Showing papers on "Workforce published in 1996"

Key Issues in Women's Work: Female Heterogeneity and the Polarisation of Women's Employment

Abstract: Explaining Women's Subordination Marginal Employment, Voluntary Work, Unpaid Household Work Feminisation of the Workforce Work Values, Work Plans and Social Interaction in the Workplace Labour Mobility and Women's Employment Profiles Occupational Segregation and the Pay Gap Social Engineering: the Role of Law Conclusions: Female Diversity and Workforce Polarisation.

A structural equation model of burnout and job exit among child protective services workers

Abstract: Brett Drake , PhD, LCSW, is assistant professor ; and Gautam N. Tadama , PhD , is associate professor ; George Warren Brown School of Social Work , Washington University y Campus Box 1196 , One Brookings Drive , St. Louis , MO 63130. The authors ' work was supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Grant 90CW 1041/01. The involved ization, most available child demanding less welfare in in child worker the human field welfare and comfort, has difficult services. show long more more been vocational Social role depersonalamong ambiguworkers paths the most demanding and difficult vocational paths available in the human services. Social workers involved in child welfare show more depersonalzation, less worker comfort, ore r le mbiguity and conflict, and more value conflict than workers in family services agencies or community mental health settings (Jayaratne & Chess, 1984; Laird, 1985). Inadequate pay, difficult working conditions, lack of recognition, chronic stress, overwork, and other negative job characteristics have led to a continuing crisis in child welfare worker retention. Some authors (for example, Lee, 1979) have described burnout in child welfare as an inevitable occurrence that can only be postponed. Other authors have cited two-year turnover rates ranging from 46 percent to 90 percent (Harrison, 1980; Jayaratne & Chess, 1984; Jayaratne, Himle, & Chess, 1991; Shannon & Saleebey, 1980). This crisis is particularly serious given the complexity and breadth of skills required for effective child welfare practice. An adequate command of needed skills and competencies may take many months or years to develop (Lee, 1979), and the swift turnover in agencies means a relative lack of skills and competencies in a large percentage of the child welfare workforce. The rapid and continuing loss of experienced and committed child welfare workers must be reduced to ensure a workforce with the skills to perform extremely difficult and critical functions. In addition to its effects on turnover, burnout impairs practice by contributing to lower levels of commitment and impaired decision making (McGee, 1989).

Teacher Pay and Teacher Quality

Abstract: Ballou and Podgursky analyze the issues surrounding the debate over whether increasing salaries for teachers leads to a more qualified teaching workforce. The authors find little evidence to support the link between increased salaries and teacher quality, then address two questions: 1) What went wrong? and 2) Which reforms are likely to meet with increased success?

Employment equity, affirmative action and managing diversity: assessing the differences

Abstract: Affirmative action in the USA, and employment equity in Canada, are policy frameworks that have developed through the use of legislation, regulation and decisions by courts and administrative tribunals, as mechanisms for addressing discrimination in employment. Managing diversity, in contrast, is a voluntary initiative by corporate decision makers, at the level of the firm, in response to the growth of diversity in the workforce and marketplace. Provides a framework for comparing and assessing the three approaches and choosing between them.

Managing Generation X: How to Bring Out the Best in Young Talent

Abstract: Managing Generation X explains Generation X to its employers. It tunes in to the free-agent mindset that has swept across the entire workforce and serves as the best source of information on a generation that is leaving an indelible mark on the culture of American business. GenXers' willingness to walk away from any unsatisfactory employment relationship launched the staffing crisis that plagues employers today--and has allowed them to become the most entrepreneurial generation in history. Managing Generation X shows employers how to tap this valuable, quirky labor pool. GenXers speak in verbatim interview narratives on almost every page, offering their firsthand experiences as well as concrete advice on how to manage them (and how not to). Through the clear lens of Managing Generation X, we can see the future of work and the workforce of the future.

Career success: An assessment of a gender-specific model

Abstract: The paper assesses a gender-specific model of career success, using human capital attributes, career choices, and opportunity structures as predictors. The model was evaluated in two studies using a sample of managers from a public sector organization, and a sample of British employees from the general workforce. The results demonstrated the need for gender-specific models, as the paths to career success vary between the sexes. The importance attached to specific predictors of career success varied between men and women. Job-specific attributes influenced more the career success of men; whereas women's achievements were obtained more through job-relevant merits, career-move decisions and organizational and occupational opportunities' structures. The results and their implications for future studies of career success are discussed.

Workplace organizational correlates of lost-time accident rates in manufacturing.

Abstract: We report the results of a questionnaire survey of manufacturing workplaces related to the lost-time frequency rates (LTFR) for Workers' Compensation claims. Six types of industry were chosen.' metal articles, plastic articles, grain products, textile manufacturing, printing, and automobile manufacturing. LTFR were standardized by type of industry. Stratifying simultaneously by number of employees and LTFR category, we sampled 718 workplaces. A mail questionnaire to labor and management representatives provided at least some information on 58%. Response rates were similar across LTFR categories, and telephone interviews of non-responders showed little difference in their replies from those obtained in completed questionnaires. A large number of variables were examined. Apart from statistical significance, we looked for consistency in trends across LTFR categories and in patterns for similar questions. Significant associations grouped into several areas. Lower LTFR were associated with: concrete demonstration by management of its concern for the workforce; greater involvement of workers in general decision-making; greater willingness of the Joint Health and Safety Committee to solve problems internally; and greater experience of the workforce. Variables that were not significant included profitability and financial performance. A final stepwise multiple regression explained 19% of the variance in LTFR, although this analysis suffered from several limitations.

Working in the Middle: Strengthening Education and Training for the Mid-Skilled Labor Force

Abstract: 1. Distinctive Characteristics of the Mid-Skilled Labor Market 2. Educational Pathways into the Mid-Skilled Labor Market 3. Economic Perspectives on Educational Preparation 4. Creating a Unified ?System? of Workforce Preparation 5. Integrating Occupational, Academic, and Remedial Instruction 6. Enhancing Connections Between Educational Institutions and Employers 7. Rethinking Public Policies Toward Occupational Preparation 8. Future TrAnds and Needs of Workers in the Middle.

Benchmarking the US Physician Workforce: An Alternative to Needs-Based or Demand-Based Planning

Abstract: Objective. —To propose population-based benchmarking as an alternative to needs- or demand-based planning for estimating a reasonably sized, clinically active physician workforce for the United States and its regional health care markets. Design. —Cross-sectional analysis of 1993 American Medical Association and American Osteopathic Association physician masterfiles. Population. —The resident population of the 306 hospital referral regions in the United States. Main Outcome Measures. —Per capita number of clinically active physicians by specialty adjusted for age and sex population differences and out-of-region health care utilization. The measured physician workforce was compared with 4 benchmarks: the staffing within a large (2.4 million members) health maintenance organization (HMO), a hospital referral region dominated by managed care (Minneapolis, Minn), a hospital referral region dominated by fee-for-service (Wichita, Kan), and the proposed "balanced" physician supply (50% generalists). Results. —The proportion of the US population residing in hospital referral regions with a higher per capita generalist workforce than the benchmark was 96% for the HMO benchmark, 60% for Wichita, and 27% for Minneapolis. The specialist workforce exceeded all 3 benchmarks for 74% of the population. The per capita workforce of generalists was not related to the proportion of generalists among regions (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.06; P =.26). Conclusions. —Population-based benchmarking offers practical advantages to needs- or demand-based planning for estimating a reasonably sized per capita workforce of clinically active physicians. The physician workforce within the benchmarks of an HMO and health care markets indicates the varying opportunities for regional physician employment and services. The ratio of generalists to specialists does not measure the adequacy of the supply of the generalist workforce either nationally or for specific regions. Research measuring the relationship between physician workforces of different sizes and population outcomes will guide the selection of future regional benchmarks.

The Management of a Multicultural Workforce

Abstract: Human Resource Management and its Significance for International Firms. Origins and Scope of National Culture. Relevance of National Culture for Organisations. Influences of National Culture on Organisations. DEALING AND COPING WITH DIFFERENT NATIONAL CULTURES. Management of Human Resources in a Single Multinational Firm: The Context. Management of Human Resources in a Single Multinational Firm: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally. Management of Human Resources in International Alliances and Joint Ventures. Management of a Multi--Ethnic Workforce in the Same Site. Transferring Management Practices Across Cultures. Concluding Remarks. Index.

Towards a competent workforce

Abstract: The UK has been engaged in a radical reform of its vocational education and training. As part of that process new methods have been devised to analyze and describe the outcomes which people are expected to achieve at work - which are called occupational standards. This text contains a description of functional analysis, the method developed to define occupational standards and National Vocational Qualifications. It also discusses changes in contemporary work patterns, arguing that a new model of occupational competence is needed - the Job Competence Model. The text is in four parts. The first argues for a more strategic role for vocational education and training - to develop a competent workforce able to meet the challenges of changing economic needs. Part two charts the development of models of occupational competence which reflect these changing needs. Parts three and four together constitute a manual on how to use functional analysis to develop and define the occupational standards which describe the performance characteristics of a competent workforce.

The role of communication in managing reductions in work force

Abstract: Reductions in work force (downsizing, delayering, resizing, outplacement, layoffs, demassing) are used by organizations to achieve desired economic goals and ensure survival. However, these reductions often negatively affect the work behaviors and attitudes of continuing employees and thus, may detract from the success of the reduction in work force. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the effects of multiple workforce reductions on survivors by extending Brockner's (1988) model and outlining the role of communication in the process so that researchers and practitioners can better predict and control for the effects of workforce reductions. In pursuit of this goal, a causal model of effects on survivors was developed and then tested with data collected in a large, midwestern insurance company that implemented two workforce reductions. The hypothesized model was inconsistent with the data and subsequently was rejected. A revised model was then tested and found to fit at ...

Managed Care and the Nurse Workforce

Abstract: Objectives. —To identify recent national trends in the employment and earnings of nursing personnel and determine whether managed care is associated with changes in the employment and wage growth of nursing personnel. Design. —Retrospective analysis of trends in data on employment and earnings of nursing personnel based on monthly US Bureau of the Census Current Population Surveys between 1983 and 1994, and comparison of trends between states with high and low rates of enrollment in health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Population. —Registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and nurse aides/assistants, orderlies, and attendants (referred to collectively as aides) between the ages of 21 and 64 years. Outcome Measures. —Full- and part-time employment, unemployment, percentage of nursing personnel employed in key sectors of the nurse labor market, and inflation-adjusted hourly wages. Results. —From 1983 through 1994, there was strong overall growth in both RN employment (37%) and inflation-adjusted wages (22%). Beginning in the early 1990s, however, RNs experienced stagnant wages and a small but steady shift toward employment in lower-paying nonhospital settings, particularly in home health care. In states with high HMO enrollment, RN and LPN employment has grown more slowly since 1990, and the shift of RN employment out of the hospital was strongest. For aides and LPNs, the shift out of hospital employment occurred years before that of RNs and at a much greater rate. Since 1990 the employment of aides has grown rapidly in nursing homes and in home health care settings, whereas employment of LPNs has shifted primarily into physician offices and nursing homes. Overall, the movement toward nonhospital employment has had a modest negative impact on wages for all nursing personnel. Conclusions. —Managed care is associated with slower employment growth for RNs in hospitals and a shift toward employment in nonhospital settings, but its effect on earnings has been overshadowed by other forces impacting nurse wages.

The relationship between career and job opportunities: women’s employment in the hospitality industry as a microcosm of women’s employment

Abstract: Points out that in virtually all cultures and within the majority of organizations, there are differences in the distribution of women and men throughout the workforce, with clear understandings about appropriate work for women and men and which incumbents of posts are in “gender atypical” occupations. States that women managers are a case in point. Explores the dynamics which lead to and reinforce gendered occupational segregation by focusing on the hospitality industry, in which women predominate in the UK workforce but remain under‐represented in management. Postulates that there are three mutually‐reinforcing but distinct elements which influence the allocation or denial of particular work to women: labour cost, sexuality and patriarchal prescription. Presents research findings which suggest that women in “feminized” industries and occupations may face more formidable barriers and prejudices when they seek to develop careers rather than jobs because of the entrenched roles already allocated to women in such employment contexts.

Effects of Public and Private Policies on Working after Childbirth

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of parental leave laws, policies that help families balance work and family life, and the supply, cost, and quality of substitutes for the mother's time on how soon mothers begin working outside the home following childbirth. The data come from the National Child Care Survey 1990, a survey of 4,400 families with children under age 13, and A Profile of Child Care Settings, a study of child care centers conducted at the same time in the same communities. The sample consists of 613 mothers who had a child in the year before the survey. Proportional hazards models were used to model the effects of policies on the risk of working within the year after childbirth, controlling for characteristics of the mother and the family. The results suggest that employer policies affect how quickly mothers who had been employed prior to the birth reenter the workforce.

Reorganizing the Faculty Workforce for Flexibility: Part-Time Professional Labor.

Abstract: Part-time Professional Labor In the United States the rise of the academic profession in the last quarter of the nineteenth century was marked by the establishment of faculty as full-time employees of colleges and universities with career tracks in their fields [18, 32] Subsequently the profession struggled to establish autonomy vis-a-vis managers and boards, as the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) successfully inscribed tenure and academic freedom in institutional policy and in case law [36](1) In the post-World War II era, many faculty gained such autonomy from the organization that analysts contrasted "local" and "cosmopolitan" faculty [7] and spoke of an "academic revolution" [12] in which faculty's power within and beyond the university increased by virtue of their research and grants activity However, the last quarter of the twentieth century has seen challenges to faculty autonomy and job security The AAUP censure list [33, 35] and case law reveal ongoing violations of academic freedom and tenure Amidst criticism of faculty as self-interested careerists, demands for more accountability and the reform or elimination of tenure emerged in the 1970s and 1990s Many faculty have been retrenched [29] Moreover, there is a twenty-five-year trend of increased numbers and percentage of part-time relative to full-time faculty [1, 21] Managers in higher education have hired more part-time workers to minimize costs and maximize managerial control in providing educational services The professional position of faculty is being renegotiated, with an increased emphasis on managerial flexibility in relation to the academic workforce In this article I address several professional workforce issues as they relate to part-time faculty, concentrating on unionized institutions I look at unionized institutions because most part-time faculty are found in the type of institution most likely to be unionized - community colleges, comprehensive state colleges, and universities Also, the professional status of such part-timers and the political battle surrounding their use are clear in the formalized context of collective bargaining I focus on part-timers because their growing numbers represent a challenge to the academic profession's definition of faculty lines as full-time, with a secure future The use of part-time faculty also represents an explicit challenge to tenure as the professional structure that defines faculty's terms of employment Most of the higher education literature on part-timers is taxonomic and/or functionalist [6, 39] It offers insights into the previously unmapped terrain of part-time faculty by classifying types of part-timers In addition to providing an overview of employment conditions and use of part-timers, this literature focuses on issues such as motivation (of employers and part-timers) and quality [6, 16] It recommends planned, rational use of part-time faculty, incorporating them into the organization, improving their practice, and enhancing educational/institutional performance [5] In short, the literature promotes "effective policies and practices" [20] Generally sympathetic to part-time faculty [3, 6] the literature accepts managers' stated need for increasing numbers of such faculty Many problems experienced by part-timers are attributed to full-time faculty more interested in protecting their professional privileges than in educational quality or employment equity [15] That critique has been extended to the tenure system, portrayed as inhibiting necessary managerial flexibility and causing the exploitation of part-timers: Are [full-time faculty] willing to preserve tenure and the associated privileges at the expense of exploited nontenure-track academic workers? We question the viability of the existing tenure system because it requires that tenured faculty be subsidized with a work force that carries heavy loads at low pay [6, pp …

Managing contingent workers : how to reap the benefits and reduce the risks

Abstract: Contingent workers now account for nearly a quarter of the US workforce. This book provides statistical data, analysis, and detailed case studies that challenge the prevailing assumption that "on call" workers are always a cost-effective alternative to using "core" workers. The book provides detailed information on how: to analyze the cost-effectiveness of using contingent labour; to determine when it will save money - and when it won't; to measure the cost-effectiveness of training; to manage contingent workers, or a "blended" workforce of core and contingent workers, for greatest effectiveness; and to understand legal, tax and social implications. The book also documents the mixed experiences of using contingent labour through five detailed case studies.

Expatriate acculturation in Arab Gulf countries

Abstract: Recent events in the Gulf have increased interest in the number, occupations and living conditions of the expatriates in the six Arab Gulf countries who constitute a significant proportion of the world’s migrant workforce. Their excessive dependence on expatriate labour is justly regarded by Gulf countries as a major problem which has broad and deep economic, political and cultural impacts. Argues that despite measures adopted by these countries to increase the indigenous share of the local labour market, dependence on foreign labour is expected to continue in the forseeable future at least. Contends, therefore, that more attention should be paid to help expatriates achieve a greater degree of acculturation. Explains that a literature survey shows that acculturation is influenced by four variables: cultural differences; expatriates’ rights and duties in the host country; work climate; and living conditions. Available information on Gulf countries indicates that the impact of these variables depends to some extent on the nationality of the expatriate. Suggests a number of measures to facilitate expatriate acculturation.

Sisters organising — women and their trade unions

Abstract: Women make up almost half of the British workforce. Yet only one-third of trade union2 members are women, and within their unions women rarely reach the top; in 1994 there were four female general secretaries. Throughout the 1980s there were never more than five unions led by a woman, and in only a third were women represented on national executive bodies in proportion to their membership.

Rites of passage. Adaptation of nursing graduates to a hospital setting

Abstract: Socialization is the process of moving from one social role to another by gaining knowledge, skills, and behaviors to participate in a group Nurses who graduate from a nursing program, enter the work force, and develop a career undergo socialization as they become insiders in the hospital The author's purpose in this article is to examine the socialization process of students in nursing education programs, in the workforce after graduation, and in the experiences a graduate may encounter during adaptation to the hospital

Beyond retention: National Health Service Corps participation and subsequent practice locations of a cohort of rural family physicians.

Abstract: Background: This report addresses the long-term career paths and retrospective impressions of a cohort of family physicians who served in rural National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites in return for having received medical school scholarships during the early 1980s. Methods: We surveyed all physicians who graduated from medical school between 1980 and 1983, received NHSC scholarships, completed family medicine residencies, and served in rural areas. Two hundred fifty-eight physicians responded to our survey with complete information, 76 percent of the members of the cohort who could be located and met the study criteria. Results: In 1994 one quarter of the respondents were still practicing in the county to which they had been assigned by the NHSC, an average of 6.1 years after the end of their obligation. Another 27 percent were still in rural practice. Of the entire group, less than 40 percent were in traditional urban private or managed care settings. Conclusions: Although only one quarter of NHSC assignees remain long term in their original assignment counties, they provide a large (and growing) amount of nonobligated service to those areas. Of those who leave, many remain in rural practice or work in community-oriented urban practices.

Career destinations in 1994 of United Kingdom medical graduates of 1983: results of a questionnaire survey.

Abstract: Cohort studies of doctors' career choices and career progression since the mid-1970s have shown important changes in the medical workforce, in specialist training, and in employment. Examples of these changes are the increasing proportion of women doctors and of doctors who wish to work part time, the emigration patterns of doctors, and the development of vocational training for general practice. Studies enable the effects of longer term changes to be assessed, and sometimes they inform current debate The number of entrants to medical school in the United Kingdom is fixed by quota. The number of junior medical posts and their geographical distribution are also tightly regulated. Control is aimed at avoiding either overproduction or inadequate supply of doctors. With a planned medical workforce it is important to know about the career intentions and destinations of medical graduates.1 We report a follow up study of the qualifiers of 1983 from all medical schools in the United Kingdom. We record their employment 11 years after qualification, paying particular attention to doctors who were abroad, those who were in the United Kingdom but not in medicine, and those who were in the United Kingdom practising medicine outside the NHS. In 1983-4 lists from the General Medical Council were used to identify the cohort of doctors who had qualified in the United Kingdom in 1983.1 Questionnaires were mailed to these doctors one, three, and 11 years after qualification. Structured questions covered career intentions, factors which influenced career choices, and posts held. Respondents were also invited to comment on any aspect of their career choice, training, and work experience. Employment groups were defined to distinguish doctors who worked in the United Kingdom from those abroad, those working in the NHS from those in other medical employment in the United Kingdom, those working in …

Gastroenterology Workforce Modeling

Abstract: Objective. —To examine the current supply and distribution of gastroenterologists and project future supply under various scenarios to provide a paradigm for workforce reform. Design. —An analysis of current practices and distribution of gastroenterologists and a demographic model, using the 1992 gastroenterology workforce as a baseline. Main Outcome Measure. —Comparison of current supply, distribution, and practice profiles with past data and future projections, using analyses of data from the 1993 Area Resource File, 1992 Medicare Part B file, age- and sex-specific death and retirement rates from the Bureau of Health Professions, managed care staffing patterns, the National Survey of Internal Medicine Manpower, and the Bureau of the Census. Results. —Rapid growth in the number of US gastroenterologists has resulted in a gastroenterologist-to-population ratio double that used on average by health maintenance organizations. In addition, the work profile of gastroenterologists is shared significantly by primary care physicians and other specialists, with the exception of a few specific and uncommon procedures. Conclusions. —Empirical evidence suggests that, even in the absence of detailed models to describe the desired supply/need balance for gastroenterology, the US health care system and clinicians may benefit from a reduction in gastroenterology training programs. The Gastroenterology Leadership Council endorsed a goal of 25% to 50% reduction in trainee numbers over 5 years, and recent National Resident Matching Program data indicate that a voluntary downsizing process is in full force. This study illustrates a paradigm for workforce planning that could be useful for other medical specialties.

An occupational health and safety intervention research agenda for production agriculture: Does safety education work?

Abstract: It is clear that agriculture has not kept pace with other hazardous industries in reducing its injury rate. For example, between 1960 and 1990 the work death rate for agriculture decreased only 28% while the work death rates decreased 65% for mining and 55% for construction [Purschwitz (1992)]. A national conference in Iowa in 1988 came to the forceful conclusion that "America's most productive workforce was being systematically liquidated by an epidemic of occupational disease and traumatic death and injury" [NCASH (1988)]. In 1991, the nation's top public health officer, the U.S. Surgeon General, convened a conference titled "FarmSafe 2000-A National Coalition for Local Action," to formally address agricultural safety and health issues. Importantly, conferees recognized that preventing injury and disease was superior to trying to rehabilitate people after an injury occurred. But does participation in farm safety and health educational programs lead to a reduction in risk of injury from farm work? Questions are being raised about the value of farm safety and health educational information, campaigns, programs, and related activities. The questions have identified a critical gap in the literature of farm safety and health education. There is currently no good evidence demonstrating that farm safety and health education, campaigns, programs, or related activities lead to a relatively stable reduction of risk on the farm. In other words, do farmers and their families actually put to use, in a relatively permanent or stable manner, the educational information regarding elimination, reduction, or control of physical hazards and the modification of work behavior that may cause injury?

Managing Diversity: Lessons from the Private Sector

Abstract: The age, sex, and ethnicity of the U. S. work force is changing. Organizations are implementing a variety of strategies to recruit, integrate and manage the new workforce and to better harness the potential of all employees. This article examines the processes employed by private companies to develop diversity, compares them with a public initiative, explores the lessons learned, and discusses the implications for public personnel managers.

The impact of human capital on labour productivity in manufacturing sectors of the European Union

Abstract: The effects of human capital on both the level and growth of labour productivity in manufacturing sectors in seven member states of the European Union are analysed, distinguishing between four effects of human capital: worker, allocative, diffusion and research. Human capital is represented by the shares of intermediate and highly-skilled workers in the workforce of a sector. It is shown that the manufacturing sectors can be divided into three classes of sectors with different intensities of highly-skilled workers: low-, medium- and high-skill sectors. The estimation results show that both intermediate and highly-skilled labour have a positive effect on the labour productivity of a sector, although the effect is only significant for highly-skilled labour. Moreover, there are indications of underinvestment of human capital in some manufacturing sectors. These sectors could improve their competitive position by raising the employment shares of intermediate and highly-skilled labour. Finally, intermediate-sk...

Organizational commitment and hospital pharmacists

Abstract: Examines the level of organizational commitment of hospital‐based pharmacists in Perth, Western Australia, and the relationship between commitment and some variables which research in other areas has suggested might be its antecedents. Argues that there are such relationships in this case as well, and that they are in the expected direction. Suggests that programmes undertaken to increase job satisfaction should have a significant impact on pharmacists’ commitment to the depart‐ment. If such programmes are successful they should result in a more highly committed workforce. Interestingly, the findings indicate that it is increased satisfaction with quality of working life and extrinsic factors (e.g. evaluation systems), rather than satisfaction with pay or job security, which has the biggest impact on commitment, and that low committed people tend to have higher stress levels than more highly committed people. Concludes, therefore, that any effort to improve organizational commitment will be beneficial in lowering stress levels in the job concerning areas such as staffing, and the perceived pressure of the job.

Characteristics of the craft workforce

Abstract: The heart of the competitiveness in the U.S. construction industry has always been the skilled workforce that has been available to implement the technology of construction. During the late 1980s, ...

Restructuring hospital nursing: reversing the trend toward a professional work force.

Abstract: Registered nurses are currently threatened by a new managerial strategy to restructure work on hospital wards through the implementation of "Continuous Quality Improvement" and the "downsizing" of the professional work force. The strategy reintroduces nonprofessional and unlicensed nursing personnel in a manner that may displace large numbers of registered nurses (RNs) and affect patient care adversely. Ironically, not only is this change being implemented principally to reduce hospital costs rather than to improve quality, it reverses the cost-containment strategy implemented in the 1980s when hospitals displaced nonprofessional nursing workers and moved toward a professional work force. In this article, the author reviews the prior shift from "team nursing" with a stratified work force that included licensed practical nurses and nurses' aides to "primary nursing" and the trend toward all-RN staffing, and explains how this trend contributed to the present effort to reverse the process. The author then discusses current work redesign methods that have been adapted from traditional industrial applications to destroy work jurisdictions and further rationalize hospital production through the downsizing of the professional work force and the creation of cross-trained workers in a new team-based management approach. The article concludes by discussing nursing's response to corporate-imposed work restructuring and the significance of these changes.