The effect of computerisation on the wage share in United Kingdom workplaces

This historical paper analyses the distributional consequences of computerisation on the wage share of income in United Kingdom (UK) workplaces in the first decade of this century. The reasons why computerisation might increase a firm’s income but reduce the share assigned to wages are still not well understood. The uniquely rich Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) 2004–2011 includes firm-level measures of the main production inputs and outputs, and thus allows an analysis of the main mechanisms through which increased computer usage influenced the wage share of income in UK workplaces over this period. This analysis shows that the proportion of employees using computers impacted the wage share in ways that were at odds with two mainstream views: that computers complement capital, and that labour can be easily replaced by capital. The results show that the proportion of employees using computers reduced the wage share by disproportionally increasing the productivity of the least skilled employees, who were not proportionally compensated for their increase in productivity. The stability of the wage share, over the period of interest, is explained by the rise in a workplace’s share of professional employees and by a rise in work effort. This positive contribution to the wage share was counteracted by an increased share of employees using computers and by a reduction in the share of employees whose pay was negotiated by unions, thereby contributing to a decline in the wage share of firm income. JELcode J31

Workplace learning experienced by employees in information technology-enabled work environments – a developing country experiences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study that investigated workplace learning activities and drivers that enhanced learning as experienced by employees in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in the knowledge process outsourcing sector, where employees perform knowledge work in flatter team-based structures with information technology-enabled work environments. From the 17 firms that volunteered to participate in the study, 239 technical/professional employees volunteered for the survey. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the association between drivers of workplace learning and learning activities experienced by employees and whether individual demographic characteristics and the number of employees in the firm are associated with workplace learning activities experienced by employees. Findings This study found that organisation-related, individual-related and team-related drivers significantly influence workplace learning activities experienced by employees. In addition, employees’ age, firm-specific experience and the number of employees in the firm significantly influence the same. Originality/value This paper presents learning activities experienced by employees in the completion of work-related job tasks at hand and drivers experienced by employees in the new normal that has existed since the Covid-19 pandemic.

EVALUATION OF SATISFACTION LEVEL AMONG EMPLOYEES OF HAYDOM INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES (HIHS)

This mini survey is aiming at collecting communal idea and feeling of employees towards their institute and operational modes of different modalities. Through the result from this survey, the management may make conform of the issues suggested by participants basing on the institute existing situation. The survey contemplated on the evaluating level of employees’ job satisfaction. All professional employees were invited to participate in the survey and the data was conveniently collected from 22 participants through structured questionnaire (Likert scale). The main areas addressed in the survey were employee job recognition, employee work environment, salary and wages, employee supervision at work. The results from the survey indicate that majority(86%) of the employees are satisfied with the manner they are recognized by the institute management. Most of the employees were satisfied with working environment. However, majority (82%) were dissatisfied with amount of salary and wages paid for their work. The survey team recommends the institute management to maintain admirable those areas with high level of satisfaction and take action for those areas with low satisfaction. However, large survey may be needed to observe other areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. KEY WORDS: Employees Job Satisfaction Level

Communicating the Implementation of Open Notes to Health Care Professionals: Mixed Methods Study

Background The literature on how to communicate reform in organizations has mainly focused on levels of hierarchy and has largely ignored the variety of professions that may be found within an organization. In this study, we focus on the relationship between media type and professional responses. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate whether and how belonging to a profession influences the choice of communication media and the perception of information when a technical innovation is implemented in a health care setting. Methods This study followed a mixed methods design based on observations and participant studies, as well as a survey of professionals in psychiatric health care in Sweden. The χ2 test was used to detect differences in perceptions between professional groups. Results The use of available communication media differed among professions. These differences seem to be related to the status attached to each profession. The sense-making of the information appears to be similar among the professions, but is based on their traditional professional norms rather than on reflection on the reform at hand. Conclusions When communicating about the implementation of a new technology, the choice of media and the message need to be attuned to the employees in both hierarchical and professional terms. This also applies to situations where professional employees are only indirectly affected by the implementation. A differentiated communication strategy is preferred over a downward cascade of information.

Improving internal service: identifying the roles of employee proficiency, adaptivity and proactivity

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine the roles of employee proficiency, adaptivity and proactivity in predicting different aspects of internal service.Design/methodology/approachManagers evaluated 142 professional employees on proficiency, adaptivity and proactivity and about six weeks later 2–3 internal customers evaluated each of the employees on dimensions of internal service, namely reliability (i.e. performing dependably and accurately), assurance (i.e. knowledge, courtesy, and the ability to inspire trust and confidence), responsiveness (i.e. willingness to help customers and provide prompt service) and empathy (i.e. caring and providing individualized attention).FindingsEmployee proficiency and proactivity were the main predictors of delivering reliable services. Employee proficiency was the main predictor for creating a sense of assurance. Employee adaptivity was the main predictor of being viewed as responsive. Employee proactivity was the main predictor for establishing a sense of empathy.Practical implicationsIn a given situation, some aspects of internal service will be more important than others. The results will enable organizations to improve internal service in a more effective and efficient manner by developing interventions that are targeted at the specific dimension of interest.Originality/valueThe authors identified the types of employee behaviors that are likely to be most effective in impacting different aspects of internal service.

The Dual Education System as a Key Element for Future Railway Experts at the Beginning of the 21st Century

The article deals with the dual education system as a key element for railway experts training at the beginning of the 21-stcentury. The author points out that the dual education system is of key importance for railway experts training as it provides balanced growth and in-depth knowledge of the major, develops the hard and soft skill of future specialists. It is stated that a similar system of education existed in Ukraine in the second half of the 21-stcentury. This system was rather successful and guaranteed new professional employees for the railway industry. The author demonstrates some information on the number of hours that were given for dual education in the past. The paper also draws out attention to the current situation in Ukraine, shows the main trends and the progress of the dual system of education nowadays. The author concludes that the most effective way of teaching future railway experts is to teach them in the enterprise giving more than 50% of total credits for practical,not theoretical courses. Thus, it is important to use historical experience and to implement it in the present education system.

Exploring eudaimonia through meaningful work narratives within work integration social enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide new evidence on the different dimensions of well-being that can occur in work integration social enterprises (WISEs). This study aims to call for a future discussion on the role of meaningful work (MW) and its impact upon well-being beyond satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Explorative interviews were undertaken with professional workers and beneficiaries within a Spanish WISE. These interviews aimed to uncover similarities and differences across aspects of what makes work meaningful to them as workers. Both eudaimonic and hedonic dimensions of well-being were used to analyse the data. Findings Different groups of employees show that professional employees (those working in the WISE, not because of their disadvantages in the labour market) create their narratives based on MW experiences (eudaimonic well-being), whereas beneficiaries (those working in the WISE because of their disadvantages in the labour market) often describe how satisfied they are at work (hedonic). Originality/value The concept of MW within WISEs to achieve well-being for both beneficiaries and professional workers could be enhanced through discussion of the different types of well-being that are being realised in such settings. Engaging with the concept of “eudaimonia” helps the authors to achieve this aim.

An Improved Machine Learning-Based Employees Attrition Prediction Framework with Emphasis on Feature Selection

Companies always seek ways to make their professional employees stay with them to reduce extra recruiting and training costs. Predicting whether a particular employee may leave or not will help the company to make preventive decisions. Unlike physical systems, human resource problems cannot be described by a scientific-analytical formula. Therefore, machine learning approaches are the best tools for this aim. This paper presents a three-stage (pre-processing, processing, post-processing) framework for attrition prediction. An IBM HR dataset is chosen as the case study. Since there are several features in the dataset, the “max-out” feature selection method is proposed for dimension reduction in the pre-processing stage. This method is implemented for the IBM HR dataset. The coefficient of each feature in the logistic regression model shows the importance of the feature in attrition prediction. The results show improvement in the F1-score performance measure due to the “max-out” feature selection method. Finally, the validity of parameters is checked by training the model for multiple bootstrap datasets. Then, the average and standard deviation of parameters are analyzed to check the confidence value of the model’s parameters and their stability. The small standard deviation of parameters indicates that the model is stable and is more likely to generalize well.