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Article
Publication date: 27 January 2021

Getinet Haile

The paper examines the compatibility of two UK policy priorities – extending working life (EWL) and the promotion of national economic performance through high performance work

Abstract

Purpose

The paper examines the compatibility of two UK policy priorities – extending working life (EWL) and the promotion of national economic performance through high performance work practices (HPWP).

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical analysis has been conducted using data from WERS2011 to test hypotheses on whether age moderates the link between HPWP and employee well-being outcomes.

Findings

Development-oriented human resource strategies are found to compromise the wellbeing of older workers relative to younger ones, while some dimensions of HPWP lead to more favourable wellbeing outcomes for older workers relative to their younger counterparts (flexible working, performance-related pay and appraisal systems).

Research limitations/implications

At older ages those still in the workforce may be over-represented by happier and psychologically more robust individuals who have settled into jobs they find fulfilling, matching their personal characteristics and abilities. If so, the adverse well-being influence of development-oriented strategies may be understated, while favourable well-being outcomes for older workers may be overstated.

Practical implications

HRM strategies may need to be more age sensitive to support the EWL agenda better.

Originality/value

While many studies have examined the link between HPWP and a range of individual-level outcomes, less widely researched is whether responses vary by age, which the paper addresses.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 51 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 November 2022

Liam Foster, Sam Wai Kam Yu and Ruby Chui Man Chau

This article aims to link discussions of the role of earnings-related pension measures with time in Hong Kong (HK) and the United Kingdom (UK). It presents a new conceptual…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to link discussions of the role of earnings-related pension measures with time in Hong Kong (HK) and the United Kingdom (UK). It presents a new conceptual “time-based framework” to explore two related types of government response to the way people accumulate pension incomes through participation in paid work. The first is to consider governments' perceptions of appropriate time in work and retirement. The second is to consider how governments use pension measures to influence the connection between the amount of time people spend in paid work and retirement.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper. The time-based framework is developed using literature concerning discretionary time and the social construction of time. To explore the empirical significance of this framework, the authors discuss how it can be applied to the analysis of earnings-related pension measures in HK and the UK.

Findings

The evidence generated from the discussion of the earnings-related pension measures in HK and the UK shows that pension policies can serve both as a financial and time instrument. At the same time as influencing the connection between the amount of time people spend in paid work and the pensions they can accumulate, pension policies can be used to convey the government's views on important time issues, namely the appropriate length of time in work and retirement, and the relative value of the time spent in paid work and providing informal care.

Originality/value

A new framework is developed to explore the connection between the studies of earnings-related pension measures and time, which is an understudied area.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 43 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2021

B M Razzak, Robert Blackburn and George Saridakis

This paper investigates the linking between employees' working life (EWL) and job performance of ethnic minority Bangladeshi restaurants in Greater London.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper investigates the linking between employees' working life (EWL) and job performance of ethnic minority Bangladeshi restaurants in Greater London.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use in depth face-to-face interviews of 40 participants working in 20 Bangladeshi restaurants (BRs) following a convenience sampling method. A thematic analysis technique, with the help of QSR N10, developed two key themes related to EWL and performance.

Findings

These themes highlight several aspects of the relationship between EWL and performance. First, EWL is “beyond” the UK tradition; employers show a domineering attitude; however, employees continue to work due to lack of skills and competence. Second, employees perceive and present themselves as satisfied; however, this satisfaction is not reflected in the business performance of BRs. Third, the analysis shows that business owners “trap strategy” constrains employees to develop their skills for mobility to other industries. Hence, employees express satisfaction with their existing situation on the basis that it is the best they can hope for, given their specific skills and competence, and need for some security in the UK. Fourth, non-financial performance, for example, job autonomy, sense of fulfilment is related to EWL.

Practical implications

The paper provides a framework to promote a better understanding of the linking between employees' working life and performance of UK ethnic minority restaurants. Also, the paper makes recommendations for further research, including an examination of the applicability of the findings to SMEs operated by other ethnic groups in the UK.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the scarce literature on the working life of people in Bangladeshi restaurant businesses in the UK and the relationship between EWL and business performance.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2022

Maria Charalampous, Christine Anne Grant and Carlo Tramontano

This paper aimed to revise and further validate the published e-work life (EWL) scale. The EWL scale was originally developed to assess theoretically relevant aspects of the…

1364

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aimed to revise and further validate the published e-work life (EWL) scale. The EWL scale was originally developed to assess theoretically relevant aspects of the remote e-working experience related to four main areas: organisational trust, flexibility, worklife interference and productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of changes were implemented to the scale (i.e. including new items, rewording of existing items) following a recent qualitative study conducted by the authors. The two studies outlined in this paper, conducted within discrete remote e-working populations, resulted in a validated and adjusted 20-item version of the scale.

Findings

Study 1 performs confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from a sample of 399 remote e-workers (57.9% female) in UK to check the factor structure of the revised version of the EWL scale and the reliability of the posited dimensions. Results provided support for a 20-item scale, replicating the factorial structure of the original version. Study 2 tests and confirms the factorial structure of the final 20-item EWL scale in an independent sample of 366 remote e-workers (48.6% female) in UK. Study 2 provides further evidence of EWL scale's reliability and validity, with the four factors of the scale being significantly correlated with positive mental health, detachment from work and technostress.

Originality/value

The EWL scale is a very timely and important tool which provides an overall framework of the key areas that are affecting remote e-workers’ life; whose greater understanding may better prepare organisations to adapt work arrangements and introduce support policies and guidance.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 45 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Justin B. Keeler, Noelle F. Scuderi, Meagan E. Brock Baskin, Patricia C. Jordan and Laura M. Meade

The purpose of this study is to investigate the complexity of how demands and stress are mitigated to enhance employee performance in remote working arrangements.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the complexity of how demands and stress are mitigated to enhance employee performance in remote working arrangements.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged snowball sample of 223 full-time remote working adults in the United States participated in an online survey. Data were analyzed using R 4.0.2 and structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results suggest remote job resources involving organizational trust and work flexibility increase performance via serial mediation when considering information communication technology (ICT) demands and worklife interference (WLI). The findings provide insights into counterbalancing the negative aspects of specific demands and stress in remote work arrangements.

Practical implications

This study provides insights for managers to understand how basic job resources may shape perspectives on demands and WLI to impact performance. Specific to remote working arrangements, establishing trust with the employees and promoting accountability with their work flexibility can play an important part in people and their performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes theoretically to the literature by evidencing how components of the E-Work Life (EWL) scale can be used with greater versatility beyond the original composite measurement because of the job-demand resource (JD-R) framework and conservation of resources theory (COR). This study answers several calls by research to investigate how ICT demands and WLI play a complex role in work performance.

Details

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2051-6614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2017

Jemma Orr and Alison McCamley

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Eatwell for Life (EWL) programme, with a particular focus on longer term effectiveness in terms of dietary…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Eatwell for Life (EWL) programme, with a particular focus on longer term effectiveness in terms of dietary behaviour and the wider impact. EWL is a six-week community-based dietary intervention which aims to increase nutritional knowledge, cooking confidence and provide the necessary skills to support behavioural change in relation to eating a balanced diet. There have been many evaluations of community-based dietary interventions, but most focus on brief measures and changes examined at the end of each course.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed method evaluation was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire, focus groups and semi-structured telephone interviews. A follow-up evaluation was conducted at 3, 6 and 12 months with a purposive sample of EWL participants.

Findings

A total of 66 participants completed both pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. A total of 22 participants took part in the qualitative follow-up evaluation. The mixed method evaluation demonstrates improvements in participants’ fruit and vegetable consumption and a reduction in participants’ sugar consumption. Qualitative data highlight key themes such as “cooking from basic ingredients”, “knowledge of key healthy eating messages”, “changes in eating, cooking and shopping habits” and “wider influences on family and friends’ diets”.

Originality/value

This paper is useful to public health nutritionists and other practitioners delivering community-based dietary and cooking skills programmes and those commissioning such provision. It contributes to existing evidence of sustained change over time targeting those in areas of high deprivation.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 119 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

Irene Norman

The European Women's Lobby The European Women's Lobby (EWL) was officially established in September 1990 following a conference hosted by the Fawcett Society in 1987 which passed…

Abstract

The European Women's Lobby The European Women's Lobby (EWL) was officially established in September 1990 following a conference hosted by the Fawcett Society in 1987 which passed a resolution to create a lobby that would be open to all women's organisations. Prior to this, throughout the 1980s a tremendous amount of work had been done at grass roots level to establish the organisation and find the funding to support this work. Finance was obtained from the Women's Information Service of the European Commission.

Details

Equal Opportunities International, vol. 13 no. 3/4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0261-0159

Abstract

Details

Feminist Activists on Brexit: From the Political to the Personal
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-421-9

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2023

Lei Li, Junfei Bai and Qiubo Zhu

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants and whether such impact varies across income…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants and whether such impact varies across income classes.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study adopts a quadratic almost ideal demand system (QUAIDS) for food demand elasticity and an indirect estimation method for nutrient elasticity to investigate the effects of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants.

Findings

The estimated results indicate that an increase in the price of pork alone would lead to a larger reduction in most nutrients among rural–urban migrants than other single targeted food group, and a simultaneous rise in the price of all food groups would have a remarkably adverse effect on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants in comparison to the nutritional effects of a rise in one targeted food group. In addition, the nutritional effects of food prices across income classes show that the nutritional status is particularly vulnerable to rising food prices among low-income rural–urban migrants.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on analyzing the impact of rising food prices on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants, a topic that is very limited in the literature. This study provides a fresh look at the effect of volatile food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants. The results indicate that income growth would have a remarkable positive effect on nutrient intake for rural–urban migrants, especially for low-income rural–urban migrants. However, an increment in nutrients due to a growth in income would not be far from enough to cover the reduction in nutrients as a result of a simultaneous rise in price of all the studied food categories at the same rate.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2022

Ana Junça Silva and Neuza Coelho

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to adopt telework, many of the organizations without any prior preparation, influencing not only daily organizational routines but also…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to adopt telework, many of the organizations without any prior preparation, influencing not only daily organizational routines but also workers' happiness. Happiness is important for organizations because happy and fulfilled workers are a key to achieving organizational success. Organizational culture is a critical factor to implement telework, because that may influence the workers' attitudes toward this model of work and workers' happiness. This study aimed to test the moderating role of organizational culture (clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchical) in the relationship between attitudes toward teleworking and happiness.

Design/methodology/approach

To meet the objectives, the authors collected data from 265 teleworkers.

Findings

The results revealed that only market culture moderated the relationship between attitudes toward teleworking and happiness, such that this relationship became stronger in the presence of a goal-oriented culture. No other dimension of organizational culture significantly moderated the relationship between telework and happiness.

Practical implications

These results prove to be fundamental for a better understanding of organizational and individual factors when organizations want to implement telework as a work arrangement.

Originality/value

Considering the mainstream literature in telework, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to date to integrate the moderating role of organizational culture in the relationship between telework and happiness.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 52 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

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