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This study developed new measures of the routine and non-routine task contents of managerial, professional, technical, and clerical occupations from a workload perspective. Here, we present a comparative analysis of the workload structures of state and industrial sector employees.

Our method involves detailed descriptions of work processes and an element-wise time study. We collected and analysed data to obtain a workload structure that falls within three conceptual task categories: (i) non-routine analytic tasks, (ii) non-routine interactive tasks and (iii) routine cognitive tasks. A total of 2,312 state and industrial sector employees in Kazakhstan participated in the study. The data were collected using a proprietary web application that resembles a timesheet.

The study results are consistent with the general trend reported by previous studies: the higher the job level, the lower the occupation’s routine task content. In addition, the routine cognitive task contents of managerial, professional, technical, and clerical occupations in the industrial sector are higher than those in local governments. The work of women is also more routinary than that of men. Finally, vthe routine cognitive task contents of occupations in administrative units are higher than those of occupations in substantive units.

Our study sought to address the challenges of using the task-based approach associated with measuring tasks by introducing a new measurement framework. The main advantage of our task measures is a direct approach to assessing workloads consisting of routine tasks, which allows for an accurate estimation of potential staff reductions due to the automation of work processes.

Critical analysis of previously developed white‐collar productivity management techniques focuses on the existing shortcomings of several measurement and evaluation methodologies of white‐collar personnel and functions. An analytical method of defining and measuring various pertinent characteristics of both routine and non‐routine white‐collar jobs helps in the development of a more suitable productivity management methodology. A systematic procedure is described for the measurement and evaluation of white‐collar productivity for an individual, a group of individuals or a department. The recommended measures, viz, operations‐based productivity measures for routine and non‐routine jobs, explain in detail the relationship of different white‐collar job characteristics and individual and group productivity at the middle management level. A case example is cited which illustrates the proposed approach. The advantages, along with some limitations, of the methodology are also highlighted.

This study aims to build on the existing research regarding workplace conflict by arguing that task conflict (TC) leads to resource gains for individuals with non-routine technical jobs, which increases individuals’ work engagement (WE) and leads to positive individual-level outcomes. Specifically, this study uses a resource investment/acquisition approach with the aim of offering insight into the consequences of group-level TC on individual-level outcomes, including task performance (TP), contextual performance and turnover intention.

Multi-rater data was collected from 508 telecom engineers and 35 supervisors working in Pakistan’s telecom sector. The engineers were divided into 31 teams and the data were analysed using confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling to test the interrelationships among study constructs.

As expected, TC was positively correlated with both TP and contextual performance, while it was negatively correlated with turnover intention; these relationships were mediated by WE. The results reveal that TC in technical jobs leads to resource gains and, through WE, facilitates task and contextual performances at the individual level. Similarly, TC mitigates individual-level turnover intention through the mediation of WE.

The current study contributes to the literature on the conflict by delineating a resource investment/acquisition process within the conservation of resources theory, whereby TC (an exchange and acquisition of cognitive resources) leads to resource investment (in the form of WE), which, in turn, leads to positive individual-level outcomes.

This paper analyses the relation between occupational characteristics and the probability that a worker in the Netherlands has a false self-employed arrangement instead of an employee arrangement. These are arrangements in which self-employed workers perform tasks in the hierarchy of the firm as if they were employees.

Data from the Dutch Labour Force Survey is used to analyse the relationship between occupational skill, routine and wage level and the probability to be a false self-employed or a standard or non-standard employee.

The results show that the probability to be false self-employed decreases slightly with the skill level of the occupation, but there is no evidence that false self-employment is more likely in low paid, routine occupations. Workers in the lowest paid occupations are more likely to have a non-standard contract as an employee. False self-employment arrangements are more likely in the (lower) middle paid occupations. Finally, the results show that working in the highest paid occupations increases the probability of being in a false self-employed arrangement, but only in arrangements that are characterised by economic and organizational dependency. These are arrangements with financial dependency on one client for income combined with dependency on this client on when and where to work.

This study makes an important contribution to the literature on identifying vulnerable self-employed workers as well as to the literature on mechanisms behind the growth of solo self-employment.

Using the extended task‐technology fit (TTF) model, this paper attempts to determine whether task‐technology fit, perceived resistance, user resistance and usage influence managers' performance.

The study was conducted on 150 middle managers from various organisations in Malaysia's port industry.

The structural equation modelling results reveal that task‐technology fit is significantly related to usage and perceived resistance, and that perceived resistance is a predictor of usage. Usage predicts performance, but not user resistance. There is no relationship between usage and user resistance, and vice versa.

The study focuses on Malaysia's port industry and concentrates only on the management perspective of intranet usage.

The results provide insights into how the Malaysian port industry and other organisations of a similar structure could enhance their intranet usage.

This study is one of the first to address intranet usage in the port industry, and introduces two importance factors (i.e. perceived resistance and user resistance) that influence managers' task performance.

The structure of the economy continues to change; where once they are dependent on the productivity of a manual workforce, companies increasingly depend on the productivity of knowledge workers. Today, knowledge workers account for more than two‐thirds of the workforce, and thus should be the focus of strategic plans to improve productivity. Currently there are no universally accepted methods to measure knowledge worker productivity, or even generally accepted categories. This paper provides a taxonomy of knowledge worker productivity measurements, and identifies a number of productivity dimensions that are used to categorize the findings of previous research. Also describes the relative density of discussions along these dimensions and identifies critical areas for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationship of career anchors with three aspects: the millennials’ professional skills, the millennials’ awareness of the replacement of jobs with new technologies and the technological stress in the millennials’ working environment.

The responses of 200 questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive and variance analysis techniques.

Among the three hypotheses raised, two were confirmed, showing that these young people recognize the development of professional skills through new technologies, but are not highly sensitive to the stress associated with technological innovations.

The paper contributes to a recent debate, which emphasizes the impact of the application of new technologies on the nature of study and employment levels.

The current expansion of the knowledge economy and its requirements of highly educated workers make interesting to analyse the effects on the labour market outcomes of completing a master's degree. This study examines the factors determining the probability of pursuing a postgraduate programme and observes whether workers reaching this educational attainment reap the benefits of their human capital investment through better paid jobs compared to college-only degree holders. On the other hand, it analyses whether individuals with a master's degree are more prone to upward wage mobility.

The study relies on data obtained from the second survey on the Labour Insertion of University Graduates conducted by the National Statistics Institute (INE, 2019). This survey allows us to observe labour market transitions of the first group of Spanish university graduates under the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and their earnings. The methodological procedure consists of the estimation of wage models controlling for the unobservable differences between workers who have or have not completed a master's degree.

The results indicate a significant positive impact of master's degree on salaries. Furthermore, individuals with postgraduate studies are more prone to upward wage mobility in comparison to college-only degree holders.

Data used does not allow us to identify which competences associated with the completion of a master's degree are more remunerated by employers.

The econometric specification applied allows us to compute the direct effect of a master's degree on wages and predict the average probability that an individual is in a determined wage interval according to the knowledge area and controlling by the rest of characteristics.

The findings are helpful to diagnose and understand how the knowledge acquired through postgraduate studies are rewarded by the labour market, which is essential to evaluate the return on educational investments when making decisions about whether or not to continue postgraduate studies.

This research addresses novelty aspects on tertiary education in Spain and its effects on workers' careers.

Evaluation and development of personnel in the materials management area is a major concern for today′s growth‐oriented organisations. A model is provided for evaluating both the routine and non‐routine areas of employee responsibilities and an effective behaviourally oriented approach to developing individuals is presented. It is recognised by the model that the potential aspect of a strict objective‐based performance appraisal system is negative and the concept of a behavioural filter designed to provide the proper developmental focus for encouraging change in employee performance is introduced.

This paper aims to provide a sobering and unique view of technological unemployment and job changes by identifying endangered jobs and skills, as well as the essential up-skills critical to employees’ performance, which cannot be replaced by technology.

A systematic literature review, used because it is replicable, transparent, and scientific, was implemented to examine the current and future technological influences on employment, job outlook, work structure, and human resource development (HRD).

The study concludes that HRD professionals should promptly reexamine their social responsibility relative to the technological influence on workers by focusing developmental efforts on employees’ human skills while assisting workers’ transition to a skill-polarized workplace. HRD professionals should play a major role in facilitating employees’ coexistence with robots in the workplace.

While recognizing the valuable contributions of previous researchers with similar concerns, this comprehensive review provides an amalgamated and updated view, which reveals the escalating and combined challenges of a skill-polarized workplace, a tendency of technological unemployment for those positioned in middle-skill jobs, and an increased demand for employees with a higher level of human skills.