Japan’s silver human resource centers and participant well-being

Japans Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC) program provides part-time, paid employment to retirement-aged men and women. We studied 393 new program participants and examined whether part-time work influenced their well-being or ikigai. The participants were divided into those who had worked in SHRC-provided jobs in the preceding year, and those who had not. Gender-stratified regression models were fitted to determine whether SHRC employment was associated with increased well-being. For men, actively working at a SHRC job was associated with greater well-being, compared to inactive members. And men with SHRC jobs and previous volunteering experience had the greatest increase in well-being. Women SHRC job holders did not experience increased well-being at the years end. The study concludes that there is justification for exploring the usefulness of a similar program for American retirees who desire post-retirement part-time work.     

Risk factors for first-ever low back pain among workers in their first employment

BACKGROUND: Low back pain has been estimated to be the most costly ailment of people of working age. Both work characteristics and individual factors have been identified as risk factors. The first interaction between work characteristics and individual factors occurs when workers start in their first job. AIMS: To investigate work-related risk factors for first-ever low back pain in young workers in their first employment. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 278 young workers in their first employment and without a history of low back pain prior to working. Work-related physical factors, psychosocial work characteristics, individual variables and first-ever low back pain were queried by means of a questionnaire. RESULTS: About half of the workers who developed low back pain after job start did so in the first year of employment. An increased risk was observed for (i) long periods of seated work [relative risk (RR) = 3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.6-6.4]; (ii) more than 12 flexion or rotation movements of the trunk per hour (RR = 3.0, 95%CI = 1.4-6.4); and (iii) more than 3 years seniority in a job involving lifting more than 25 kg at least once an hour (RR = 3.7, 95%CI = 1.4-9.4). As to psychosocial work characteristics, first-ever low back pain was associated with a combination of low psychological job demands and low supervisor support. CONCLUSION: Work-related physical factors and psychosocial work characteristics should be considered as risk factors for first-ever low back pain. First-ever episodes of low back pain are common in the first year of employment. This may reflect a lack of work experience or training.     

Does problem drinking affect employment? Evidence from England

In this paper, we use data from the Health Survey of England to show that problem drinking is negatively and significantly associated with the probability of being in work, once the endogenous relationship between these outcomes is accounted for. Being a problem drinker leads to a substantial reduction in the probability of working by between 7 and 31%, the former figure being roughly equivalent to the positive effect of having a degree relative to no qualifications in our data. This finding is robust to a variety of identifying restrictions and definitions of problem drinking. Moreover, we find that problem drinking defined by the observed psychological and physical symptoms of alcohol is an important predictor of employment, and allows for the fact that individuals differ in their tolerance or susceptibility to alcohol. Our results suggest that there may be important labour market benefits from public health policies aimed at the prevention and treatment of problem drinking.     

Association Between Demographic and Diagnostic Factors and Employment Outcomes for People with Psychiatric Disabilities: A Synthesis of Recent Research

Employment outcome for individuals with psychiatric disabilities has been a focus of empirical research over the past decade or so. The purpose of this paper is to review recent literature on the association between demographic and diagnostic factors and employment outcome, and to conduct meta analyses of the results of studies that report the association between these variables. Seventeen studies were included in these meta analyses. Results of the meta analyses tended to corroborate most of the significant findings found in the literature review. The authors review some of the issues for the meta-analyst interested in synthesizing research findings on employment outcome, including the challenges and limitations encountered in the published research currently available.     

Relationships Between Functional Capacity Measures and Baseline Psychological Measures in Chronic Pain Patients

The extent to which baseline psychological measures, pain, and compensation status are related to admission and posttreatment functional capacity and employment outcome was investigated. Four pass/fail functional capacity tests based on the DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles) classification system and previously shown to be predictive of treatment outcome in chronic pain patients were analyzed in relation to baseline measures of depression, state and trait anxiety, and perceived stress. Statistical tests of all measures with employment level at admission to treatment, 1 month follow-up and at long-term follow-up were also performed. The results showed that pain level and/or compensation status were the primary predictors of functional capacity and employment status at follow-up. Admission functional capacity measures were also predictors of employment outcome. Depression scores at admission predicted some admission functional capacity results, however, psychological scores were not as significantly related to discharge functional capacity tests. One functional capacity test, the crouching test, was an independent predictor of short- and long-term employment outcome. Trait anxiety was the only psychological factor that was independently predictive of long-term employment outcome. In conclusion, these results suggest that psychological variables are related to measures of functional capacity measured at admission. However, psychological measures at admission are not good predictors of later functional capacity measures. Functional capacity measures are important predictors of follow-up employment outcome, but return to work cannot be predicted without taking pain into account.     

Maternal employment and the initiation of breastfeeding

This study examines whether planning to be employed postpartum has an effect on initiation of breastfeeding. Data were collected from questionnaires completed by mothers who were subjects in the prospective, population-based, Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. The mothers of 10,530 full-term singleton infants gave information during pregnancy on their postpartum employment plans and their initial infant feeding methods. Information was also given by 7642 of these mothers on the timing of their postpartum employment plans. Adjusted logistic regression was performed to identify associations between (a) "any" plans to work postpartum and the initiation of breastfeeding, and (b) the timing of the commencement of work postpartum, and the initiation of breastfeeding. A total of 8316 (79%) of the women initiated breastfeeding. The decision to breastfeed was not associated with "any" plans to work postpartum. However, women who planned to commence work prior to 6 wk postpartum were significantly less likely to initiate breastfeeding compared with those not intending to work postpartum. Older, more highly educated women, women who had or were planning to attend childbirth classes, women who were breastfed as infants, women who did not smoke and women who were giving birth to their first child were significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding. Conclusion: Planning to return to employment prior to 6 wk postpartum reduces the likelihood of initiating breastfeeding. As increasing numbers of mothers are returning to work shortly after the birth of their child, this finding could have implications for maintaining the current level of breastfeeding.     

The psychological contracts of National Health Service nurses

AIMS: Following the psychological contract model of the employee-employer exchange relationship is offered as a means of understanding the expectations of a UK sample of 223 National Health Service (NHS) nurses in association with their leaving intentions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A pilot study involving 21 NHS nurses, using the repertory grid technique was conducted to elicit contract expectations. Twenty-nine categories of expectation were identified through content analysis. The study proper, employed a survey developed on the basis of results from the pilot study to identify contract profiles among 223 nurses from three London/South-east NHS hospitals, using the Q-sort method. Type of contract held (relational/transactional), satisfaction (job and organization), and leaving intentions were also examined. RESULTS: Q-analysis yielded four contract profiles among the nurses sampled: 'self-development and achievement'; 'belonging and development'; 'competence and collegiality' and 'autonomy and development'. Correlation analysis demonstrated that leaving intentions were associated with a need for personal autonomy and development, and the violation of expectations for being appreciated, valued, recognized and rewarded for effort, loyalty, hard-work and achievement, negative endorsement of a relational contract, positive endorsement of a transactional contract, and job and organizational dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: Findings illustrate the diagnostic utility of the term psychological contract for understanding the expectations of NHS nurses. The potential significance of these findings for managing nurse retention is highlighted.     

The impact of problem drinking on employment

Social cost studies report that alcohol use and misuse impose a great economic burden on society, and over half of the total economic costs are estimated to be due to the loss of work productivity. Controversy remains, however, as to the magnitude and direction of the effects of alcohol consumption on productivity. Furthermore, most of the studies have looked at the relationship between problem drinking and wages. This paper investigates the impact of problem drinking on employment by analysing a random sample of men and women of prime working age from six Southern states in the US (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee). The data set contains 4898 females and 3224 males, with information on both employment and problem drinking. To eliminate the bias that may result from single-equation estimation, we used a bivariate probit model to control for possible correlation in the unobservable factors that affect both problem drinking and employment. We find no significant negative association between problem drinking and employment for both men and women, controlling for other covariates. The findings are consistent with other research and highlight several methodological issues. Furthermore, the study suggests that estimates of the costs of problem drinking may be overstated owing to misleading labour supply relationships.     

“病人选医生”贵在坚持和完善

从指导病人选择满意的医生;让年轻医生在“病人选医生”的改革中锻炼成长;防止医务人员之间的不良竞争;深化医院人事及分配制度改革,科学考核,完善激励机制等方面介绍了重庆市外科医院的经验及成效。指出:“病人选医生”贵在坚持和完善;“病人选医生”与传统的三级医生负责制相辅相成,是其完善和补充。     

Child care in Slovenia: an example of a successful transition

Slovenia is a country which has managed to retain most of its advantages and achievements in preschool child care attained in the socialist period, while, during the transition years, rather successfully reforming services according to principles of the market economy. The female activity rate has been high since the mid 1940s, and female employment has been the main factor influencing the demand for preschool child care services. Slovenian mothers work full-time and after 1 year of paid maternity and parental leave they mostly stay in the labour market. Child care facilities, 70% of them constructed in the period 1971-1985, are sufficient for almost 60% of the preschool population, and just a very small percentage of demand remains unmet. Child care services are traditionally highly subsidised. On average, parents finance up to a quarter of the current costs, so that the average in-kind transfer for a child in child care amounts to about 30% of the average net salary. Social assistance recipients are exempt from paying fees altogether, while the rest of the parents pay from 15% to 80% of the current costs. The highest fee is paid by families with a per capita income > 110% of the average salary in Slovenia. Research into the burden of parental fees for child care in Ljubljana in 1994 has shown that three-quarters of families spent between 5 and 15% of their total net income on child care (for one or more children). For three-quarters of families, the total of fees paid did not exceed 30% of their net income per family member. The lower middle income group was relatively most burdened by child care fees.