Learning from work-from-home issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: Balance speaks louder than words.

During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many employees have switched to working from home. Despite the findings of previous research that working from home can improve productivity, the scale, nature, and purpose of those studies are not the same as in the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects that three stress relievers of the work-from-home environment-company support, supervisor's trust in the subordinate, and work-life balance-had on employees' psychological well-being (stress and happiness), which in turn influenced productivity and engagement in non-work-related activities during working hours. In order to collect honest responses on sensitive questions or negative forms of behavior including stress and non-work-related activities, we adopted the randomized response technique in the survey design to minimize response bias. We collected a total of 500 valid responses and analyzed the results with structural equation modelling. We found that among the three stress relievers, work-life balance was the only significant construct that affected psychological well-being. Stress when working from home promoted non-work-related activities during working hours, whereas happiness improved productivity. Interestingly, non-work-related activities had no significant effect on productivity. The research findings provide evidence that management's maintenance of a healthy work-life balance for colleagues when they are working from home is important for supporting their psychosocial well-being and in turn upholding their work productivity.

Rational emotive occupational health coaching for quality of work-life among primary school administrators.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at investigating the effect of rational emotive occupational health coaching on quality of work-life among primary school administrators. METHOD: This is a double blinded and randomized control design study. A total of 158 administrators were sampled, half of them were exposed to rational emotive occupational health treatment package that lasted for 12 sessions. Two self-report measures were utilized in assessing the participants using quality of work life scale. Data collected were analyzed using MANOVA statistical tool. RESULT: The results showed that rational emotive occupational health coaching is effective in improving perception of quality of work-life among public administrators. A follow-up result showed that rational emotive occupational health coaching had a significant effect on primary school administrators' quality of work life. CONCLUSION: This study concluded rational emotive occupation health coaching is useful therapeutic strategy in improving quality of work of primary school administrators, hence, future researchers and clinical practitioners should adopt cognitive-behavioral techniques and principles in helping employers as well as employees. Based on the primary findings and limitations of this study, future studies, occupational psychotherapists should qualitatively explore the clinical relevance of rational emotive occupational health practice across cultures using different populations.

Challenges and Solutions for Physician Mothers: A Critical Review of the Literature.

Physician mothers face unique challenges related to family planning, pregnancy, childcare, work-life integration, inequities, and biases that may have serious widespread implications. There is a paucity of available information on the extent and ramifications of such challenges and related solutions. The purpose of this critical review of the literature was to identify and summarize challenges and solutions pertaining to physician mothers. A comprehensive literature search of databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EBSCO MegaFILE, and APA PsycInfo on Ovid) from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018, identified empirical articles that addressed challenges, policies, or solutions specific to physician mothers. Search terms included: physician, doctor, surgeon, specialist, hospitalist, pediatrician, woman, female, gender, mom, mother, maternity, breastfeed, pregnant, baby, infant, parent, parenthood, child,bias, status, stigma, inequity, discrimination, equal, unequal, justice, childcare, daycare, babysit, and nanny in various combinations. Seventy-one articles met inclusion criteria and were analyzed to identify categories and themes related to challenges and solutions for physician mothers. Themes for challenges were categorized by level of influence (individual, organizational and health care system, and societal); themes for solutions were categorized by approach and intervention (mentorship, childbearing and child-rearing support, addressing barriers to career satisfaction and work-life integration, and identification and reduction of maternal bias in medicine). Physician mothers face challenges that have negative implications for individuals, organizations and the health care system, and society. Clear understanding of associated challenges and potential solutions is a critical first step to address biases and barriers affecting physician mothers.

Modifiable factors to improve work-life balance for trauma surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: A balance between work and life outside of work can be difficult for practicing physicians to achieve, especially for trauma surgeons. Work-life balance (WLB) has been associated with burnout and career changes. The specific aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with WLB for trauma surgeons. We hypothesized that trauma surgeons are dissatisfied with their WLB, and there are modifiable factors that can be adjusted to improve and maintain WLB. METHODS: Survey study of AAST members including detailed questions regarding demographics, clinical practice, family, lifestyle, and emotional support. Primary outcome was WLB, while the secondary outcome was surgeon burnout. RESULTS: A total of 1,383 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma members received an email with the survey, and 291 (21%) completed the survey. There was a total of 125 members (43%) satisfied with their WLB, and 166 (57%) were not. Factors independently associated with satisfying WLB included hobbies (2.3 [1.1-4.7], p = 0.03), healthy diet (2.6 [1.2-4.4], p = 0.02), exercise (2.6 [1.3-5.1], p = 0.006), vacation weeks off (1.3 [1.0-1.6], p = 0.02), and fair compensation (2.6 [1.3-5.3], p = 0.008). Conversely, factors independently associated with a poor WLB included being midcareer (0.3 [0.2-0.7], p = 0.002), more work hours (0.4 [0.2-0.7], p = 0.006), fewer awake hours at home (0.2 [0.1-0.6], p = 0.002), and feeling that there is a better job (0.4 [0.2-0.9], p = 0.02]. Risk factors for burnout were the same as those for poor WLB. CONCLUSION: Only 43% of trauma surgeons surveyed were satisfied with their WLB, and 61% reported burnout. Modifiable factors independently associated with a satisfying WLB were related to lifestyle and fair compensation. Factors independently associated with poor WLB and suffering burnout were being midcareer, increased hours at work, decreased awake hours at home, and feeling that there was a better job for yourself. Many factors associated with trauma surgeon WLB are modifiable. Trauma surgeons, as well as trauma leaders, should focus on these modifiable factors to optimize WLB and minimize burnout. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Care management, Level III.

The Mediator Roles of Problematic Internet Use and Perceived Stress Between Health Behaviors and Work-Life Balance Among Internet Users in Germany and China: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Work-life balance is associated with health behaviors. In the face of digitalization, understanding this link requires a theory-based investigation of problematic internet use and perceived stress, which are so far unknown. OBJECTIVE: On the basis of the compensatory carry-over action model, this study aimed to determine whether problematic internet use and perceived stress mediate the relationship between health behaviors and work-life balance in two groups of internet users from different environments (residents in Germany and China). We also investigated whether the place of residence was a moderator. METHODS: An online questionnaire (N=877) was administered to residents from Germany (n=374) and China (n=503) in 3 languages (German, English, and Chinese). Moderated mediation analyses were run with health behaviors as the independent variable, work-life balance as the dependent variable, problematic internet use and perceived stress as the mediator variables, and place of residence as a potential moderator. RESULTS: On a mean level, individuals in Germany reported less problematic internet use and more health behaviors than individuals in China; however, they also had lower work-life balance and higher perceived stress. Results showed that health behaviors seem to be directly related to work-life balance in both groups. Among the residents of Germany, a partial mediation was revealed (ß=.13; P=.01), whereas among the residents of China, a full mediation was found (ß=.02; P=.61). The mediator role of perceived stress was compared with problematic internet use in all the serial models and the parallel model. Residence moderated the relationship between health behaviors and work-life balance: The interrelation between health behaviors and work-life balance was stronger in Germany (ß=.19; P<.001) than in China (ß=.11; P=.01) when controlling for other variables. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study are in line with the compensatory carry-over action model. To promote work-life balance, individuals should perform health behaviors to help overcome problematic internet use and perceived stress. Both problematic internet use and perceived stress mediated health behaviors and work-life balance partially in German study participants and fully in Chinese study participants.

Job burnout and correlated factors of three-tiered public health workers: A cross-sectional study in China.

This study aimed to reveal burnout levels and its potential influencing factors among three-tiered public health workers in China. A total of 1,328 public health workers from cities, counties and townships in Henan and Hubei provinces participated. Cumulative logistic regressions were used to determine job burnout predictors. Township workers (ß = 0.276, p = .046) showed higher levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) than city workers. Municipal workers showed higher levels of depersonalisation (DP) (ß = -0.439, p = .004) and lack of personal accomplishment (LPA) (ß = -0.343, p = .005) than township workers. Compared with those who had better results, township workers with average levels of interpersonal relationships (ß = 0.703, p = .014) exhibited higher EE degrees. Municipal (ß = 1.050, p < .001) and county (ß = 1.359, p < .001) workers with moderate training satisfaction had higher levels of burnout than those with a high degree of training satisfaction. Municipal (ß = 3.933, p < .001) and county (ß = 1.218, p = .018) workers earning 2,000 RMB and below every month were more likely to have higher burnout levels than those earning 4,001 RMB and above. Township respondents exhibited high EE levels, given the low-level education of their services' target audience. Similarly affected by interpersonal relationships, township workers require interpersonal and emotional intervention programmes. City respondents showed a high level of DP and LPA, which was attributed to considerable differences between public health workers and medical workers in cities. Hence, apart from narrowing the reward gap between clinicians and public health workers, improving public health workers' social cognition and status by various channels was found necessary. The burnout of municipal and county respondents were influenced by income and training. Improving the role of income as incentive and reforming trainings programmes would be necessary.

Gender Discrepancies Related to Pediatrician Work-Life Balance and Household Responsibilities.

BACKGROUND: Physicians must balance career and home responsibilities, yet previous studies on work-life balance are focused primarily on work-based tasks. We examined gender discrepancies and factors related to household responsibilities and work-life balance among pediatricians. METHODS: We used 2015 data from the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study, a longitudinal study of early-career pediatricians. χ2 tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the effects of gender on household responsibilities, satisfaction, and work-life balance attainment. We formally reviewed responses from 2 open-ended questions on work-life balance challenges and strategies for common themes. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of participants completed the survey (1293 of 1801). Women were more likely than men to report having primary responsibility for 13 of 16 household responsibilities, such as cleaning, cooking, and routine care of children (all P < .001). All gender differences except budget management remained significant when controlling for part-time work status and spouse or partner work status (P < .05). Women were less satisfied with their share of responsibilities relative to others (52% vs 62%; P < .001), and few women and men report being very successful at achieving balance between their job and other life areas (15% vs 19%, respectively; P = .05). Open-ended responses (n = 1145) revealed many barriers to achieving work-life balance. Strategies to increase work-life balance included reducing work hours, outsourcing household-related work, and adjustments to personal responsibilities and relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Female pediatricians spend more time on household responsibilities than male pediatricians, and gender is a key factor associated with work-life balance satisfaction.

Women's experience of shiftwork in nursing whilst caring for children: A juggling act.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore women's experiences of working shiftwork in nursing whilst caring for children. BACKGROUND: In nursing, almost 90% of Australia's practising nurses and midwives are women. Much of the research undertaken in the shiftwork area uses men as their sample and uses a quantitative methodology to achieve results. Little work has been undertaken that explores the experience of women working shiftwork whilst raising children. DESIGN: Heideggerian Hermeneutic Phenomenological Design. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with ten women who cared for children about their experience of shiftwork. Each interview was digitally audio-recorded. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. The interpretation used first Heideggerian phenomenology as a lens and then second research on women's work and gender roles to resituate the experience in context. Reporting rigour has been demonstrated using the COREQ checklist. RESULTS: Two major themes were derived from the data, Being Guilty and Being Juggler. Each is discussed in this paper. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds a qualitative voice to the substantial quantitative shiftwork body of literature. The themes uncovered in this study have thrown light on the nature of work done by women who are nurses, particularly the work related to their home and children. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: There are opportunities to increase education around the importance of sleep and shiftwork self-care in both preservice and new graduate education to assist nurses to ensure that sleep is a priority whilst working shiftwork.

Formal and Informal Work-Life Balance Practices of Athletic Trainers in Collegiate and University Settings.

CONTEXT: Organizational policies for work-life balance exist, but little is known about athletic trainers' (ATs') awareness of and willingness to use them. OBJECTIVE: To explore ATs' formal and informal work-life balance policies in the collegiate and university athletic training setting. DESIGN: Sequential mixed-methods study. SETTING: Web-based survey. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: We sent 4673 e-mails to National Athletic Trainers' Association ATs (full-time employment for at least 1 year, nonacademic appointment); 1221 participants began our survey (access rate = 26.1%), and 783 completed the survey (64.1% completion rate). Demographics were as follows: men = 375 (48.0%) and women = 404 (51.7%); age = 36 ± 10 years; experience = 13 ± 9 years; years at current place of employment = 8 ± 8 years; and participants with children or minor dependents = 262 (33.5%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): We created a 17-item instrument from an earlier qualitative study. A panel of experts (n = 3; employer, employee, and researcher) completed a content analysis. Variables of interest were confidence (scale = 1-4) and satisfaction (scale = 1-5) with policies. We used Pearson χ2 analyses to compare the effect of undergoing an orientation and the presence or absence of children on the main outcome measures. RESULTS: A majority of participants had experienced formal orientation through the human resources department (n = 522, 66.8%), the direct supervisor (n = 240, 30.7%), or a colleague (n = 114, 14.6%). However, many had received no orientation (n = 184, 23.6%). Those who had undergone orientation indicated greater confidence in knowing about (P < .001) and greater satisfaction with (P < .001) formal workplace policies and benefits. Those with children stated that they had greater confidence in knowing about (P < .001) and greater satisfaction with (P = .013) formal workplace policies and benefits. Those who had been oriented felt greater confidence in knowing about (P = .009) but no difference in satisfaction with (P = .060) informal workplace policies and benefits. We did not identify differences between those with and those without children regarding their confidence in knowing about (P = .653) or satisfaction with (P = .150) informal workplace policies and benefits. CONCLUSIONS: Athletic trainers in the collegiate and university setting were not confident in their knowledge of formal or informal work-life balance policies.

[Keys for well-being and fulfilment at work]. / Des clés pour le bien-être et l'épanouissement au travail.

If organizations seek to be profitable, they have no choice but to help their employees live in harmony, to be serene and creative. Well-being at work is largely linked to our ability to adapt to the moving reality of the company, without losing ourselves. Guides and methods help to live this reality as well as possible.

Estudio comparativo de los usos del tiempo en las ciudades de Rosario y Buenos Aires, Argentina / Comparative study of the uses of time in the cities of Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina

El presente trabajo estudia los patrones de uso del tiempo de la población de las ciudades de Buenos Aires y Rosario, Argentina, sobre la base de las Encuestas de Uso del Tiempo realizadas en 2005 y 2010, respectivamente. Ambos relevamientos utilizan en su metodología el "diario de actividades" del día anterior y el mismo codificador de actividades, el cual es una reformulación del Clasificador Internacional de Actividades de Uso del Tiempo (ICATUS) de Naciones Unidas. A partir de un estudio comparativo de los principales resultados, se pretende determinar cuáles son las similitudes y diferencias en el "día promedio" de los habitantes de las ciudades de Rosario y Buenos Aires, desagregando por género y diferenciando días "laborables" y "no laborables". De este modo, se busca visibilizar los nexos entre los usos del tiempo (o cantidad de vida) y la calidad de vida. Además, se estudian los tiempos simples y compuestos y el vínculo entre trabajo no remunerado y los patrones demográficos. (AU)

Intensive care nurse conceptions of well-being: a prototype analysis.

BACKGROUND: Accurately conceptualizing intensive care nurse work well-being is fundamental for successful engagement with workplace well-being interventions. Little is currently known about intensive care nurse work well-being. AIMS: The study aimed to identify intensive care nurses' conceptions of work well-being and ascertain whether the term 'work well-being' is prototypically organized. METHODS: Three linked studies conceptualize intensive care nurse well-being. For study one, participants listed key features of work well-being as free-text responses. Study two measured whether there was prototypical organization of these responses. Study three sought to confirm the prototypical organization of the term 'work well-being' through narrative ratings. RESULTS: A total of 82 New Zealand intensive care nurses were randomly allocated to the three studies; 65 participated. In study one (n = 23), the most frequently endorsed elements included: workload (n = 14), job satisfaction (n = 13) and support (n = 13). In study two (n = 25), the highest rated elements included: feeling valued, respect, support, work-life balance and workplace culture. Elements of support, work-life balance and workload were in the top five most frequently endorsed elements and were also rated in the top 12 most central. Overall, the ratings of centrality and number of endorsements were positively correlated (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). In study three (n = 17), nine participants selected the same rating across both narratives with no differentiation on the 11-point scale and were excluded from analysis. The mean score for the central narrative was 7.88 and for the peripheral narrative was 7.38. Confirmatory analyses did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Unique conceptions of work well-being were identified. Workload and work-life balance were central characteristics. Feeling valued and experiencing respect and support were considered most important. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Intensive care nurse conceptions of work well-being are fundamental for future measures of work well-being and future interventional studies and initiatives.

Work-Life BALANCE: How Some Case Managers Do It!

Estimates of the health care workforce place the number with burnout symptoms as high as 60%. Case management-whichever discipline you practice in-is a stressful job, fraught with compassion fatigue and physical, mental, and spiritual signs of burnout. If not careful, those feelings can spill into one's entire life. A small convenience sample was used to determine how some case managers find their work-life balance.

Work-family life conflict and mental well-being.

BACKGROUND: The promotion and maintenance of workers' mental health is an increasingly important issue, both for employers and society. Previous research has shown that job characteristics (i.e. demands, control and support) are significantly associated with employees' mental well-being. However, changes in work characteristics have given rise to the emergence of new job demands, leading to work-family life conflict. AIMS: To investigate the association between work-family life conflict and employee mental well-being. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with two samples: one sample comprising clothes store sales employees and the other comprising call centre operators. Logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of work-family life conflict on employee well-being. RESULTS: After controlling for job demands, job control, supervisory support and co-workers support, work-family life conflict was associated with employee mental well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Work-family life conflict is an important factor to explain employee well-being and productivity and should be addressed as well as work factors.

Moderated mediation between work life balance and employee job performance: the role of psychological wellbeing and satisfaction with coworkers / La mediación moderada entre el equilibrio vida-trabajo y el desempeño laboral: el papel del bienestar psicológico y de la satisfacción con los compañero

This research examined a moderated mediation model for answering how and why work-life balance affects employee job performance, and how satisfaction with coworkers is contingent upon it by enhancing employee’s psychological wellbeing. Data were collected from subordinates and their supervisors in the banking sector (N= 284). Empirical results indicate that psychological wellbeing mediates the link between work-life balance and job performance, and employees’ satisfaction with coworkers enhances job performance by strengthening the effect of work-life balance on psychological wellbeing. This research contributes to personnel management literature by describing moderated mediation mechanisms through which work-life balance influences employee job performance, and guides practitioners by emphasizing that employees with greater work-life balance perform better when their psychological wellbeing is reinforced by their satisfaction with coworkers

Esta investigación examina un modelo de mediación moderada para responder cómo y por qué el equilibrio entre vida personal y laboral afecta el desempeño del trabajo de los empleados y cómo la satisfacción con los compañeros de trabajo influye en ello al mejorar el bienestar psicológico de los empleados. Se recabaron datos de subordinados y sus supervisores del sector bancario (N= 284). Los resultados empíricos indican que el bienestar psicológico media el vínculo entre el equilibrio de vida personal y laboral y el desempeño del trabajo, y la satisfacción de los empleados con los compañeros de trabajo mejora el desempeño del trabajo, fortaleciendo el efecto de este equilibrio en el bienestar psicológico. La investigación contribuye a los estudios sobre gestión de personal mediante la descripción de mecanismos de mediación moderada, a través de los cuales el equilibrio entre la vida personal y la vida laboral influye en el desempeño laboral de los empleados, y sirve de guía a los gestores de personal al destacar que los empleados con mayor equilibrio entre vida personal y laboral obtienen mejor desempeño cuando su bienestar psicológico se ve reforzado por su satisfacción con los compañeros de trabajo