refusals in 2019 and 2020. We also examined the number of surgeries performed by ICU surgical departments. The impact on intensive care was examined regarding the numbers of incident reports and the severity percentage calculated from the integrated team medical care and safety system. We also compared the overtime work of physicians working. Results In 2019, there were 2,136 emergency patient requests, and 1,811 patients were received. In contrast, in 2020, there were 2,371 emergency patient requests, and 1,822 patients were accepted, representing a decrease of 76% (p = 0‧931). There were significantly more refusals in 2020, 303 (14‧1%) in 2019 and 506 (21‧3%) in 2020 (p = 0‧0004). In 2020, the number of surgeries increased in neurosurgery, cardiac surgeries, and vascular surgeries and over time increased in all surgical units. There were 396 incidents reported in ICUs in 2019; this increased significantly to 510 in 2020 (p = 0‧001). Conclusion Even though intensive care management was restricted, the number of patients and doctors’ overtime work increased compared to before the spread of COVID-19, and the surrounding environment led to an increase in the number of incidents. The environments in ICUs must be actively improved to prepare for an even more severe situation in the future.

Boundaryless working hours and recovery in Germany

Objective Due to recent trends such as globalization and digitalization, more and more employees tend to have flexible working time arrangements, including boundaryless working hours. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships of various aspects of boundaryless working hours (overtime, Sunday work, and extended work availability) with employees’ state of recovery. Besides, we examined the mediating and moderating role of recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) in these relationships. Methods We used data from 8586 employees (48% women; average age of 48 years) who took part in the 2017 BAuA-Working Time Survey, a representative study of the German working population. Regression analyses were conducted to test main effects as well as mediation and moderation. Results Overtime work, Sunday work, and extended work availability were negatively related to state of recovery. Psychological detachment mediated these relationships. Furthermore, we found that relaxation and control mediated the association between extended work availability and state of recovery. However, no relevant moderating effects were found. Conclusions Altogether, our findings indicate that various aspects of boundaryless working hours pose a risk to employees’ state of recovery and that especially psychological detachment is a potential mechanism in these relationships. In addition, the results suggest that a high level of recovery experiences cannot attenuate these negative relationships in leisure time. Therefore, employers and employees alike should try to avoid or minimize boundaryless working hours.

Work Organization Factors Associated with Health and Work Outcomes among Apprentice Construction Workers: Comparison between the Residential and Commercial Sectors

There are substantial differences in work organization between residential and commercial construction sectors. This paper examined differences in work factors between construction sectors and examined the association between sector and health behaviors, health outcomes, and work outcomes. We surveyed 929 male construction apprentices (44% residential and 56% commercial) and found that residential apprentices reported fewer workplace safety policies, higher frequency of heavy lifting, and greater likelihood of reporting musculoskeletal pain compared to apprentices in commercial work. Residential apprentices reported higher job strain, lower supervisor support, more lost workdays due to pain or injury, and lower productivity related to health than commercial apprentices. Multivariate Poisson regression models controlling for multiple work factors showed that residential construction work, high job strain, heavy lifting, low coworker support, and low supervisor support were each independently associated with one or more work or health outcomes. These findings suggest that interventions should seek to improve coworker and supervisory supportive behaviors, decrease job strain, and reduce organizational stressors, such as mandatory overtime work. Our study shows disparities in health and safety between construction sectors and highlights the need for interventions tailored to the residential sector.

Legal regulation of working hours and rest periods of seafarers in Ukraine and Finland

The article considers the legal regulation of working hours and rest periods of seafarers under the legislation of Ukraine in the comparative legal aspect with the legislation of Finland. Much attention is given to an analysis of working hours of seafarers, compensation for the overtime work and securance of the right of annual leave and regular periods of rest under the legislation of Ukraine and Finland, as well as conformity of Ukrainian labour legislation and social rights of seafarers with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006), and with the legislation of Finland. Ukraine hasn’t ratified any of the International Labour Organisation Conventions relating to working time and periods of rest of seafarers, and these issues are governed by the Regulation «On working hours and periods of rest of floating sea and river transport of Ukraine» (approved by Order of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine № 135 from 29.02.2012). Finland’s trade unions play an important role in working life of seafarers, by not only protecting their rights and providing decent working conditions, but also by deviations from certain provision of the Seamen’s Working Time Act (296/1976). Those deviations can concern reduction of duration of working hours, increase of payments for overtime work, providing additional rest time, etc. It is concluded that the labor legislation of Ukraine does not contain provisions on imposing sanctions on captain or shipowner in case of violation of seafarer’s right of normal working hours, annual leave and regular periods of rest, while in Finland, captain or shipowner can be prosecuted for improper or malicious violation of the procedure of the register of working hours, rest periods, compensation payments and annual leaves. Also Ukrainian legislation provide no legal mechanism for obtaining state and social guarantees by seafarers. The article suggests changes to national legislation by passing the law regarding seafarers labour rights and ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006).

Mental health of staff under quarantine restrictions

The article considers the approaches to the management of the mental health of staff in the context of quarantine restrictions based on human-oriented values. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current factors influencing the mental health of staff as an important management problem, the solution of which involves the use of innovative methods and management practices for its preservation and improvement. The study substantiated the need to assess the factors of negative impact on the mental health of staff in order to eliminate them or reduce their effects. It has been proven that ensuring the mental health of staff is one of the main tasks of organizations, as the socio-economic losses from its deterioration are significant. In the course of research of theoretical approaches to an estimation of indicators of a condition of mental health of the personnel the own point of view on value and urgency of its preservation for the organizations is formed; the importance of its impact on staff productivity is determined. The method of sociological research determined that in the conditions of remote regime during quarantine such factors (causes) of stress as: overtime, work without breaks, low level of recognition and remuneration, lack of employment guarantees, insufficient support of managers, managers and/or colleagues, high emotional involvement of employees, poor communication, negatively affect the mental health and productivity of staff. Approaches to improving the mental health of staff based on innovative management practices have been developed.