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Book part
Publication date: 30 June 2004

Belle Rose Ragins

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) employees constitute one of the largest, but least studied, minority groups in the workforce. This article examines what we know, and what we need…

Abstract

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) employees constitute one of the largest, but least studied, minority groups in the workforce. This article examines what we know, and what we need to know, about the career and workplace experiences of this understudied population. The construct of sexual identity is defined, followed by a review of the research on sexual orientation in the workplace. Then an analysis of the differences between LGB employees and other stigmatized groups is presented. Three unique challenges facing LGB employees are identified, and conceptual models are developed that explain underlying processes. Finally, career theories are critically analyzed, and an identity-based longitudinal theory of LGB careers is presented.

Details

Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-103-3

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2008

Mahdi Fadaee Khorasgani

Higher education has a vital role to play in shaping the way in which future generations learn to cope with the complexities of sustainable development. Universities and higher…

2298

Abstract

Purpose

Higher education has a vital role to play in shaping the way in which future generations learn to cope with the complexities of sustainable development. Universities and higher education institutions educate highly qualified graduates and responsible citizens able to meet the needs of all sectors of human activity; they provide opportunities for higher learning and for learning throughout life; they advance, create and disseminate knowledge through research and provide, as part of their service to the community, relevant expertise to assist societies in cultural, social and economic development; they contribute to the development and improvement of education at all levels, including through the training of teachers. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between higher education and economic growth in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a baseline survey analysis of Iran supported by tables and figures was conducted. Secondly, by using multivariable time series data on the variables: annual logarithmic gross domestic product, physical capital (K), human capital, research expenditures (R) and by using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, the long‐ and short‐run relationship between the growth and higher education variable was investigated. The following steps were followed: test of a dynamic ARDL model, CUSUM and CUSUMQ test for stability, long‐run relationship and ECM test.

Findings

The results indicated that the higher education variable had a positive effect on the economic growth of Iran in both the short and long run.

Originality/value

The research in this paper has implications for government policy makers responsible for investment in higher education.

Details

Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-7983

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2019

Wee Chan Au, Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, Yan Soon Tan and Pervaiz K. Ahmed

The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-life (WL) experiences of live-in women migrant domestic workers (MDWs), who represent a significant proportion of migrant workers

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-life (WL) experiences of live-in women migrant domestic workers (MDWs), who represent a significant proportion of migrant workers globally. MDWs play a key role in enabling the work-life balance (WLB) of others, namely the middle-class households that employ them. Yet, their experiences have largely been invisible in mainstream WL literature. The authors draw on an intersectional approach to frame the WL experiences of this marginalized group of women at the intersection of being secondary labour segment workers, with significant legal and employment restrictions as migrant workers, who work and live in the same place as their employers.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 women MDWs from Indonesia and the Philippines working in Malaysia. The women talked about the meaning of work as MDWs, how they maintain familial connections whilst working abroad, and how they negotiate their WLB as live-in workers. Thematic analysis of the interviews focused on the intersection of the women’s multiple dimensions of disadvantage, including gender, class and temporary migrant-foreigner status, in shaping their accounts of the WL interface.

Findings

Three thematic narratives highlight that any semblance of WLB in the MDWs’ lived experience has given way to the needs of their employers and to the imperative to earn an income for their families back home. The themes are: working as MDWs enables the women and their families back home to have a life; the co-existence of WL boundary segmentation and integration in relation to “real” and “temporary” families; and the notion of WLB being centred around the women’s ability to fulfil their multiple duties as MDWs and absent mothers/sisters/daughters.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a small sample of live-in women MDWs in Malaysia, intended to promote typically excluded voices and not to provide generalizable findings. Accessing potential participants was a considerable challenge, given the vulnerable positions of women MDWs and the invisible nature of their work.

Practical implications

Future research should adopt a multi-stakeholder approach to studying the WL experiences of women MDWs. In particular, links with non-governmental organizations who work directly with women MDWs should be established as a way of improving future participant access.

Social implications

The study underscores the existence of policies and regulations that tolerate and uphold social inequalities that benefit primary labour segment workers to the detriment of secondary labour segment workers, including women MDWs.

Originality/value

Extant WL literature is dominated by the experiences of “the ideal work-life balancers”, who tend to be white middle-class women, engaged in professional work. This study offers original contribution by giving voice to a taken-for-granted group of women migrant workers who make other people’s WLB possible. Moreover, the study challenges WL research by underscoring the power inequities that shape the participants’ marginal and disadvantaged lived experience of work, life, family and WLB.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 39 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Carrye Syma

The subject of invisible disabilities is becoming more prevalent in the workplace. Invisible disabilities (as defined by the Invisible Disabilities Association) refers to symptoms…

3187

Abstract

Purpose

The subject of invisible disabilities is becoming more prevalent in the workplace. Invisible disabilities (as defined by the Invisible Disabilities Association) refers to symptoms such as “debilitating pain, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive dysfunctions, brain injuries, learning differences and mental health disorders, as well as hearing and vision impairments.” There are times when employees are hesitant to disclose their invisible disability to their employer or coworkers, which means that accommodations for disabilities may not be requested or made. Accommodations made in the workplace for invisible disabilities can include flexible schedule, special software for assisting with scheduling or prioritizing tasks, or architectural changes such as a standing desk. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

For this literature review, articles on invisible disabilities and accommodations were researched and used to support the importance of accommodations in the workplace.

Findings

Invisible disabilities are affecting the workplace and must be addressed. Those struggling with invisible disabilities need to consider sharing information about their disability with their employer as well as requesting accommodation. The question of whether or not to inform coworkers should be left to individual employees and what they feel comfortable divulging. More research needs to be done on how to create learning opportunities and sensitivity in the workplace to those with invisible disabilities. Perhaps training should be offered at the time a new employee begins work.

Originality/value

This literature review is of value because it speaks to an important issue facing today’s workplaces – invisible disabilities and accommodations. Mental illnesses are an invisible disability and as more people are diagnosed and enter the workforce, employers are faced with an increasing demand to meet the needs of these workers. Educating employers and employees on the topic of invisible disabilities and accommodations paves the way to a greater and more productive workforce.

Details

Library Management, vol. 40 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 December 2019

Louise Fitzgerald

The purpose of this paper is to explore the harassment of vulnerable women whose lives and experiences remain largely unseen in the era of #MeToo.

1082

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the harassment of vulnerable women whose lives and experiences remain largely unseen in the era of #MeToo.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws from the sparse empirical literature as well as the more informal accounts provided by social justice organizations, investigative journalists and legal commentary about four spheres that have largely remained invisible: women in low-income housing, agricultural workers, janitorial workers and restaurant workers. It also reviews the surprising success stories that some of these groups have achieved and invite us to ponder what we can learn from them.

Findings

Farm workers, sub-minimum wage restaurant workers, single mothers and janitorial workers are several groups that were not highlighted by the current movement.

Social implications

Highlighting the experiences of those who remain largely hidden in and from academic discourse and, more largely, the public eye enlarges the scope of knowledge and encourages further scholarly inquiry.

Originality/value

Combining the perspectives of scholar and social justice activist illuminates the depth and breadth of largely invisible classes of harassment victims and the potentially novel remedies they have initiated.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 39 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 9 May 2023

Ebru Akçay, Aslı Şahinkaya Ermiş and G. Senem Gençtürk Hızal

As media texts, advertisements use representation practices to construct ideological meanings. This study traced the representation of the worker in advertisements with the help…

Abstract

As media texts, advertisements use representation practices to construct ideological meanings. This study traced the representation of the worker in advertisements with the help of content and thematic analysis. The study aimed to reveal the representation of the worker in the advertisements and to make the representations of the worker built through advertisements visible. The study was limited to ads that received an Effie Award in Turkey in 2020 and 2021. In the 2020 Effie Awards, 73 awards were given in 41 categories and in the 2021 Effie Awards, 68 awards were given in 42 categories. Content analysis was applied to 24 advertisements in 2020 and 31 advertisements in 2021. The quantitative data helped to determine the themes in the thematic analysis. Thematic analysis was carried out by regarding the worker as the (in)visible, the (un)voiced, and the bypassed. This study, which reveals that the worker is represented in advertisements through being invisible, unvoiced, and bypassed, claims that the labor of the worker in the production process is ignored through representation practices. In this context, it can be said that the worker is erased and omitted in TV ads on a symbolic level.

Details

Management and Organizational Studies on Blue- and Gray-collar Workers: Diversity of Collars
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-754-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2022

Eric Patton

The decision to disclose an illness is a difficult choice for many individuals. Despite national laws such Americans with Disabilities Act that protect workers with disabilities…

1317

Abstract

Purpose

The decision to disclose an illness is a difficult choice for many individuals. Despite national laws such Americans with Disabilities Act that protect workers with disabilities from discrimination in the workplace, the stigmas around certain illnesses, fears of being judged by others using different standards, and concerns about a lack of support regardless of legal requirements are all reasons why someone may hesitate to disclose a health condition in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Using experimentally manipulated vignettes and a combination of theories on attribution and incivility, this study explores the dangers of not disclosing a disability/condition that can lead to behaviors that will engender judgments by coworkers.

Findings

The results of the study make clear that there are social benefits to disclosing a health condition rather than concealing. The findings clearly demonstrate that attributing an individual's negative behavior to their disposition will lead to more judgments of responsibility, and less sympathy and more anger compared to behaviors that can be explained by any health reason. Furthermore, more punishment, feelings of revenge and social distancing await individuals whose negative behavior cannot be explained by health issues.

Originality/value

This study combines issues of health, attributions, incivility in an experimental studies that illuminates issues surround disclosing a workplace disability that go beyond the typical focus of legal questions.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 41 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 May 2013

Catherine Laurent

Which is the main characteristic of the French Mediterranean Agriculture (FMA)? The recognition of the multifunctionality of agriculture, supported by the institutions of the…

Abstract

Which is the main characteristic of the French Mediterranean Agriculture (FMA)? The recognition of the multifunctionality of agriculture, supported by the institutions of the territorial development? Or the development of social dumping considered as a necessity by many institutions of the sector? To answer this question the analysis is based on three main sources of data: agricultural statistics, monographs and administrative reports. The results show that the structural diversity is still important in the FMA. A significant proportion of the farms have based their economic strategy on making the most of the multifunctionality of agriculture. Some have built real success stories. But this development path cannot guarantee the viability of a large range of holdings: the number of farm holdings in FMA has decreased by 27% since 2000 and 57% since 1988. Due to the specificities of the Mediterranean productions, the cost of labour is still considered as a major adjustment variable to secure farm income in the region. Many situations are reported where the situation of casual labour is concerning, in particular for migrant workers. However, the working conditions of temporary migrant workers remain invisible and the image of the multifunctional agriculture is put forward as a marketing asset by all types of actors. This image is misleading. It makes invisible, issues that are essential for the future. Thus, it generates knowledge gaps and leads to the depoliticization of debates on the development models of agriculture in masking the contradictions and the conflicts of interest that they generate.

Details

Agriculture in Mediterranean Europe: Between Old and New Paradigms
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-597-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2023

Seyhan Özdemir, Betül Sarı, Ebru Demirel and Melih Sever

This photovoice study aims to explore how cleaners experience dirty and invisible work in the workplace.

Abstract

Purpose

This photovoice study aims to explore how cleaners experience dirty and invisible work in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is twofold. The authors first used the photovoice technique, which is one of the visual data collection techniques, to elaborate on the phenomena. The data were obtained with the participation of seven people (four women and three men) from building cleaners working at two public universities in Turkey. Three photographs were requested from each participant and selected nine photographs were described and analyzed among the collected 21 photographs. In addition to photovoice research, five interviews gave insight into the cleaners’ experiences in the second stage of the study.

Findings

This research revealed that participating cleaners experienced invisible dirty work and they felt undervalued, despised, treated as “second class/low-level people” and stigmatized.

Practical implications

This study recommends that university administrations defend the rights and dignity of cleaners at work, provide services to support their inclusion and increase staff awareness.

Originality/value

This study sheds light into an understudied area which is the building cleaners’ invisible and dirty work experiences and how that impacts their lives via a photovoice research.

Details

Facilities , vol. 42 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2019

The purpose of the study was to determine, first, whether both numeric diversity and racial climate impacted the psychological well-being and workplace experiences of faculty of…

272

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine, first, whether both numeric diversity and racial climate impacted the psychological well-being and workplace experiences of faculty of color (FOC). But the authors also considered whether there was an “additive” effect when both diversity factors existed at the same time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used surveys of academics from various backgrounds in multiple US regions to test the effects of numeric diversity and racial climate on three dependent variables – invisible labor, stress from discrimination and dissatisfaction with co-workers. For the purposes of the study, FOC were defined as black, Latinx and Asian faculty.

Findings

The results showed significant support for the authors' prediction that there was more stress from discrimination, invisible labor, and co-worker dissatisfaction against FOC in institutions with low numeric diversity and poor racial climate compared with institutions with high numeric diversity and a positive racial climate. They also found that negative impacts were smaller in institutions with both high numeric diversity and a positive racial climate, compared to institutions with high numeric diversity, but a poor racial climate. However, similar results were not found for institutions with low numeric diversity and positive racial climate.

Originality/value

The authors concluded that the findings showed that “diversity climate may be the primary driver of mitigating psychological disparities between FOC and white faculty”. They said that education officials should take action to construct a positive racial climate, but neither should they ignore numeric representation.

Details

Human Resource Management International Digest , vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-0734

Keywords

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