Objectives Epidemiological studies suggest that long working hours and shift work may increase the risk of chronic diseases, but the "toxic" elements remain unclear due to crude assessment of working ...time patterns based on self-reports. In this methodological paper, we present and evaluate objective register-based algorithms for assessment of working time patterns and validate a method to retrieve standard payroll data on working hours from the employer electronic records. Methods Detailed working hour records from employers' registers were obtained for 12 391 nurses and physicians, a total 14.5 million separate work shifts from 2008–2013. We examined the quality and validity of the obtained register data and designed 29 algorithms characterizing four potentially health-relevant working time patterns: (i) length of the working hours; (ii) time of the day; (iii) shift intensity; and (iv) social aspects of the working hours. Results The collection of the company-based register data was feasible and the retrieved data matched with the originally published shift plans. The transferred working time records included <0.01% missing data. Two percent were duplicates that could be easily removed. The 29 variables of working time patterns, generated for each year, were stable across the follow-up (year-to-year correlation coefficients from r=0.7–0.9 for 23 variables), their distributions were as expected, and correlations of the variables within the four main dimensions of working hours were plausible. Conclusion The developed method and algorithms allow a detailed characterization of four main dimensions of working time patterns potentially relevant for health. We recommend this method for future large-scale epidemiological studies.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
In early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced employees in tech companies worldwide to abruptly transition from working in offices to working from their homes. During two years of predominantly working ...from home, employees and managers alike formed expectations about what post-pandemic working life should look like. Many companies are experimenting with new work policies that balance employee- and manager expectations regarding where, when and how work should be done in the future. In this article, we gather experiences of the new trend of remote working based on the synthesis of 22 company-internal surveys of employee preferences for WFH, and 26 post-pandemic work policies from 17 companies and their sites, covering 12 countries in total. Our results are threefold. First, through the new work policies, all companies formally give employees more flexibility regarding working time and location. Second, there is a great variation in how much flexibility the companies are willing to yield to the employees. The paper details the different formulations that companies adopted to document the extent of permitted WFH, exceptions, relocation permits and the authorisation procedures. Third, we document a change in the psychological contract between employees and managers, where the option of working from home is converted from an exclusive perk that managers could choose to give to the few, to a core privilege that all employees feel they are entitled to. Finally, there are indications that as the companies learn and solicit feedback regarding the efficiency of the chosen strategies, we will see further developments and changes in the work policies concerning how much flexibility to work whenever and from wherever they grant. Through these findings, the paper contributes to a growing literature about the new trends emerging from the pandemic in tech companies and spells out practical implications onwards.
•Employees across and within all studied companies have diverse preferences for WFH.•Companies have diverse policies concerning the degree of flexibility for WFH.•Some companies do not centrally regulate WFH, others regulate WFH days or time.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Working time arrangements that match employees' preferences have been proposed as determinants of employees' well-being, an assumption rooted in person-environment fit theory. The aim of this study ...was to investigate the role of fit and misfit between actual and preferred working time arrangements (length of working hours, control over the beginning and end of workdays, and workplace segmentation) for employees' satisfaction with work-life balance. We analyzed data from 8,580 employees from the BAuA-working time survey - a representative study among the working population in Germany - by means of polynomial regression and response surface analyses. Analyses did not point toward congruence effects but revealed significant main effects: Satisfaction with work-life balance was higher in case of shorter actual and longer preferred weekly working hours, and it was decreased if employees worked longer than they preferred. Moreover, more supplies and lower preferences in terms of control over the beginning and end of workdays, more workplace segmentation supplies, and lower workplace segmentation preferences were related to higher satisfaction with work-life balance. Overall, this study sheds light on the roles of fit and misfit between actual and preferred working time arrangements for employees' work-home interface. Findings suggest that while employees' preferences should find entrance into the design of work schedules, congruence is not a precondition for achieving a good work-life balance. Most importantly, for a good work-life balance, working hours should not be longer than preferred, and employees should have some control over their scheduling and possibilities to segment work and private life.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
•Urethane-based prepolymer is exploited as a versatile solvent-free and one-part underwater adhesive.•The adhesive has good instant adhesion and is curable in water, showing an excellent bonding ...capability.•The adhesive exhibits long working times and excellent stability in turbulent aquatic environments.•The adhesive can be easily applied onto challenging curved and/or rough surfaces.
High bonding strength and water resistance have always been the top priority in developing most reported man-made underwater adhesives; however, easy delivery, low solvent toxicity, and long working times are equally important for many applications, particularly for the development of sustainable and green bonding processes. In this study, we explored the use of a solvent-free urethane-based prepolymer that initially behaves like a pressure-sensitive adhesive that works underwater, then cures for stronger permanent adhesion. These favorable properties are obtained by carefully balancing adhesive functionality, viscoelasticity, and inter-chain interactions. The resulting synthetic prepolymer adhesive material is a viscous semi-solid consisting of isocyanate-capped polymers bearing carboxyl and urethane groups as the potential sites of non-covalent and covalent interactions. Such a sticky adhesive can be easily deposited and has instant adhesion on various flat/curved substrates. It continues to strengthen over a curing time of nearly 2 days, reaching a comparable bonding strength of around 1.2 MPa and peel adhesion of around 2300 N m−1 on aluminum sheets. The prolonged curing process allows for enough time for various applications, such as operating the underwater sealing of fractured items and bonding string to mussel shells. The easy delivery, eco-friendly nature, and initial adhesion of this adhesive provide great opportunities for application in engineering and aquaculture fields.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Developing a novel mathematical model for the robust Periodic CARP.•Considering working time of drivers and crew besides vehicles’ capacity constraints.•Developing a hybrid SA using a heuristic ...algorithm and an efficient cooling equation.
In this paper, a novel mathematical model is developed for robust periodic capacitated arc routing problem (PCARP) considering multiple trips and drivers and crew’s working time to study the uncertain nature of demand parameter. The objective function of the proposed model aims to minimize total traversed distance and total usage cost of vehicles over a planning period. To solve the problem, an improved hybrid simulated annealing algorithm (SA) is developed based on a heuristic algorithm and an efficient cooling equation. It has been proved that the performance of the proposed algorithm is acceptable in comparison with the exact solution method. Finally, the results have shown the effects of different uncertainty level of the demand parameter on the problem to be considered as a managerial overview in decision making process under uncertainty.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Risks associated with fatigue that accumulates during work shifts have historically been managed through working time arrangements that specify fixed maximum durations of work shifts and minimum ...durations of time off. By themselves, such arrangements are not sufficient to curb risks to performance, safety, and health caused by misalignment between work schedules and the biological regulation of waking alertness and sleep. Science-based approaches for determining shift duration and mitigating associated risks, while addressing operational needs, require: 1) a recognition of the factors contributing to fatigue and fatigue-related risks; 2) an understanding of evidence-based countermeasures that may reduce fatigue and/or fatigue-related risks; and 3) an informed approach to selecting workplace-specific strategies for managing work hours. We propose a series of guiding principles to assist stakeholders with designing a shift duration decision-making process that effectively balances the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks.
Time Management and Modern Technologies Budnik, Maryna M.; Dronova, Daryna S.
Bìznes ìnform (Multilingual ed.),
02/2023, Volume:
2, Issue:
541
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The purpose of the article is to illuminate the results of authors’ research on the use of modern technologies in time management of enterprises, namely, in the management of working time and the ...prevention of loss of working time, which significantly affect the efficiency of the entire enterprise. The subject of the study were methodological approaches to the process of time management at the enterprise. The theoretical and methodological basic of the research constituted modern technologies and methods of automating the accounting of working time at the enterprise, quoted in the scientific works of foreign and domestic scientists concerning the topic of the article. The authors’ own concept is formulated as follows: «Time management is one of the means of achieving success, which is a direction of management aimed at the rational distribution of one’s own time using various technologies.» The methodology of effective and rational use and accounting of time at the enterprise through the use of modern time management technologies has been further developed. In the course of the analysis, several available modern information and analytical systems were considered. The choice of a specific information and analytical system depends on the nature of the enterprise, development strategy, the needs of the manager and each individual employee. During the implementation of automated systems, it is worthwhile to analyze the existing use of working time and determine the desired results. The authors propose various information and analytical systems that are the most versatile and convenient to use. Prospects for further research are coverage of the use of information and analytical systems by Ukrainian enterprises and assessment of the effectiveness of the existing level of automation of working time management.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are leading causes for sick days and long-term disability, and nurses are amongst the most affected. While long weekly work hours can increase MSD risk, the role of ...specific shift schedule characteristics in healthcare is poorly understood. For this narrative review, 236 abstracts published since 2008 were screened, and 15 retained manuscripts are summarized for an updated synthesis of the current evidence. In addition to long work hours, we identified night and shift work as MSD risk factors, the latter especially for low back pain. Some studies showed workload and individual factors as effect modifiers. Evidence for specific work schedule characteristics was often not available or of limited quality, hampering the ability to draw further conclusions.
PDF
