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Andelic, Nicole, Julia Allan, Keith A. Bender, Daniel Powell & Ioannis Theodossiou (2024): Performance-related pay, mental and physiological health. In: Industrial Relations, Jg. 63, H. 1, S. 3-25. DOI:10.1111/irel.12334

Abstract

"Much of the literature on performance-related pay (PRP) and poor health relies on self-reported data, and the relationship is difficult to examine due to confounding variables. We examine the relationship between PRP and three groups of health measures using data from the UKHLS: blood pressure, inflammation markers in blood, and self-reported health. Regressions correcting for self-selection bias and socio-demographic covariates find that PRP contracts are associated with poorer mental health, higher systolic blood pressure, and higher levels of fibrinogen. These findings suggest that firms that use PRP may need to implement policies to mitigate against PRP-related stress." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Silvestre, Maria João, Sónia P. Gonçalves & Maria João Velez (2024): Slow Work: The Mainstream Concept. In: Social Sciences, Jg. 13, H. 3. DOI:10.3390/socsci13030178

Abstract

"The global acceleration of the pace of life has led to an increase in working hours, time pressure, and intensification of work tasks in organizations, with consequences for the physical and psychological health of workers. This acceleration and its consequences make it especially relevant to consider the principles of the slow movement and how they can be applied to the work context, focusing on the importance of slowing down the current pace of work and its implications for the sustainability of people and organizations. The key purpose of this study is to define the concept of slow work and understand its relationship with individual and organisational factors in order to extract the structuring dimensions, enabling its empirical study and practical application. Using grounded theory methodology, we conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with leaders of organizations from different sectors. Data analysis was performed using the MAXQDA programme. It was concluded that slow work is a way of working that respects the balance between individual rhythms and the objectives of the organization, in favor of the sustainability of both parties, and that advocates qualitative goals, thinking time, individual recovery, purpose, and the humanisation of work. The main contribution is the conceptualisation of a construct that may be used in future studies, as well as in the development of organisational policies promoting the slow work culture." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zilanawala, Afshin & Anne McMunn (2024): Nonstandard work schedules in the UK: What are the implications for parental mental health and relationship happiness? In: Community, work & family, Jg. 27, H. 1, S. 54-77. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2022.2077173

Abstract

"This article investigates the associations between nonstandard work schedules, parents’ mental health, and couple relationship happiness across childhood using the Millennium Cohort Study, a longitudinal, population-based data set of births in the UK. Using individual fixed effects models, we investigated the relationship between maternal and paternal nonstandard work schedules, examining both separate and joint work schedules and mental health and relationship happiness. Although we did not observe any associations between mothers’ nonstandard work schedules and their mental health, we did find regularly working night schedules were associated with lower relationship happiness, and particularly so during the school-age period. Fathers’ evening and weekend work schedules were associated with worse mental health. The joint work schedule in which mothers worked a standard schedule and fathers worked nonstandard schedules was associated with lower relationship happiness for mothers and worse mental health for fathers. These results demonstrate the salience of incorporating fathers’ work schedules to understand the challenges and benefits to families of nonstandard work schedules. Our study also emphasizes the significance of investigating the family consequences of nonstandard work schedules in different country contexts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Botha, Ferdi, Jan Kabátek, Jordy Meekes & Roger Wilkins (2023): The Effects of Commuting and Working from Home Arrangements on Mental Health. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16618), Bonn, 49 S.

Abstract

"In this study, we quantify the causal effects of commuting time and working from home (WFH) arrangements on the mental health of Australian men and women. Leveraging rich panel-data models, we first show that adverse effects of commuting time manifest only among men. These are concentrated among individuals with pre-existing mental health issues, and they are modest in magnitude. Second, we show that WFH arrangements have large positive effects on women's mental health, provided that the WFH component is large enough. The effects are once again concentrated among individuals with pre-existing mental health issues. This effect specificity is novel and extends beyond Australia: we show that it also underlies the adverse effects of commuting time on the mental health of British women. Our findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions and support for individuals who are dealing with mental health problems." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Falkstedt, Daniel, Melody Almroth, Tomas Hemmingsson, Angelo D'Errico, Maria Albin, Theo Bodin, Jenny Selander, Per Gustavsson & Katarina Kjellberg (2023): Job demands and job control and their associations with disability pension - a register-based cohort study of middle-aged and older Swedish workers. In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jg. 96, H. 8, S. 1137-1147. DOI:10.1007/s00420-023-01995-4

Abstract

"Objectives: Job demands and control at work and their combination, job strain, have been studied in relation to risk of disability pension (DP) previously. In the present study, based on registry data, we aimed to deepen the knowledge by analyzing major disease groups among the DPs, dose–response shape of the associations, and potential confounding efects of physical workload. Methods: Approximately 1.8 million workers aged 44 or older and living in Sweden in 2005 were followed up for 16 years, up to a maximum of 65 years of age. We linked mean values of job demands and job control, estimated in a job-exposure matrice (JEM) by gender, to individuals through their occupational titles in 2005. These values were categorized by rank order, and, for the construction of job-strain quadrants, we used a median cut-of. Associations with DP were estimated in Cox proportional-hazards models. Results: In models accounting for covariates including physical workload, low levels of job control were associated with higher risk of DP among both men and women. This association was most clear for DP with a psychiatric diagnosis, although a dose–response shape was found only among the men. High levels of job demands were associated with decreased risk of DP across diagnoses among men, but the same association varied from weak to non-existing among women. The high- and passive job-strain quadrants both showed increased risk of DP with a psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusion: The results suggest that, at the occupational level, low job control, but not high job demands, contributes to an increased incidence of DP, particularly regarding DP with a psychiatric diagnosis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Fleischer, Julia & Camilla Wanckel (2023): Job Satisfaction and the Digital Transformation of the Public Sector: The Mediating Role of Job Autonomy. In: Review of Public Personnel Administration online erschienen am 12.01.2023, S. 1-22. DOI:10.1177/0734371X221148403

Abstract

"Worldwide, governments have introduced novel information and communication technologies (ICTs) for policy formulation and service delivery, radically changing the working environment of government employees. Following the debate on work stress and particularly on technostress, we argue that the use of ICTs triggers “digital overload” that decreases government employees’ job satisfaction via inhibiting their job autonomy. Contrary to prior research, we consider job autonomy as a consequence rather than a determinant of digital overload, because ICT-use accelerates work routines and interruptions and eventually diminishes employees’ freedom to decide how to work. Based on novel survey data from government employees in Germany, Italy, and Norway, our structural equation modeling (SEM) confirms a significant negative effect of digital overload on job autonomy. More importantly, job autonomy partially mediates the negative relationship between digital overload and job satisfaction, pointing to the importance of studying the micro-foundations of ICT-use in the public sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Focacci, Chiara Natalie & François Pichault (2023): How does institutional context shape work-related functionings for regular and self-employed workers? A contextualised application of the capability approach to Belgium, France and the Netherlands. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 43, H. 13/14, S. 36-61. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-12-2022-0312

Abstract

"Purpose: According to Sen's theoretical framework of capability (1985), individuals reach their full potential once they have the freedom, intended as the set of functionings at their disposal, to do so. However, many critiques have been developed against the lack of embeddedness of the capability approach in social and political relations and structures. In this article, the authors investigate the influence of three institutional contexts (Belgium, the Netherlands and France) on the respective work-related functionings of self-employed and regular workers, with a focus on human capital investment and institutional support offered to them. Design/methodology/approach Data from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) are used to highlight similarities and differences in building work-related functionings for regular and self-employed workers. A regression analysis is provided at the country level. Findings In the three labor markets, the authors find that the building of work-related functionings is more successful for regular employees, especially as regards institutional support. Self-employed workers, on the other hand, need to rely on their individual capability as regards employment protection and human capital investment. However, the authors find interesting differences between the three institutional contexts. In both Belgium and France, self-employed workers are subject to higher instability in terms of changes in salary and hours worked, whereas atypical work is better positioned in the Dutch labour market. The Netherlands is also characterized by a less significant gap between regular and self-employed workers with respect to participation in training. Originality/value In this article, the authors contextualise Sen's (1985) theoretical framework by taking into account the institutional differences of labor markets. In particular, the authors provide a novel application of his capability approach to regular and self-employed workers in an economically relevant European area." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Jelenko, Marie (2023): Arbeit und Gesundheit in der Spätmoderne. Betriebliche Prävention im Spannungsfeld zwischen Individualisierung und Top-Down-Struktur. (Arbeit und Organisation 12), Bielefeld: Transcript, 280 S. DOI:10.14361/9783839464946

Abstract

"Immer schneller, weiter, mehr! Bei diesem leistungsorientierten Diktum sind arbeitsbezogene Gesundheitsgefahren allgegenwärtig. Sozialpolitisch wird deren Vorbeugung in der betrieblichen Prävention fokussiert, die traditionell an der Unfallverhütung und der männlichen Industriearbeit orientiert ist. Im Kontrast dazu steht die Forderung spätmoderner Dienstleistungsgesellschaften nach mehr Flexibilität und Einsatzbereitschaft. Marie Jelenko untersucht, wie die Bewältigung von erhöhten Anforderungen und das damit verbundene Gesundheitsrisiko auf den Schultern des Individuums abgeladen werden." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Karjalainen, Mira (2023): Gender and the blurring boundaries of work in the era of telework—A longitudinal study. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 17, H. 1, S. e13029. DOI:10.1111/soc4.13029

Abstract

"This longitudinal study analyses gender and the blurring boundaries of work during prolonged telework, utilising data gathered during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused a major change in the knowledge work sector, which has characteristically been more prone to work leaking into other parts of life. The study examines the blurring boundaries of telework: between time and place, care and housework, and emotional, social, spiritual and aesthetic labour. The experiences of different genders regarding the blurring boundaries of work during long-term telework are scrutinised using a mixed methods approach, analysing two surveys (Autumn 2020: N = 87, and Autumn 2021: N = 94) conducted longitudinally in a consulting company operating in Finland. There were several gendered differences in the reported forms of labour, which contribute to the blurring boundaries of work. Some boundary blurring remained the same during the study, while some fluctuated. The study also showed how the gendered practices around the blurring boundaries of work transformed during prolonged telework. Blurring boundaries of work and attempts to establish boundaries became partially gendered, as gender and life situation were reflected in knowledge workers' experiences of teleworking." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Maestas, Nicole, Kathleen J. Mullen, David Powell, Till Von Wachter & Jeffrey B. Wenger (2023): The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and the Implications for the Structure of Wages. In: The American economic review, Jg. 113, H. 7, S. 2007-2047. DOI:10.1257/aer.20190846

Abstract

"We document variation in working conditions in the United States, present estimates of how workers value these conditions, and assess the impact of working conditions on estimates of wage inequality. We conduct a series of stated-preference experiments to estimate workers' willingness to pay for a broad set of working conditions, which we validate with actual job choices. We find that working conditions vary substantially, play a significant role in job choice, and are central components of the compensation received by workers. We find that accounting for differences in preferences for working conditions often exacerbates wage differentials and intensifies measures of wage inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Norström, Fredrik, Magnus Zingmark, Anita Pettersson-Strömbäck, Klas-Göran Sahlén, Malin Öhrling & Karin Bölenius (2023): How does the distribution of work tasks among home care personnel relate to workload and health-related quality of life? In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jg. 96, H. 8, S. 1167-1181. DOI:10.1007/s00420-023-01997-2

Abstract

"Background: The work for Swedish home care workers is challenging with a variety of support and healthcare tasks for home care recipients. The aim of our study is to investigate how these tasks relate to workload and health-related quality of life among home care workers in Sweden. We also explore staf preferences concerning work distribution. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 16 municipalities in Northern Sweden. Questionnaires with validated instruments to measure workload (QPSNordic) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), were responded by 1154 (~58%) of approximately 2000 invited home care workers. EQ-5D responses were translated to a Quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) score. For 15 diferent work task areas, personnel provided their present and preferred allocation. Absolute risk diferences were calculated with propensity score weighting. Results: Statistically signifcantly more or fewer problems diferences were observed for: higher workloads were higher among those whose daily work included responding to personal alarms (8.4%), running errands outside the home (14%), rehabilitation (13%) and help with bathing (11%). Apart from rehabilitation, there were statistically signifcantly more (8–10%) problems with anxiety/depression for these tasks. QALY scores were lower among those whose daily work included food distribution (0.034) and higher for daily meal preparation (0.031), both explained by pain/discomfort dimension. Personnel preferred to, amongst other, spend less time responding to personal alarms, and more time providing social support. Conclusion: The redistribution of work tasks is likely to reduce workload and improve the health of personnel. Our study provides an understanding of how such redistribution could be undertaken." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Raftopoulou, Athina & Nicholas Giannakopoulos (2023): Unemployment and health: a panel event study. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 30, H. 10, S. 1275-1278. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2044993

Abstract

"Adopting a panel event study framework, we estimate the effect of unemployment on health outcomes by exploiting the variation in the timing of entering unemployment using longitudinal data for Greece. We find that in the periods ahead of an unemployment event, health outcomes decline and unmet needs for medical care increase. These findings are valid only for men and are robust to alternative definitions of health outcomes, unemployment events and model specifications. Our findings have important implications for research-based policies aimed to promote individuals’ well-being, especially in periods of high unemployment rates and economic distress." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Rondinella, Sandro & Damiano B. Silipo (2023): The effects of chronic migraine on labour productivity: Evidence from Italy. In: Labour, Jg. 37, H. 1, S. 1-32. DOI:10.1111/labr.12230

Abstract

"We use the Italian Statistical Institute survey that comprises about 80,000 questionnaires representative of the overall population between 15 and 90 years old to estimate the impact of chronic migraine on absenteeism and labour productivity. Using an ordinary least squares method to determine the direct effect of chronic migraine on labour productivity, we show that a 10 per cent increase in the number of people with chronic migraine increases absenteeism by 11 per cent and reduces labour productivity by 1.1 per cent per year. However, the effects of chronic migraine on absenteeism and labour productivity vary substantially between regions and sectors. Also, the comorbidity of chronic migraine with other illnesses, especially psychological illnesses, contributes to decreasing labour productivity. Most important, the results obtained at the micro level are similar and even more robust at the macro level. The results refer to a specific country, but we claim they can apply to other countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Tirabeni, Lia (2023): Bounded Well-Being: Designing Technologies for Workers' Well-Being in Corporate Programmes. In: Work, Employment and Society online erschienen am 19.10.2023. DOI:10.1177/09500170231203113

Abstract

"This article examines the relationship between workers’ well-being and digitalisation at work. It is based on the findings of a qualitative study carried out in a manufacturing company, and it focuses on the development of a wearable device for well-being. Using the analytical concepts of ‘translation’ and ‘inscription’ taken from Actor-Network Theory, it explores how digital technologies for well-being are designed in corporate programmes and shows how the final technology results from processes of inscription and translation performed by the actors involved in the design phase. The end device embodies a concept of well-being that has been called ‘bounded’ to emphasise how well-being at work is limited by organisational constraints. The article invites a rethinking of hedonic well-being at work as a precondition for eudaimonic well-being so that the human being is understood as a psychophysical unit that is part of a rich social context." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Weststar, Johanna & Louis-Étienne Dubois (2023): From Crunch to Grind: Adopting Servitization in Project-Based Creative Work. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 972-990. DOI:10.1177/09500170211061228

Abstract

"The digital game industry has embraced servitization – a strategic orientation toward customer centricity in production-based firms – to deeply monetize digital games. Though some note the resource-intensive nature of delivering services and suggest inherent risks in its adoption, extant literature is uncritical. This article draws on labour process theory to critique the impact of servitization on workers at the point of production. We conducted in-depth interviews at a large North American game development studio. The results show the human cost of servitization, generally overshadowed by financial considerations. Specifically, we theorize that servitization increases the indeterminacy of labour and this must be compensated for if servitization is to realize its cost-benefit potential. The result is an intensification of labour through additional control imperatives which make workers accountable to consumers through deterministic success metrics, impact the creative process and direct creative outputs in real time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wirth, Tanja & Stefanie Mache (2023): Gesundheitsförderliche Gestaltung von Digitalisierungsprozessen in Organisationen. Wissenschaftlicher Überblick von Anforderungen und Unterstützungsfaktoren für Beschäftigte. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin H. 58, S. 727-735. DOI:10.17147/asu-1-316850

Abstract

"Digitalisierungsprozesse können weitreichende arbeitsorganisatorische Veränderungen mit sich bringen und Einfluss auf die Arbeitsbedingungen von Beschäftigten nehmen. Der vorliegende Übersichtsartikel untersucht, welche Anforderungen und Unterstützungsfaktoren Beschäftigte im Zuge solcher Digitalisierungsprozesse erleben und wie diese gesundheitsförderlich gestaltet werden können. Methoden: Es wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche in den Datenbanken PubMed und Web of Science durchgeführt. Eingeschlossen wurden deutsch- und englischsprachige Studien ab dem Jahr 2013, die konkrete Digitalisierungsmaßnahmen/-projekte in Unternehmen oder staatlichen Einrichtungen untersuchten und Ergebnisse zu den Auswirkungen der Digitalisierungsprozesse auf die Beschäftigten oder hinsichtlich der Prozessgestaltung beschrieben. Die Ergebnisdarstellung erfolgte als qualitative Zusammenfassung. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden neun Studien in die Übersicht eingeschlossen. Fehlende Ziele, Strategien und Verantwortlichkeiten für die Implementierung der Digitalisierungsmaßnahme, Intransparenz, erhöhte Arbeitsbelastung sowie unzureichende Unterstützung und zeitliche Ressourcen können von Beschäftigten als Anforderung wahrgenommen werden. Umfangreiche Information, aktive Einbindung, Bereitstellung von Schulungsmaßnahmen und Unterstützung auf technischer Ebene und durch die Führung stellen dagegen Unterstützungsfaktoren im Prozess dar. Entsprechend bieten die Vorbereitung und Ausgestaltung des Prozesses, personelle Ressourcen, Unterstützungsmaßnahmen, Partizipation und Kommunikation relevante Möglichkeiten für eine gesundheitsförderliche Gestaltung des Digitalisierungsvorhabens. Schlussfolgerungen: Organisationen sollten mögliche Auswirkungen von Digitalisierungsprozessen für ihre Beschäftigten bereits zu Beginn der Maßnahme berücksichtigen und mitgestalten. Das kann gelingen, indem die Implementierung von Digitalisierungsmaßnahmen als ganzheitlicher Prozess verstanden wird, der ein Change-Management und Change-Leadership erfordert. Schlüsselwörter: Digitalisierung – digitale Transformation – Change-Management – betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung (eingegangen am 31.08.2023, angenommen am 12.10.2023)" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Zhang, Linruo, Thierry Gagné & Anne McMunn (2023): Changes in economic activity and mental distress among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Differences between the first and second infection waves in the UK. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 18. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0292540

Abstract

"Background While infection rates, lockdown policies, and labor market conditions substantially varied across COVID-19 waves, the majority of evidence on young adults’ mental health remains focused on initial responses in early 2020. The variability of the relationship between economic activity and mental health over time therefore remains poorly understood in this age group. Methods Using linear mixed models, we investigated the relationship between current activity and changes in activity and mental distress (GHQ-12) among 1,390 young adults aged 16–34 via the UK Household Longitudinal Study COVID-19 survey. The association was explored in the first (from April to July 2020) and second (from September 2020 to March 2021) infection waves. Current activity was defined as “not working”, “working <17.5 hours/week”, “17.5–35 hours/week”, and “> = 35 hours/week”. Changes in activity were derived from current and pre-pandemic working hours and divided into four categories: “working with no reduced hours”, “working fewer hours”, “no longer working”, and “did not work before the pandemic”. Results During the first wave, no association reached statistical significance. During the second wave: 1) compared to “currently not working”, working 35 or more hours was associated with decreased distress (b = -1.54; 95%CI -2.39, -0.69) and working less than 17.5 hours was not (b = -0.62; 95%CI -1.66, 0.41); 2) compared to “working with no reduced hours compared with before the outbreak”, no longer working was associated with increased distress (b = 1.58, 95%CI 0.61, 2.55) and working with reduced hours was not (b = 0.47, 95%CI -0.24, 1.17). Conclusion Above the mental health inequalities experienced at the start of the pandemic, full-time work–even with variation in work hours–continued to be a protective factor against mental distress among young adults during the second wave in the UK. Stable, full-time work can better support this age group’s mental well-being over time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Becker, Karin L. (2022): We want connection and we do not mean wi-fi: examining the impacts of Covid-19 on Gen Z's work and employment outcomes. In: Management Research Review, Jg. 45, H. 5, S. 684-699. DOI:10.1108/MRR-01-2021-0052

Abstract

"Purpose: This study aims to examine how members of Gen Z are impacted by Covid-19, specifically focusing on their professional opportunities, work preferences and future outlook. Design/methodology/approach A survey consisting of 24 questions including a Likert scale, multiple choice and open-ended was created to understand how members of Gen Z perceive Covid-19 impacting their education, employment, mental health and relationships. The survey was disseminated to employees of a corporate restaurant franchise, Christian college admissions and guidance non-profit, and online through social media including Instagram, Facebook, Reddit and LinkedIn. A total of 517 respondents completed the survey. Survey participants came from 29 states and 6 countries. Findings Results highlight Gen Z overwhelmingly values interpersonal connections, wants to Zoom less and work more in-person. The findings help anticipate potential professional gaps due to Covid-19 restrictions, as well as point out how Gen Z is markedly different in terms of workforce trends. Content analysis from an open-ended question reveals the extent of disruption Gen Z has experienced, adversely affecting their career plans and stalling professional development. Yet, despite these setbacks, Gen Z maintains a cautiously optimistic future outlook. Research limitations/implications Limitations to the study include the sample is largely comprising White women so the generalizability of results may be limited and the self-reporting nature of the survey may pose problems with method variance. Practical implications These findings have implications for Millennials as managers as they identify where resources should be invested including strengthening interpersonal communication skills, providing mentoring opportunities and appealing to their financial conservatism to recruit and retain Gen Z employees. The changes in telecommuting preferences and desire for more interpersonal and in-person communication opportunities highlight how Gen Z is markedly different than previous generations. Social implications Gen Z’s optimistic future outlook conveys a sense of resilience and strength in the face of stress. Rather than engaging in cognitive distortions and over generalizations when stressed, results show Gen Z is able to find healthy alternatives and maintain optimism in the face of stress. Additionally, due to the extent of isolation and loneliness Gen Zers reported, the value of in-person connections cannot be overstated. As results convey a sense of being overlooked and missing out on so many rites of passage, inviting Gen Zers to share how they have been impacted, recognizing their accomplishments and listening to them may go a long way to develop rapport. Originality/value This study differs from others because it takes a generational look at Covid-19 impacts. The qualitative nature allows us to hear from members of Gen Z in their own words, and as a generational cohort, their voices inform workplace attitudes, practices and managerial procedures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Belloni, Michele, Ludovico Carrino & Elena Meschi (2022): The impact of working conditions on mental health: novel evidence from the UK. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 76. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102176

Abstract

"This paper investigates the causal impact of working conditions on mental health in the UK, combining new longitudinal data on working conditions from the European Working Conditions Survey with microdata from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society). Our empirical strategy accounts for the endogenous sorting of individuals into occupations by including individual fixed effects. We address the potential endogeneity of occupational change over time by focusing only on individuals who remain in the same occupation (ISCO 3-digit), exploiting the variation in working conditions within each occupation over time. This variation, determined primarily by general macroeconomic conditions, is likely to be exogenous from the individual point of view. Our results indicate that, for female workers, improvements in working conditions such as skills and discretion, working time quality, and work intensity improve mental health outcomes such as loss of confidence, anxiety, social dysfunction, and risk of clinical depression. These effects are clinically relevant and substantial for younger and older female workers and larger for workers in occupations characterised by an inherently higher level of job strain. We detail how different dimensions of job quality impact different mental health outcomes for different age groups. Our results have important implications for public policies and firms which aim to improve workers' wellbeing and productivity through workplace interventions focused on mental health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Bertoni, Marco, Danilo Cavapozzi, Giacomo Pasini & Caterina Pavese (2022): The causal impact of remote working on depression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. (French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2022 10), Marseille, 33 S.

Abstract

"I use longitudinal data from the SHARE survey to estimate the effect of remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic on depression in senior Europeans. There are potential endogeneity concerns both for the probability of remaining employed during the pandemic and, conditional on employment, for the choice of work arrangements. My research design overcomes these problems by exploiting the occupational variations in the technical feasibility of remote working and sectoral differences in the legal restrictions on in-presence work. I find that remote working increases the probability of reporting feelings of sadness or depression. This effect is larger for women, respondents with children at home, and singles, as well as in regions with more restrictive containment policies and low-excess death rates. My results should alert policy makers to the potential adverse consequences of remote working for mental health in the post-pandemic situation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Costa-Font, Joan (2022): Incentivizing sleep? Insufficient sleep affects employment and productivity. (IZA world of labor 502), Bonn, 9 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.502

Abstract

"Obwohl Menschen einen großen Teil ihrer Zeit (meist 8-9 Stunden pro Tag) dem Schlafen widmen, wird diese Zeit bislang nicht als Determinante für wirtschaftliche Leistungsfähigkeit und Wohlbefinden verstanden. Angesichts seiner Auswirkungen auf Beschäftigung und Produktivität sollten Politik und Unternehmen der Rolle des Schlafes stärker Rechnung tragen und mit entsprechenden Richtlinien und Anreizen ausreichenden Schlaf der Beschäftigten fördern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Devaro, Jed (2022): Performance pay, working hours, and health-related absenteeism. In: Industrial Relations, Jg. 61, H. 4, S. 327-352. DOI:10.1111/irel.12308

Abstract

"Analysis of broad, U.K. worker-establishment matched panel data from 2004 to 2011 reveals that working hours increase with the fraction of an establishment's workers receiving performance-based pay, if the cutoff for “long weekly hours” is from 35 to 39, but not beyond a sharp discontinuity at 40. Long hours are found to be unrelated to various workplace health problems but positively related to health-related absenteeism. Combined with complementary research on hours and productivity, the results suggest that the well-known productivity enhancements from performance pay are dampened by exhaustion-induced absenteeism stemming from additional working hours and higher per-hour work intensity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Griffin, Gabriele (2022): The 'Work-Work Balance' in higher education. Between over-work, falling short and the pleasures of multiplicity. In: Studies in higher education, Jg. 47, H. 11, S. 2190-2203. DOI:10.1080/03075079.2021.2020750

Abstract

"The neoliberalization of higher education in western countries has led to work intensification, projectification, and work-life balance issues for academics. This article draws on interviews with Digital Humanities practitioners in higher education conducted in 2017–2018 in three Nordic countries to introduce the concept of the ‘work-work balance’, an under-researched phenomenon in contemporary academe. The term ‘work-work balance’ refers to the ways in which workers in higher education seek to balance conflicting concurrent work demands made on them. Four such work scenarios emerged from the data: the 50/50 split across different jobs; working across multiple projects simultaneously; occupying multiple functional roles; and conflicting demands within one job. The article argues that work-work balance, or rather imbalance, issues result in the inability of higher education workers to meet the demands put upon them. This raises questions regarding the role of HEIs and research funding regimes in the generation and maintenance of work-work balance scenarios and suggests that work-work balance issues need to be researched further as well as requiring urgent attention from HEIs and research funders." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Leitner, Sandra M. & Roman Stöllinger (2022): Does my Computer Protect me from Burnout? Cross-country Evidence on the Impact of ICT use within the Job Demands-Resources Model. (WIIW working paper 216), Wien, 44 S.

Abstract

"This paper uses a large sample of employees from 35 European countries to study the direct and indirect effects of ICT use on burnout and work engagement as two opposite poles of employee psychological health, where the former comprises the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. It applies the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and analyses the mediating role of three job demands (work extensity, work intensity, social demands) and four job resources (social support from management or colleagues, job control, rewards) on workers’ psychological health. It accounts for the importance of the place of work for the effect of ICT use on workers’ psychological health by differentiating between four types of workers: home-based workers, highly mobile workers, occasionally mobile workers, and workers who always work at the employer’s premises. The results show that ICT use is associated with lower levels of exhaustion but is unrelated to work engagement. Furthermore, work intensity, work extensity, social demands and rewards mediate the effect of ICT use on exhaustion, while job control and rewards mediate the effect of ICT use on work engagement. Our multi-group analysis attributes the negative effect of ICT use on exhaustion mainly to occasionally mobile workers and to workers who always work at the employer’s premises and highlights that the factors that mediate the effect of ICT use on workers’ psychological health differ across the four types of workers. Home-based workers stand out in two important respects: first, ICT use per se is unrelated to burnout; second, only one factor – work intensity – mediates the effect of ICT use on burnout, but its effect is especially strong." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mokros, Łukasz, Piotr Świtaj, Przemysław Bieńkowski, Łukasz Święcicki & Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz (2022): Depression and loneliness may predict work inefficiency among professionally active adults. In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jg. 95, H. 8, S. 1775-1783. DOI:10.1007/s00420-022-01869-1

Abstract

"Both depression and loneliness have been recognized as major public health issues, yet investigation into their role among young and middle-aged, professionally active persons is still required. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether depression and loneliness may independently predict inefficiency at work among professionally active adults." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Padrosa, Eva, Christophe Vanroelen, Carles Muntaner, Joan Benach & Mireia Julià (2022): Precarious employment and mental health across European welfare states: a gender perspective. In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jg. 95, H. 7, S. 1463-1480. DOI:10.1007/s00420-022-01839-7

Abstract

"The aim of this article was to examine the relationship between precarious employment (PE), welfare states (WS) and mental health in Europe from a gender perspective. Data were derived from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015. PE was measured through the Employment Precariousness Scale for Europe (EPRES-E), validated for comparative research in 22 European countries, and categorized into quartiles. Countries were classified into Continental, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Southern and Central-Eastern WS. Mental health was assessed through the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and dichotomized into poor and good mental health. In a sample of 22,555 formal employees, we performed gender-stratified multi-level logistic regression models. Results showed greater prevalences of PE and poor mental health among women. However, the association between them was stronger among men. Cross-country differences were observed in multi-level regressions, but the interaction effect of WS was only significant among women. More precisely, Central-Eastern WS enhanced the likelihood of poor mental health among women in high precarious employment situations (quartiles 3 and 4). These findings suggest the interaction between contextual and individual factors in the production of mental health inequalities, both within and across countries. They also call for the incorporation of gender-sensitive welfare policies if equitable and healthy labor markets are to be achieved in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Tattarini, Giulia (2022): A job is good, but is a good job healthier? Longitudinal analyses on the health consequences of unemployment and precarious employment in Europe. Potsdam, 182 S. DOI:10.25932/publishup-53672

Abstract

"Among all of the negative consequences of job loss and employment precariousness, this study focuses on (maybe) the less noticeable: decreases in individual health. It is a common belief that good health merely means the absence of disease or infirmity and that, consequently, it depends only on the access and quality of health care. However, as defined by the WHO, health can be regarded as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing (WHO 1948) and ‘the extent to which an individual or group is able on the one hand to realize aspirations and satisfy needs; and, on the other hand, to change or cope with the environment’ (WHO 1984)1 . In this sense, health is a comprehensive concept covering different dimensions of well-being and capacities and a personal and social resource necessary for living. Therefore, besides the most ‘proximal’ factors such as the formal health care settings and the most obvious being intrinsic biological characteristics such as age, sex, and genes, health and health inequalities2 depend on a wide range of social determinants3 , including work and employment (Solar and Alec 2010; Link and Phelan 1995; Wilkinson and Marmot 2003). Health, then, is not just a medical issue but a complex social and economic phenomenon and a critical social justice concern (Sen 2002). Although there are other crucial effects of unemployment and precarious work - such as on future careers as well as on economic well-being or fertility choices (e.g. Scherer 2004; 2009; Giesecke 2009; Giesecke and Groß 2003; Modena and Sabatini 2012; Del Bono, Weber, and Winter-Ebmer 2012; Kreyenfeld 2010; for a review on the far-reaching consequences of job loss see Brand 2015) - the effects on health are arguably the most remarkable. This study aims to advance our knowledge about the health consequences that unemployment and precariousness cause over the life course. In particular, I investigate which moderating factors may offset or increase the impact of employment instability and insecurity on individual health. In doing so, I focus on other social determinants of health, namely, gender, the family, and the broader cultural and institutional context." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Anelli, Massimo & Felix König (2021): Willingness to Pay for Workplace Safety. (CESifo working paper 9469), München, 59 S.

Abstract

"This paper develops a revealed-preference approach that uses budget constrain discontinuities to price workplace safety. We track hourly workers who face the decision of how many hours to work at varying levels of Covid-19 risk and leverage state-specific discontinuities in unemployment insurance eligibility criteria to identify the labor supply behavior. Results show large baseline responses at the threshold and increasing responses for higher health risks. The observed behavior implies that workers are willing to accept 34% lower incomes to reduce the fatality rate by one standard deviation, or 1% of income for a one in a million chance of dying." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Galliker, Sibylle, Denise Nyffenegger, Norbert K. Semmer & Achim Elfering (2021): Women and men in leadership positions: health and work-related attitudes and their associations with work-related stressors, private stressors, and privacy-work conflict. In: Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft, Jg. 75, H. 1, S. 29-45. DOI:10.1007/s41449-020-00203-0

Abstract

"Die Vereinbarkeit von Berufs- und Privatleben ist für Führungskräfte schwierig. Eine repräsentative Stichprobe von 1070 Schweizer Führungskräften wurde zu Arbeitsstressoren (AS), privaten Stressoren (PS) und Arbeitsressourcen befragt. Einzelskalen wurden zu Indices zusammengefasst. Frauen berichteten höhere PS (Hedges' g = -0.66) und etwas niedrigere AS (g = 0.16). Höhere AS, nicht aber höhere PS sagten eine geringere affektive Bindung ans Unternehmen, geringere Arbeitszufriedenheit und grössere Fluktuationsabsicht vorher. AS und PS hingen mit stärkerer emotionaler Erschöpfung, schlechterem Gesundheitszustand und stärkeren psychosomatischen Beschwerden zusammen. Die Varianzaufklärung war jeweils grösser für AS als für PS. Die Arbeitsressourcen sagten sowohl Arbeitseinstellungen als auch Gesundheitsindikatoren vorher. Eine Zweifachinteraktion zeigte einen stärkeren Zusammenhang zwischen PS und emotionaler Erschöpfung bei Männern als bei Frauen; es zeigten sich keine Dreifachinteraktionen zwischen AS, PS und Geschlecht. Der Konflikt zwischen Privatleben und Arbeit (PWC) wurde als Mediator des Zusammenhangs zwischen PS und Arbeitszufriedenheit, emotionaler Erschöpfung, psychosomatischen Beschwerden und Gesundheitsstatus bestätigt. Entgegen der Erwartung war der Pfad zwischen PS und PWC bei Männern stärker als bei Frauen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hofmarcher, Thomas (2021): The effect of paid vacation on health: evidence from Sweden. In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 34, H. 3, S. 929-967. DOI:10.1007/s00148-020-00789-z

Abstract

"This study estimates the causal effect of paid vacation on health. Using register data on the universe of central government employees in Sweden, I exploit an age-based rule stipulated in the collective agreement covering these employees. I achieve identification by combining a regression discontinuity with a difference-in-differences design to control for time-invariant differences between consecutive birth cohorts and isolate the true effect at two separate discontinuities at ages 30 and 40. The main results indicate that an increase of three paid vacation days at age 30 and four days at age 40 do not cause significant changes in health, as proxied by visits to specialized outpatient care, inpatient admissions, and long-term sick leaves. These findings challenge the anecdotal view of additional paid vacation days as an adequate means to improve workers' health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Nazareno, Luísa & Daniel S. Schiff (2021): The impact of automation and artificial intelligence on worker well-being. In: Technology in Society, Jg. 67. DOI:10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101679

Abstract

"Discourse surrounding the future of work often treats technological substitution of workers as a cause for concern, but complementarity as a good. However, while automation and artificial intelligence may improve productivity or wages for those who remain employed, they may also have mixed or negative impacts on worker well-being. This study considers five hypothetical channels through which automation may impact worker well-being: influencing worker freedom, sense of meaning, cognitive load, external monitoring, and insecurity. We apply a measure of automation risk to a set of 402 occupations to assess whether automation predicts impacts on worker well-being along the dimensions of job satisfaction, stress, health, and insecurity. Findings based on a 2002–2018 dataset from the General Social Survey reveal that workers facing automation risk appear to experience less stress, but also worse health, and minimal or negative impacts on job satisfaction. These impacts are more concentrated on workers facing the highest levels of automation risk. This article encourages new research directions by revealing important heterogeneous effects of technological complementarity. We recommend that firms, policymakers, and researchers not conceive of technological complementarity as a uniform good, and instead direct more attention to mixed well-being impacts of automation and artificial intelligence on workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vadean, Florin & Eirini Saloniki (2021): Job separation and sick leave in the long-term care sector in England. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 994), Essen, 37 S.

Abstract

"Staff turnover in the long-term care (LTC) sector in England is perceived to be relatively high. Most job leavers do not leave the sector, but rather move to other LTC employers. Nevertheless, there are concerns that the high 'churn' has a negative impact on continuity and quality of care, care providers' recruitment and training costs, and the remaining staff workload and motivation. Using a large employer-employee panel dataset, this study aimed to provide quantitative evidence on the drivers of LTC staff retention and sick leave in England, with a focus on job quality. After controlling for observed individual, organisational and local market characteristics as well as unobserved worker and employer heterogeneity, we found that, everything else being equal, wages and employment conditions (i.e. full time contracts and contracts with guaranteed working hours) significantly improve staff retention. The wage effect was significantly underestimated when not controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Our findings show that improving pay and employment conditions for care staff employed by independent providers would reduce the staff turnover in LTC. We also found that, everything else being equal, the amount of sick leave was strongly associated with employment in publicly owned care establishments, most likely due to the relatively more generous sick leave terms they offer." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jolivet, Grégory & Fabien Postel-Vinay (2020): A Structural Analysis of Mental Health and Labor Market Trajectories. (IZA discussion paper 13518), 59 S.

Abstract

"We conduct a joint dynamic analysis of individual labor market and mental health outcomes. We allow for a two-way interaction between work and mental health. We model selection in and out of employment as well as between jobs on a labor market with search frictions, where we account for the level of exposure to stress in each job using data on occupational health contents. We estimate our model on British data from Understanding Society combined with information from O*NET. We produce structural estimates of health dynamics as a function of job characteristics and of the effects of health and of job stress content on labor market decisions. We use our model to quantify the effects of job loss or health shocks that can propagate over the life cycle through both health and work channels. We also estimate the (large) values workers attach to health, employment or non-stressful jobs. Lastly, we investigate the consequences of structural labor market changes by evaluating the impact on health, employment and inequality of changes in the distribution of job health contents." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reinwald, Max & Florian Kunze (2020): Being different, being absent? A dynamic perspective on demographic dissimilarity and absenteeism in blue-collar teams. In: Academy of Management Journal, Jg. 63, H. 3, S. 660-684. DOI:10.5465/amj.2018.0290

Abstract

Die Autoren beobachteten in einer Langzeitstudie über 800 Teams eines großen Schweizer Dienstleistungsunternehmens über sieben Jahre. Sie konzentrierten sich auf Geschlecht und Alter von neu ins Team kommenden Kolleginnen und Kollegen. Die These: Je unähnlicher ein neues Teammitglied, desto eher wird es in Situationen geraten, in denen es sich Diskriminierung ausgesetzt sieht. Solche Situationen, sogenannte Anker-Events, prägten dann die Wahrnehmung der Zusammenarbeit im Team auf Jahre hinaus. Als Maß für Unzufriedenheit und mangelnde Integration dienten Fehlzeiten (ausgenommen reguläre Urlaubstage, Fortbildungen, Mutterschutz etc.). Die Forscher erwarteten, dass Teammitglieder, die stark vom Rest der Gruppe abwichen, häufigere und längere Fehlzeiten ansammeln würden. "2.711 Personen haben wir ausgewertet, Teameintrittsdatum, Teamzusammensetzung, Teamwechsel und Fehlzeiten - alles natürlich komplett anonymisiert", berichtet Kunze. "Der Trend ist ziemlich deutlich: Im ersten Jahr nach einem Teamwechsel bleiben die Neuzugänge unauffällig, egal wie gut oder schlecht sie zum Gruppenschnitt passen. Aber danach steigt die Kurve an, und zwar teilweise ganz schön steil. Nach ein paar Jahren fehlen Frauen in reinen Männerteams und Ältere in sehr jungen Teams fast doppelt so viel wie Frauen und ältere Personen in ihnen ähnlichen Teams. Das sind dann durchschnittlich acht statt vier Tage im Jahr." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Bauer, Gudrun, Ricardo Rodrigues & Kai Leichsenring (2019): Arbeitsbedingungen in der Langzeitpflege in Österreich - die Perspektive der Beschäftigten. (European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research. Policy brief 2018,08), Wien, 11 S.

Abstract

"Um den zukünftigen Bedarf an formellen Pflege- und Betreuungsdiensten zu decken, wird eine wesentliche Steigerung der Zahl qualifizierter Pflege- und Betreuungspersonen notwendig sein. Dabei wird für Österreich, wie auch für andere europäische Länder, bereits jetzt ein zukünftiger Arbeitskräftemangel in der Langzeitpflege prognostiziert (siehe z.B. Fink et al., 2015; für Deutschland: Rothgang et al., 2017). Ausschlaggebend für die Berufswahl sowie für den Verbleib in der Pflege- und Betreuung sind die jeweiligen Arbeitsbedingungen der Beschäftigten, denn schlechte Arbeitsbedingungen gehen allgemein mit Absentismus sowie Problemen bei der Rekrutierung, hoher Fluktuation und der Abwanderung in andere Berufe einher (Colombo et al., 2011).
Im Rahmen der NORDCARE-Befragung in Österreich wurden daher die Arbeitsbedingungen in den Mobilen Sozial- und Gesundheitsdiensten sowie in Alten- und Pflegeheimen in drei Bundesländern in Österreich (Wien, Oberösterreich, Salzburg) aus Sicht der Beschäftigten untersucht (siehe Bauer et al., 2018). Im Anschluss an den ersten Policy-Brief zu dieser Studie, der einen Einblick in die Charakteristika der Beschäftigten in der Langzeitpflege und deren Arbeitsbereich gibt, widmet sich dieser Policy-Brief der Beurteilung konkreter Arbeitsbedingungen durch die Beschäftigten und beleuchtet jene Faktoren, welche die Arbeitsbedingungen in der Langzeitpflege wesentlich und in besonderem Ausmaß beeinflussen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Belloni, Michele, Raluca Elena Buia, Matija Kovacic & Elena Meschi (2019): Working conditions and health of older workers. In: A. Börsch-Supan, J. Bristle, K. Andersen-Ranberg, A. Brugiavini, F. Jusot, H. Litwin & G. Weber (Hrsg.) (2019): Health and socio-economic status over the life course : First results from SHARE Waves 6 and 7, S. 157-163. DOI:10.1515/9783110617245-016

Abstract

"In this chapter, we studied the relationship between working conditions and three health outcomes in a large sample of older workers in Europe. Our results suggest that job quality is an important predictor of individual health and show that some job features are more important than others. For example, physical environment and work intensity are particularly relevant predictors of general health, whereas low job security and uncertain career prospects are significantly associated with affective or emotional disorders.
Our findings have some potentially important policy implications. First, older workers appear sensitive to some specific job features. Therefore, effort needs to be made to monitor and improve these features, and the tasks and duties of the individual worker can be redesigned to reduce physical health risks. Second, policymakers should consider that staying longer in the workforce might have adverse effects on workers' health, especially in occupations characterised by poor job quality. Therefore, any increase in the legal retirement age should be accompanied by policies that benefit the most vulnerable workers and jobs. We should acknowledge that our empirical strategy does not allow us to determine a causal effect among the variables at this stage. It might be the case that a selection process occurs in which people's health status channels them into certain types of jobs. Therefore, future research should be undertaken to uncover the mechanisms that lie behind the work/health nexus." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Devillanova, Carlo, Michele Raitano & Emanuela Struffolino (2019): Longitudinal employment trajectories and health in middle life. Insights from linked administrative and survey data. In: Demographic Research, Jg. 40, S. 1375-1412. DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.47

Abstract

"The paper adopts a long-term perspective in analysing the association between health and employment histories, often characterized by substantial mobility over time across multiple statuses and contractual arrangements. The available evidence is largely based on static or short-run dynamic approaches and only compares across few employment statuses." (Author's abstract, © Max-Planck-Institut für demographische Forschung) ((en))

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Duffy, Ryan D., Haram J. Kim, Nicholas P. Gensmer, Trisha L. Raque-Bogdan, Richard P. Douglass, Jessica W. England & Aysenur Buyukgoze-Kavas (2019): Linking decent work with physical and mental health. A psychology of working perspective. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 112, H. June, S. 384-395. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2019.05.002

Abstract

"Drawing from a psychology of working perspective, the current study examined links between decent work and health among a sample (N?=?497) of employed adults with an annual household income under $50,000. A theory driven mediation model was tested positioning decent work as a predictor of mental and physical health via need satisfaction at work. Decent work strongly predicted survival, social contribution, and self-determination need satisfaction. Regarding mental health, hypotheses were mainly supported as all three need satisfactions mediated the link of decent work to mental health. Regarding physical health, hypotheses were partially supported as only survival needs partially mediated this relation. Overall, findings suggest that securing decent work may promote increased mental health primarily because work is meeting individual needs and may promote physical health - in part - by helping meet survival needs. Implications for practice and future research are discussed." (Author's abstract, © 2019 Elsevier) ((en))

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Frech, Adrianne & Sarah Damaske (2019): Men's income trajectories and physical and mental health at midlife. In: American Journal of Sociology, Jg. 124, H. 5, S. 1372-1412. DOI:10.1086/702775

Abstract

"Using time-varying, prospectively measured income in a nationally representative sample of baby-boomer men (the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979), the authors identify eight group-based trajectories of income between ages 25 and 49 and use multinomial treatment models to describe the associations between group-based income trajectories and mental and physical health at midlife. The authors find remarkable rigidity in income trajectories: less than 25% of the sample experiences significant upward or downward mobility between ages 25 and 49, and most who move remain or move into poverty. Men's physical and mental health at age 50 is strongly associated with their income trajectories, and some upwardly mobile men achieve the same physical and mental health as the highest earning men after adjusting for selection. The worse physical and mental health of men on other income trajectories is largely attributable to their early life disadvantages, health behaviors, and cumulative work experiences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gonon, Anna (2019): Frühes Eingreifen bei psychischer Arbeitsunfähigkeit als ambivalente Strategie. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 72, H. 5, S. 335-342. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2019-5-335

Abstract

"Angesichts steigender Zahlen psychisch bedingter Arbeitsunfähigkeit lautet die sozialpolitische Empfehlung, auf Frühintervention am Arbeitsplatz zu setzen. Ein möglichst frühes Eingreifen soll verhindern, dass psychische Gesundheitsprobleme ernster werden und zum Verlust der Arbeitsstelle führen. Inhaltlich ist das Prinzip des frühen Eingreifens jedoch unbestimmt. Der Beitrag untersucht anhand einer qualitativen Studie in zwei Versicherungs- und einem Industrieunternehmen in der Schweiz, wie betriebliche Akteure das Prinzip des frühen Eingreifens in der Wiedereingliederung psychisch erkrankter Beschäftigter umsetzen und welche Rolle es in ihren Strategien spielt. Die analysierten Praktiken der Frühintervention zielen darauf ab, die Akzeptanz für das eingeschränkte Arbeitsvermögen der Betroffenen zu fördern. Die Akteure blenden betriebliche Faktoren, die zu psychischen Belastungen beitragen, jedoch tendenziell aus. Frühe Interventionen unterstützen die Beschäftigten dabei, sich den Leistungsanforderungen optimal anzupassen, werden aber nicht darauf ausgerichtet, gesundheitliche Risiken am Arbeitsplatz frühzeitig zu beseitigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hardie, Jessica Halliday, Jonathan Daw & S. Michael Gaddis (2019): Job characteristics, job preferences, and physical and mental health in later life. In: Socius, Jg. 5, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1177/2378023119836003

Abstract

"Existing research linking socioeconomic status with work focuses primarily on the precursors (educational attainment) and outcomes (income) of work, rather than asking how diverse facets of work influence health. Using four waves of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the authors evaluate whether multiple measures of respondent job characteristics, respondent preferences for those characteristics, and their interaction substantially improve the fit of sociological models of men's and women's physical and mental health at midlife and old age compared with traditional models using educational attainment, parental socioeconomic status, and income. The authors find that nonwage job characteristics predict men's and women's physical and mental health over the life course, although there is little evidence that the degree to which one's job accords with one's job preferences matters for health. These findings expand what is known about how work matters for health, demonstrating how the manner and condition under which one works has lasting impacts on well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jiang, Lixin & Tahira M. Probst (2019): The moderating effect of trust in management on consequences of job insecurity. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 409-433. DOI:10.1177/0143831X16652945

Abstract

"Using data from 1071 staff and administrative professionals at a large university experiencing repeated rounds of budget cuts, this article examines the attenuating effect of trust in management on the negative consequences of job insecurity. Results show that job insecurity was associated with increased burnout and psychological distress as well as decreased work and supervisor satisfaction and affective commitment. However, trust in management was negatively related to burnout and psychological distress but positively related to work and supervisor satisfaction and affective commitment. More importantly, trust in management was found to consistently buffer the relationships between job insecurity and these job-related outcomes. Implications for successfully managing job insecurity during times of organizational or economic upheaval are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lee, Soomi, Jacqueline A. Mogle, Chandra L. Jackson & Orfeu M. Buxton (2019): What's not fair about work keeps me up: Perceived unfairness about work impairs sleep through negative work-to-family spillover. In: Social science research, Jg. 81, H. July, S. 23-31. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.03.002

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Persson, Petra & Maya Rossin-Slater (2019): When dad can stay home: Fathers' workplace flexibility and maternal health. (NBER working paper 25902), Cambrige, Mass., 63 S. DOI:10.3386/w25902

Abstract

"While workplace flexibility is perceived to be a key determinant of maternal labor supply, less is known about fathers' demand for flexibility or about intra-household spillover effects of flexibility initiatives. This paper examines these issues in the context of a critical period in family life - the months immediately following childbirth - and identifies the impacts of paternal access to workplace flexibility on maternal postpartum health. We model household demand for paternal presence at home as a function of domestic stochastic shocks, and use variation from a Swedish reform that granted new fathers more flexibility to take intermittent parental leave during the postpartum period in a regression discontinuity difference-in-differences (RD-DD) design. We find that increasing the father's temporal flexibility reduces the risk of the mother experiencing physical postpartum health complications and improves her mental health. Our results suggest that mothers bear the burden from a lack of workplace flexibility - not only directly through greater career costs of family formation, as previously documented - but also indirectly, as fathers' inability to respond to domestic shocks exacerbates the maternal health costs of childbearing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Polacsek-Ernst, Roland & Anton Riedel (2019): Gesundheit, Arbeitszufriedenheit und nachhaltige Beschäftigungsfähigkeit im Zusammenhang mit Arbeitsintensivierung. In: M. Griesbacher, J. Hödl, J. Muckenhuber & K. Scaria-Braunstein (Hrsg.) (2019): Intensivierung der Arbeit. Perspektiven auf Arbeitszeit und technologischen Wandel, S. 19-30.

Abstract

"Die Arbeitsintensivierung war ein Grund, die Evaluierung psychischer Belastungen für alle Österreichischen Unternehmen verpflichtend im Arbeitnehmerschutzgesetz zu verankern. Die Studie befasst sich mit dem Zusammenhang zwischen psychischen Belastungen und abhängigen Variablen zur Gesundheit, Arbeitszufriedenheit und nachhaltigen Beschäftigungsfähigkeit von 16.626 MitarbeiterInnen aus 97 Unternehmen in Österreich bei denen die Evaluierung psychischer Belastungen durchgeführt wurde. Die Ergebnisse zeigen die große Bedeutung von Überlastung, einem Messparameter für Intensivierung, für die abhängigen Variablen. In drei Pfadanalysen ist sie sogar an erster Stelle in der Gruppenbildung. Darüber hinaus werden auch weitere positive und negative Pfade und ihre Bedeutung für die Beschäftigten aufgezeigt." (Autorenreferat auf ResearchGate, IAB-Doku)

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Woods, Megan, Rob Macklin, Sarah Dawkins & Angela Martin (2019): Mental illness, social suffering and structural antagonism in the labour process. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 33, H. 6, S. 948-965. DOI:10.1177/0950017019866650

Abstract

"Workplace conditions and experiences powerfully influence mental health and individuals experiencing mental illness, including the extent to which people experiencing mental ill-health are 'disabled' by their work environments. This article explains how examination of the social suffering experienced in workplaces by people with mental illness could enhance understanding of the inter-relationships between mental health and workplace conditions, including experiences and characteristics of the overarching labour process. It examines how workplace perceptions and narratives around mental illness act as discursive resources to influence the social realities of people with mental ill-health. It applies Labour Process Theory to highlight how such discursive resources could be used by workers and employers to influence the power, agency and control in workplace environments and the labour process, and the implications such attempts might have for social suffering. It concludes with an agenda for future research exploring these issues." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Alcover, Carlos-María & Gabriela Topa (2018): Work characteristics, motivational orientations, psychological work ability and job mobility intentions of older workers. In: PLoS one, Jg. 13, H. 4, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0195973

Abstract

"Drawing on job design theories and a conceptual framework of work-related goals and motivation in later adulthood, the aim of this paper is to explore how work-related and individual factors are separately and jointly related to psychological work ability and bridge employment intentions via late job mobility. The cross-sectional study is based on a sample of 171 older Spanish workers aged 45 - 65 and beyond. We differentiated between groups of older workers in mid career (45 - 55 years of age) and in their later careers (56 years and beyond). Our results confirm that task characteristics and, secondarily, knowledge characteristics are the most relevant factors in perceptions of psychological work ability among aged workers. Both age groups display a very marked personal mastery trait, which mediates the relationships between job characteristics and both psychological work ability and late job mobility intentions. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications and suggestions for future research on the issues implied in the psychological adjustment of older workers in their mid and late careers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Basar, Dilek & Mehmet A. Soytas (2018): Can heterogeneity in reporting behavior explain the gender gap in self-assessed health status? (Economics. Discussion papers 2018-25), Kiel, 19 S.

Abstract

"This paper explains the gender differences in self-assessed health status by providing a theoretical identification mechanism through a dynamic structural model which allows for heterogeneity in discount factors of individuals. Theoretical predictions are empirically tested and estimation results support the structural model implications. The authors conclude that accounting for heterogeneity in individual discount factors explains a significant portion of the gender gap in self-assessed health status." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chapela, Jorge González (2018): Physical work intensity and the split workday. Theory and evidence from Spain. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 39, H. 3, S. 329-353. DOI:10.1007/s12122-018-9269-8

Abstract

"This study uses a job-design model and the 2002-2003 Spanish Time Use Survey to explore the existence of a previously overlooked relationship between physical work intensity and the split workday. The theoretical model developed predicts that the incidence of working split shifts may increase with physical work intensity if and only if the degree of recovery allowed by the mid-workday break is directly proportional to the physical load of the work done. Occupation-specific estimates of energy expenditure are constructed for Spain which permit investigating empirically the relationship between physical work intensity and the split workday." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Eskildsen, Jacob Kjær, Anders Frederiksen & Ann-Kristina Løkke (2018): Employee absence: An organizational perspective. (IZA discussion paper 11889), Bonn, 24 S.

Abstract

"We study employee absence in Danish organizations. In contrast to Steers and Rhodes (1978), who stress the importance of individual and organizational characteristics in shaping employees' motivation to attend work, we show that absence is predominantly an individualized phenomenon. Because the within-group variation in absence clearly dominates the between-group variation in absence, we argue that companies need to invoke individualized policies to reduce employee absence and demonstrate that HR Analytics is a useful tool in the process; policies targeting particular employee groups such as women or senior workers are inefficient. An additional intriguing finding is that incentives (through promotions and dismissals) are linked to individual absence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))