Disparities in the Quality of Working Life Among Older Workers: Housing Conditions and Life Satisfaction With Latent Class Analysis.

Little empirical research informs understanding of the disparate active aging experiences among working older adults, especially in terms of the association with living circumstances and life satisfaction. To address this knowledge gap, this study used latent class analysis on data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) core interview and focused on 1,194 employed adults aged 50 and above. The results revealed four subtypes of the quality of working life in older workers. Notably, in contrast to the other identified classes, higher levels of housing satisfaction and feelings of neighborhood safety were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of being a member of the group of older adults with the highest work capacities and the healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, participation in the class characterized by the highest work capacity and a healthy work-life balance was related to the highest levels of overall life satisfaction.

Development of a quality of work life scale for Japanese community pharmacists: a questionnaire survey mostly in large companies.

BACKGROUND: Human resource management may become complex for community pharmacists owing to recent changes in work volume and content. Few studies have examined job satisfaction, well-being, and quality of work life (QWL) among community pharmacists in Japan. This study focused on QWL, a more comprehensive concept than job satisfaction, and aimed to develop the QWL questionnaire for Japanese community pharmacists (the QWLQ for JCP) and assess its reliability and validity. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2027 pharmacists who worked in pharmacies with the cooperation of 20 corporations running pharmacies. Collected data were subjected to principal component factor analysis with Promax rotation via SPSS Windows version 28. RESULTS: The factor analysis used data from 1966 pharmacists. In total, five significant components, which formed the basis of the QWLQ for JCP, were identified. These included "Influence of work on mind and body," "Relationships with colleagues," "Relationship with the boss," "Meaning of existence in the workplace," and "Pride in work." Cronbach's alpha, which expressed reliability, ranged from 0.585 to 0.854 for all the subscales. CONCLUSION: The QWLQ for the JCP significantly explained the concept of QWL, which indicated that its validity was sufficient.

Calidad de vida laboral del personal de Enfermería de un hospital regional de Paraguay durante la pandemia COVID-19 / Occupational quality of life of the nursing staff at a regional hospital in Paraguay during the covid-19 pandemic

Objetivo: determinar la calidad de vida laboral en tiempos de COVID-19 del personal de Enfermería del Hospital Regional de Coronel Oviedo (Paraguay) durante el año 2022. Método: se realizó un estudio descriptivo trasversal en el Hospital Regional de Coronel Oviedo, en Paraguay, en enfermeros y enfermeras con al menos un año de experiencia. Se utilizó el cuestionario de calidad de vida laboral adaptado de Cruz Luque, además de variables sociodemográficas y laborales. Para los análisis bivariados entre las dimensiones del cuestionario de calidad de vida con las variables sociodemográficas y laborales, se utilizó la prueba de Chi cuadrado de Pearson. Resultados: se incluyeron 170 profesionales, con un rango etario entre 24 y 43 años, con predominio del sexo femenino (84,7%), estado civil casado (50,5%), con alguna especialización en el área (48,2%), y trabajando principalmente en un solo lugar. El promedio de pacientes diarios fue de uno a cinco pacientes (54,7%), con turnos laborales de 12 horas (56,4%). La percepción global de la calidad de vida laboral se ubicó entre mala (48%) y regular (37%). Las dimensiones específicas mostraron que la percepción más baja se encontró en el soporte institucional (48,82%) e integración en el puesto de trabajo (52,35%). Se identificaron asociaciones estadísticamente significativas entre la percepción de la calidad laboral y datos demográficos y laborales como edad, género, nivel educativo, turno de trabajo, experiencia laboral, horas trabajadas semanalmente y número de empleos. Conclusión: la percepción de calidad laboral se encontró entre mala y regular, siendo las dimensiones de soporte institucional y seguridad laboral las principales áreas críticas.(AU)

Objective: to determine the occupational quality of life in times of COVID-19 of the Nursing Staff of the Hospital Regional de Coronel Oviedo (Paraguay) during 2022. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Hospital Regional de Coronel Oviedo, in Paraguay, including male and female nurses with at least one year of experience. The adapted Occupational Quality of Life Questionnaire by Cruz Luque was used, as well as sociodemographic and occupational variables. Pearson’s Square Chi Test was used for bivariate analysis between the quality of life questionnaire dimensions and the sociodemographic and occupational variables. Results: the study included 170 professionals, with a 24-to-43-year age range, with prevalence of female gender (84.7%), married civil status (50.5%), with some specialization in the area (48.2%), and mostly working in one single place. The average daily patients were from one to five (54.7%), with 12-hour work shifts (56.4%). The overall perception of their occupational quality of life was between bad (48%) and moderate (37%). Specific dimensions showed that the lowest perception was found in institutional support (48.82%) and integration in the workplace (52.35%). Statistically significant associations were identified between the perception of work quality and demographic and occupational data such as age, gender, educational level, work shift, work experience, hours worked per week and number of jobs. Conclusion: the perception of quality of work was between bad and moderate, and the main critical areas were the dimensions of institutional support and safety at work.(AU)

The quality of working life: gap between perception and idealization impact of gender and status.

Background: Many studies show the existence of gender inequalities at work. For example, in France, only 37% of women have a managerial role, which is far from parity. Among these gender inequalities, the present study considers the Quality of Working Life (QWL) for women and managers. Method: This study measures the Quality of Working Life (QWL) perceived by individuals according to their gender (Women vs. Men) and their status (Managers vs. Co-workers). A questionnaire was distributed to 1,321 employees. It comprised two scales: the WRQoL scale and the QUALTRA-Scale. The QUALTRA-Scale permits the calculation of an index δ that measures the gap between the ideal QWL and the perceived QWL. Results: The ANOVA (2×2) revealed an impact of status on the perceived QWL on both scales. There was no gender effect. However, there was an effect of both gender and status on the index δ of the QUALTRA-Scale. In particular, for the Women group, δ was higher for the Social Relationships at Work whereas for the Co-workers, it was higher for the Work Environment. Conclusion: These results are discussed, highlighting the value of measuring the ideal QWL as a reference point for assessing the QWL.

Quality of working life of employees in public healthcare organization in Finland: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: Work dissatisfaction, burnout and workforce shortage are major problems in healthcare globally, all of which are associated with QWL. Previous studies have found that the QWL of healthcare professionals is moderate or low. The aim was to describe the quality of working life (QWL) of employees working in public healthcare and describe the association between QWL and background variables. DESIGN: This study had a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. METHODS: Data was collected from the employees of a Finnish healthcare organization in autumn 2021 using an online questionnaire (n = 837). Convenience sampling was used in the selection of the healthcare organization. The study was reported according to STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: The QWL was moderate, and the mean QWL index calculated from the questionnaire responses was 0.524. The QWL index was lowest in healthcare professionals and highest in upper management, with some dissatisfaction towards leadership noted.

Quality of working life can protect against cognitive and emotional vulnerability in women living with metastatic breast cancer: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Research focusing on the cognitive and emotional health of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is limited. The focal aim of the current study was to explore how quality of working life was related to global health, perceived cognitive function, anxiety and depression. To this end, women's experience of employers after MBC diagnosis and its relationship to quality of working life was also explored. METHODS: Women living with MBC (N = 88) completed online questionnaires assessing their global health status, perceived cognitive and emotional vulnerability and their experience of employers following diagnosis. Women working at the time of the study also reported on their quality of working life. RESULTS: Women's experience of employers after MBC diagnosis was positively related to their quality of working life. Importantly, greater quality of working life met with better perceived cognitive function and global health, as well as lower levels of depression in working women. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to establish the role of quality of working life in protecting against levels of cognitive vulnerability and emotional vulnerability to depression in women with MBC. We also highlight the importance of having a positive experience with employers. Our findings suggest that educational programmes can be provided to employers to enhance their understanding and awareness of the needs of women with MBC. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Women with MBC may benefit from employers accessing educational (or support) programmes that can increase their awareness of the treatment-related sequelae and needs of women with MBC in the workplace.

Turnover intention of nurses in public hospitals and its association with quality of working life: a cross-sectional survey in six provinces in China.

Objectives: High turnover intention can exacerbate the workforce shortage of nurses. This study aimed to determine the level of turnover intention of public hospital nurses in China and its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 2,863 nurses was conducted in 48 public hospitals across six provinces in mainland China, measuring the sociodemographic (gender, age, marital status, and monthly basic salary) and work characteristics (professional title, workload, night sleep deprivation, and workplace violence) of respondents, their quality of working life (QWL), and turnover intention. Multivariate logistic regression models were established to determine the association between QWL and turnover intention after adjustment for variations of the sociodemographic and work characteristics. Results: Overall, 42.8% of respondents reported turnover intention. Higher QWL scores (AOR = 0.824 for job and career satisfaction, p < 0.001; AOR = 0.894 for professional pride, p < 0.001; AOR = 0.911 for balance between work and family, p < 0.05) were associated with lower turnover intention. Workplace violence was the strongest predictor of higher turnover intention (AOR = 3.003-4.767) amongst the sociodemographic and work characteristics, followed by an age between 30 and 40 years (AOR = 1.457 relative to <30 years), and night sleep deprivation (AOR = 1.391-1.808). Senior professional title had a protective effect (AOR = 0.417 relative to no title) on turnover intention. Conclusion: High levels of turnover intention are evident across China in nurses employed by public hospitals, in particular in those aged between 30 and 40 years. Low QWL and poor work environment are significant predictors of turnover intention.

How hospital top managers reason about the central leadership task of balancing quality of patient care, economy and professionals' engagement: an interview study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to deepen the understanding of how top managers reason about handling the relationships between quality of patient care, economy and professionals' engagement. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Qualitative design. Individual in-depth interviews with all members of the executive management team at an emergency hospital in Norway were analysed using reflexive thematic method. FINDINGS: The top managers had the intention to balance between quality of patient care, economy and professionals' engagement. This became increasingly difficult in times of high internal or external pressures. Then top management acted as if economy was the most important focus. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: For health-care top managers to lead the pursuit towards increased sustainability in health care, there is a need to balance between quality of patient care, economy and professionals' engagement. This study shows that this balancing act is not an anomaly top-managers can eradicate. Instead, they need to recognize, accept and deliberately act with that in mind, which can create virtuous development spirals where managers and health-professional communicate and collaborate, benefitting quality of patient care, economy and professionals' engagement. However, this study builds on a limited number of participants. More research is needed. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Sustainable health care needs to balance quality of patient care and economy while at the same time ensure professionals' engagement. Even though this is a central leadership task for managers at all levels, there is limited knowledge about how top managers reason about this.

Decreasing Wellbeing and Increasing Use of Negative Coping Strategies: The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the UK Health and Social Care Workforce.

Many health and social care (HSC) professionals have faced overwhelming pressures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As the current situation is constantly changing, and some restrictions across the UK countries such as social distancing and mask wearing in this period (May-July 2021) began to ease, it is important to examine how this workforce has been affected and how employers can help rebuild their services. The aim of this study was to compare cross-sectional data collected from the HSC workforce in the UK at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic: Phase 1 (May-July 2020), Phase 2 (November 2020-January 2021) and Phase 3 (May-July 2021). Respondents surveyed across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) consisted of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers. Wellbeing and work-related quality of life significantly declined from Phase 1 to 3 (p < 0.001); however, no significant difference occurred between Phases 2 and 3 (p > 0.05). Respondents increasingly used negative coping strategies between Phase 1 (May-July 2020) and Phase 3 (May-July 2021), suggesting that the HSC workforce has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. These results have the potential to inform HSC employers' policies, practices, and interventions as the workforce continues to respond to the COVID-19 virus and its legacy.

Mental health outcomes and workplace quality of life among South African pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers is gaining attention globally. This study assessed the quality-of-working life (QoWL) and prevalence of, and risk factors for anxiety, depression and stress among South African pharmacists. METHODS: An online survey, after stratification by province, was sent to 3435 (target = 2454) randomly selected pharmacists between 14 April to 18 May 2021. Sociodemographic data were collected and mental health was assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale and a modified Work-Related Quality-of-Life tool. Prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress and QoWL was estimated. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with mental health outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 953/2454 pharmacists (38.8%) responded. Of these, 56.5% were 40 years or younger, 78.5% were female, 45.4% were White race and 44.5% were practicing in a community pharmacy setting. Pharmacists demonstrated symptoms of anxiety (n = 605, 66.1%), depression (n = 561, 62.9%), stress (n = 642, 73.8%) and low QoWL (n = 409, 51.3%). Significant risk factors (aOR; 95%CI) for anxiety, depression and stress were female gender (1.96;1.36-2.83,1.84;1.27-2.67,1.58;1.05-2.38, history of mental health conditions (2.50; 1.52-4.13, 3.68; 2.19-6.19, 3.34;1.85-6.03) and significant COVID-19 mitigation changes to pharmacy practice (2.70; 1.36-5.38, 4.23; 2.06-8.70, 3.14;1.44-6.82), respectively. Practice changes were also associated with a low QoWL (5.19; 2.40-11.8). Compared to their Black/African colleagues, Indian pharmacists were at higher risk for anxiety (1.82; 1.03-3.23) and stress symptoms (2.28; 1.21-4.32), while risk for depression was significant amongst White pharmacists (1.86; 1.05-3.32). Pharmacists living apart from family were at significant risk for anxiety (1.66; 1.15-2.41), depression (1.52; 1.06-2.18) and low QoWL (1.60; 1.10-2.34). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the mental health of South African pharmacists. Interventions to support the psychological well-being and improve QoWL of pharmacists are needed.

Bem-Estar, Mal-Estar e Gerenciamento de Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho / Well-being, Malaise and Quality of Work Life Management / Bienestar, Malestar y Gestión de la Calidad de Vida en el Trabajo

The issue of quality of working life (QWL) has assumed social and corporate relevance due to the worsening of harmful indicators for the health and safety of workers and the scope of the organizational mission. The research aimed to highlight the structuring representations of well-being and malaise at work by servants of a public organization seeking to contribute to the sustainable management of QWL. A total of 1,110 civil ser-vants of an executive branch of the Federal District, in Brazil, participated in the survey. Data were collected based on two open questions from the qualitative part of the Quality of Working Life Assessment Inventory (QWL-AI) and were analyzed using the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Ques-tionnaires (IRaMuTeQ) application. The results pointed to three discourse structuring thematic nuclei for work well-being (having a good relationship with colleagues, doing a job you like, and feeling useful to society) and malaise at work (work overload, lack of recognition, time pressure, and rework). Therefore, sustainable man-agement of QWL must be anchored in people management practices that foster professional development, the alignment between tasks, roles, and organizational mission, highlighting the social contributions, the recognition of the worker by their superiors, peers, and society, and the review of work organization, focusing on the reassessment of work processes, distribution of demands, and ways of setting and demanding goals

A questão da Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho (QVT) tem relevância social e corporativa em face do agravamento de indicadores nocivos para a saúde e segurança dos trabalhadores e o alcance da missão organizacional. A pesquisa objetivou evidenciar as representações estruturantes das vivências de bem-estar e mal-estar no trabalho por servidores de uma organização pública visando contribuir para o gerenciamento sustentável de QVT. Participaram da pesquisa 1.110 servidores de um órgão do poder executivo do Distrito Federal, no Brasil. Os dados foram coletados com base em duas questões abertas da parte qualitativa do Inventário de Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho (IA_QVT) e foram analisados com o aplicativo IRaMuTeQ. Os resultados apontaram três núcleos temáticos estruturadores do discurso para bem-estar no trabalho (relacionamento com colegas, fazer trabalho que gosta e sentir-se útil à sociedade) e mal-estar no trabalho (sobrecarga de trabalho, falta de reconhecimento e pressão temporal e retrabalho). A gestão sustentável de QVT, portanto, deve estar ancorada em práticas de gestão de pessoas que fomentem o investimento no desenvolvimento dos profissionais, o alinhamento das tarefas e papéis com a missão organizacional, evidenciando a conexão com as contribuições sociais, o reconhecimento do trabalhador por superiores, pares e sociedade, a revisão da organização do trabalho, com foco na reavaliação de processos de trabalho, distribuição de demandas e formas de pactuação e cobrança de resultados.

Academic Teachers about Their Productivity and a Sense of Well-Being in the Current COVID-19 Epidemic.

This article looked at the situation of university teachers in Poland during the COVID-19 epidemic as a result of their need to work remotely. The study was conducted in the first stage (I) on 21 academicians and in the second stage (II) on 18 academicians. The study was conducted to determine the level of productivity of the study group in their online learning competencies in relation to their well-being, as well as during the height, and weakening of the epidemic. The results of the survey conducted, especially during the height of the epidemic, indicated varying levels of self-evaluation of their productivity in relation to their digital competencies linked to the need for them to work remotely, which also affected their psychological well-being. Several cases of respondents indicated a negative assessment of their own productivity, and thus their quality of work life and sense of psychological well-being. However, some respondents, on the contrary, showed a desire to work, the need for self-improvement, and to continue their mission of teaching.

General mental state and quality of working life of call center employees.

Working conditions of call centers lead to serious mental problems in employees as well as affecting their working life quality due to factors such as excessive workload, complex and uncertain work environment, repetitive tasks, type of tasks that ignore notions of employees, benefiting from only a part of their skills, and poor labor inspection. This study aims to determine the general mental state and quality of working life of call center employees. The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 200 employees working at Sivas 'ALONET' call center between December 01, 2018, and December 31, 2018. We used the Personal Information Form, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) as data collection tools. We collected the data from the employees through face-to-face interviews during working hours. During the analysis, we used Pearson's Product Moments Correlation Analysis, t-test, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis H test, and Dunnet T3 Post Hoc test. We found that the mean score of the employees in GHQ-28 was 5.34 ± 5.60, and the compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue subscales of the ProQOL were 36.07 ± 9.88, 14.40 ± 7.74, and 13.89 ± 9.31, respectively. While the score of the employees from the overall GHQ-28 was significantly negatively correlated with the score from the compassion satisfaction subscales of the ProQOL, we found a significantly positive correlation between the scores of burnout and compassion fatigue subscales of the ProQOL. The findings of this study revealed that approximately 45.8% of the call center employees were mentally in the at-risk group, that their compassion satisfaction level was moderate, and that their burnout and compassion fatigue levels were low. Therefore, stress factors that employees facing in their working life should be determined, and training, counseling, and support programs should be carried out to prevent them from suffering from burnout and compassion fatigue.

Leading through the first wave of COVID: a Canadian action research study.

PURPOSE: This first phase of a three-phase action research project aims to define leadership practices that should be used during and after the pandemic to re-imagine and rebuild the health and social care system. Specifically, the objectives were to determine what effective leadership practices Canadian health leaders have used through the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, to explore how these differ from pre-crisis practices; and to identify what leadership practices might be leveraged to create the desired health and care systems of the future. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors used an action research methodology. In the first phase, reported here, the authors conducted one-on-one, virtual interviews with 18 health leaders from across Canada and across leadership roles. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. FINDINGS: Five key practices emerged from the data, within the core dimension of disrupting entrenched structures and leadership practices. These were, namely, responding to more complex emotions in self and others. Future practice identified to create more psychologically supportive workplaces. Agile and adaptive leadership. Future practice should allow leaders to move systemic change forward more quickly. Integrating diverse perspectives, within and across organizations, leveling hierarchies through bringing together a variety of perspectives in the decision-making process and engaging people more broadly in the co-creation of strategies. Applying existing leadership capabilities and experience. Future practice should develop and expand mentorship to support early career leadership. Communication was increased to build credibility and trust in response to changing and often contradictory emerging evidence and messaging. Future practice should increase communication. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The project was limited to health leaders in Canada and did not represent all provinces/territories. Participants were recruited through the leadership networks, while diverse, were not demographically representative. All interviews were conducted in English; in the second phase of the study, the authors will recruit a larger and more diverse sample and conduct interviews in both English and French. As the interviews took place during the early stages of the pandemic, it may be that health leaders' views of what may be required to re-define future health systems may change as the crisis shifts over time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The sponsoring organization of this research - the Canadian Health Leadership Network and each of its individual member partners - will mobilize knowledge from this research, and subsequent phases, to inform processes for leadership development and, succession planning across, the Canadian health system, particularly those attributes unique to a context of crisis management but also necessary in post-crisis recovery. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS: This research has shown that there is an immediate need to develop innovative and influential leadership action - commensurate with its findings - to supporting the evolution of the Canadian health system, the emotional well-being of the health-care workforce, the mental health of the population and challenges inherent in structural inequities across health and health care that discriminate against certain populations. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: An interdisciplinary group of health researchers and decision-makers from across Canada who came together rapidly to examine leadership practices during COVID-19's first wave using action research study design.

Effects of an educational intervention to strengthen humanistic practice on haemodialysis nurses' caring attitudes and behaviours and quality of working life: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are trained to establish a trusting relationship with patients to create an environment promoting patients' quality of life. However, in tech-heavy care settings, such as haemodialysis units, dehumanising practices may emerge and take root for various reasons to the potential detriment of both patients and nurses. For patients, this may lead to a deterioration of quality of life and, ultimately, of health status. For nurses, it may cause a deterioration of the work environment and, in turn, of quality of working life. Based on Watson's Theory of Human Caring, we developed a brief educational intervention for haemodialysis nurses to strengthen their humanistic practice in the aim of improving the nurse-patient relationship and nurse quality of working life.. The intervention was tested by way of an experimental design. METHODS: One hundred and one haemodialysis nurses, recruited in ten hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland, were randomised into an experimental group that received the intervention and a control group. The nurse-patient relationship was measured with the Caring Nurse-Patient Interaction Scale (EIIP-70) and nurse quality of life at work was measured with the Quality of Work Life Questionnaire at four time points: pre-intervention, intervention completion, and six-month and one-year follow-ups. Random intercept regression analysis was used to evaluate change over time in the two variables under study. RESULTS: The intervention appeared to reinforce nurse attitudes and behaviours geared to a more humanistic practice. The effect seemed to fade over time but, 1 year post-intervention, six dimensions of the nurse-patient relationship (hope, sensibility, helping relationship, expression of emotions, problem solving, teaching) scored above baseline. Nurse quality of working life, too, seemed positively impacted. The cultural dimension of nurse quality of working life, that is, the degree to which everyday work activities attune with personal and cultural values, seemed positively impacted, as well, with improvement stable throughout the year following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Results support a positive effect of the intervention over both the short term and the medium-to-long term. A brief intervention of the sort may constitute an effective means to improve the nurse-patient relationship by preventing or reducing dehumanising practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03283891 .

Evaluation of the quality of working life and its effective factors in employed nurses of Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Quality of working life (QWL) refers to aspects of life quality, which are related to work settings. This study was designed to evaluate the QWL and its effective factors among nurses of Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, the demographic questionnaire and work-related quality of life questionnaire were used to collect data among 435 nurses working in hospitals, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This article has been adapted from the approved project of Medical Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (with the identification code 8911215132). RESULTS: The average QWL of nurses in the study was 50.56. There was a significant statistical relationship between gender, frequency of overtime, and working ward with QWL (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, working ward had the only meaningful relationship. CONCLUSION: Due to low QWL of nurses in the emergency department, the need of interventions to improve conditions and ultimately to increase QWL of nurses working in the emergency room is being reminded.

Telework and Social Services in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This paper analyses teleworking in social services during the state of alarm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. It has a double objective: To analyse the profile of the professional who teleworked in social services and, on the other hand, to analyse the perception of teleworkers of working conditions during this period, as well as the degree to which they have been affected by them depending on whether they work face-to-face or telematically. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to Spanish social service professionals working, obtaining a sample of 560 professionals in the sector. The profile obtained in relation to teleworking may be especially useful when considering the progressive incorporation of more non-presential activity in social services, and the results show that, although teleworking has been perceived as an efficient way of overcoming the limitations to face-to-face work arising from the pandemic, both the positive and negative consequences of the implementation of this modality of work should be carefully assessed.

The Role of Coping in the Wellbeing and Work-Related Quality of Life of UK Health and Social Care Workers during COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers' wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

A Cross-Sectional Examination of the Mental Wellbeing, Coping and Quality of Working Life in Health and Social Care Workers in the UK at Two Time Points of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve around the world, it is important to examine its effect on societies and individuals, including health and social care (HSC) professionals. The aim of this study was to compare cross-sectional data collected from HSC staff in the UK at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic: Phase 1 (May-July 2020) and Phase 2 (November 2020-January 2021). The HSC staff surveyed consisted of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers from across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). Multiple regressions were used to examine the effects of different coping strategies and demographic and work-related variables on participants' wellbeing and quality of working life to see how and if the predictors changed over time. An additional multiple regression was used to directly examine the effects of time (Phase 1 vs. Phase 2) on the outcome variables. Findings suggested that both wellbeing and quality of working life deteriorated from Phase 1 to Phase 2. The results have the potential to inform interventions for HSC staff during future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, other infectious outbreaks or even other circumstances putting long-term pressures on HSC systems.

Impaired Quality of Working Life in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.

BACKGROUND: Work-related aspects are important determinants of health for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. AIMS: We aimed to describe quality of working life (QWL) in IBD patients and to assess variables that are associated with QWL. METHODS: Employed IBD patients of two tertiary and two secondary referral hospitals were included. QWL (range 0-100) was measured using the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire (QWLQ). Work productivity (WP), fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) were assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, respectively. Active disease was defined as a score > 4 for the patient-reported Harvey-Bradshaw index in Crohn's disease (CD) or Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index in ulcerative colitis patients. RESULTS: In total, 510 IBD patients were included (59% female, 53% CD, mean age 43 (SD 12) years). The mean QWLQ score was 78 (SD 11). The lowest subscore (54 (SD 26)) was observed for "problems due to the health situation": 63% reported fatigue-related problems at work, 48% agreed being hampered at work, 46% had limited confidence in their body, and 48% felt insecure about the future due to their health situation. Intermediate/strong associations were found between QWL and fatigue (r = - 0.543, p < 0.001), HRQL (r = 0.527, p < 0.001), WP loss (r = - 0.453, p < 0.001) and disease activity (r = - 0.331, p < 0.001). Independent predictors of impaired QWL in hierarchical regression analyses were fatigue (B = - 0.204, p < 0.001), WP loss (B = - 0.070, p < 0.001), and impaired HRQL (B = 0.248, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IBD-related problems at work negatively influence QWL. Fatigue, reduced HRQL, and WP loss were independent predictors of impaired QWL in IBD.