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Montt, Guillermo (2018): Too polluted to work? The gendered correlates of air pollution on hours worked. In: IZA journal of labor economics, Jg. 7, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1186/s40172-018-0067-6

Abstract

"Air pollution affects workers' ability to work by damaging their own health, but also by damaging the health of their dependents. This paper draws on 20 years of air pollution and employment data from Santiago, Chile, a highly polluted metropolis, particularly in fall and winter months. The paper finds that though air pollution is not associated to a reduction in overall hours worked, it does so for women and particularly for women with children. Weeks with pollution at 100 Ág/m3, common for Santiago, see double the gender difference in working hours. It is hypothesised that children, unable to go to school, must stay home and cared for. These findings suggest that air pollution may contribute to gender inequality through the gendered-biased distribution of care responsibilities. Pollution brings to evidence gender inequalities in care and, given the gendered nature of care and the geographic distribution of pollution, may contribute to enhance gender and geographic labour market inequalities. Environmental policy may serve to enhance gender equality as well." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Owczarek, Dominik & Agata Chelstowska (2018): Amazon in Polen. Arbeitsbedingungen und Arbeitsbeziehungen. Warschau, 111 S.

Abstract

"Die Publikation 'Amazon in Polen' thematisiert die Arbeitsbedingungen und -beziehungen zwischen der Firma Amazon und der Belegschaft. Die Autoren erläutern dazu das Geschäftsmodell der Firma Amazon zum einen im globalen Kontext und zum anderen speziell in Polen. Diesbezüglich untersuchen sie die Zusammenarbeit mit öffentlichen Behörden, den Einfluss der Firma auf lokale Arbeitsmärkte und die Arbeitsbedingungen sowie die Organisation in den Logistikzentren. Des Weiteren analysieren sie die Beziehung und den sozialen Dialog zwischen Amazon und der Belegschaft." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Payne, Julianne (2018): Manufacturing masculinity. Exploring gender and workplace surveillance. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 45, H. 3, S. 346-383. DOI:10.1177/0730888418780969

Abstract

"Research on workplace surveillance highlights managerial initiatives to expand monitoring and make it less obtrusive, but we know relatively little about how to explain workers' diverse responses to monitoring. Using ethnographic data collected at an electronics retailer, I suggest that gender-related status seeking between workers helps to account for variation in workers' experience of and responses to workplace surveillance. Men used surveillance to demonstrate their skill and expertise relative to other men, a process I refer to as 'manufacturing masculinity.' Although women also aspired to be strong and knowledgeable salespeople, they were treated as illegitimate competitors in men's status contests. The company's masculine culture primed workers to interpret surveillance through this gendered lens." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Song, Younghwan & Jia Gao (2018): Does telework stress employees out? A study on working at home and subjective well-being for wage/salary workers. (IZA discussion paper 11993), Bonn, 28 S.

Abstract

"Using data from the 2010, 2012, and 2013 American Time Use Survey Well-Being Modules, this paper examines how subjective well-being (SWB) varies between working at home and working in the workplace among wage/salary workers. Both OLS and individual fixed-effects models are employed for estimation, and the results are largely consistent. In general, we find that working at home is associated with a lower level of net affect and a higher probability of having unpleasant feelings relative to working in the workplace. We further decompose homeworking into telework and bringing work home and find that the effect of SWB varies by types of homeworking. In comparison with working in the workplace, telework increases stress in both samples of weekdays and weekends/holidays, and it also reduces net affect and increases unpleasantness in the sample of weekends/ holidays. In contrast, bringing work home on weekdays results in a lower level of net affect due to less happiness received. The only positive effect of homeworking we discover is that telework reduces tiredness on weekdays. As to the existence of gender difference in the effect of homeworking, our OLS results show that working at home is associated with positive affections for males but negative affections for females. However, fixedeffects models suggest that both males and females feel more stressed when teleworking, indicating the existence of individual heterogeneity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2018): Mental health and work: New Zealand. (Mental health and work), Paris, 166 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264307315-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental health problems of the working-age population is a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries, not just for health systems. Governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental health conditions in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market into it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on New Zealand is the tenth in a series of reports looking at how broader education, health, welfare and labour market policy challenges are being tackled in a number of countries. The report is also the first one published after the endorsement of the OECD Recommendation of the Council on 'Integrated Mental Health, Skills and Work Policy' and assesses New Zealand's performance against the strategic policy framework agreed by all OECD countries. The report concludes that awareness and policy thinking is well developed in New Zealand but that structural and institutional weaknesses limit the provision of timely, integrated health and employment services, with particularly disappointing outcomes for the indigenous population. Against the background of the OECD Council Recommendation, the report proposes improvements in policy development and policy implementation to make youth, workplace, health and welfare policies ready for the challenge." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Adjei, Nicholas Kofi, Tilman Brand & Hajo Zeeb (2017): Gender inequality in self-reported health among the elderly in contemporary welfare countries. A cross-country analysis of time use activities, socioeconomic positions and family characteristics. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 9, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0184676

Abstract

"Background: Paradoxically, despite their longer life expectancy, women report poorer health than men. Time devoted to differing social roles could be an explanation for the observed gender differences in health among the elderly. The objective of this study was to explain gender differences in self-reported health among the elderly by taking time use activities, socio-economic positions, family characteristics and cross-national differences into account.
Methods: Data from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) on 13,223 men and 18,192 women from Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and the US were analyzed. Multiple binary logistic regression models were used to examine the association between social factors and health for men and women separately. We further identified the relative contribution of different factors to total gender inequality in health using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method.
Results: Whereas time allocated to paid work, housework and active leisure activities were positively associated with health, time devoted to passive leisure and personal activities were negatively associated with health among both men and women, but the magnitude of the association varied by gender and country. We found significant gender differences in health in Germany, Italy and Spain, but not in the other countries. The decomposition showed that differences in the time allocated to active leisure and level of educational attainment accounted for the largest health gap.
Conclusions: Our study represents a first step in understanding cross-national differences in the association between health status and time devoted to role-related activities among elderly men and women. The results, therefore, demonstrate the need of using an integrated framework of social factors in analyzing and explaining the gender and cross-national differences in the health of the elderly population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ajslev, Jeppe Z. N., Jeppe L. Møller, Roger Persson & Lars L. Andersen (2017): Trading health for money. Agential struggles in the (re)configuration of subjectivity, the body and pain among construction workers. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 31, H. 6, S. 887-903. DOI:10.1177/0950017016668141

Abstract

"Construction work is physically demanding and often associated with bodily pain. This article presents a study of construction workers' practices of using and relating to their bodies at work through an agential realist framework for analysing the (re)configuration of the workers' embodied subjectivity. The analysis draws on interviews with 32 Danish construction workers as well as brief observations. The article shows how 'trading health for money' becomes a mode for maintaining positive social, occupational and masculine identity among construction workers. Furthermore, it shows how the agency of the body is overruled by the intra-acting agencies of productivity, collegiality, job security and masculine working-class identity. Finally, it shows an instability in this configuration of masculine working-class identity that leaves room for a focus on the body." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berniell, Inés & Jan Bietenbeck (2017): The effect of working hours on health. (IZA discussion paper 10524), Bonn, 30 S.

Abstract

"Does working time causally affect workers' health? We study this question in the context of a French reform which reduced the standard workweek from 39 to 35 hours, at constant earnings. Our empirical analysis exploits variation in the adoption of this shorter workweek across employers, which is mainly driven by institutional features of the reform and thus exogenous to workers' health. Difference-in-differences and lagged dependent variable regressions reveal a negative effect of working hours on self-reported health and positive effects on smoking and body mass index, though the latter is imprecisely estimated. Results are robust to accounting for endogenous job mobility and differ by workers' occupations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Boschman, J. S., A. Noor, J. K. Sluiter & M. Hagberg (2017): The mediating role of recovery opportunities on future sickness absence from a gender- and age-sensitive perspective. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 7, S. 1-11. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0179657

Abstract

"A lack of sufficient recovery during and after work may help to explain impaired health in the long run. We aimed to increase knowledge on the mediating role of recovery opportunities (RO) during and after work on future sickness absence from a gender- and age-sensitive perspective. We used data on RO from a Swedish national survey in 2011 and linked these to sickness absence (>14 days) two years later among the general working population (N = 7,649). Mediation of the relationship between gender and sickness absence by exposure to RO was studied through linear regression. We conducted separate analyses for RO during and after work and for three different age groups (16 - 29; 30 - 49; 50 - 64). The sample consisted of 3,563 men and 4,086 women. Sickness absence was higher among the women than among the men (11 days vs 5 days, p<0.001). Men reported statistically significantly more positive on their RO than women. RO during (ß 0.3 - 1.8) and after work (ß 0.4 - 0.6) mediated the relationship between gender and sickness absence. Mediation effects existed across age groups, with the strongest effects of RO during work found among the age group between 50 and 64 years of age (attenuation 36%). Our results indicate that gender inequality is also reflected in worse RO among women. This partially explains the increased risk of future sickness absence, particularly among those above 50 years of age. These findings show that RO during work deserve more attention in working life research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bubonya, Melisa, Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Mark Wooden (2017): Mental health and productivity at work. Does what you do matter? In: Labour economics, Jg. 46, H. June, S. 150-165. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2017.05.001

Abstract

"Much of the economic cost of mental illness stems from workers' reduced productivity. Using nationally representative panel data we analyze the links between mental health and two alternative workplace productivity measures - absenteeism and presenteeism (i.e., lower productivity while attending work) - explicitly allowing these relationships to be moderated by the nature of the job itself. We find that absence rates are approximately five percent higher among workers who report being in poor mental health. Moreover, job conditions are related to both presenteeism and absenteeism even after accounting for workers' self-reported mental health status. Job conditions are relatively more important in understanding diminished productivity at work if workers are in good rather than poor mental health. The effects of job complexity and stress on absenteeism do not depend on workers' mental health, while job security and control moderate the effect of mental illness on absence days." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Elsevier) ((en))

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Considine, Robyn, Ross Tynan, Carole James, John Wiggers, Terry Lewin, Kerry Inder, David Perkins, Tonelle Handley & Brian Kelly (2017): The contribution of individual, social and work characteristics to employee mental health in a coal mining industry population. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 1, S. 1-15. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0168445

Abstract

"Background: Evidence regarding the extent of mental health problems and the associated characteristics within an employee population is necessary to inform appropriate and tailored workplace mental health programs. Mental health within male dominated industries (such as mining) has received recent public attention, chiefly through observations regarding suicide in such populations in Australia and internationally. Currently there is limited empirical evidence regarding the mental health needs in the mining industry as an exemplar of a male dominated workforce, and the relative contribution to such problems of individual, socio-economic and workplace factors. This study aimed to investigate the mental health and associated characteristics among employees in the Australian coal mining industry with a specific focus on identifying modifiable work characteristics.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among employees (n = 1457) across eight coal mines stratified by key mine characteristics (state, mine type and employee commute arrangements). Participants completed measures of psychological distress (K10+) and key variables across four categories (socio-demographic characteristics, health history, current health behaviours, work attitudes and characteristics).
Results: Psychological distress levels within this sample were significantly higher in comparison with a community sample of employed Australians. The following factors contributed significantly to levels of psychological distress using hierarchical linear regression analysis: lower social networks; a past history of depression, anxiety or drug/alcohol problems; high recent alcohol use; work role (managers) and a set of work characteristics (level of satisfaction with work, financial factors and job insecurity; perception of lower workplace support for people with mental health problems.
Conclusion: This is the first study to examine the characteristics associated with mental health problems in the Australian coal mining industry. The findings indicate the salience of mental health needs in this population, and the associated interplay of personal, social and work characteristics. The work characteristics associated with psychological distress are modifiable and can guide an industry response, as well as help inform the understanding of the role of workplace factors in mental health problems in a male dominated workforce more generally." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cotti, Chad D., M. Ryan Haley & Laurie A. Miller (2017): Assessing the impact of different workplace flexibilities on workplace stress in the presence of varying degrees of job control. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 24, H. 3, S. 198-201. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2016.1176108

Abstract

"We apply probit and propensity score matching to 1667 respondents from the 2008 National Survey of the Changing Workforce to quantify how workers' self-reported stress levels vary under two different workplace flexibilities and varying degrees of job control. The first workplace flexibility considered is the ability to easily take time off for personal and family matters; the second is the option of a compressed work week. Our findings suggest that the first flexibility correlates with lower stress reports regardless of job control level. The second flexibility, however, correlates with lower stress levels only for workers with low levels of job control. This suggests that a compressed work week does not reduce stress for workers that already have high levels of job control. The more general conclusion is that some flexibilities are substitutes for job control whereas other are not, assuming the larger goal is the reduction of workplace stress and the various maladies exacerbated by stress." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cottini, Elena & Paolo Ghinetti (2017): Is it the way you live or the job you have? Health effects of lifestyles and working conditions. In: The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, Jg. 17, H. 3, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1515/bejeap-2016-0222

Abstract

"This paper investigates the role of lifestyles (smoking, drinking and obesity) and working conditions (physical hazards, no support from colleagues, job worries and repetitive work) on health. Three alternative systems of simultaneous multivariate probit equations are estimated, one for each health measure: an indicator of self-assessed health, an indicator of physical health, and an indicator of work-related mental health problems, using Danish data for 2000 and 2005. We find that while lifestyles are significant determinants of self-assessed health, they play a minor role for our indicators of physical health and mental health. The effect of lifestyles seems to be dominated by the effect of adverse working conditions, which significantly worsen health. This result is robust for all health dimensions considered." (Author's abstract, © De Gruyter) ((en))

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Devaro, Jed & John S. Heywood (2017): Performance pay and work-related health problems. A longitudinal study of establishments. In: ILR review, Jg. 70, H. 3, S. 670-703. DOI:10.1177/0019793916669148

Abstract

"Using panel data from 2004 and 2011, the authors find an elevated incidence of work-related ailments (associated with bones, muscles, and joints) in U.K. establishments that use individual performance pay, even after accounting for establishment fixed effects. Fixed-effect estimates also confirm a positive relationship between absence due to illness and performance pay. The elevated rates of ailments associated with performance pay appear to reduce financial performance and product quality, even though performance pay has a positive net influence on financial performance. Thus, a hidden cost of performance pay is occupational health deterioration. Parallel results are absent for labor productivity and, in a smaller sample, for profit." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hopkins, Benjamin (2017): Occupational health and safety of temporary and agency workers. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 609-628. DOI:10.1177/0143831X15581424

Abstract

"Previous quantitative studies have established a link between precarious work and occupational health and safety (OHS). Using an ethnographically informed qualitative approach, this article investigates the workplace experiences of different types of precarious workers, in particular those who are directly-employed temporary workers and those who are engaged through an agency. Drawing on the work of Andrew Hopkins, the article finds cultural practices that lead to worsened OHS experiences for those who are engaged through an agency. These experiences include inadequate safety training, poor quality personal protective equipment and a lack of clarity of supervisory roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hylkema, Tjerk H., Martin Stevens, Jan Van Beveren, Paul C. Rijk, Hans Peter van Jonbergen, Reinoud W. Brouwer, Sjoerd K. Bulstra & Sandra Brouwer (2017): Preoperative characteristics of working-age patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-14. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0183550

Abstract

"Objective: Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is performed more in working-age (<65 years) patients. Until now, research in this patient population has been conducted mainly among retired (=65 years) patients. Aim of this study was therefore to describe demographic, physical, psychological and social characteristics of working TKA patients and to subsequently compare these characteristics with retired TKA patients and the general population.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis. Preoperative data of 152 working TKA patients was used. These data were compared with existing data of retired TKA patients in hospital registers and with normative values from literature on the general population. Demographic, physical, psychological and social (including work) characteristics were analyzed.
Results: The majority (83.8%) of working TKA patients was overweight (42.6%) or obese (41.2%), a majority (72.4%) was dealing with two or more comorbidities, and most (90%) had few depressive symptoms. Mean physical activity level was 2950 minutes per week. Compared to the retired TKA population, working TKA patients perceived significantly more stiffness and better physical functioning and vitality, were more physically active, and perceived better mental health. Compared to the general population working TKA patients perceived worse physical functioning, worse physical health and better mental health, and worked fewer hours.
Conclusion: This study shows that a majority of working TKA patients are overweight/obese, have multiple comorbidities, but are highly active in light-intensity activities and have few depressive symptoms. Working patients scored overall better on preoperative characteristics than retired patients, and except for physical activity scored overall worse than the general population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jiménez, Paul, Bianca Winkler & Anita Dunkl (2017): Creating a healthy working environment with leadership. The concept of health-promoting leadership. In: The international journal of human resource management, Jg. 28, H. 17, S. 2430-2448. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2015.1137609

Abstract

"In this paper, a concept of health-promoting leadership is presented that focuses on the interaction between working environment and leadership behavior. Seven key aspects define health-promoting leadership: health awareness, low workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The self-assessment version of the questionnaire was used in this study for the first time. Analyzing the data of 299 leaders, the results showed satisfactory reliability and validity coefficients for all dimensions. Structural equation modeling indicates that all dimensions can be assigned on a main factor of health-promoting leadership. The questionnaire offers two main advantages: first, it is possible to measure health-promoting behavior strategies of leaders and thus show their leadership potential. Second, the instrument allows analyzing critical aspects in the working environment and further helps establish basic conditions in the workplace, where a health-promoting workplace can be created." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kang, Mo-Yeol, Ho-Jang Kwon, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Chung-Won Kang & Hyunjoo Kim (2017): The relationship between shift work and mental health among electronics workers in South Korea. A cross-sectional study. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 11, S. 1-10. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0188019

Abstract

"Objective: To determine the relationship between shift work and mental health, particularly insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation, among electronics production workers.
Methods: A survey was conducted with 14,226 workers from an electronics manufacturer in South Korea. After excluding 112 individuals with incomplete responses, 14,114 respondents were analyzed. As part of a larger project, we collected data on respondents' general characteristics, work-related characteristics, and health status; however, in this study, we focused on the data related to shift work and mental health. Insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation were set as dependent variables and working schedule as set as the independent variable. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis with daytime workers as the reference group. The model was adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, workplace, educational level, and marital status with or without children under 6 years of age.
Results: Relative to daytime workers, shift workers had 2.35, 1.23, and 1.17 greater odds of insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation, respectively. Within the shift worker group, we found that the odds of depression and suicidal ideation increased dramatically when respondents had insomnia. The ORs for depression and suicidal ideation were 4.899 and 7.934, respectively.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that shift work is related to an increased risk of mental health problems in production workers, and the sleep disturbance related with shift work is a central mechanism for this relationship. Since these results suggest that proactive management of sleep problems might attenuate their detrimental effects on shift worker's mental health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kang, Mo-Yeol & Yun-Chul Hong (2017): Crossover effect of spouse weekly working hours on estimated 10-years risk of cardiovascular disease. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0182010

Abstract

"Objectives: To investigate the association between spouse weekly working hours (SWWH) and the estimated 10-years risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on the data obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 - 2012. Data of 16,917 participants (8,330 husbands, 8,587 wives) were used for this analysis. The participants' clinical data were collected to estimate the 10-years risk of CVD, as well as weekly working hours. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association between SWWH and the estimated 10-years risk of CVD. We also performed a stratified analysis according to each participant's and their spouse's employment status.
Results: Compared to those whose spouses worked 30 hours per week, estimated 10-years risk of CVD was significantly higher as SWWH increase among those whose spouses worked >30 hours per week. After adjusting for covariates, the odds ratio for high CVD risk was found to increase as SWWH increased, up to 2.52 among husbands and 2.43 among wives. We also found that the association between SWWH and the estimated 10-years risk of CVD varied according to the employment status. Analysis of each component included in the CVD appraisal model showed that SWWH had close relationship with diabetes in men, and smoking habits in women.
Conclusions: Spouse's long working hours are associated with individual's risk of CVD in future, especially among husbands." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lefrançois, Mélanie, Karen Messing & Johanne Saint-Charles (2017): Time control, job execution and information access. Work/family strategies in the context of low-wage work and 24/7 schedules. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 20, H. 5, S. 600-622. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2017.1379950

Abstract

"Low-wage work and rigid atypical schedules reduce workers' leeway to manage their work/family interface, resulting in high levels of work/family conflict and in health issues. Faced with these inflexible conditions and a lack of formal work/family measures, workers rely primarily on informal practices where relational dynamics with coworkers and managers play an important role. However, low-wage workers with little schedule control are underrepresented in the work/family literature and little is known about how they deal with work/family issues in their workplaces. What role is played by workplace relationships in strategies used by workers to manage their work/family interface in the face of imposed, extended and variable schedules? Using an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework combining communication and ergonomic work activity analysis, we analyzed data collected through direct and participant observations, semi-structured interviews, interaction diaries and administrative documents. This community-initiated ethnographic case study helped us identify three main types of work/family strategies related to (1) work time; (2) work execution and (3) access to relational resources. We also discuss how these strategies are embedded in the work activity and relational context, including gender dynamics, and are entangled with individual, team and organizational considerations. Some potential solutions are presented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ma, Yao, Ying-Jun Wang, Bing-Rui Chen, Hao-Jie Shi, Hao Wang, Mohammad Reeaze Khurwolah, Ya-Fei Li, Zhi-Yong Xie, Yang Yang & Lian-Sheng Wang (2017): Study on association of working hours and occupational physical activity with the occurrence of coronary heart disease in a Chinese population. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 10, S. 1-14. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0185598

Abstract

"Objective: To explore the association of working hours and occupational physical activity (OPA) with the occurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese population.
Methods: A total of 595 participants (354 and 241 patients with and without CHD, respectively) aged between 24 and 65 were enrolled in our study, which was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between December 2015 and October 2016. Participant characteristics were collected from face-to-face questionnaires, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of working hours and OPA with the occurrence of CHD.
Results: Compared with non-employed people, long working hours (especially =55 hours/week) contributed to the occurrence of CHD (adjusted odds ratio[OR] = 2.213, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.125, 4.355, P = 0.021) after multivariate adjustment in the Chinese population. With the extension of worktime, the CHD risk increased (P for the dose-response trend = 0.022). Meanwhile, even after adjusting for engagement in physical activity during leisure time, sedentary behavior at work had an adverse effect on CHD risk (adjusted OR = 2.794, 95%CI: 1.526, 5.115, P = 0.001), and a linear relationship was also found between OPA and CHD (P for the trend = 0.005).
Conclusions: Long working hours and sedentary behavior at work are associated with a high risk of CHD. In addition, prolonged working hours in sedentary occupations increases the risk of CHD, independent of engagement in leisure time physical activity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Martin, Albert & Wenzel Matiaske (2017): Absenteeism as a reaction to harmful behavior in the workplace from a stress theory point of view. In: Management Revue, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 227-254. DOI:10.5771/0935-9915-2017-2-227

Abstract

"The paper gives an overview as to the extent of socially harmful behavior in the workplace. Data comes from European Survey on Working Conditions. We draw upon the information from the surveys which were carried out in 2000, 2005 and 2010 in the EU-15. Unfortunately, the findings show that the number of employees who suffer socially harmful behavior in their work environment is not low. Following the assumption that stressful working conditions increase the probability of harmful behavior it is shown that the reaction to harmful behavior depends on what resources are available to the person affected. Social support and satisfying working conditions prove to be effective buffers against hostile behavior. Nevertheless, behavioral buffers can only play a supporting role in detecting and removing the causes of hostile behavior. The paper adds new insights into the topic and in addition to an overview, we identify empirically significant determinants and conduct a stress theoretic analysis of different ways of reacting to socially aversive behavior." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Potkin, Steven G., Jean-Yves Loze, Carlos Forray, Ross A. Baker, Christophe Sapin, Timothy Peters-Strickland, Maud Beillat, Anna-Greta Nylander, Peter Hertel, Simon Nitschky Schmidt, Anders Ettrup, Anna Eramo, Karina Hansen & Dieter Naber (2017): Relationship between response to aripiprazole once-monthly and paliperidone palmitate on work readiness and functioning in schizophrenia. A post-hoc analysis of the QUALIFY study. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0183475

Abstract

"Schizophrenia is a chronic disease with negative impact on patients' employment status and quality of life. This post-hoc analysis uses data from the QUALIFY study to elucidate the relationship between work readiness and health-related quality of life and functioning. QUALIFY was a 28-week, randomized study (NCT01795547) comparing the treatment effectiveness of aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg and paliperidone palmitate once-monthly using the Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality-of-Life Scale as the primary endpoint. Also, patients' capacity to work and work readiness (Yes/No) was assessed with the Work Readiness Questionnaire. We categorized patients, irrespective of treatment, by work readiness at baseline and week 28: No to Yes (n = 41), Yes to Yes (n = 49), or No at week 28 (n = 118). Quality-of-Life Scale total, domains, and item scores were assessed with a mixed model of repeated measures. Patients who shifted from No to Yes in work readiness showed robust improvements on Quality-of-Life Scale total scores, significantly greater than patients not ready to work at week 28 (least squares mean difference: 11.6±2.6, p<0.0001). Scores on Quality-of-Life Scale instrumental role domain and items therein - occupational role, work functioning, work levels, work satisfaction - significantly improved in patients shifting from No to Yes in work readiness (vs patients No at Week 28). Quality-of-Life Scale total scores also significantly predicted work readiness at week 28. Overall, these results highlight a strong association between improvements in health-related quality of life and work readiness, and suggest that increasing patients' capacity to work is an achievable and meaningful goal in the treatment of impaired functioning in schizophrenia." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Powroznik, Karen M. (2017): Healthism and weight-based discrimination. The unintended consequences of health promotion in the workplace. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 44, H. 2, S. 139-170. DOI:10.1177/0730888416682576

Abstract

"Health promotion programs have become increasingly common in U.S. workplaces, yet little research has examined the unintended and potentially negative consequences of these initiatives. Overweight and obese employees face widespread prejudice and pervasive discrimination in employment settings, and this study investigates whether workplace health promotion may lead to more negative outcomes for these workers. Using an experimental design, the author finds that overweight and obese employees are rated more negatively and receive lower hiring recommendations when evaluated for companies with health promotion programs. These findings suggest that health promotion increases the salience and perceived legitimacy of negative fat stereotypes that facilitate weight-based discrimination." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pui, Mandy, Anne-Marie Nicol, Michael Brauer, Farshad Palad & Christopher Carlsten (2017): A qualitative study of the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of people exposed to diesel exhaust at the workplace in British Columbia, Canada. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-21. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0182890

Abstract

"Purpose: To identify exposure-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of individuals occupationally exposed to diesel exhaust (DE); to reveal strengths, knowledge gaps and misperceptions therein.
Methods: A Mental Models approach was used to gather information about current scientific understanding of DE exposure hazards and the ways in which exposure can be reduced. Thirty individuals in British Columbia who were regularly exposed to occupational DE were interviewed. The audio was recorded and transcribed. Data was grouped together and examined to draw out themes around DE awareness, hazard assessment and risk reduction behaviors. These themes were then compared and contrasted with existing grey and research literature in order to reveal strengths, gaps and misperceptions regarding DE exposure.
Results: Study participants were aware and concerned about their exposure to DE but had incomplete and sometimes incorrect understanding of exposure pathways, health effects, and effective strategies to reduce their exposures. The perceived likelihood of exposure to DE was significantly greater compared to that of other work hazards (p<0.01), whereas the difference for their perceived severity of consequences was not significant. There was no universally perceived main source of information regarding DE, and participants generally distrusted sources of information based on their past experience with the source. Most of the actions that were taken to address DE exposure fell into the area of administrative controls such as being aware of sources of DE and avoiding these sources.
Conclusions: This study of the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of those occupationally exposed to DE found, most notably, that more education and training and the creation of a health effects inventory regarding DE exposure were desired." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Salvagioni, Denise Albieri Jodas, Francine Nesello Melanda, Arthur Eumann Mesas, Alberto Durán González, Flávia Lopes Gabani & Selma Maffei de Andrade (2017): Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout. A systematic review of prospective studies. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 10, S. 1-29. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0185781

Abstract

"Burnout is a syndrome that results from chronic stress at work, with several consequences to workers' well-being and health. This systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence of the physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout in prospective studies. The PubMed, Science Direct, PsycInfo, SciELO, LILACS and Web of Science databases were searched without language or date restrictions. The Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Prospective studies that analyzed burnout as the exposure condition were included. Among the 993 articles initially identified, 61 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and 36 were analyzed because they met three criteria that must be followed in prospective studies. Burnout was a significant predictor of the following physical consequences: hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hospitalization due to cardiovascular disorder, musculoskeletal pain, changes in pain experiences, prolonged fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, severe injuries and mortality below the age of 45 years. The psychological effects were insomnia, depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic and antidepressant medications, hospitalization for mental disorders and psychological ill-health symptoms. Job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, new disability pension, job demands, job resources and presenteeism were identified as professional outcomes. Conflicting findings were observed. In conclusion, several prospective and high-quality studies showed physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout. The individual and social impacts of burnout highlight the need for preventive interventions and early identification of this health condition in the work environment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sirven, Nicolas, Jean-Marie Cardebat & Marine Coupaud (2017): Working conditions and the health of workers. An elaboration of a responsible prevention ratio. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 562-587. DOI:10.1177/0143831X15584084

Abstract

"The coincidence between trends in the decline of workers' health and the increasing practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seems a paradox. Using data from the French Employment Survey 2005, in this article the authors develop an index of responsible prevention by combining a score of severity of working conditions with a score of risk prevention at the workplace. The authors then explore the influence of this variable on the propensity to stop working for medical reasons. The results show that prevention increases workers' health status and suggest the existence of an optimal level of social CSR expenditure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Spreitzer, Roland (2017): Berufskrankheiten in Österreich. Sind die geltenden Regelungen noch zeitgemäß? In: Wiso. Wirtschafts- und sozialpolitische Zeitschrift des ISW, Jg. 40, H. 1, S. 65-80.

Abstract

"Was als Berufskrankheit anerkannt werden kann, ist im österreichischen Recht klar definiert. Wesentliche arbeitsbedingte Erkrankungen wie psychische Krankheiten und Muskel-Skelett- Erkrankungen sind aufgrund der gesetzlichen Ausgestaltung von einer Anerkennung ausgeschlossen. Da diese Krankheitsbilder in der modernen Arbeitswelt zunehmend wichtiger werden, stellt sich die Frage, ob das Berufskrankheitenrecht in Österreich noch zeitgemäß ist. Der Beitrag bietet einen Einblick in die Problematik." (Autorenreferat, © ISW-Linz)

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Bubonya, Melisa, Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Mark Wooden (2016): Mental health and productivity at work. Does what you do matter? (IZA discussion paper 9879), Bonn, 52 S.

Abstract

"Much of the economic cost of mental illness stems from workers' reduced productivity. We analyze the links between mental health and two alternative workplace productivity measures - absenteeism and presenteeism (i.e., lower productivity while attending work) - explicitly allowing these relationships to be moderated by the nature of the job itself. We find that absence rates are approximately five percent higher among workers who report being in poor mental health. Moreover, job conditions are related to both presenteeism and absenteeism even after accounting for workers' self-reported mental health status. Job conditions are relatively more important in understanding diminished productivity at work if workers are in good rather than poor mental health. The effects of job complexity and stress on absenteeism do not depend on workers' mental health, while job security and control moderate the effect of mental illness on absence days." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Damaske, Sarah, Matthew J. Zawadzki & Joshua M. Smyth (2016): Stress at work. Differential experiences of high versus low SES workers. In: Social science & medicine, Jg. 156, H. May, S. 125-133. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.03.010

Abstract

"This paper asks whether workers with higher socioeconomic status (SES) experience different levels of stress at work than workers with lower SES and, if so, what might explain these differences. We collected innovative assessments of immediate objective and subjective measures of stress at multiple time points across consecutive days from 122 employed men and women. We find that in comparison to higher SES individuals, those with lower SES reported greater happiness at work, less self-reported stress, and less perceived stress; cortisol, a biological marker of stress, was unrelated to SES. Worker's momentary perceptions of the workplace were predicted by SES, with higher SES individuals more commonly reporting feeling unable to meet work demands, fewer work resources, and less positive work appraisals. In turn, perceptions of the workplace had a generally consistent and robust effect on positive mood, subjective stress, and cortisol." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Davies, Rhys, Melanie Jones & Huw Lloyd-Williams (2016): Age and work-related health. Insights from the UK labour force survey. In: BJIR, Jg. 54, H. 1, S. 136-159. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12059

Abstract

"Data from the UK Labour Force Survey (LFS) are used to examine two methodological issues in the analysis of the relationship between age and work-related health. First, the LFS is unusual in that it asks work-related health questions to those who are not currently employed. This facilitates a more representative analysis than that which is constrained to focus only on those currently in work. Second, information in the LFS facilitates a comparison of work-related health problems that stem from current employment to a more encompassing measure that includes those related to a former job. We find that accounting for each of these sources of bias increases the age work-related health risk gradient, and suggest that ignoring such effects will underestimate the work-related health implications of current policies to extend working lives." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Dragano, Nico, Morten Wahrendorf, Kathrin Müller & Thorsten Lunau (2016): Arbeit und gesundheitliche Ungleichheit. Die ungleiche Verteilung von Arbeitsbelastungen in Deutschland und Europa. In: Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, Jg. 59, H. 2, S. 217-227. DOI:10.1007/s00103-015-2281-8

Abstract

"Arbeitsbelastungen könnten einen Anteil an der Entstehung sozial ungleicher Erkrankungsrisiken im Erwachsenenalter haben, wenn Beschäftigte aus benachteiligten Berufsklassen von diesen Belastungen häufiger betroffen sind. Empirische Daten für die Beurteilung dieser Annahme fehlen für Deutschland weitgehend.
Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Forschung zur berufsbezogenen gesundheitlichen Ungleichheit. Anhand von Daten einer europäischen Beschäftigtenbefragung wird zudem die Verteilung eines breiten Spektrums von Arbeitsbelastungen über unterschiedliche berufliche Positionen untersucht.
Die Analysen basieren auf Daten des European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). Die deutsche Teilstichprobe (n?=?2096) und die Stichprobe für EU-27 Länder (n?=?34.529) wurden vergleichend ausgewertet. Die berufliche Position wurde anhand des EGP-Klassenschemas operationalisiert und die Prävalenz von 16 Arbeitsbelastungen für diese EGP-Berufsklassen geschlechtsspezifisch berechnet. In Regressionsmodellen wurde zudem geprüft, ob Unterschiede in der selbstberichteten Gesundheit zwischen Berufsklassen durch ein ungleiches Auftreten von Belastungen erklärt werden könnten.
Für zahlreiche Arbeitsbelastungen zeigte sich eine höhere Prävalenz bei manuellen Berufen und einfachen Angestellten. Dies gilt gleichermaßen für physische und psychische Belastungen. Die Ergebnisse für Männer und Frauen sowie für die deutsche und die europäische Stichprobe stimmten zum großen Teil überein.
Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass gesundheitlich belastende Arbeitsbedingungen einen Anteil an der Ausprägung sozial ungleicher Gesundheitschancen in der Bevölkerung haben. " © Springer-Verlag

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Heggebø, Kristian (2016): Hiring, employment, and health in Scandinavia. The Danish 'flexicurity' model in comparative perspective. In: European Societies, Jg. 18, H. 5, S. 460-486. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2016.1207794

Abstract

"Previous research has shown that people with health problems often experience disadvantages on the labour market. Can weak employment protection increase employment prospects for people with ill health? In order to investigate this question, the longitudinal part of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data material is utilised (2008 - 2011) and generalised least squares regressions are estimated. The research context is set to Scandinavia. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are similar in many respects, but deviate on one important point: the employment protection legislation is considerably weaker in the Danish 'flexicurity' model. The lenient firing regulations could make employers more prone to take the 'risk' associated with hiring someone with a health problem, since the costs related to firing him/her are low. The results reveal that people with ill health have somewhat better hiring likelihood in Denmark than in Norway and Sweden. This pattern is, however, only evident among higher educated individuals. Furthermore, descriptive evidence indicates that the 'flexicurity' model seems to come at a cost for people with health problems: The employment rates are not high overall, and temporary work contracts are much more widespread in Denmark. Consequently, labour market attachment for people with ill health remains rather 'loose' in the Danish 'flexicurity' model." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Heijnen, Suzanne, Wolter Hassink & Janneke Plantenga (2016): Sickness absenteeism during a period of job-to-job transition. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 145, H. August, S. 145-147. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2016.05.036

Abstract

"We examine a novel pattern of workplace sickness absenteeism for job-to-job movers, covering the periods before and after their job transitions. The movers display two opposite changes of absenteeism - an upward and a downward spike before and after job change. The estimates indicate a behavioural effect related to differences in financial incentives for job movers." (Author's abstract, © 2016 Elsevier) ((en))

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Jones, Melanie K., P. L. Latreille & Peter J. Sloane (2016): Job anxiety, work-related psychological illness and workplace performance. In: BJIR, Jg. 54, H. 4, S. 742-767. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12159

Abstract

"This article uses matched employee - employer data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey to examine the relationship between employee psychological health and workplace performance in 2004 and 2011. Using two measures of work-related psychological health - namely employee-reported job anxiety and manager-reported workforce stress, depression and anxiety - we find a positive relationship between psychological ill-health and absence, but not quits. The association between psychological ill-health and labour productivity is less clear, with estimates sensitive to sector, time period and the measure of psychological health. The 2004 - 2011 panel is further used to explore the extent to which change in psychological health is related to change in performance." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Karlsson, Tobias (2016): Gender differences in absence from work. Lessons from two world wars. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2016,26), Uppsala, 22 S.

Abstract

"This paper traces the origins and early history of perceived gender differences in absenteeism in Great Britain and the USA. Among politicians and scholars, the problem was first articulated during World War I and reappeared as an issue of prime concern during World War II. The war efforts required mobilization and allocation of large numbers of women to jobs that had previously been done by men while maintaining high and continuous flows of production in an economy that was increasingly characterized by high capital intensity. The most common explanation of women's higher levels of absenteeism was their double burden of wage work and unpaid household duties. Although researchers in the field were cautious to give policy recommendations, the studies on absenteeism revealed that 'industrial fatigue' could have negative effects on productivity and helped to motivate regulations on working hours. Studies on absenteeism also encouraged firms to professionalize personnel management and to reinforce apprehensions of differences between men and women as workers and employees. Some employers and other policy makers referred to gender differences in absenteeism to motivate wage discrimination." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lindbeck, Assar, Mårten Palme & Mats Persson (2016): Sickness Absence and Local Benefit Cultures. In: The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Jg. 118, H. 1, S. 49-78. DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12131

Abstract

"In many countries, sickness absence financed by generous insurance benefits is an important concern in the policy debate. There are strong variations in absence behavior among local geographical areas. Such variations are difficult to explain in terms of observable socioeconomic factors. In this paper, we investigate whether such variations are related to group effects in the form of social interaction among individuals within neighborhoods. Well-known methodological problems arise when trying to answer this question. A special feature of our efforts to deal with these problems is that we adopt several alternative approaches to identify group effects. Our study is based on a rich set of Swedish panel data, and we find indications of group effects in each of our approaches." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Mundbjerg Eriksen, Tine L., Annie Hogh & Åse Marie Hansen (2016): Long-term consequences of workplace bullying on sickness absence. In: Labour economics, Jg. 43, H. December, S. 129-150. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2016.06.008

Abstract

"Bullying in workplaces is a problem thought to harm individual productivity. This paper investigates whether being exposed to bullying in the workplace increases long-term sickness absence. We analyze employees from a selection of workplaces from The Bullying Cohort Study conducted in Denmark in 2006. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised was used to avoid bias related to self-labeling as being bullied. We account for important confounders, such as historical information on sickness absence and mental health, obtained through rich registry data. Our results show that gender does not significantly explain exposure to bullying and that exposure to bullying is associated with negative immediate self-reported health for both genders. We also find, however, that only bullied females have higher, persistent increases in long-term sickness absence and adverse long-term health. This suggests that men and women have different coping strategies. We investigate plausible explanations for this and find that the differences cannot be explained by, for example, turnover or lack of employment. Although insignificant, our results nonetheless indicate that men are twice as likely to leave the labor force immediately after exposure to bullying." (Author's abstract, © 2016 Elsevier) ((en))

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Otterbach, Steffen, Mark Wooden & Yin King Fok (2016): Working-time mismatch and mental health. (IZA discussion paper 9818), Bonn, 40 S.

Abstract

"Nationally representative panel survey data for Germany and Australia are used to investigate the impact of working-time mismatches (i.e., differences between actual and desired work hours) on mental health, as measured by the Mental Component Summary Score from the SF-12. Fixed effects and dynamic linear models are estimated, which, together with the longitudinal nature of the data, enable person-specific traits that are time invariant to be controlled for. The incorporation of dynamics also reduces concerns about the potential effects of reverse causation. The results suggest that overemployment (working more hours than desired) has adverse consequences for the mental health of workers in both countries. Underemployment (working fewer hours than desired), however, seems to only be of significance in Australia." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pencavel, John (2016): Recovery from work and the productivity of working hours. In: Economica, Jg. 83, H. 332, S. 545-563. DOI:10.1111/ecca.12206

Abstract

"Observations on munitions workers are organized to examine the relationship between their output each week, their working hours and days each week, and their working hours and days in adjacent weeks. The hypothesis is that workers need to recover from work, and a long working week results in greater fatigue and stress, and yet provides insufficient time for recuperation before the next week's work opens. Workers require time off the job to restore their physical, mental and emotional capacities, and if a long working week provides inadequate time to repair, then their subsequent work performance suffers." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Siegrist, Johannes & Morten Wahrendorf (Hrsg.) (2016): Work stress and health in a globalized economy. The model of effort-reward imbalance. (Aligning perspectives on health, safety and well-being), Cham: Springer London, 378 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-32937-6

Abstract

"This book provides a comprehensive, updated summary of research evidence on the effects of stressful working and employment conditions on workers' health, as based on one of the worldwide leading theoretical models, effort-reward imbalance. It offers three innovative features that are appealing for research as well as for policy.
Firstly, it presents and discusses comparable research findings from different continents, in particular from Japan, China, and Latin America. Secondly, it extends the conceptual framework of research on this topic by analysing associations of work stress with health in a life course perspective, and by linking these associations to the macro-level of national labour and social policies. Thirdly, the book helps to strengthen programs and policies that aim at promoting healthy work locally, nationally, and internationally, by providing solid facts on which such programs can be based." (Publisher's text, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Albrecht, Simon L. (2015): Challenge demands, hindrance demands and psychological need satisfaction. Their influence on employee engagement and emotional exhaustion. In: Journal of personnel psychology, Jg. 14, H. 2, S. 70-79. DOI:10.1027/1866-5888/a000122

Abstract

"The job demands-resources (JD-R) model provides a well-validated account of how job resources and job demands influence wank engagement, burnout, and their constituent dimensions. The present study aimed to extend previous research by including challenge demands not widely examined in the context of the JD-R. Furthermore, and extending self-determination theory, the research also aimed to investigate the potential mediating effects that employees' need satisfaction as regards their need for autonomy, need for belongingness, need for competence, and need for achievement, as components of a higher order needs construct, may have on the relationships between job demands and engagement. Structural equations modeling across two independent samples generally supported the proposed relationships. Further research opportunities, practical implications, and study limitations are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Arnold, Daniel & Marco de Pinto (2015): How are work-related characteristics linked to sickness absence and presenteeism? Theory and data. In: Schmollers Jahrbuch, Jg. 135, H. 4, S. 465-498. DOI:10.3790/schm.135.4.465

Abstract

"This paper investigates how work-related factors affect workers' absence and presenteeism behavior. Previous studies (implicitly) assume that there is a substitutive relationship, i.e., a change in a work-related factor decreases the level of absence and simultaneously increases presenteeism (or vice versa). We set up a theoretical model in which work-related characteristics not only affect a worker's absence decision but also the individual-specific sickness definition. Since work-related factors affect presenteeism through these two channels, non-substitutive relationships between absence and presenteeism are also conceivable. Using European cross-sectional data, we find only few substitutive and complementary relationships, while the bulk of the work-related characteristics is related only to one of the two sickness states." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aumayr-Pintar, Christine, Jorge Cabrita, Maurizio Curtarelli, Karel Fric, Andrea Fromm, Camilla Galli da Bino & Christian Welz (2015): Industrial relations and working conditions developments in Europe 2013. Dublin, 103 S. DOI:10.2806/91282

Abstract

"This report describes the main developments in industrial relations and working conditions in 2013 in the 28 EU Member States and in Norway, from both a national and EU-level perspective. Beginning with an overview of the current economic and political context in these countries, the report goes on to outline trends in industrial relations, including changes in the role and organisation of the social partners and the impact of government measures and legislation. The report highlights policies and initiatives, legislative developments and social dialogue in the following areas: industrial action, pay and wage-setting, working time, health and safety at work, conditions of employment - including job security, contractual arrangements, job mobility and transition - gender equality and discrimination, entry into and exit from employment, and skills development." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brannan, Matthew J. (2015): 'You're not going anywhere': employee retention, symbolic violence and the structuring of subordination in a UK-based call centre. In: The sociological review, Jg. 63, H. 4, S. 801-819. DOI:10.1111/1467-954X.12312

Abstract

"This article explores practices that produce and reproduce domination in and through organizational hierarchies and shows how high levels of employee turnover were managed within a UK-based call centre through the use of culturally bound employment practices. Using ethnographic methods the paper explores the experience of managerial retention strategies from the perspective of employees and draws upon some of the theoretical resources employed by Pierre Bourdieu, specifically in relation to his concern with structures of subordination, and with the ways that processes of symbolic violence appear legitimate. The paper therefore makes three contributions to our understanding of the sociology of work generally and the management of labour turnover in service industries specifically; first, it extends understanding of the cultural basis of retention strategies. Second, it explores the 'lived experience' of these strategies. Finally, it considers the relevance of Bourdieu's analysis for making sense of these practices in action." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bratberg, Espen & Karin Monstad (2015): Worried sick? Worker responses to a financial shock. In: Labour economics, Jg. 33, H. April, S. 111-120. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2015.02.003

Abstract

"Excessive sickness absence may hurt productivity and put a strain on public finances. One explanation put forward for increasing absence rates is that a tougher labour market represents a health hazard. A competing hypothesis is that loss of job security works as a disciplinary device. We use a financial shock that hit the public sector in Norway in 2007 in some, but not all, municipalities to identify the effect of reduced job security on sickness absence. Public sector workers in municipalities that were not affected are used as a control group in a difference-in-differences analysis. In addition, trends in sickness absence of public and private sector employees are compared, in a triple difference-in-differences analysis. We find that sickness absence among public employees decreased considerably in the year after the shock in the affected municipalities. The results survive a number of robustness checks. The evidence is strongest for women, and consistent with a hypothesis that reduced job security has a disciplining effect." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Buffel, Veerle, Rozemarijn Dereuddre & Piet Bracke (2015): Medicalization of the uncertainty? An empirical study of the relationships between unemployment or job insecurity, professional care seeking, and the consumption of antidepressants. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 31, H. 4, S. 446-459. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcv004

Abstract

"In addition to concerns about the treatment gap in mental health (MH) care, an increasing number of researchers are paying attention to the medicalization of daily life. Framed in a context characterized by a growth in the use of antidepressants and at the same time economic instability, the aim of this study is to unravel the relations between employment status/job insecurity, seeking professional care for MH problems, and antidepressant use. Data from the Eurobarometer 345 (2010) are used to perform gender-differentiated, multilevel logistic regression analyses. Our results show that, in accordance with the need hypothesis, part of the professional care use for emotional problems and part of the antidepressant use among the unemployed and those in insecure jobs are associated with their comparatively worse MH status. In addition, medicalization processes contribute to more frequent care and antidepressant use, irrespective of MH status, among the unemployed: increased antidepressant consumption among women in insecure jobs and more general practitioner consultations for emotional health problems among their male counterparts. In conclusion, evidence is found for both the need hypothesis as well as the medicalization hypothesis. In addition, we cannot conclude that women are more vulnerable to medicalization than men are." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coduti, Wendy A., Kristin Tugman, Susanne M. Bruyère & Valerie Malzer (2015): Aging workers. Work environment as a factor in employee mental health. In: International Journal of Disability Management, Jg. 10, S. 1-8. DOI:10.1017/idm.2015.4

Abstract

"In 2014, the health and productivity team of the disability insurance provider, Unum, conducted a mixed methods study that included qualitative interviews with internal mental health disability claims professionals, and external interviews with employers. Quantitative data of 15 employers were analysed to identify descriptive statistics involving mental health short-term disability (STD) claims. Workplace factors were examined to understand best practices among companies, related to mental health STD, to identify work environments that may increase or decrease mental health disabilities. Quantitative data found workers aged 40 to 49 had the highest rates of mental health STD claims and workers aged 50 to 59 had the longest duration of absence. Anxiety and depression were the main reasons for mental health absences from work. Results from the qualitative interviews showed a supportive work culture (i.e., work┐life balance, good benefits, successful wellness programs) may lead to higher STD claim rates, demonstrating workers in these environments may feel more comfortable disclosing and seeking help for mental health disabilities. Conclusions from this study indicate that although presenteeism rates for mental health are high and impact employers financially, having higher STD claim rates may be more cost effective than having employees with mental health conditions remain at work instead of filing STD claims, seeking treatment and returning to productive employment. Employee age can impact rate and duration of mental health STD claims, meaning employers should implement workplace practices that support overall mental health of employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Deurzen, Ioana van, Erik van Ingen & Wim J. H. van Oorschot (2015): Income inequality and depression: the role of social comparisons and coping resources. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 31, H. 4, S. 477-489. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcv007

Abstract

"In the present contribution, we address the idea that income inequality can 'get under the skin' and worsen the symptoms of depression. We investigate whether this effect can be explained by country differences in the average coping resources citizens have at their disposal, as well as the average extent to which they engage in social comparisons. In addition, we examine whether coping resources can protect individuals from the detrimental effect of inequality and whether the effect of inequality varies according to socio-economic (SES) positions. We use multilevel techniques on a sample of 43,824 respondents collected by the European Social Survey (ESS) 2006/2007 in 23 European countries and find that individuals in countries with greater income inequalities report more depressive symptoms. Although social comparisons are associated with more depressive symptoms, they do not explain the effect of inequality and neither do coping resources. However, we do find that coping resources can protect against the stress of living in a society with high income inequality. Our results provide some support for the idea that inequality is most corrosive to the mental health of the people in the middle of the income hierarchy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerdenitsch, Cornelia, Bettina Kubicek & Christian Korunka (2015): Control in flexible working arrangements. When freedom becomes duty. In: Journal of personnel psychology, Jg. 14, H. 2, S. 61-69. DOI:10.1027/1866-5888/a000121

Abstract

"Supported by media technologies, today's employees can increasingly decide when and where to work. The present study examines positive and negative aspects of this temporal and spatial flexibility, and the perceptions of control in these situations based an propositions of self-determination theory. Using an exploratory approach we conducted semi-structured interviews with 45 working digital natives. Participants described positive and negative situations separately for temporal and spatial flexibility, and rated the extent to which they felt autonomous and externally controlled. Situation appraised positively were best described by decision latitude, while negatively evaluated ones were best described by work-nonwork conflict. Positive situations were perceived as autonomous rather than externally controlled; negative situations were rated as autonomously and externally controlled to a similar extent." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerich, Joachim (2015): Krankenstand und Präsentismus als betriebliche Gesundheitsindikatoren. In: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, Jg. 29, H. 1, S. 31-48. DOI:10.1688/ZfP-2015-01-Gerich

Abstract

"Krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten in Unternehmen werden im Rahmen des betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagements häufig als Gesundheitsindikatoren der Belegschaft herangezogen. In einer Querschnittserhebung bei einer Zufallsstichprobe von pflichtversicherten Arbeitnehmer/innen in Oberösterreich (n = 930) zeigt sich jedoch, dass der subjektive Gesundheitszustand von Arbeitnehmer/innen deutlich besser durch Präsentismushäufigkeiten (arbeiten trotz Krankheit) als durch Fehlzeiten prognostiziert werden kann. Präsentismus ist im Vergleich zu Krankenstand stärker mit Magen- Darm-Beschwerden, Muskel-Skelett-Beschwerden, Migräne sowie psychischen Beschwerden assoziiert, welche zugleich wichtige Determinanten der Gesundheitseinschätzung darstellen. Personen entscheiden sich im Krankheitsfall generell und bei Migräne und psychischen Beschwerden im Besonderen häufiger für Präsentismus als für Krankenstand. Speziell bei geringen Krankenstandshäufigkeiten sollten Krankenstandsstatistiken durch Schätzungen der Präsentismushäufigkeiten ergänzt werden. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass insbesondere der psychische Gesundheitszustand besser durch Präsentismus als durch Fehlzeiten abgeschätzt werden kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Haley, M. Ryan & Laurie A. Miller (2015): Correlates of flexible working arrangements, stress, and sleep difficulties in the US workforce. Does the flexibility of the flexibility matter? In: Empirical economics, Jg. 48, H. 4, S. 1395-1418. DOI:10.1007/s00181-014-0836-4

Abstract

"Using the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce, we study how two forms of flextime correlate with family stress, workplace stress, and sleep difficulties. The first flextime measure is the ability to easily take time off for personal and family matters, which correlates with a statistically and economically significant reduction in workplace stress. Subsequently, we find that this same flexibility is associated with 6 - 10% reduction in the likelihood of self-reported sleep difficulties for the full sample, and as high as an 11 - 25% reduction in a subgroup analysis concerning unmarried females with children. The second flextime measure is the option of a compressed workweek, which also correlates with a statistically reduction in workplace stress, though the estimate is considerably smaller than for the first flexibility; a subsequent analysis finds no statistically significant relationship between this flexibility and sleep difficulties. Our findings suggest that the more flexible flexibility (i.e., more short-notice schedule flexibility) appears to be associated with larger reductions in the probability of being stressed, enough, in fact, to carry through to noticeable improvements in concomitant sleep difficulties. Thus, the first form of flextime may function, based on this observational analysis, as a tangible non-medical way to meet worker flextime desires and firm aspirations for increased safety and less absenteeism, all while potentially offering a positive public health externality. The size and significance of the flextime results prevail through bias assessments and sensitivity analyses." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hasselhorn, Hans-Martin & Wenke Apt (Hrsg.) (2015): Understanding employment participation of older workers. Creating a knowledge base for future labour market challenges. Berlin, 118 S.

Abstract

"In allen Ländern Europas steigt die durchschnittliche Lebenserwartung und der Anteil älterer Menschen nimmt deutlich zu. Obwohl dieser demografische Wandel mit einer allgemeinen Verbesserung der Gesundheit einhergeht, erreicht nur eine Minderheit älterer Arbeitnehmer das gesetzliche Renteneintrittsalter im Beruf.
Die Europäische Programm-Initiative 'More Years, Better Lives' (JPI MYBL) hat zur Beantwortung der Frage 'Warum arbeiten manche Menschen im höheren Erwerbsalter und andere nicht?' eine Gruppe von 46 Wissenschaftlern aus 11 Ländern beauftragt, hierzu den aktuellen Forschungsbedarf zu identifizieren. Damit sollte anstehenden Forschungsförderungsaktivitäten zugearbeitet werden. Dieser Bericht legt die wichtigsten Ergebnisse vor.
Die interdisziplinäre JPI UEP Arbeitsgruppe hat das umfassende 'lidA-Denkmodell' zur Analyse der Einflussfaktoren für einen frühen Rückzug aus dem Arbeitsmarkt beziehungsweise bei verlängerter Erwerbstätigkeit genutzt. Basierend darauf wurde der Forschungsstand bestimmt und der Forschungsbedarf abgeleitet.
Zielgruppen dieses Berichtes sind demnach Forscher, Forschungsförderer sowie Entscheidungsträger in der Sozial- und Arbeitsmarktpolitik, die sich mit Teilhabe älterer Arbeitnehmer am Arbeitsmarkt beschäftigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Have, Margreet ten, Saskia van Dorsselaer & Ron de Graaf (2015): The association between type and number of adverse working conditions and mental health during a time of economic crisis (2010 - 2012). In: Social Psychiatry + Psychiatric Epidemiology, Jg. 50, H. 6, S. 899-907. DOI:10.1007/s00127-015-1009-2

Abstract

"Purpose: Many studies have been published on the association between adverse psychosocial working conditions and mental health, but only a few related types of adverse job conditions and a count of these adversities to workers' mental health, using standardized diagnostic interviews. This study addresses this issue.
Methods: Data were used from the second wave of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, a nationally representative face-to-face survey of the general population, including 3,672 workers, 166 unemployed and 239 disabled persons. Among workers, psychosocial working conditions (decision latitude, psychological job demands, job security and co-worker support) were assessed with the Job Content Questionnaire. Mental health symptoms were assessed with the Mental Health Inventory (MHI)-5 and DSM-IV diagnoses/syndromes with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0.
Results: Adverse psychosocial job conditions were related to workers' mental health. The strongest association was found for low job security which increased the chance of mental health symptoms and mental disorders by twofold. Workers in the poorest quality jobs, i.e. experiencing at least three adverse working conditions, had a 3 to almost 5 times higher chance of mental disorders than those in the most optimal jobs. Having a poor quality job was not associated with better mental health compared to being unemployed or disabled. In general, similar relations were found for mood, anxiety and substance use disorders.
Conclusions: In planning future strategies to prevent mental disorders at the workplace, the focus should be on workers who experience job insecurity and on those who report several adversities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hensvik, Lena & Olof Rosenqvist (2015): The strength of the weakest link. Sickness absence, internal substitutability and worker-firm matching. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2015,28), Uppsala, 40 S.

Abstract

"We study how employee sickness absence affects worker-firm matching. We build on the idea that firms are sensitive to absence in jobs with few substitutes (unique positions). Consistent with this, we show that unique employees are less absent conditional on individual characteristics, establishment fixed effects and detailed occupational information. Half of this association is explained by sorting of low-absence workers into unique positions but sorting is less pronounced under imperfect information. Finally, job separations respond more to realized sickness absence in unique positions. The findings suggest that the cost of production disruptions is an important aspect of firms' hiring choices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hofmann, M., L. P. Hölzel, F. Frank & M. Berger (2015): Gefährdungsbeurteilung bei psychischen Überlastungen am Arbeitsplatz. Ein innereuropäischer Vergleich. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin, Jg. 50, H. 7, S. 515-521.

Abstract

"Ziel: Es handelt sich um eine vergleichende Untersuchung der Umsetzung der 'Rahmenrichtlinie der Europäischen Union (EU) über die Durchführung von Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Sicherheit und des Gesundheitsschutzes der Arbeitnehmer' (RL 89/391/EWG) in verschiedenen EU-Mitgliedsstaaten im Rahmen der jeweiligen nationalen Gesetzgebungen hinsichtlich Gefährdungsbeurteilungen bezüglich psychischer Belastungen am Arbeitsplatz.
Methode: Sichtung relevanter nationaler Normen sowie offizieller Internetauftritte und weiterer Publikationen von nationalen Behörden, Gewerkschaften, Berufsverbänden und Unfallkassen verschiedener EU-Mitgliedstaaten.
Ergebnisse: Per Gesetz oder Verordnung sind psychische Belastungen in den meisten untersuchten Ländern im Rahmen von Gefährdungsbeurteilungen zu berücksichtigen und deren Nicht-Durchführung ist zumeist bußgeldbewehrt. Im Weiteren variieren die Vorgaben und Regelungen teilweise erheblich und reichen von empfindlichen zivilrechtlichen Konsequenzen bei Nicht-Durchführung (z. B. Frankreich) über eine hohe Transparenz bzgl. der Inspektionsergebnisse von Gefährdungsbeurteilungen (z. B. Dänemark) oder der expliziten Verpflichtung zur Bestellung eines Beauftragten für Sicherheit und Vorbeugung am Arbeitsplatz (z. B. Belgien) bis hin zur lediglich formalen gesetzlichen Verankerung ohne Sanktionierung bei Nicht-Durchführung (z. B. Ungarn). In Deutschland werden psychische Belastungen am Arbeitsplatz explizit in der Arbeitsschutzgesetzgebung berücksichtigt, die wiederholte Nicht-Durchführung der Gefährdungsbeurteilung stellt jedoch nur eine bußgeldbewehrte Ordnungswidrigkeit dar.
Schlussfolgerungen: Formal ist die Umsetzung einer Gefährdungsbeurteilung - teilweise auch bei psychischen Belastungen - in allen untersuchten Ländern normiert. Hinsichtlich der Folgen bei Nicht-Durchführung bestehen jedoch große Unterschiede und die Umsetzung der Regelungen in der betrieblichen Praxis und diesbezügliche förderliche und hinderliche Faktoren bleiben offen und stellen einen lohnenden Gegenstand weiterer Untersuchungen dar." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Holtgrewe, Ursula, Vassil Kirov & Monique Ramioul (Hrsg.) (2015): Hard work in new jobs. The quality of work and life in European growth sectors. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 304 S.

Abstract

"The book investigates hard work and new and expanding jobs in Europe. The interrelationship between the labour market and welfare regimes, quality of work and quality of life is played out at many levels: the institutional; the organizational level of the company and its customers or clients; the level of everyday life at the workplace and beyond it; and the level of workers' careers and biographies. So far, there have been limited attempts to connect these levels in analysing the interrelationship between job growth, quality of work and quality of life. The present book aims to do just that and connects analyses of the structure and meaning of 'hard work'. The book explores the configurations and factors that shape 'hard work' on the European level, the levels of European and national sectors, the levels of companies and the career trajectories and experiences of workers in catering, cleaning, construction, elderly care, and waste management. (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Content:
1. New And Growing But Not Necessarily Better: Expanding Jobs In Europe. Introduction; Ursula Holtgrewe, Vassil Kirov, Monique Ramioul
2. A Hard Job Is Good To Find: Comparability, Contextuality And Stakeholder Involvement In European Job Quality Research; Ursula Holtgrewe, Ekaterina Markova, Johan E. Ravn
PART I. EMPLOYMENT GROWTH, JOB QUALITY AND WELL-BEING
3. Using Business Functions To Identify New And Growing Jobs; Sem Vandekerckhove, Monique Ramioul
4. Examining The Quality Of Jobs Amongst Vulnerable Groups Of Workers In Europe; Charlotte Mcclelland, David Holman
5. Subjective Well-Being At The Workplace; Ambra Poggi, Claudia Villosio
6. Material Well-Being And Job Quality: Some Descriptive Statistics; Ambra Poggi, Claudia Villosio, Giulia Bizzotto
PART II. REGULATING QUALITY OF WORK
7. Institutional Anchors For Job Quality - The Case Of Industrial Relations; Steffen Lehndorff
8. Can Social Partners Improve The Quality Of Work In Low-Wage Work In Europe?; Vassil Kirov
9. The (In)Visible Third Party: De- And Re-Regulation Of Working Conditions Through Public Procurement; Karen Jaehrling, Hanne O. Finnestrand, Vassil Kirov, Hans Torvatn
PART III. SEGMENTATION AND VULNERABILITY
10. Low-Paid But Satisfied? How Immigrant And Ethnic Minority Workers In Low-Wage Jobs Make Sense Of Their Wages; Ekaterina L. Markova, Karin Sardadvar, Ambra Poggi, Claudia Villosio
11. Working For Life: Workers' Career Aspirations And Their Experiences Of Past Career Trajectories And Present Working Conditions; Pernille Hohnen, Jolanta Kuznecoviene, Charlotte Mcclelland, David Holman
12. Out Of Sight: Dimensions Of Working Time In Gendered Occupations; Albert Recio, Sara Moreno Colom, Alejandro Godino
13. Gender-Typing Of Low-Wage Work. A Comparative Analysis Of Commercial Cleaning In Austria, Domiciliary Elderly Care In Germany And The Waste Sector In Bulgaria; Karin Sardadvar, Angelika Kümmerling, Darina Peycheva
PART IV. AUTONOMY AND SOCIAL TIES
14. Autonomy In Unlikely Places: Preconditions In Low Skilled Jobs; Ole H. Sørensen, Monique Ramioul, Rasa Naujaniene
15. Reciprocity, Allegiance And The Market: Social Integration Still At Work; Ursula Holtgrewe, Pernille Hohnen"

Zitatform

Lundborg, Petter, Martin Nilsson & Johan Vikström (2015): Heterogeneity in the impact of health shocks on labour outcomes. Evidence from Swedish workers. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 67, H. 3, S. 715-739. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpv034

Abstract

"This article provides new evidence on heterogeneity in the impact of health shocks by using register-based data on the entire population of Swedish workers. We formulate a difference-in-difference design, where we compare the change in labour earnings across matched workers with a high and low level of education who experience the same type of health shocks. Our results suggest major heterogeneity in the effects, where a given health shock has a greater relative negative impact on low-skilled individuals/individuals with a low level of education. These results hold across different types of health shocks and become more pronounced with age. Low-skilled workers are also more likely to leave the labour force and receive disability insurance, sickness insurance, and unemployment benefits following a health shock. Our results suggest that heterogeneity in the effect of health shocks offers one explanation as to how the educational gradient in health arises." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Markussen, Simen, Knut Roed & Ragnhild C. Schreiner (2015): Can compulsory dialogues nudge sick-listed workers back to work? (IZA discussion paper 9090), Bonn, 35 S.

Abstract

"We evaluate the impacts of a compulsory dialogue meeting for long-term sick-listed workers in Norway. The meeting is organised by the local social security administration after around six months of absence, and its purpose is to bring together the absentee, the employer, and the family physician to discuss whether arrangements can be made to facilitate partial or full work resumption. Our causal analysis is based on random-assignment-like geographical variation in the meeting propensity. We find that the meetings reduce absence duration considerably, both through a notification and an attendance effect. They also reduce the risk of premature labour market exit." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pardini, Riccardo & Bianca Fritz (2015): Arbeiten im Call Center. Eine Fallstudie zur Arbeitspraxis und beruflichen Perspektive von Beschäftigten in Schweizer Call Centern. Basel: Edition Gesowip, 259 S.

Abstract

"Die Studie beleuchtet die aktuelle Arbeitssituation von Call- Center-Agent/Innen in der Schweiz. Call Center sind in verschiedenen Branchen tätig und haben sich in den letzten Jahren in unterschiedliche Richtungen spezialisiert. Schätzungsweise sind mindestens 900 Call Center in der Schweiz tätig, welche rund 30.000 Personen beschäftigen. Im Zuge der Globalisierung sowie aufgrund technologischer Erneuerungen und veränderter Rahmenbedingungen ist der Konkurrenzdruck auf die Call Center gestiegen. Inländische Call Center haben sich daher vermehrt auf qualitativ hochwertige und kostenintensivere Dienstleistungsangebote fokussiert. Niederschwellige Aufgaben übernehmen automatisierte Kanäle oder werden ins Ausland ausgelagert. Hingegen werden Agent/Innen verstärkt mit beratungsintensiven und komplexen Aufgaben betraut. Diese Entwicklungen bringen unweigerlich Fragen nach den Auswirkungen auf die Arbeitsorganisation und die Situation der Beschäftigten mit sich.
An diesen Fragenkomplex knüpft die vorliegende Untersuchung an. Aus der Perspektive der Angestellten soll deren Arbeitssituation rekonstruiert und in einen überbetrieblichen Zusammenhang gestellt werden.
Durchführung der Studie: Die Ergebnisse zur Arbeitssituation basieren auf der Analyse von 45 Interviews mit Angestellten und Manager/Innen von 12 unterschiedlichen Unternehmen. Die Stichprobenauswahl berücksichtigt die französisch-, italienisch- und deutschsprachige Schweiz. Ergänzt wird die Befragung mit einer Sekundärquellenanalyse von drei Experteninterviews und drei Interviews mit Fachleuten (Kundendialog EFZ). Eine Medienanalyse betrachtet die Darstellung der Call Center in den Publikums- und Fachmedien." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Pirani, Elena & Silvana Salvini (2015): Is temporary employment damaging to health? A longitudinal study on Italian workers. In: Social Science and Medicine, Jg. 124, H. January, S. 121-131. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.11.033

Abstract

"Working conditions have changed dramatically over recent decades in all the countries of European Union: permanent full-time employment characterized by job security and a stable salary is replaced more and more by temporary work, apprenticeship contracts, casual jobs and part-time work. The consequences of these changes on the general well-being of workers and their health represent an increasingly important path of inquiry. We add to the debate by answering the question: are Italian workers on temporary contracts more likely to suffer from poor health than those with permanent jobs? Our analysis is based on a sample of men and women aged 16 - 64 coming from the Italian longitudinal survey 2007 - 2010 of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions. We use the method of inverse-probability-of-treatment weights to estimate the causal effect of temporary work on self-rated health, controlling for selection effects. Our major findings can be summarized as follows: firstly, we show a negative association between temporary employment and health that results from a statistical causal effect in the work-to-health direction, and does not trivially derive from a selection of healthier individuals in the group of people who find permanent jobs (selection effect). Secondly, we find that temporary employment becomes particularly negative for the individual's health when it is prolonged over time. Thirdly, whereas temporary employment does not entail significant adverse consequences for men, the link between temporary employment and health is strongly harmful for Italian women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Rijs, Kelly J., Tessa N. Van den Kommer, Hannie C. Comijs & Dorly J. H. Deeg (2015): Prevalence and incidence of memory complaints in employed compared to non-employed aged 55 - 64 years and the role of employment characteristics. In: PLoS one, Jg. 10, H. 3, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0119192

Abstract

"Objectives: To examine the association of employment status and characteristics with prevalent and incident memory complaints (MC) in 55 - 64-year-olds. Methods: Subjects were participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). Respondents with baseline data were selected to examine the association of employment status (n = 1525) and employment characteristics (n = 1071) with prevalent MC (i.e., MC at baseline). Respondents without MC at baseline were selected to examine the association of employment (n = 526) and employment characteristics (n = 379; working hours, job prestige, job level, psychological job demands, iso-strain) with incident MC (i.e., no MC at baseline and MC at three-year follow-up). Associations were adjusted for relevant covariates (demographics, memory performance, physical health, mental health, personality traits). Logistic regression was applied. Data were weighed according to gender and age of the Dutch population. Results: At baseline 20.5% reported MC. At three-year follow-up, 15.4% had incident MC. No associations were found between employment status and MC. Adjusted analysis revealed that individuals with high occupational cognitive demands were more likely to have prevalent MC. Conclusions: Middle-aged workers are equally as likely to experience MC as non-working age-peers. Among workers, those with cognitively demanding work were more likely to experience MC, independent of memory performance. Memory decline due to ageing may be noticed sooner in 55 - 64-year-olds performing cognitively demanding work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Schmidt, Jürgen (2015): Arbeiter in der Moderne. Arbeitsbedingungen, Lebenswelten, Organisationen. Frankfurt am Main: Campus-Verl., 285 S.

Abstract

"Ein mühsam erkämpfter Mindestlohn in Deutschland, Sklavenarbeit beim Bau der Stadien zur Fußballweltmeisterschaft in Katar, katastrophale Arbeitsbedingungen in den Textilfabriken Südostasiens: Die Errungenschaften der Arbeiterschaft und der Arbeiterbewegungen sind heute in vielen Regionen der Welt bedroht, noch nicht einmal in Ansätzen durchgesetzt oder in der breiteren Öffentlichkeit in Vergessenheit geraten. Ein Blick zurück in die Geschichte der Arbeiterinnen und Arbeiter, ihrer Arbeitsbedingungen, ihrer Verhaltensweisen und Werte, ihrer Lebenswelt und ihrer Organisationen macht deutlich, wie langwierig und kontextgebunden die Bemühungen des heterogenen Kollektivs von Arbeiterinnen und Arbeitern im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert waren, um in der Welt des modernen Kapitalismus ihre Interessen vertreten zu können. Zentrale Aspekte der Arbeitsgesellschaft im 21. Jahrhundert bekommen aus dieser Perspektive eine historische Tiefenverortung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Steiber, Nadia & Florian Pichler (2015): Trends in work stress and exhaustion in advanced economies. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 121, H. 1, S. 215-239. DOI:10.1007/s11205-014-0633-7

Abstract

"The study examines trends in work-related stress and exhaustion between 1997 and 2005 among employees in 13 countries and aims to identify the social and market forces underlying these trends. We argue that investigating the degree to which workers perceive their jobs as stressful or exhausting (indicators of job strain) has advantages over studying perceived job demands (antecedents of job strain). Analysis of comparative data from the International Social Survey Programme revealed that job strain is fairly prevalent affecting about 30 - 40 % of the workforce. Patterns of change over time varied substantially across countries and occupational groups. In most countries work stress has not increased between 1997 and 2005, two notable exceptions being Ireland and Slovenia. Work-related exhaustion has risen to a significant degree in the Czech Republic, Denmark and Hungary. There was also evidence that job strain has declined among high-level managerial, professional and technical workers in some countries. The findings suggest that protective institutions may help to mitigate job strain while rapid economic development increases workers' risk of experiencing job strain." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Thunman, Elin & Marcus Persson (2015): Justifying the authentic self. Swedish public service workers talking about work stress. In: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, Jg. 16, H. 1.

Abstract

"This study is based on in-depth interviews with 28 Swedish public service workers. With the help of narrative analysis, we explore how the workers use language to explain their subjective experiences of work stress. Based on a three-level typology, this article examines: 1. the narrative elements in the workers' talk about their stress; 2. the narrative strategies they use in positioning or presenting themselves as 'stressed'; and 3. the function of the narratives in a societal context. The study shows the following main results: 1. the workers express feelings of shame when talking about their experiences of work stress; 2. they use justifying accounts, e.g. accepting responsibility for becoming ill; and 3. it is suggested that the public service workers' justifications reflect societal demands of being authentic and true to personal values, and that the dominating expressed value is about a public service ethos." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Verkuil, Bart, Serpil Atasayi & Marc L. Molendijk (2015): Workplace bullying and mental health. A meta-analysis on cross-sectional and longitudinal data. In: PLoS one, Jg. 10, H. 8, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0135225

Abstract

"Background:
A growing body of research has confirmed that workplace bullying is a source of distress and poor mental health. Here we summarize the cross-sectional and longitudinal literature on these associations.
Methods:
Systematic review and meta-analyses on the relation between workplace bullying and mental health.
Results:
The cross-sectional data (65 effect sizes, N = 115.783) showed positive associations between workplace bullying and symptoms of depression (r = .28, 95% CI = .23 - .34), anxiety (r = .34, 95% CI = .29 - .40) and stress-related psychological complaints (r = .37, 95% CI = .30 - .44). Pooling the literature that investigated longitudinal relationships (26 effect sizes, N = 54.450) showed that workplace bullying was related to mental health complaints over time (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.13 - 0.21). Interestingly, baseline mental health problems were associated with subsequent exposure to workplace bullying (r = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.10 - 0.27; 11 effect sizes, N = 27.028).
Limitations:
All data were self-reported, raising the possibility of reporting- and response set bias.
Conclusions:
Workplace bullying is consistently, and in a bi-directional manner, associated with reduced mental health. This may call for intervention strategies against bullying at work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Vossen, Emmie & Nicolette van Gestel (2015): The activation logic in national sickness absence policies. Comparing the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 21, H. 2, S. 165-180. DOI:10.1177/0959680114535310

Abstract

"We compare sickness absence policies in the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, examining whether and how the institutional logic of 'activation' that is paramount in Europe is understood and given shape in each country. They differ in their support for the underlying ideas of 'activation', and especially vary in the design of their governance systems, as can be seen in the allocation of responsibilities, the description of return-to-work routines and the use of regulative instruments. We contribute to institutional theory by demonstrating the important but often neglected role of national governance systems in the macro - micro linkage between institutional logics and organizational and individual behaviour. Since sickness absence is a major cause of workforce inactivity, the practical relevance of this study is the comparative reflection on recent policy developments to improve sickness absence management." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Wang, Jing & Frank Reid (2015): The impact of work hours discrepancy on employee absence. In: International journal of manpower, Jg. 36, H. 5, S. 668-693. DOI:10.1108/IJM-05-2013-0120

Abstract

"Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the discrepancy between actual and desired weekly hours of work on employee absence.
Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a nationally representative, employer-employee matched sample of over 39,000 employees and applied zero-inflated Poisson regressions.
Findings: Work hours discrepancy has a significant impact on employee absence. This impact is different among employees who want to work more hours and those who want to work fewer hours.
Originality/value: This study provides new insights into the determinants of employee absence and the implications of constraining employees in their choice of weekly hours of work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Zeidler, R., H. Burr, A. Pohrt & H. M. Hasselhorn (2015): Arbeit und Gesundheit. Eine Übersicht relevanter Datensätze für Deutschland. In: Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie : mit Beiträgen zur Umweltmedizin, Jg. 65, H. 3, S. 149-160. DOI:10.1007/s40664-015-0018-z

Abstract

"Hintergrund: Fragen zum Zusammenhang von Arbeitsfaktoren einerseits und psychischer und physischer Gesundheit der Beschäftigten andererseits sind in Deutschland aktuell und werden weiter aktuell bleiben. Fragestellung. Inzwischen liegt hierzulande eine Reihe von Datensätzen vor, die Daten sowohl zu Arbeit als auch Gesundheit enthalten. Oft allerdings sind sie Wissenschaftler( inne)n, die in diesem Themenfeld tätig sind, nicht bekannt. Ziel des Beitrags ist, diese Datensätze systematisch vorzustellen. Material und Methode: Inhalt und Hintergrunddaten umfassender, zugänglicher, aktueller und für die deutsche Erwerbsbevölkerung repräsentativer Datensätze wurden 13 Hauptkategorien und 97 Unterkategorien zugeordnet. Ergebnis. Von 32 Datensätzen erfüllten 20 die Einschlusskriterien. 2537 Fragebogenitems wurden klassifiziert; 8 Datensätze haben den Schwerpunkt 'Arbeit', 4 den Schwerpunkt 'Gesundheit', 4 sind allgemeine Bevölkerungsstudien, und 4 sind europäische Studien mit deutschen Teilstichproben. Neben der tabellarischen Auflistung im Artikel steht Interessierten eine detaillierte Exceltabelle zu Verfügung (info-zentrum@baua.bund.de). Schlussfolgerungen. Die vorliegende Übersicht zeigt Fülle und auch Potenziale der aktuellen Datenlage zu 'Arbeit und Gesundheit' in Deutschland auf. Potenziale schließen die Verknüpfungen von Datenquellen ein. Es mangelt allerdings noch an landesweiten Kohortenstudien über das gesamte Altersspektrum des Erwerbsalters mit umfassender Erfassung von Arbeit und Gesundheit. Deren Potenzial für Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft lässt sich aus Nordamerika, Großbritannien, den Niederlanden, Skandinavien und Japan ableiten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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(2015): Fit mind, fit job. From evidence to practice in mental health and work. (Mental health and work), Paris, 173 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264228283-en

Abstract

"Menschen mit leichten bis mittelstarken psychischen Problemen - etwa Angstzuständen oder Depressionen - verlieren doppelt so häufig ihren Job wie Gesunde. Bis zu 50 Prozent aller neuen Anträge auf Arbeitsunfähigkeit gehen inzwischen auf psychische Probleme zurück. Das belastet nicht nur die Patienten, deren Armutsrisiko dadurch steigt, es ist auch ein Problem für die Wirtschaft. Schätzungen zufolge kosten psychische Erkrankungen Europa jährlich etwa 3,5 Prozent des Bruttoinlandsproduktes.
Der neue OECD-Bericht 'Fit Mind, Fit Job' fasst die Ergebnisse aus neun thematischen Länderberichten zusammen und erkundet, welche Wege Politik und Wirtschaft gehen können, um Menschen mit mentalen Störungen in den Arbeitsmarkt einzubinden oder dort zu halten. Er enthält etwa 60 Informationsblätter mit erfolgversprechenden Initiativen aus den betrachteten Ländern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Abstract

"Die zweite europaweite Unternehmensbefragung der EU-OSHA soll Arbeitgeber dabei unterstützen, sich intensiver mit Arbeitsschutzfragen zu befassen, um so besser und zielgerichtet die Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden ihrer Mitarbeiter fördern zu können. Sie stellt politischen Entscheidungsträgern länderübergreifende, vergleichbare Informationen zur Verfügung, die auch bei der Entwicklung und Umsetzung neuer politischer Strategien von Nutzen sein können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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(2015): Mental health and work: Austria. (Mental health and work), Paris, 179 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264228047-en

Abstract

"Die psychische Gesundheit der Erwerbsbevölkerung ist für den Arbeitsmarkt in OECD-Ländern entscheidend. Immer mehr Regierungen erkennen, dass Politik eine wesentliche Rolle dabei spielen kann, die Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten von Arbeitnehmern mit psychischen Problemen zu verbessern. Ein erster Bericht der OECD benannte 2012 die größten Herausforderungen, vor denen Länder bei der besseren Integration von psychisch Erkrankten in den Arbeitsmarkt stehen. Die aktuelle Publikation beschäftigt sich speziell mit der Situation in Österreich und steht in einer Reihe von Länderanalysen zum gleichen Thema." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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(2015): Mental health and work: Australia. (Mental health and work), Paris, 71 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264246591-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on Australia is the ninth and last in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries. It concludes that policy thinking in Australia shows well-advanced awareness both of the costs of mental illness for society as a whole and of the health benefits of employment. However, challenges remain in: making employment issues a concern of the health care services; helping young people succees in their future working lives; making the workplace a safe, supportive psychosocial environment; and better designing and targeting employment services for jobseekers with mental ill-health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barnay, Thomas (2014): Health, work and working conditions. A review of the European economic literature. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1148), Paris, 32 S. DOI:10.1787/5jz0zb71xhmr-en

Abstract

"Economists have traditionally been very cautious when studying the interaction between employment and health because of the two-way causal relationship between these two variables: health status influences the probability of being employed and, at the same time, working affects the health status. Because these two variables are determined simultaneously, researchers control endogeneity bias (e.g., reverse causality, omitted variables) when conducting empirical analysis. With these caveats in mind, the literature finds that a favourable work environment and high job security lead to better health conditions. Being employed with appropriate working conditions plays a protective role on physical health and psychiatric disorders. By contrast, non-employment and retirement are generally worse for mental health than employment, and overemployment has a negative effect on health. These findings stress the importance of employment and of adequate working conditions for the health of workers. In this context, it is a concern that a significant proportion of European workers (29%) would like to work fewer hours because unwanted long hours are likely to signal a poor level of job satisfaction and inadequate working conditions, with detrimental effects on health. Thus, in Europe, labour-market policy has increasingly paid attention to job sustainability and job satisfaction. The literature clearly invites employers to take better account of the worker preferences when setting the number of hours worked. Overall, a specific 'flexicurity' (combination of high employment protection, job satisfaction and active labour-market policies) is likely to have a positive effect on health. This Working Paper relates to the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bassanini, Andrea & Eve Caroli (2014): Is work bad for health? The role of constraint vs. choice. (IZA discussion paper 7891), Bonn, 28 S.

Abstract

"This paper reviews the literature on the impact of work on health. We consider work along two dimensions: (i) the intensive margin, i.e. how many hours an individual works and (ii) the extensive margin, i.e. whether an individual is in employment or not, independent of the number of hours worked. We show that most of the evidence on the negative health impact of work found in the literature is based on situations in which workers have essentially no control (no choice) over the amount of work they provide. In essence, what is detrimental to health is not so much work per se as much as the gap which may exist between the actual and the desired amount of work, both at the intensive and extensive margins." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cabrita, Jorge & Darina Peycheva (2014): National working conditions surveys in Europe. A compilation. Dublin, 82 S. DOI:10.2806/7345

Abstract

"This report describes surveys in 15 EU Member States that meet two conditions: they are national, covering all or most of the working population; and they relate at least primarily to working conditions issues, such as health and safety at the workplace, work organisation, quality of working life and work - life balance. For each survey, a data sheet provides the main characteristics of the survey in a consistent template. These characteristics include the survey name, institute responsible, territorial scope, sectors and population covered, and sample size. Information is also provided on methodology, quality control procedures and contact details." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cheng, Ting, Saija Mauno & Cynthia Lee (2014): The buffering effect of coping strategies in the relationship between job insecurity and employee well-being. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 35, H. 1, S. S .71-94. DOI:10.1177/0143831X12463170

Abstract

"The modern labour market features job insecurity (JI) as an unavoidable stressor. This study considers the influence of personal coping strategies by combining the conservation of resources with spillover theory. Do coping strategies buffer the negative effects of JI on well-being (work engagement, marital satisfaction and emotional energy at work and home)? A cybernetic coping scale distinguishes five coping strategies and a survey of 2764 Finnish employees reveals that changing the situation and symptom reduction buffer the negative effect of JI on emotional energy at work and home, respectively. Devaluation and accommodation have buffering tendencies in relation to work engagement and marital satisfaction. Thus, more engaged coping strategies reduce the negative effects of JI on employee well-being. Employees who use disengaged coping (i.e. avoidance) instead are less likely to remain engaged at work, such that frequent use of avoidance coping strengthens the negative relationship between JI and employee well-being." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Darden, Michael (2014): Workplace stress in the United States. Issues and policies. (OECD Economics Department working papers 1150), Paris, 19 S. DOI:10.1787/5jz0zb5t4532-en

Abstract

"Despite relative affluence, workplace stress is a prominent feature of the US labour market. To the extent that job stress causes poor health outcomes - either directly through increased blood pressure, fatigue, muscle pain, etc. or indirectly through increased rates of cigarette smoking - policy to lessen job stress may be appropriate. Focusing predominantly on the United States, this report reviews the literature on a variety of economic concerns related to job stress and health. Areas in which economists may provide valuable insights regarding job stress include empirical selection concerns in identifying the effect of stress on health; measurement error with respect to stress; the existence and magnitude of compensating differentials for stress; and the unique 'job lock' effect in the United States created by a system of employer-provided health insurance. This report concludes with a brief discussion of US policies related to job stress. This Working Paper relates to the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Day, Arla, E. Kevin Kelloway & Joseph J. jr. Hurrell (Hrsg.) (2014): Workplace well-being. How to build psychologically healthy workplaces. Chichester: Wiley, 338 S.

Abstract

"Workplace Wellbeing is a complete guide to understanding and implementing the principles of a psychologically healthy workplace for psychologists and other practitioners. Grounded in cutting-edge theory and research, it introduces the core components of psychologically healthy workplaces, including health and safety, leadership, employee involvement, development, recognition, work-life balance, culture, and communication. In addition to reviewing the theory and research for these principles, the contributors delve into practical concerns with coverage of best practices, case studies, and proven implementation techniques.
The contributors integrate both traditional and contemporary views of healthy workplaces, discussing factors that influence employees' physical safety, physical health, and psychological health. They also address important contextual issues, such as the role of unions, the importance of leadership, healthy workplaces in small businesses, respectful workplace cultures, and corporate social responsibility. Drawing together the leading scholars and practitioners from around the world, this book incorporates the latest theory and research, while providing practical examples and actions to effect organizational change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eichmann, Hubert & Bernhard Saupe (2014): Überblick über Arbeitsbedingungen in Österreich. Follow-up-Studie. (Sozialpolitische Studienreihe 15), Wien, 399 S.

Abstract

"Auf Basis einer breit angelegten Literaturanalyse u. a. mit Sekundäranalysen aus Repräsentativdatensätzen wird ein aktueller Überblick über Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen in Österreich erarbeitet. Das abzudeckende Themenspektrum reicht von Beschäftigungsformen, Arbeitszeiten, Einkommen, Arbeitsorganisation, Gesundheit, Weiterbildung bis hin zu subjektiven Einschätzungen der Arbeitsqualität. Darüber hinaus erfolgt eine Einordnung Österreichs im europäischen Vergleich. Die Studie ist als Follow-up des 2010 publizierten Bandes 4 der Sozialpolitischen Studienreihe des BMASK angelegt. Im besonderen Fokus stehen die Entwicklung seit Ausbruch der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise und damit einhergehende Veränderungen bei Arbeitsbedingungen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Evans-Lacko, Sara & Martin Knapp (2014): Importance of social and cultural factors for attitudes, disclosure and time off work for depression. Findings from a seven country European study on depression in the workplace. In: PLoS one, Jg. 9, H. 5, S. 1-10. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0091053

Abstract

"Objectives: Depression is experienced by a large proportion of the workforce and associated with high costs to employers and employees. There is little research on how the social costs of depression vary by social and cultural context. This study investigates individual, workplace and societal factors associated with greater perceived discomfort regarding depression in the workplace, greater likelihood of employees taking time off of work as a result of depression and greater likelihood of disclosure of depression to one's employer.
Methods: Employees and managers (n = 7,065) were recruited from seven European countries to participate in the IDEA survey. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine associations between individual characteristics and country contextual characteristics in relation to workplace perceptions, likelihood of taking time off work and disclosing depression to an employer.
Results: Our findings suggest that structural factors such as benefit systems and flexible working hours are important for understanding workplace perceptions and consequences for employees with depression. However, manager responses that focus on offering help to the employee with depression appear to have stronger associations with positive perceptions in the workplace, and also with openness and disclosure by employees with depression.
Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of individual, workplace and societal factors that may be associated with how people with depression are perceived and treated in the workplace, and, hence, factors that may be associated with openness and disclosure among employees with depression. Some responses, such as flexible working hours, may be helpful but are not necessarily sufficient, and our findings also emphasise the importance of support and openness of managers in addition to flexible working hours." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Feuchtl, Silvia, Jürgen Figerl & Ines Grössenberger (2014): Arbeitsbedingte Belastungen und Stresserleben bei Europas Beschäftigten. Ausgewählte Ergebnisse des European Working Conditions Survey 2010. In: Wiso. Wirtschafts- und sozialpolitische Zeitschrift des ISW, Jg. 37, H. 2, S. 51-66.

Abstract

"Anhand ausgewählter Ergebnisse der fünften Erhebung des European Working Conditions Survey und einer Stichprobe von 29.000 unselbstständig Beschäftigten aus 27 EU-Ländern zeigt der vorliegende Beitrag Unterschiede im Stresserleben auf. Betrachtet werden einerseits Stressempfindungen in Zusammenhang mit aktuellen arbeitspsychologischen Forschungsfeldern wie Emotionsarbeit und soziale Unterstützung durch Führungskräfte sowie andererseits Unterschiede im Stresserleben je nach wöchentlichem Arbeitszeitausmaß, Arbeitstempo und Umgebungsbedingungen wie Lärm. Dabei zeigen sich - trotz unterschiedlicher Arbeitsbedingungen in den einzelnen Ländern, Branchen und Berufen - gewisse Gemeinsamkeiten, Strukturen und Mechanismen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Flecker, Jörg, Manfred Krenn & Maria Tschernitz (2014): Der dreifache Bezug zur Arbeit. Transformation öffentlicher Dienste und berufliche Identität. In: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Jg. 39, H. 3, S. 199-219. DOI:10.1007/s11614-014-0138-2

Abstract

"Die öffentliche Verwaltung und die öffentlichen Dienstleistungen waren in den letzten beiden Jahrzehnten tiefgreifenden Veränderungen unterworfen, die auch zu einer Umwälzung der Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen geführt haben. In diesem Beitrag geht es um die Frage, wie die Beschäftigten diese Transformation wahrnehmen und welche Folgen für ihr berufliches Selbstverständnis sich daraus ergeben. Aufbauend auf empirischen Erhebungen in einer österreichischen Stadt werden die Deutungen der Veränderungen und das berufliche Selbstverständnis von Gemeindebediensteten im Rathaus, von Ärzt/innen und Pfleger/innen im Gemeindekrankenhaus und von Zusteller/innen und Schalterbediensteten bei der Post dargestellt. Der Beitrag zeigt, dass die Wahrnehmungen, Deutungen und Reaktionen leichter verständlich werden, wenn man von einem dreifachen Bezug zur Arbeit ausgeht, also die Arbeitskraft- und die Subjekt-Perspektive sowie das Ethos der öffentlichen Dienste in die Analyse einbezieht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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García-Serrano, Carlos & Miguel Á. Malo (2014): How disability affects absenteeism: An empirical analysis for six European countries. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 153, H. 3, S. 455-471. DOI:10.1111/j.1564-913X.2014.00210.x

Abstract

"Using data from the European Community Household Panel for six European countries (Austria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) for the period 1995 - 2001, this article investigates how disability affects workers' absenteeism. The results show that workers with disabilities are absent more often than workers without disabilities. This finding is obtained after controlling for individuals' self-reported health, visits to doctors and nights spent in hospital. The severity of disability is also a relevant factor in higher absenteeism. The total effect of disability on absenteeism amounts to a marginal increase of six to 26 days per year (depending on the country)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gerich, Joachim (2014): Präsentismus. Krank und doch in der Arbeit? In: Wiso. Wirtschafts- und sozialpolitische Zeitschrift des ISW, Jg. 37, H. 2, S. 31-49.

Abstract

"Unter Präsentismus wird das Verhalten verstanden, trotz Erkrankung, welche Krankenstand rechtfertigen würde, zur Arbeit zu gehen. Der Beitrag berichtet neben einem Überblick zum Stand der Forschung Ergebnisse einer oberösterreichischen Untersuchung. Es wird abgeleitet, dass sich die Präsentismushäufigkeit - genauso wie die Krankenstandshäufigkeit - aus zwei Komponenten zusammensetzt. Einerseits spiegeln beide Größen die Vulnerabilität (d.h. die Erkrankungshäufigkeit) von Arbeitnehmerinnen wider. Damit können sie im Umkehrschluss auch als Gesundheitsindikatoren verwendet werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen jedoch, dass Krankenstandshäufigkeiten im Vergleich zu Präsentismushäufigkeiten einen deutlich schlechteren Gesundheitsindikator darstellen. Die zweite Komponente ergibt sich aus der Präsentismusneigung, womit die Entscheidung zugunsten Präsentismus bei Vermeidung von Krankenstand gemeint ist. Die Präsentismusneigung wird vor allem durch persönliche Einstellungen, aber auch durch Handlungsspielraum, Ersetzbarkeit, Wertschätzung, Betreuungspflichten und Möglichkeiten der Work-Life-Balance beeinflusst." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gustman, Alan L. & Thomas L. Steinmeier (2014): The role of health in retirement. (NBER working paper 19902), Cambridge, Mass., 56 S. DOI:10.3386/w19902

Abstract

"This paper constructs and estimates a dynamic model of the evolution of health for those over the age of 50 and then embeds that model of health dynamics in a structural, econometric model of retirement and saving.
The health model traces the effects of smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, depression and other proclivities on medical conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart problems, stroke, psychiatric problems and arthritis. These in turn influence an overall index of health status based on self-reported health, work limitations and ADLs, which is used to classify the population into good, fair, poor or terrible health.
Compared to a situation where the entire population is in good health, the current health status of the population reduces the retirement age of the entire population by an average of about one year. While poor health or terrible health have a great impact on the disutility of work and thus on retirement, fair health as opposed to good health has a relatively minor effect. Smoking depresses full-time work effort by up to 3.5 percentage points by those in the early sixties, reducing the average retirement age by four to five months. Effects of trends in health care and health policies on retirement are also analyzed.
Including detailed measurement of health dynamics in a retirement model improves understanding of the effects of health on retirement. It does not, however, influence estimates of the marginal effects of economic incentives on retirement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Houten, Gijs van, Jorge Cabrita & Oscar Vargas (2014): Working conditions and job quality. Comparing sectors in Europe. Overview report. Dublin, 60 S.

Abstract

"This report and the accompanying 33 sectoral information sheets aim to capture the diversity prevalent across sectors in Europe in terms of working conditions and job quality. The report provides a comparative overview of sectors and gives background information that enables the results presented in the individual information sheets to be interpreted. The information sheets indicate how each sector compares to the European average for all sectors, as well as highlighting differences and similarities among different groups of workers. The sectoral analysis builds on the overview report and secondary analyses of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). The research highlights trends across sectors in terms of working time and work - life balance, work organisation, skills and training, employee representation and the psychosocial and physical environment. It identifies sectors that score particularly well or particularly poorly regarding four indicators of job quality. Finally, some light is shed on differences between sectors in terms of the health and well-being of workers and the perceived sustainability of work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mastekaasa, Arne & Anne May Melsom (2014): Occupational segregation and gender differences in sickness absence. Evidence from 17 European countries. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 30, H. 5, S. 582-594. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcu059

Abstract

"Previous research indicates that women fare less well than men on a wide range of healthrelated measures, including sickness absence from work. Possible explanations are that women have -- on average -- less healthy jobs than men, or that they are more vulnerable to job-related stressors. We address these issues using comparative data on 17 European countries from the EU Labour Force Surveys. Employing logistic regression, we find that gender differences in sickness absence tend to increase if we control for up to 147 detailed occupational categories, thus indicating that women are, if anything, in more healthy jobs than men in most countries. We also examine to what extent the gender differences in sickness absence are systematically related to the gender mix of the occupation, e.g. whether women have particularly high sickness absence in occupations that are strongly male dominated. There is a tendency towards smaller gender differences in female-dominated occupations in a few countries, but in most cases the gender difference is of similar magnitude in female-dominated, male-dominated, and gender-balanced occupations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Miranda, Veerle & Niklas Baer (2014): Psychische Gesundheit und Beschäftigung: Schweiz. Bericht im Rahmen des zweiten mehrjährigen Forschungsprogramms zur Invalidität und Behinderung (FoP2-IV). (Beiträge zur sozialen Sicherheit 12/13), Bern, 160 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264208681-de

Abstract

"In allen OECD-Ländern werden psychische Krankheiten zunehmend als Problem für die Sozial- und Arbeitsmarktpolitik erkannt. Ein Problem, das bedeutende Kosten verursacht, die von der Bevölkerung, den Arbeitgebern und der Wirtschaft als Ganzes getragen werden, indem die Beschäftigung sinkt, die Arbeitslosigkeit ansteigt und erhebliche Produktivitätseinbußen damit verbunden sind. In der Schweiz wird ein gemischter Ansatz verfolgt. Die verschiedenen Systeme, nämlich Gesundheit, Bildung und Sozialversicherung, sind gut ausgestattet und bieten grundsätzlich optimale Möglichkeiten für adäquates Handeln. Doch ist politische Entscheidungsfindung in der Schweiz aufgrund der ungewöhnlich großen Anzahl an Akteuren eine komplexe Angelegenheit, bestimmen doch die weitgehend selbständigen 26 Kantone und ein großer einflussreicher Privatsektor mit. Die Koordination einer zu verfolgenden Politik gestaltet sich also schwierig. Ein Beispiel dafür liefert der langwierige und windungsreiche Entstehungs- und Zusammenarbeitsprozess der 'Interinstitutionellen Zusammenarbeit'. Doch trotz des proaktiven Engagements der Invalidenversicherung und des beachtlichen Erfolgs der jüngsten Reformen der Invalidenversicherung sind nicht alle Probleme gelöst, wie die zahlreichen und immer noch nicht zurückgehenden Neuberentungen von Personen mit psychischen Störungen zeigen. Es bedarf weiterer Veränderungen, um eine erhebliche Verbesserung der Situation zu erreichen, und allgemein eine stärkere Fokussierung auf die psychische Gesundheit in der aktuellen Gesundheits-, Sozial- und Arbeitspolitik." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Miranda, Veerle & Niklas Baer (2014): Mental health and work: Switzerland. (Mental health and work), Paris, 167 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264204973-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is becoming a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on Switzerland is the fifth in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries. It concludes that the Swiss system is well resourced to address the challenges in various policy fields; that due the involvement of a large number of stakeholders much needed policy coordination across different sectors is a difficult task; and that a stronger mental health focus is required in Switzerland's health, social and labour market policies.

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Muckenhuber, Johanna, Nathalie Burkert, Franziska Großschädl & Wolfgang Freidl (2014): Income inequality as a moderator of the relationship between psychological job demands and sickness absence, in particular in men. An international comparison of 23 countries. In: PLoS one, Jg. 9, H. 5, S. 1-6. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0086845

Abstract

"Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether more sickness absence is reported in countries with higher income inequality than elsewhere, and whether the level of income inequality moderates the association between psychosocial job demands and sickness absence.
Methods: Our analysis is based on the Fifth European Working Conditions Survey that compared 23 European countries. We performed multi-level regression analysis. On the macro-level of analysis we included the Gini-Index as measure of inequality. On the micro-level of analysis we followed the Karasek-Theorell model and included three scales for psychological job demands, physical job demands, and decision latitude in the model. The model was stratified by sex.
Results: We found that, in countries with high income inequality, workers report significantly more sickness absence than workers in countries with low income inequality. In addition we found that the level of income inequality moderates the relationship between psychological job demands and sickness absence. High psychological job demands are significantly more strongly related to more days of sickness absence in countries with low income inequality than in countries with high income inequality.
Conclusions: As the nature and causal pathways of cross-level interaction effects still cannot be fully explained, we argue that future research should aim to explore such causal pathways. In accordance with WHO recommendations we argue that inequalities should be reduced. In addition we state that, particularly in countries with low levels of income inequality, policies should aim to reduce psychological job demands." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Peycheva, Darina, Ruud Wetzels, Agnès Parent-Thirion & Gijs van Houten (2014): Occupational profiles in working conditions: Identification of groups with multiple disadvantages. Dublin, 67 S.

Abstract

"Job quality indexes are constructed on the basis of such aspects of working conditions as earnings, prospects, working time, and intrinsic job quality. Occupations where job quality is consistently low are labelled 'occupations with multiple disadvantages'. This report uses data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey to identify such occupations. It finds that workers in mid-skilled manual and low-skilled occupations do quite poorly when it comes to earnings, prospects and intrinsic job quality, and they report relatively low levels of both physical and mental well-being. However, their working time quality is generally good. In contrast, workers in high-skilled occupations do relatively well on almost all job quality indicators, except working time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Vendramin, Patricia & Gérard Valenduc (2014): A gender perspective on older workers' employment and working conditions. (Working paper / European Trade Union Institute 2014,03), Brüssel, 65 S.

Abstract

"This working paper aims to give a structured gender analysis of the working and employment conditions of older workers (aged 50 and over). While working and employment conditions are increasingly recognised as key issues in ageing at work, gender disparities do still not get enough attention." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2014): Mental health and work: United Kingdom. (Mental health and work), Paris, 142 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264204997-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is becoming a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on the United Kingdom is the sixth in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2014): Mental health and work: Netherlands. (Mental health and work), Paris, 150 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264223301-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is becoming a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on the Netherlands is the seventh in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Abdallah, Saamah, Laura Stoll & Franz Eiffe (2013): Third European quality of life survey. Quality of life in Europe: Subjective well-being. Dublin, 124 S. DOI:10.2806/37878

Abstract

"This report assesses the impact of the crisis on the subjective well-being of Europeans. In 2011, GDP per capita in 22 out of the then 27 EU Member States was below 2008 levels, and unemployment rates were higher in 25 out of the 27. These indicators demonstrate worrying trends, but the report goes deeper, trying to answer various questions: What is the real impact on people's lives? Who has been hit hardest? Where have there been positive wellbeing patterns? What explains the variation in well-being across Europe? How can policy increase or stem the fall in well-being in the future? It concludes that the crisis may not be affecting everyone's well-being equally, nor all aspects of well-being. Well-being has fallen in many EU countries, remaining highest in northern countries. However, falls in wellbeing in many western EU countries have been matched by increases in eastern countries. Population groups with low well-being include those limited by disability or illness and unemployed people." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Avdic, Daniel & Per Johansson (2013): Gender differences in preferences for health-related absences from work. (Working papers / Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy 2013,13), Uppsala, 59 S.

Abstract

"Women are on average more absent from work for health reasons than men. At the same time, they live longer. This conflicting pattern suggests that part of the gender difference in health-related absenteeism arises from differences between the genders unrelated to actual health. An overlooked explanation could be that men and women's preferences for absenteeism differ, for example because of gender differences in risk preferences. These differences may originate from the utility-maximizing of households in which women's traditional dual roles influence household decisions to invest primarily in women's health. Using detailed administrative data on sick leave, hospital visits and objective health measures we first investigate the existence of gender-specific preferences for absenteeism and subsequently test for the household investment hypothesis. We find evidence for the existence of gender differences in preferences for absence from work, and that a non-trivial part of these preference differences can be attributed to household investments in women's health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2013): Mental health and work: Norway. (Mental health and work), Paris, 123 S. DOI:10.1787/9789264178984-en

Abstract

"Tackling mental ill-health of the working-age population is becoming a key issue for labour market and social policies in OECD countries. OECD governments increasingly recognise that policy has a major role to play in keeping people with mental ill-health in employment or bringing those outside of the labour market back to it, and in preventing mental illness. This report on Norway is the fourth in a series of reports looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled in a number of OECD countries. It concludes that Norway faces a unique situation whereby a generous welfare system stimulates large-scale labour market exclusion and significant socio-economic inequalities of people with a mental disorder, and hindering better outcomes of its employment and vocational rehabilitation programmes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Brauchli, Rebecca, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, Gregor J. Jenny, Désirée Füllemann & Georg F. Bauer (2013): Disentangling stability and change in job resources, job demands, and employee well-being. A three-wave study on the Job-Demands Resources model. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 83, H. 2, S. 117-129. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2013.03.003

Abstract

"This study aims to: (1) examine the stable and changing components across time of job resources, job demands, work engagement, and burnout, and (2) investigate the relationships - as specified by the Job Demands-Resources model - between job characteristics (demands and resources) and employee well-being (burnout and engagement) when controlled for their stable components. These two issues were addressed using longitudinal data from 3 waves with a 1-year time interval (N = 1038). Results from structural equation modeling indicate that the stable component accounts for 48 - 69% (waves 1 to 3) of the total variance in job resources, whereas for job demands these percentages range from 30 to 35% (waves 1 to 3). Moreover, it appears that 54 - 66% (waves 1 to 3) of the variance in work engagement and 40 - 45% (waves 1 to 3) of the variance in burnout are accounted for by a stable component. Hence, compared to the negative aspects of the working environment (i.e., job demands and burnout), positive aspects (i.e., job resources and work engagement) seem to be more stable. We also detected significant relationships between the changing components of job resources and job demands on the one hand and work engagement and burnout on the other. These findings are consistent with the Job Demands-Resources model." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bryson, Alex & Richard B. Freeman (2013): Employee perceptions of working conditions and the desire for worker representation in Britain and the US. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. 1-29. DOI:10.1007/s12122-012-9152-y

Abstract

"This paper explores the link between employee perceptions of working conditions and the desire for worker representation in Britain and the US. We find that the distribution of employee perceptions of poor working conditions is similar in Britain and the US; similar factors affect the number of perceived poor working conditions; and the perception of poor working conditions is strongly associated with the desire for union representation. The nature of workplaces, as opposed to employees' characteristics, is the predominant factor determining employee perceptions of poor working conditions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))