Search results for: violence at work
13689 When Mobile Work Creates More Discrimination
Authors: Marie-Therese Claes, Anett Hermann
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With the advent of the web and information technology since the end of the 20ᵗʰ century, digitalization has revolutionized our everyday life, from shopping and dating to education and transportation. The world of work is one of the areas that has been highly transformed by changing the time and spatial limits of the work. The expansion of the internet, wireless, and easily portable devices such as laptop computers and mobile phones has enabled us to work almost from any place at any time. As a result, telework, which started in the 1950s and elevated in the 1970s, steeply raised to a new level in 21ˢᵗ century. Telework consists of various forms of work done from outside the traditional workplace by using information technologies. The social distancing and lockdown measures that have been taken to reduce the spread of the virus in many countries worldwide resulted in an increasing number of teleworkers and made “working from home’’ synonymous with telework. Post-COVID-19, the number of teleworkers is still higher than before the pandemic period, and the interest in expanding teleworking has been growing too. Notwithstanding the advantages ushered by telework, it also has a number of drawbacks that negatively affect organizations and employees. The intention of this piece of work is not to indicate a causational relationship between telework and discrimination. Our aim is to indicate some unintended and/or unnoticed deleterious effects of telework in reinforcing discrimination and to instigate discussion on how to mitigate the effects. To do so, this insight indicates how telework reinforces traditional gender roles and how organizational culture towards telework and its access to employees at different levels of the organizational hierarchy opens the room for discrimination.Keywords: mobile work, discrimination, gender roles, organizational culture
Procedia PDF Downloads 6713688 Study on the Demolition Waste Management in Malaysia Construction Industry
Authors: Gunalan Vasudevan
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The Malaysia construction industry generates a large quantity of construction and demolition waste nowadays. In the handbook for demolition work only comprised small portion of demolition waste management. It is important to study and determine the ways to provide a practical guide for the professional in the building industry about handling the demolition waste. In general, demolition defined as tearing down or wrecking of structural work or architectural work of the building and other infrastructures work such as road, bridge and etc. It’s a common misconception that demolition is nothing more than taking down a structure and carrying the debris to a landfill. On many projects, 80-90% of the structure is kept for reuse or recycling which help the owner to save cost. Demolition contractors required a lot of knowledge and experience to minimize the impact of demolition work to the existing surrounding area. For data collecting method, postal questionnaires and interviews have been selected to collect data. Questionnaires have distributed to 80 respondents from the construction industry in Klang Valley. 67 of 80 respondents have replied the questionnaire while 4 people have interviewed. Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science version 17.0 were used to analyze the data collected.Keywords: demolition, waste management, construction material, Malaysia
Procedia PDF Downloads 44413687 Dogmatic Analysis of Legal Risks of Using Artificial Intelligence: The European Union and Polish Perspective
Authors: Marianna Iaroslavska
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ChatGPT is becoming commonplace. However, only a few people think about the legal risks of using Large Language Model in their daily work. The main dilemmas concern the following areas: who owns the copyright to what somebody creates through ChatGPT; what can OpenAI do with the prompt you enter; can you accidentally infringe on another creator's rights through ChatGPT; what about the protection of the data somebody enters into the chat. This paper will present these and other legal risks of using large language models at work using dogmatic methods and case studies. The paper will present a legal analysis of AI risks against the background of European Union law and Polish law. This analysis will answer questions about how to protect data, how to make sure you do not violate copyright, and what is at stake with the AI Act, which recently came into force in the EU. If your work is related to the EU area, and you use AI in your work, this paper will be a real goldmine for you. The copyright law in force in Poland does not protect your rights to a work that is created with the help of AI. So if you start selling such a work, you may face two main problems. First, someone may steal your work, and you will not be entitled to any protection because work created with AI does not have any legal protection. Second, the AI may have created the work by infringing on another person's copyright, so they will be able to claim damages from you. In addition, the EU's current AI Act imposes a number of additional obligations related to the use of large language models. The AI Act divides artificial intelligence into four risk levels and imposes different requirements depending on the level of risk. The EU regulation is aimed primarily at those developing and marketing artificial intelligence systems in the EU market. In addition to the above obstacles, personal data protection comes into play, which is very strictly regulated in the EU. If you violate personal data by entering information into ChatGPT, you will be liable for violations. When using AI within the EU or in cooperation with entities located in the EU, you have to take into account a lot of risks. This paper will highlight such risks and explain how they can be avoided.Keywords: EU, AI act, copyright, polish law, LLM
Procedia PDF Downloads 2113686 Plasma Gasification as a Sustainable Way for Energy Recovery from Scrap Tyre
Authors: Gloria James, S. K. Nema, T. S. Anantha Singh, P. Vadivel Murugan
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The usage of tyre has increased enormously in day to day life. The used tyre and rubber products pose major threat to the environment. Conventional thermal techniques such as low temperature pyrolysis and incineration produce high molecular organic compounds (condensed and collected as aromatic oil) and carbon soot particles. Plasma gasification technique can dispose tyre waste and generate combustible gases and avoid the formation of high molecular aromatic compounds. These gases generated in plasma gasification process can be used to generate electricity or as fuel wherever required. Although many experiments have been done on plasma pyrolysis of tyres, very little work has been done on plasma gasification of tyres. In this work plasma gasification of waste tyres have been conducted in a fixed bed reactor having graphite electrodes and direct current (DC) arc plasma system. The output of this work has been compared with the previous work done on plasma pyrolysis of tyres by different authors. The aim of this work is to compare different process based on gas generation, efficiency of the process and explore the most effective option for energy recovery from waste tyres.Keywords: plasma, gasification, syngas, tyre waste
Procedia PDF Downloads 18213685 'I'm in a Very Safe Place': Webcam Sex Workers in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Their Perceptions of Danger and Risk
Authors: Madeline V. Henry
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Sex work is a contested subject in academia. Many authors now argue that the practice should be recognized as a legitimate and rationally chosen form of labor, and that decriminalization is necessary to ensure the safety of sex workers and reduce their stigmatization. However, a prevailing argument remains that the work is inherently violent and oppressive and that all sex workers are directly or indirectly coerced into participating in the industry. This argument has been complicated by the recent proliferation of computer-mediated technologies that allow people to conduct sex work without the need to be physically co-present with customers or pimps. One example of this is the practice of ‘camming’, wherein ‘webcam models’ stream themselves stripping and/or performing autoerotic stimulation in an online chat-room for payment. In this presentation, interviews with eight ‘camgirls’ (aged 22-34) will be discussed. Their talk has been analyzed using Foucauldian discourse analysis, focusing on common discursive threads in relation to the work and their subjectivities. It was found that the participants demonstrated appreciation for the lack of physical danger they were in, but emphasized the unique and significant dangers of online-based sex work (their images and videos being recorded and shared without their consent, for example). Participants also argued that their largest concerns were based around stigma, which they claimed remained prevalent despite the decriminalized legal model in Aotearoa/New Zealand (which has been in place for over 14 years). Overall, this project seeks to challenge commonplace academic approaches to sex work, adding further research to support sex workers’ rights and highlighting new issues to consider in a digital environment.Keywords: camming, sex work, stigma, risk
Procedia PDF Downloads 15513684 Work Related Outcomes of Perceived Authentic Leadership: Moderating Role of Organizational Structures
Authors: Aisha Zubair, Anila Kamal
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Leadership styles and practices greatly influence the organizational effectiveness and productivity. It also plays an important role in employees’ experiences of positive emotions at workplace and creative work behaviors. Authentic leadership as a newly emerging concept has been found as a significant predictor of various desirable work related outcomes. However, leadership practices and its work related outcomes, to a great extent, are determined by the very nature of the organizational structures (tall and flat). Tall organizations are characterized by multiple hierarchical layers with predominant vertical communication patterns, and narrow span of control; while flat organizations are featured by few layers of management employing both horizontal and vertical communication styles, and wide span of control. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the work related outcomes of perceived authentic leadership; that is work related flow and creative work behavior among employees of flat and tall organizations. Moreover, it was also intended to determine the moderating role of organizational structure (flat and tall) in the relationship between perceived authentic leadership with work related flow and creative work behavior. In this regard, two types of companies have been considered; that is, banks as a form of tall organizational structure with multiple hierarchical structures while software companies have been considered as flat organizations with minimal layers of management. Respondents (N = 1180) were full time regular employees of marketing departments of banks (600) and software companies (580) including both men and women with age range of 22-52 years (M = 33.24; SD = 7.81). Confirmatory Factor Analysis yielded factor structures of measures of work related flow and creative work behavior in accordance to the theoretical models. However, model of authentic leadership exhibited variation in terms of two items which were not included in the final measure of the perceived authentic leadership. Results showed that perceived authentic leadership was positively associated with work related flow and creative work behavior. Likewise, work related flow was positively aligned with creative work behavior. Furthermore, type of organizational structure significantly moderated the relationship of perceived authentic leadership with work related flow and creative work behavior. Results of independent sample t-test showed that employees working in flat organization reflected better perceptions of authentic leadership; higher work related flow and elevated levels of creative work behavior as compared to those working in tall organizations. It was also found that employees with extended job experience and more job duration in the same organization displayed better perceptions of authentic leadership, reported more work related flow and augmented levels of creative work behavior. Findings of the present study distinctively highlighted the similarities as well as differences in the interactions of major constructs which function differentially in the context of tall (banks) and flat (software companies) organizations. Implications of the present study for employees and management as well as future recommendations were also discussed.Keywords: creative work behavior, organizational structure, perceived authentic leadership, work related flow
Procedia PDF Downloads 38913683 Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Risk Factors among Nurses in Mongolia
Authors: V. Davaakhuu, D. Tserendagva, D. Amarsaikhan, T. Altanstetseg
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In this study we aimed to detect main risk factors for diabetes in Mongolia and obtain data we used survey modified questionnaire. Survey data were obtained from 634 valid nurses (day work nurses-317, shift work nurses-317). Participants who were pregnant, less than 20 years old and no check for fasting glucose level were excluded from the survey in order to determine the risk factors of diabetes. Our study result shows the main risk factors of diabetes were physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, alcohol and tobacco use and lack of vegetable and fruit consumption. Peripheral blood glucose level was normal in subjects with BMI 26.28 ± 0.56, but 20 % of the subjects with normal blood glucose level were obese. Blood glucose level was higher in subjects with BMI 28.63 ± 2.32 and 36 % of them were obese. According to our study results, 3.62% of the surveyed population were identified having no diabetes risk factors, 52.3% were at risk, 28.8% were in higher risk for diabetes by the WHO criteria. In general, the prevalence of blood glucose were especially higher in shift work nurses.Keywords: day work nurses, shift work nurses, BMI, WHR
Procedia PDF Downloads 59313682 Carthage-Burned and Rome-Reiterative: Mirrored Distortions of Imperial Trauma and Historiography
Authors: Sarah H. Davies
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In the year 146 BCE, the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus – soon to be ‘anointed,’ via mass-spilling of blood-on-land, as “(‘triumphal’) Africanus” – stood atop a hill, overlooking the city of Carthage, as its urban-scape was burned and people killed, violated, captured… ‘poetically’ consumed. From an ineffable-seeming distance – constructed, in imperial fascination – the scene was (and is, apparently) painted in a disturbingly ‘romantic’ light. Such a snap-shot vista, projected before a mind’s-eye in panorama, and in (ongoing) construction, has seeped across ancient and modern lines, with multiple, interwoven iterations. This study conducts a reading, both ‘postcolonial’ and anti-imperial, in interruption of an ongoing (re)iteration of imperial violence, mirrored in distortion between “ancient” and “modern” forms that are physical, ideological, and ontological. Using an analysis of ancient literary works, from the historiographical (Polybius’ Histories) to the epic-poetic (Vergil’s Aeneid), placed in juxtaposition with a range of modern material, both literary-historical (e.g., Gibbon’s Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire) and visual (Cole’s The Course of Empire), this study destabilizes ongoing formations. Such formations attempt to inflict ‘an assumed’ repetition, engaged in normalizing a city violently destroyed as somehow ‘natural’ and/or ‘inevitable,’ and by extension, ‘tragically necessary.’ The reiterations – across media and contexts – create a distorted aesthetic (itself an act of profound violence) that fetishizes and even produces sensory, illusory pleasures (of co-complicit harm, within and across communities) regarding ‘period-shifting events’ of mass-murder and cultural erasure. ‘The vista over Carthage burning’ was/is (but does not ever have to be) thereby a manufactured stage-set, a commodity for imperial reproduction. Such a projection frames an overly-simplistic, ‘safe’-seeming (and yet incredibly dangerous) binary regarding (caricatured) “victims” and “victors.” At the same time, the projection renders an epistemological frame whereby ‘The One’ and ‘The Other’ are asserted as inherently antagonistic categories of being, in which One ‘must’ replace Other – the latter portrayed in gendered, exoticized, and time-distorted ways, as a scripted-object. All the while, a very particular subset of narrative is woven, whereby Carthage (elided in ‘victim’ status) specifically is/was Troy (again, elided), is/was every ‘destroyed city’ (also elided), and is/was yet another essential marking-point of “History,” twisted into ‘becoming’ a ‘reset’ point in a ‘cyclical pattern,’ inscribed as a tragic plot or lifetime repeated. The script itself entails pervasive violence. And yet, there always remains a trip-wire written into the constructed-cyclical. In part, this realization comes from a deconstruction of the tiered violences of an over-worn trope. The realization then also comes from a revelation of erased realities of human-experiences, in which ‘victim’ and ‘victor’ suffer, in fractured differences of ongoing, system(at)ic (re)trauma. The contours and silences of the historical records contain all the ongoing scars. This study therefore unravels the intersectional tableaux of ‘Carthage-burning’ and ‘Rome-reiterative,’ providing a collective investigation into conceptual formations, fractured across millennia. Ultimately, perhaps, such a re-reading – occurring via a commodified past will echo words from the Aeneid: “perhaps, once upon a time, to have remembered even these things, it will have been healing.Keywords: antiquity, carthage, empire, historiography, rome, ruination
Procedia PDF Downloads 1813681 The Significance of Ernest Hemingway's Writing Style in the Development of Georgian Prose of 1950-1960s
Authors: Natia Kvachakidze
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The given research aims to study and analyze the influence of Ernest Hemingway’s writing style on Georgian prose of 1950s and 1960s. It is universally known that Ernest Hemingway’s unique writing style has had an enormous effect on various writers. His work remains highly relevant and influential even today. This is especially true about the works written in English, but literary prose created in other languages is not an exception. Certain stylistic peculiarities characteristic for Hemingway’s writing can be traced in literary works written in various languages. It is particularly interesting for us, Georgians, how all these aspects were reflected in Georgian prose of the second-half of XX century. This particular paper (which is a part of a larger research) focuses on major significant peculiarities of Georgian prose of 1950-1960s that might be connected to Hemingway's writing. In this respect, GuramRcheulishvili’s (1934-1960) works should be particularly distinguished (especially his short fiction), but literary works of other Georgian authors are not at all less important. The research involves the analysis of the prose works of some Georgian writers of the given period in the context of tracing similarities and parallels between them and the characteristic features of Ernest Hemingway’s writing style. The use of everyday language as well as short and simple sentences, a concise and sparse style, repetitions, intense dialogues are some of the essential traits in question. Themes like birth and death, war and violence, family, nature, disillusionment also prove to be vitally important for this research. Complex interconnections between the author, the narrator, and the protagonist (often autobiographical) provide another interesting subject to study. At the same time, this paper aims at studying and revealing how Hemingway’s method was reflected and transformed in Georgian prose. In this respect, it is interesting to trace not only the direct effect of Hemingway’s style but also the role of certain Georgian translations of the works of this American writer.Keywords: hemingway, prose, georgian writers, writing style
Procedia PDF Downloads 17913680 LED Lighting Interviews and Assessment in Forest Machines
Authors: Rauno Pääkkönen, Fabriziomaria Gobba, Leena Korpinen
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The objective of the study is to assess the implementation of LED lighting into forest machine work in the dark. In addition, the paper includes a wide variety of important and relevant safety and health parameters. In modern, computerized work in the cab of forest machines, artificial illumination is a demanding task when performing duties, such as the visual inspections of wood and computer calculations. We interviewed entrepreneurs and gathered the following as the most pertinent themes: (1) safety, (2) practical problems, and (3) work with LED lighting. The most important comments were in regards to the practical problems of LED lighting. We found indications of technical problems in implementing LED lighting, like snow and dirt on the surfaces of lamps that dim the emission of light. Moreover, service work in the dark forest is dangerous and increases the risks of on-site accidents. We also concluded that the amount of blue light to the eyes should be assessed, especially, when the drivers are working in a semi-dark cab.Keywords: forest machines, health, LED, safety
Procedia PDF Downloads 43113679 From News Breakers to News Followers: The Influence of Facebook on the Coverage of the January 2010 Crisis in Jos
Authors: T. Obateru, Samuel Olaniran
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In an era when the new media is affording easy access to packaging and dissemination of information, the social media have become a popular avenue for sharing information for good or ill. It is evident that the traditional role of journalists as ‘news breakers’ is fast being eroded. People now share information on happenings via the social media like Facebook, Twitter and the rest, such that journalists themselves now get leads on happenings from such sources. Beyond the access to information provided by the new media is the erosion of the gatekeeping role of journalists who by their training and calling, are supposed to handle information with responsibility. Thus, sensitive information that journalists would normally filter is randomly shared by social media activists. This was the experience of journalists in Jos, Plateau State in January 2010 when another of the recurring ethnoreligious crisis that engulfed the state resulted in another widespread killing, vandalism, looting, and displacements. Considered as one of the high points of crises in the state, journalists who had the duty of covering the crisis also relied on some of these sources to get their bearing on the violence. This paper examined the role of Facebook in the work of journalists who covered the 2010 crisis. Taking the gatekeeping perspective, it interrogated the extent to which Facebook impacted their professional duty positively or negatively vis-à-vis the peace journalism model. It employed survey to elicit information from 50 journalists who covered the crisis using questionnaire as instrument. The paper revealed that the dissemination of hate information via mobile phones and social media, especially Facebook, aggravated the crisis situation. Journalists became news followers rather than news breakers because a lot of them were put on their toes by information (many of which were inaccurate or false) circulated on Facebook. It recommended that journalists must remain true to their calling by upholding their ‘gatekeeping’ role of disseminating only accurate and responsible information if they would remain the main source of credible information on which their audience rely.Keywords: crisis, ethnoreligious, Facebook, journalists
Procedia PDF Downloads 29413678 The Effect of Absolute and Relative Deprivation on Homicides in Brazil
Authors: Temidayo James Aransiola, Vania Ceccato, Marcelo Justus
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This paper investigates the effect of absolute deprivation (proxy unemployment) and relative deprivation (proxy income inequality) on homicide levels in Brazil. A database from the Brazilian Information System about Mortality and Census of the year 2000 and 2010 was used to estimate negative binomial models of homicide levels controlling for socioeconomic, demographic and geographic factors. Findings show that unemployment and income inequality affect homicides levels and that the effect of the former is more pronounced compared to the latter. Moreover, the combination of income inequality and unemployment exacerbates the overall effect of deprivation on homicide levels.Keywords: deprivation, inequality, interaction, unemployment, violence
Procedia PDF Downloads 14613677 Implementation of Social Network Analysis to Analyze the Dependency between Construction Bid Packages
Authors: Kawalpreet Kaur, Panagiotis Mitropoulos
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The division of the project scope into work packages is the most important step in the preconstruction phase of construction projects. The work division determines the scope and complexity of each bid package, resulting in dependencies between project participants performing these work packages. The coordination between project participants is necessary because of these dependencies. Excessive dependencies between the bid packages create coordination difficulties, leading to delays, added costs, and contractual friction among project participants. However, the literature on construction provides limited knowledge regarding work structuring approaches, issues, and challenges. Manufacturing industry literature provides a systematic approach to defining the project scope into work packages, and the implementation of social network analysis (SNA) in manufacturing is an effective approach to defining and analyzing the divided scope of work at the dependencies level. This paper presents a case study of implementing a similar approach using SNA in construction bid packages. The study uses SNA to analyze the scope of bid packages and determine the dependency between scope elements. The method successfully identifies the bid package with the maximum interaction with other trade contractors and the scope elements that are crucial for project performance. The analysis provided graphical and quantitative information on bid package dependencies. The study can be helpful in performing an analysis to determine the dependencies between bid packages and their scope elements and how these scope elements are critical for project performance. The study illustrates the potential use of SNA as a systematic approach to analyzing bid package dependencies in construction projects, which can guide the division of crucial scope elements to minimize negative impacts on project performance.Keywords: work structuring, bid packages, work breakdown, project participants
Procedia PDF Downloads 7913676 Musculoskeletal Pain, Work Characteristics and Presenteeism among Hotel Employees
Authors: Ruey-Yu Chen, Yao-Tsung Chang, Ching-Ying Yeh, Yu-Ting Huang
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Musculoskeletal problems in the hotel sector have been little studied. The aim of this study was to examine relationships of musculoskeletal pain and work characteristics with presenteeism, i.e., feeling sick but going to work anyway. Data of a self-reported questionnaire were collected from 1,101 employees, who joined the study on a voluntary basis from four hotels in northern Taiwan. The results showed that respondents who were female, were younger, had a higher educational level, and worked in the real-service department had higher presenteeism. There were significant positive associations between presenteeism and heavy loads, frequent beatings or hits of hard objects, improper bench height, employees’ lower limb and lower back pain. Our study results imply that knowledge of work characteristics and employees' musculoskeletal problems could be advantageously used to reduce presenteeism in the workplace.Keywords: musculoskeletal pain, absenteeism, presenteeism, hotel employees
Procedia PDF Downloads 19313675 Gig-Work in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Audie Daniel Wood
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In the spring of 2020, the country and the economy came to a halt due to an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, SARS-2, virus known as COVID-19. One of the hardest hit sectors of the economy was the gig-sector, which includes Lyft, Uber, Door-Dash, and other services. In this study, we examined the effects of the independent contractor status of laborers in this field to see how a near-complete economic shut-down affected the lives of laborers who are denied access to health-care and unemployment benefits due to their status as independent contractors. What the study found was there was no 'life-altering' change to the lives of the workers who used gig-work as supplementary income during the economic shut-down, but those who relied on Lyft and Uber, etc. as their sole source of income were more heavily impacted by the economic shut-down than part-time workers. The second significant finding of the study was that across all genders and races, the idea of having to seek unemployment or help was something that none of the workers wanted. They all felt as if unemployment and social-insurance were for those who could not work. While the findings are not generalizable due to this being a small qualitative study consisting of 27 participants, the findings suggest that the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on those that work in the gig-industry warrants further discussion and research.Keywords: gig-work, Covid-19, independent contractor, Uber
Procedia PDF Downloads 12513674 Medical Social Work: Connotation, Prospects, and Challenges in Pakistan
Authors: Syeda Mahnaz Hassan
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Social work as a specialized field, grounded in scientific knowledge and skills, is more inclined towards problem-solving process rather than charity focused approach. Medical social work, as a primary method, deals with the bio-psychosocial-spiritual elements of an individual with a problem and assesses the pliability and strength of the patients, social support systems, and their families, to assist the patients to resolve their problems independently. The medical social worker, also known as case-worker or care-worker, has to play a substantial role in the rehabilitation and retrieval of an affected person. This paper examines the roles played and responsibilities discharged by the Medical Social Workers internationally and specifically concerning Pakistan. The capacity constraints and challenges confronted by Medical Social Workers in hospitals have also been highlighted, and some policy implications have been suggested to enhance the capabilities of Medical Social Workers for serving the patients in a befitting manner.Keywords: medical social work, Pakistan, patients, rehabilitation
Procedia PDF Downloads 36313673 Analyzing and Determining the Ideal Response Force for Combatting Terrorist Groups
Authors: Erhan Turgut, Salih Ergün, Abdülkadir Öz
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Terror is a modern war strategy which uses violence as a means of communication in order to achieve political objectives. In today’s security environment narrowing the propaganda field of terrorist organization is the primary goal for the security forces. In this sense, providing and maintaining public support is the most necessary ability for security units. Rather than enemy and threat-oriented approach, homeland security oriented approach is essential to ensure public support. In this study, terror assumed as a homeland security issue and assigning the law enforcement forces with military status is analyzed.Keywords: terrorism, counter-terrorism, military status law-enforcement, terrorist groups
Procedia PDF Downloads 46213672 Validation of Modern Work Modules and Their Impact on Sustainable Human Resource Management in the Construction Industry
Authors: Robin Becker, Nane Roetmann, Manfred Helmus
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The construction industry faces a significant challenge due to a shortage of skilled work-ers, especially in construction management, despite an increase in graduates. This is main-ly because the job is associated with high stress, long hours, and poor work-life balance. A survey revealed that the profession is unattractive to students, who prioritize personal growth, flexibility, and digitalization in their careers. To address this issue, companies can consider implementing various work modules like "working time documentation," "home office," "job sharing," and "time off." These modules can improve control, work-life bal-ance, and efficiency if tailored to the company's framework. They offer a way to make the field more appealing to future employees while benefiting existing staff, provided that both employers and employees are flexible and considerate of project-specific conditions and teams. The feasibility of these models depends on the company's overall framework, with potential for cost-neutral implementation and positive effects on efficiency and men-tal health. However, their success also relies on the specific context of the company, and more data is needed to assess their full impact.Keywords: modern construction management, construction industry, work modules, shortage of junior staff, sustainable personnel management, making construction management more attractive, working time model
Procedia PDF Downloads 4113671 The Work Conditions of Women Refugees: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Authors: Saja Al Zoubi, Humam Wardeh
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This study aims to shed light on the work conditions of female refugees and the most important constraints and challenges preventing them from accessing good earning work. The study was conducted in the Syrian refugee camps in Bekaa province, Lebanon, with a field survey carried out between 2016-2017 through face-to-face interviews of 69 female refugee workers, in addition to 4 focus groups. The results show that 97% of the Syrian female refugees are agricultural workers, they form more than 53% of the agricultural labor work among the refugees. Women predominantly perform all agricultural activities (Planting, weeding, fertilization, irrigation, compacting, cutting, sorting, packaging), except the carriage of heavy objects and sometimes irrigation are exclusive for men. The female child labor is 66% of the child labor. To maintain the livelihoods of their families, women accept to be paid for 4-8 $/day with gender gap around 6 $/day. Women’s acceptance of these low wages is one of the main reasons for landowners’ preference of hiring women under bad work conditions. The less educated and skilled (40% of the women are illiterate, and 2% have some skills) women are more likely to be limited to farm work. In addition, there are other reasons as traditions, labor market demand and other challenges related to security and legal issues. This study finds that enhancing the women capacities (for both refugees and host community) through vocational training and cooperative micro enterprises matched with income generating activities and opening new market channels for local manufactured products can play important role to improve the work skills and conditions, and that can improve the livelihood of their families. The study also recommends to adopt a strategy by all humanitarian agencies to make the aid on educating children condition.Keywords: agricultural work conditions, gender wage gap, women refugees, work constraints
Procedia PDF Downloads 13213670 The Power of Purpose in Organizations: Its Influence on the Meaning of Work
Authors: Carlos Olave Lopez de Ayala
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The concept of purpose has generated a remarkable interest as a subject of study by the scientific community in recent years. However, most authors have studied it from an organizational point of view. Concepts such as purpose-driven organization and purpose management have been the focal point of numerous research studies, as well as of empirical implementation in some organizations. On the other hand, theories of motivation have been traditionally focused on the purpose of an individual and have been used to refer to personal motivation. This paper aims to study the influence of organizational purpose on the dimensions of human motivations, involving the meaning that each individual gives to his/her work. The results show that the person’s alignment with the organizational purpose is connected with the meaning of work as a career, a calling, and a higher calling. This research adds to the knowledge of the impact of the organizational purpose and its influence on individuals.Keywords: human motivations, meaningful work, organizational purpose, purpose management, purpose-driven organization
Procedia PDF Downloads 5713669 The Works of Ibrahim Eissa: A Controversy
Authors: Malak Khaled Hosny
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The paper inspects Ibrahim Eissa, a famous Egyptian writer and TV persona, and his literary and film works. Having faced threats of persecution and assassination, Eissa is a controversial figure in Egyptian media, and his works always pose a trigger of outrage and conversation. His book The Preacher, his movie The Guest, and his TV show Faten Amal Harby all led to some controversy unfolding in Egyptian society, and all led to conversations erupting in Egyptian households and on social media platforms. Through a close reading of his written work and an analytic watch of his work on-screen, the paper delves into the details of the intentions behind and the repercussions of Ibrahim Eissa's work.Keywords: censorship, film, literature, religion
Procedia PDF Downloads 10613668 Attitudes of Young Adults with Physical Disabilities towards Occupational Preferences
Authors: Limor Gadot, Orly Sarid
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Integration of young adults with disabilities (YAWD) into workplaces provides an opportunity for social and occupational mobility, enabling them to financial independence. To enhance integration, it is important to understand their occupational preferences as well as the factors that influencing it such as demographic variables, self-assessed health, beliefs about work, subjective norms, and self-efficacy. Planned behavior theory was chosen as a basis for this study. A cross-sectional study, based on preliminary sample of 37 YAWD who have been recognized by the National Insurance Institute and are engaged in a year of national service. The finding shows that most of the participants were single (97%) women (60%); average age was 22(+ 2) years, approximately half were secular. Most of the participants had disabilities resulting from CP (96%). Self-assessed health was correlated positively and significantly with behavioral intentions to work in the free market (r = .33, p = .05), and significant negative correlation with behavioral intentions to work in supported settings (r =.-40, p = .01), and sheltered settings (r =-.36, p = .03): individuals who perceived themselves as having more severe disabilities showed a greater tendency to choose a workplace with more rehabilitative inputs. Furthermore, women showed a greater tendency than men to perceive their disability as impairing their future intention to work: t (36) = 2.23, p < .05. Beliefs about work were positively associated with normative beliefs (r = .308, p = .06). The findings indicate that, especially with women, perceptions of health are related to occupational preferences. Moreover, the findings indicate that the relationship between subjective norms about work and normative beliefs about integrating in a workplace that prevail in the individual's environment affects occupational preferences. The contribution of the study lies in the development of new responses and interventions to encourage adults with disabilities to work.Keywords: young adults, disabilities, work preferences, occupational preferences
Procedia PDF Downloads 26013667 Work, Pension and Physical Activity: Findings from an Interview Study
Authors: Sonia Lippke, Eric Rost, Volker Cihlar
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Objective: To examine the interrelation of physical activity with work-related variables in older individuals to determine pathways to promote the maintenance of an aging workforce’s ability and motivation to work. Design/methodology/approach: An interview-study was conducted with N=5,002 community-dwelling people aged 55 to 70 years (for T1). N=2,501 (50%) were interviewed 3 years later again (T2). Correlation-, Chi²-, MANOVA and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Findings: The less people worked, the more physically active they were. Working was only related to calendar age but not to subjective age. Men and women only differed in working hours and an interaction of gender and pension regarding working hours and subjective health revealed: Controlled for calendar age, the amount of worked hours while receiving pension was about the same in men and women, however, men worked significantly more hours if they did not receive pension. The relationship between physical activity and worked hours was mediated by life investment and subjective health in women, and by subjective health in men. Practical implications: Developing good health through performing physical activity should be done as part of work-place health promotion or by work organization and HR management to enable, and motivate older individuals to work even when receiving pension. Thus, such initiates should not only offered for younger and middle aged employees. Physical activity and company-facilitated sports activities can be an integral part in this. Originality/value: This is the first study testing these mechanisms in this age group, indicating the importance of not only understanding physical activity as a time challenge to work but also the potential to protect workability and to work aside from receiving pension.Keywords: life investment, moderated mediation, physical activity, older workers, subjective health
Procedia PDF Downloads 30213666 A Study on the Effect of the Work-Family Conflict on Work Engagement: A Mediated Moderation Model of Emotional Exhaustion and Positive Psychology Capital
Authors: Sungeun Hyun, Sooin Lee, Gyewan Moon
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Work-Family Conflict has been an active research area for the past decades. Work-Family Conflict harms individuals and organizations, it is ultimately expected to bring the cost of losses to the company in the long run. WFC has mainly focused on effects of organizational effectiveness and job attitude such as Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention variables. This study is different from consequence variable with previous research. For this purpose, we selected the positive job attitude 'Work Engagement' as a consequence of WFC. This research has its primary research purpose in identifying the negative effects of the Work-Family Conflict, and started out from the recognition of the problem that the research on the direct relationship on the influence of the WFC on Work Engagement is lacking. Based on the COR(Conservation of resource theory) and JD-R(Job Demand- Resource model), the empirical study model to examine the negative effects of WFC with Emotional Exhaustion as the link between WFC and Work Engagement was suggested and validated. Also, it was analyzed how much Positive Psychological Capital may buffer the negative effects arising from WFC within this relationship, and the Mediated Moderation model controlling the indirect effect influencing the Work Engagement by the Positive Psychological Capital mediated by the WFC and Emotional Exhaustion was verified. Data was collected by using questionnaires distributed to 500 employees engaged manufacturing, services, finance, IT industry, education services, and other sectors, of which 389 were used in the statistical analysis. The data are analyzed by statistical package, SPSS 21.0, SPSS macro and AMOS 21.0. The hierarchical regression analysis, SPSS PROCESS macro and Bootstrapping method for hypothesis testing were conducted. Results showed that all hypotheses are supported. First, WFC showed a negative effect on Work Engagement. Specifically, WIF appeared to be on more negative effects than FIW. Second, Emotional exhaustion found to mediate the relationship between WFC and Work Engagement. Third, Positive Psychological Capital showed to moderate the relationship between WFC and Emotional Exhaustion. Fourth, the effect of mediated moderation through the integration verification, Positive Psychological Capital demonstrated to buffer the relationship among WFC, Emotional Exhastion, and Work Engagement. Also, WIF showed a more negative effects than FIW through verification of all hypotheses. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications on research and management of the WFC, and proposed limitations and future research directions of research.Keywords: emotional exhaustion, positive psychological capital, work engagement, work-family conflict
Procedia PDF Downloads 22213665 Influence of Well-Being and Quality of Work-Life on Quality of Care among Health Professionals in Southwest Nigeria
Authors: Adesola C. Odole, Michael O. Ogunlana, Nse A. Odunaiya, Olufemi O. Oyewole, Chidozie E. Mbada, Ogochukwu K. Onyeso, Ayomikun F. Ayodeji, Opeyemi M. Adegoke, Iyanuoluwa Odole, Comfort T. Sanuade, Moyosooreoluwa E. Odole, Oluwagbohunmi A. Awosoga
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Purpose: The Nigerian healthcare industry is bedeviled with infrastructural decay, inadequate funding and staffing, and a dysfunctional healthcare system. This study investigated the influence of health professionals’ well-being and quality of work-life (QoWL) on the quality of care (QoC) of patients in Nigeria. Methods: The study was a multicentre cross-sectional survey conducted at four tertiary health institutions in southwest Nigeria. Participants’ demographic information, well-being, quality of work-life, and quality of care were obtained using four standardized questionnaires. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics of frequency (percentage) and mean (standard deviation). Inferential statistics included Chi-square, Pearson’s correlation, and independent samples t-test analyses. Results: Medical practitioners (n=609) and nurses (n=570) constituted 74.6% of all the health professionals, with physiotherapists, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists constituting 25.4%. The mean (SD) participants’ well-being = 71.65% (14.65), quality of life = 61.8% (21.31), quality of work-life = 65.73% (10.52) and quality of care = 70.14% (12.77). Participants’ quality of life had a significant negative correlation with the quality of care, while well-being and quality of work-life had a significant positive correlation with the quality of care. Conclusion: We concluded that health professionals’ well-being and quality of work-life are important factors that influence their productivity and, ultimately, the quality of care rendered to patients. The hospital management and policymakers should ensure improved work-related factors to improve the well-being of health professionals. This will enhance the quality of care given to patients and ultimately reduce brain drain and medical tourism.Keywords: health professionals, quality of care, quality of life, quality of work-life, well-being
Procedia PDF Downloads 8313664 The Work System Method for Designing Knowledge Mobilization Projects
Authors: Chihab Benmoussa
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Could the Work System Approach (WSA) function as a framework for designing high-impact knowledge mobilization systems? This paper put forward arguments in favor of the applicability of WSA for knowledge mobilization design based on evidences from a practical research. Normative approaches for practitioners are highly needed especially in the field of knowledge management (KM), given the abysmal rate of disappointment and failure of KM projects. The paper contrasts knowledge management and knowledge mobilization, presents the WSA and showed how the WSA’s concepts and ideas fit with the approach adopted by a multinational company in designing a successful knowledge mobilization initiative.Keywords: knowledge management, knowledge mobilizations, work system method
Procedia PDF Downloads 52313663 The Algorithmic Dilemma: Virtue Development in the Midst of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity in Platform Work
Authors: Thumesha Jayatilake
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As platform work continues to proliferate, algorithmic management, which takes care of its operational role, poses complex challenges, including job satisfaction, worker involvement, ethical decision-making, and worker well-being. This conceptual paper scrutinizes how algorithmic management influences virtue development among platform workers, with an emphasis on the effects of role conflict and role ambiguity. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the research elucidates the complex relationship between algorithmic management systems and the ethical dimensions of work. The study also incorporates the interplay of human interaction and short-term task orientation, thus broadening the understanding of the impacts of algorithmic management on virtue development. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, academics, and industry practitioners, illuminating the ethical complexities presented by the use of algorithms in modern employment settings.Keywords: algorithmic management, ethics, platform work, virtue
Procedia PDF Downloads 7313662 Effects of Work Stress and Chinese Indigenous Ren-Qing Shi-Ku Social Wisdom on Emotional Exhaustion, Work Satisfaction and Well-Being of Insurance Workers
Authors: Wang Chung-Kwei, Lo Kuo Ying
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This study is aimed to examine main and moderation effect of Chinese traditional social wisdom ‘Ren-qing Shi-kuo’ on the adjustment of insurance workers. Rationale: Ren-qing Shi-ku as a social wisdom has been emphasized and practiced by collective-oriented Chinese for thousand years. The concept of‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’includes values, beliefs and behavior rituals, which helps Chinese to cope with interpersonal conflicts in a sophisticated and closely tied collective society. Based on interview and literature review, we found out Chinese still emphasized the importance of ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’. The concepts contains five factors, including ‘proper emotion display’, ‘social ritual abiding’, ‘ make empathetic concession’, ‘harmonious and proper behavior’ and ‘tolerance for the interest of the whole’. We developed an indigenous ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku’scale based on interview data and a survey on social worker students. Research methods: We conduct a dyad survey between 294 insurance worker and their supervisors. Insurance workers’ response on ‘Ren-qing Shi-ku,emotion labor, emotional exhaustion, work stress and load, work satisfaction and well-being were collected. We also ask their supervisors to rate these workers ‘empathy, social rule abiding, work performance, and Ren-qing Shi-ku performance. Results: Students’self-ratings on Ren-qing Shi-ku scale are positively correlated with rating from their supervisors on all above indexes. Workers who have higher Ren-qing Shi-ku score also have lower work stress and emotion exhaustion, higher work satisfaction and well-being, more emotion deep acting. They also have higher work performance, social rule abiding, and Ren-qing Shi-ku performance rating from their supervisor. The finding of this study suggested Ren-qing Shi-ku is an effective indicator on insurance workers ‘adjustment. Since Ren-qing Shi-ku is trainable, we suggested that Ren-qing Shi-ku training might be beneficial to service industry in a collective-oriented culture.Keywords: work stress, Ren-qing Shi-ku, emotional exhaustion, work satisfaction, well-being
Procedia PDF Downloads 47613661 Mediation Role of Teachers’ Surface Acting and Deep Acting on the Relationship between Calling Orientation and Work Engagement
Authors: Yohannes Bisa Biramo
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This study examined the meditational role of surface acting and deep acting on the relationship between calling orientation and work engagement of teachers in secondary schools of Wolaita Zone, Wolaita, Ethiopia. A predictive non-experimental correlational design was performed among 300 secondary school teachers. Stratified random sampling followed by a systematic random sampling technique was used as the basis for selecting samples from the target population. To analyze the data, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the association between the independent variables and the dependent variables. Furthermore, the goodness of fit of the study variables was tested using SEM to see and explain the path influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the validity of the scales in the study and to assess the measurement model fit indices. The analysis result revealed that calling was significantly and positively correlated with surface acting, deep acting and work engagement. Similarly, surface acting was significantly and positively correlated with deep acting and work engagement. And also, deep acting was significantly and positively correlated with work engagement. With respect to mediation analysis, the result revealed that surface acting mediated the relationship between calling and work engagement and also deep acting mediated the relationship between calling and work engagement. Besides, by using the model of the present study, the school leaders and practitioners can identify a core area to be considered in recruiting and letting teachers teach, in giving induction training for newly employed teachers and in performance appraisal.Keywords: calling, surface acting, deep acting, work engagement, mediation, teachers
Procedia PDF Downloads 8413660 The Effect of Family Support on Employee Satisfaction and Perception of Work-Family Conflict: The Case of Oil Sector Employees in Kuwait
Authors: Ali H. Muhammad
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This paper investigates both instrumental and emotional family support on employee job satisfaction and perception of work-family conflict. Instrumental family support is manifested in family behavior that contributes to the reduction of employee’s family responsibilities and keeping the physical home environment in a proper shape. Emotional family support includes the encouragement and praise that the employee receives from his family and families for the employee’s work problem and their role in assisting the employees in dealing with these problems. The paper suggests that instrumental and emotional family support increases employee’s job satisfaction. Furthermore, the study proposes that family support decreases employee’s perception of work-family conflict. In addition, this study examines the reliability and validity of the family support index developed by Lynda King and her colleagues in 1995. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to test the validity of the instrument in an Arab business setting. A paper-pencil questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 70 Kuwaiti employees working in the oil sector. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, reliability tests, and regression analysis. Results confirmed the research hypothesis. Family support had a positive effect on job satisfaction. Furthermore, family support significantly contributed to the reduction of employee perception of work-family conflict.Keywords: family support, job satisfaction, work-family conflict, Kuwait oil sector
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