ON THE BASICS OF THE AXIOLOGY OF POLISH LABOR LAW IN THE REGULATION CONCERNING THE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT OF WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS

This study is an attempt to answer the question whether the issues that have the fundamental subject of the world of values were included in the first Polish unified labor law regulations. The article, that due to the temporal scope, should be treated, however, as a contribution to contemporary studies as well as the resulting extensive analyzes of axiology.

The efficiency of the respiratory system of men at risk of social exclusion

Background: Some part of the Polish society, after 1989, especially that coming from the remote farming areas – on the bankrupt State Agriculatural Farm could not cope in the new reality. Unemployment and the associated bad financial situation, poor housing conditions, and even homelessness, difficult access to medical care often generated the beginnings of social exclusion. Did those aspects also generate the impairment of the respiratory system or do the socio-demographic conditions demonstrate the relationship with the efficiency of the respiratory system? Material and Methods: 210 people from Tuchola County at risk of social exclusion underwent spirometry testing. The spirometry results were demonstrated against a background of the same measurements carried out on the group of 95 people – physical labourers and white-collar workers of Kazimierz Wielki University. Basic socio-demographic conditions of people at risk of social exclusion were surveyed. Results: Low efficiency of the respiratory system is a characteristic feature of people at risk of social exclusion. Social and living conditions (including housing conditions and unemployment period) demonstrate vital relations with the efficiency of the respiratory system. Conclusions: Poor social and living conditions and smoking of the examined people significantly change their chances of the standard spirometry results. However, good social and living conditions suggest that there is a possibility of the compensation of bad effects of smoking.

Well Recovered and More Creative? A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship Between Vacation and Creativity

The aim of this study was to investigate employees’ self-reported creativity before and after vacation and to examine the impact of recovery experiences (detachment, relaxation, mastery, meaning, autonomy, affiliation) on changes in creativity. The DRAMMA model of Newman et al. provides the theoretical background of our approach. Longitudinal data was assessed with four repeated measurements. The study encompassed data from 274 white-collar workers. Analyses showed that employees subjectively perceive their creativity to benefit not immediately after their vacation but 2 weeks later. Detachment was significantly related to lower creativity within persons, while mastery experiences explained differences in creativity between persons. This study provides a detailed picture of changes in creativity around vacations.

The Impact of Lifetime Work and Non-work Physical Activity on Physical Fitness Among White – and Blue – Collar Retirees: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The literature offers significant amount of data on the effects of occupational activity on health, with a distinct link between retirement and health among the most frequently tackled topics. Studies on the relationship between past occupational activity and physical fitness among older retirees remain scarce. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of physical activity on physical fitness in white- and blue-collar retirees.Methods: A total of 200 participants (aged ≥60) were included in the study. Lifetime physical activity was assessed using the Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire. Mean MET/week/year values of total Physical Activity and for each domain separately (occupational, sports, household) were calculated. Participants were stratified to blue- or white- collar group. Physical performance, hand-grip strength (HGS) and pulmonary function were assessed.Results: Mean total MET/week/year values for the blue- and the white-collar workers were 140.48 ± 55.13 and 100.75 ± 35.98, respectively. No statistically significant differences in physical performance scores were found between the white- and blue- collar groups. Adjustment for age, sex weight and height revealed a statistically significant association between work-related PA FEV*1 in the blue-collar group. White – collar workers presented higher odds ratio for membership in highest quartile in regard to short physical performance battery test score.Conclusion: Only minimal association of type of occupation on physical fitness were found despite statistically significant differences between mean intensity and duration of sports- and work-related lifetime physical activity. These findings may indicate that the type of past work is not an independent factor influencing the state of a person in old age. Large-scale investigations with physically fit and unfit participants, are necessary.

Objectively-measured physical activity and stress levels in workers: a systematic review physical activity and stress in workers

To investigate the relationship between objectively measured physical activity and occupational stress in different work environments. This systematic review, registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020214884), followed the PRISMA methodology. The search took place in October/2020 in the following databases: Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, MedLine/PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, OVID MEDLINE, Scielo and CINAHL. Keywords related to eligible participants (adults and workers), interventions (physical activity objectively measured), comparison (control group or baseline), outcome (stress), and study design (observational studies) were combined using Boolean terms. From 1,524 identified records, 12 articles were included, totaling 2,082 workers. 66.7% of the studies were carried out in Europe and 50.0% among health professionals. Blue collar workers (20.7% [n = 430]) and white collar workers (18.3% [n = 382]), medical resident (6.5% [n = 135]) and protection services (9.7% [n = 202]) were the predominant occupations. Physical activity was higher in blue-collar workers than in white-collar workers, and shift-working nurses were more active compared to non-shift workers and office workers. Increased mental workload was not associated with time spent on physical activities in most studies (10 [83.3%)]). Some studies showed that light physical activity was associated with higher levels of stress and moderate to vigorous physical activity was beneficial for reducing stress dimensions. In conclusion, most studies did not find an association between objectively measured physical activity and the level of stress in workers. Studies with robust methodologies and covering different groups of workers remain necessary.

Chinese Mobile Youth’s Intentions to Stay in the City

In the new era, the motivation of young migrant white-collar and blue-collar workers to stay in cities is different. Through in-depth interviews, we found out that economic factors have different attraction mechanisms for migrant youth to stay in Shanghai. Income level is the most direct factor for migrant youth’ decision-making, but white-collar workers still pay more attention to the prospects of urban development. Social integration has different effects on the retention mentality of migrant youth as well. High-quality urban integration promotes the willingness of white-collar workers to stay in the city, and the weak sense of urban belonging of blue-collar workers does not hinder their urban retention decision-making. Living conditions have different push and pull effects on migrant youth staying in cities. White collar workers have better living conditions and can purchase real estate, so as to complete the process of citizenization*. Blue collar workers cannot buy real estate and have poor living conditions, so it is easy to push them out of the city. Policy factors also have different bonding effects on migrant youth’s residence. The policy has bonded high-quality white-collar workers and promoted their strong willingness to stay. However, it has squeezed blue collar workers to a certain extent, but it has no obvious effect on their decision-making and willingness to stay. Migrant young white-collar workers comprehensively measure various factors to determine whether to stay, while migrant young blue-collar workers mainly decide whether to stay based on income level. The decision-making and willingness of the new generation of migrant youth to stay in cities have tended to be reasonable. Based on this, this paper puts forward the idea of ‘tripartite promotion’ to promote the rational flow of youth.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of workers from the University of Porto

Background: Repeated serosurveys in the same population provide more accurate estimates of the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection and more comparable data than notified cases. We aimed to estimate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, identify associated risk factors, and assess time trends in the ratio of serological/molecular diagnosis in a cohort of university workers. Methods: Participants had a serological rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulins M and G, and completed a questionnaire, in May-July 2020 (n=3628) and November 2020-January 2021 (n=2661); 1960 participated in both evaluations and provided data to compute the incidence proportion and the incident rate. Crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using generalised linear models with Poisson regression. Results: The incidence rate was 1.8/100 person-month (95%CI 1.6-2.1), and the 6 months cumulative incidence was 10.7%. The serological/molecular diagnosis ratio was 10:1 in the first evaluation and 3:1 in the second. Considering newly identified seropositive cases at the first (n=69) and second evaluation (n=202), 29.0% and 9.4% never reported symptoms, respectively, 14.5% and 33.3% reported contact with a confirmed case and 82.6%, and 46.0% never had a molecular test. Males (aIRR: 0.59; 95%CI: 0.42-0.83) and "high-skilled white-collar" workers (aIRR: 0.73, 95%CI: 0.52-1.02) had lower incidence of infection. Conclusion: University workers presented a high SARS-CoV-2 incidence while restrictive measures were in place. The time decrease in the proportion of undiagnosed cases reflected the increased access to testing, but opportunities continued to be missed, even in the presence of COVID-19 like symptoms.

Sleep and health: examining the relation of sleep to burnout and well-being using a consumer fitness tracker

Sleep is an essential requirement for both physiological and psychological functioning and has an impact on various health parameters. The present study aimed to examine how quantity and quality of sleep predicts burnout and well-being by using both self-reported and objectively collected sleep data. The participants were 104 white-collar workers who wore a fitness tracker for 14 consecutive days and filled out a questionnaire about sleep, burnout, and well-being. The results showed that self-reported sleep quality predicts burnout and well-being, but neither did self-reported nor objective sleep duration. We concluded that although measuring sleep duration with a consumer fitness tracker still needs to be improved, it is a useful addition to self-reported sleep measures. The study did solidify results from previous self-reported measures and point out the prominent role of sleep quality rather than hours of sleep.

“Professionals, Merchants, and Industrialists Unite!” Middle-Class Masculinities, Subjectivities, and Nationhood, Chile 1932–1952

This article focuses on the formation of the masculine ethos of the middle classes in Chile as a result of their experience in the public sphere and covers the period between 1932 and 1952. The study is based on a discourse analysis of Acción Pública, a middle-class weekly; ANEF magazine, issued by the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Fiscales (Chile’s National Association of Public Servants, ANEF); En Viaje, the magazine published by Chile’s state-owned railway; and Ley 6020 Sueldo Vital (Living Wage Act), legislation benefitting white-collar workers. The article provides an examination of the impact of everyday nationalism on the formation of modern middle-class men identities and explores the extent to which the intersection between expectations of class, labor, and gender led to profound contradictions that may be considered subjectivities of both class and masculinity.