Gauging the impact of personal lifestyle, indoor environmental quality and work-related factors on occupant productivity when working from home

PurposePersonal lifestyle, work environments and work-related factors can significantly affect occupant productivity. Although many studies examine the affecting factors of occupant productivity in offices, explorations for the home-based work environment, which is designed mainly for living purposes, are still scarce. Moreover, current pandemic has made work from home a new normal for workers around the world. Therefore, it is important to identify key causal factors of occupant productivity when working from home.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed descriptive analysis and regression analysis method to explore the relationship among personal lifestyle, indoor environmental quality and work-related factors toward occupant productivity. A questionnaire including a comprehensive list of key measures was designed and 189 valid responses were collected from more than 13,000 participants.FindingsResults show that a healthy lifestyle, the perceived satisfaction of visual and acoustic environment, communication, interest in work, workload, flexible schedule and privacy positively affect occupant productivity when working from home, while coffee consumption, outside views and windows have negative effect.Originality/valueOpportunities to enhance occupants' home-based work productivity include developing a healthy lifestyle by taking advantage of flexible schedule, equipping a working room at home with advanced and intelligent environment control systems, and improving communication, workload and schedule by changing the policy of companies.

Professional roles of female urologists: A webinar-based survey of perceptions and obstacles to career development

Background: Urology, traditionally a maledominated specialty, keeping pace with the quickly changing gender landscape, has been characterized by waves of feminization. This study aims to understand the perspectives of women urologists on the obstacles to their career development, and the impact of such hurdles on their professional roles in urological education, practice, and leadership. Methods: 119 female urology residents/consultants were surveyed via a webinar-based platform, covering relevant questions on domains of Academia, Mentorship, Leadership, Parenting, and Charity. Statistical analysis was done using frequency distribution based on the responses. Results: 46.8% of the respondents felt that there is an under-representation of women in academia. ‘Having a good mentor’ was the most important factor for a novice to succeed in academia (68%). The most important trait in becoming a good leader was ‘good communication skills’ (35%), followed by ‘visionary’ (20%). The greatest challenge faced by leaders in the medical field was considered as ‘time management’ (31.9%). Only 21.2% of the participants felt difficulty in having a work-personal life balance, whereas 63.8% of them found it difficult only ‘sometimes’. As a working parent, ‘the guilt that they are not available all the time’ was considered the most difficult aspect (59.5%), and ‘more flexible schedule’ was needed to make their lives as a working parent easier (46.8%). 34% of the respondents were affiliated with some charitable organizations. The biggest drive to do charity was their satisfaction with a noble cause (72.3%). Conclusions: Need for increased encouragement and recruitment of females into urology, and to support and nurture them in their career aspirations.

What should we do about the employment of women with children in Russia? The role of preschool educational institutions

The paper examines the opportunities and obstacles to increasing the employment of women with children in Russia. There is a tight correlation between Russia’s lagging behind in the share of working women with children under the age of three and a lack of supply of preschool and childcare institutions. Using quantitative analysis of the Russian regions, we show that the expansion of the supply of preschool education services is associated with an increase in the employment of women, and the cost of introducing additional places in preschool organizations is recouped by additional tax revenues from working women with children in two years. Our cross-country analysis shows that the transition from traditional gender and social roles to more equal ones, the reduction of gender inequality, the encouragement of fathers to take parental leave, and the increased availability of part-time or flexible-schedule employment for women with children could further facilitate the employment of women with children. Our estimates show that an increase of preschool enrollment in Russia to the level of European countries would materialize a sizable economic growth potential: an increase in income per capita would be 3.5%.

What should we do about the employment of women with children in Russia? The role of preschool educational institutions

The paper examines the opportunities and obstacles to increasing the employment of women with children in Russia. There is a tight correlation between Russia’s lagging behind in the share of working women with children under the age of three and a lack of supply of preschool and childcare institutions. Using quantitative analysis of the Russian regions, we show that the expansion of the supply of preschool education services is associated with an increase in the employment of women, and the cost of introducing additional places in preschool organizations is recouped by additional tax revenues from working women with children in two years. Our cross-country analysis shows that the transition from traditional gender and social roles to more equal ones, the reduction of gender inequality, the encouragement of fathers to take parental leave, and the increased availability of part-time or flexible-schedule employment for women with children could further facilitate the employment of women with children. Our estimates show that an increase of preschool enrollment in Russia to the level of European countries would materialize a sizable economic growth potential: an increase in income per capita would be 3.5%.

Legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic for language education: Focusing on institutes managers’ lived experiences

Purpose This paper aims to compare the use of technology in language institutes before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the authors illustrate the legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic for language institutes from the managers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach In the current study, the authors went through a systematic process of collecting qualitative data, discovering sub-categories, forming categories out of them and explaining the topic under investigation using selected categories. Findings The findings showed that the use of technology has dramatically changed from limited usage for administrative purposes and computer-assisted language learning to building the future of an institute based on online education. Also, the health and education pandemics had positive legacies for language education in making a decision to move to fully online education for having a more sustainable organization, solving the potential problems of an organization with collaboration and cooperation between the managers and employees based on integrity, developing teachers’ knowledge, literacy and skills which lead to the best practices in online language teaching and shifting to flexible schedule based on the students’ needs and timetable which increases the accessibility of language education. Originality/value Based on the review, none of the previous research focused on the critical role of managers in language institutes facing the pandemic. Thus, the relationship between managerial decisions in technology integration, readiness for transformation and moving to online language education is still vague.

Covid-19, Workplace Challenges

Workplace now, workplace then, the new normal is a conceptual paper written to enlightened how organizations monitor employees' work performance from home as versus working in the office as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of this article was to determine how organizations are able to measure the performance of their employees when they are working from home. Secondly, to evaluate how organizations are able to monitor virtual workload as versus traditional workload. And finally, through scrutinizing the new workplace normal articles, the author derived the third objective which is to determine how the employees balanced their work and family disputes during the Covid 19 pandemic. Several related articles were scrutinized to demonstrate the current workplace scenario as opposed to the traditional practices. At the end of the article, we proposed monitoring measures and how employees' performance can be improved during the Covid19 pandemic. Flexibility in goal setting, teamwork, and regular performance feedback will psychologically lead to positivity in work performance. Whilst, social support, job autonomy, workload, and monitoring would reduce employees' procrastination in carrying out their virtual workload. And finally, a 360° social support, flexible schedule, mental therapy, and boundary management able to overcome work and mental stress thus create a healthy working environment.

Improvement of the system of additional professional education of specialists with secondary medical education

The purpose of the study the attitude of nurses to the existing system of advanced training and determine ways to optimize it. Results. An analysis of the opinions of nursing staff on improving the system of additional vocational education in accordance with personal needs showed that most of the students of advanced training courses expressed a desire to be present in the training process of practical health care professionals from large medical organizations using modern and innovative teaching methods; introduction of distance learning into the educational process of nursing staff with a flexible schedule and an individual student's plan; the use of modern and innovative technologies, methods and forms of professional and educational activities, formed taking into account the opinions of the students themselves; maintaining a high professional level of the teacher, the main qualities of which are the ability to motivate to study, maintain interest in the classroom and create a favorable psychological attitude. Conclusion. In improving the quality of medical care for patients, specialists with secondary medical education, in the development of new innovative technologies, additional professional education is a key resource, which goes along with the specialist throughout his entire professional activity and is able to adapt them to new professional requirements.

Experiences engaging in a group-based physiotherapist-led exercise programme for adults living with HIV and complex multimorbidity: a qualitative study

ObjectiveTo explore experiences participating in a group-based physiotherapist (PT)-led exercise programme among people living with HIV and complex multimorbidity.DesignWe conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews.Recruitment and settingWe recruited community-dwelling adults living with HIV who engaged in a group-based PT-led exercise programme within an HIV-specialty hospital in Toronto, Canada. Interviews were conducted in-person or by telephone.ParticipantsEight men and two women with a median age of 58 years and median of six concurrent conditions in addition to HIV, who had attended ≥2 classes of the exercise programme.Data collectionInterviews explored (1) reasons for engaging in the programme, (2) experiences with exercise prior to and after joining the programme, (3) facilitators and barriers to engagement and (4) perceived impacts of participation on health and disability. We administered the HIV Disability Questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire.ResultsExperiences spanned perspectives prior to, during and after the PT-led exercise programme. Reasons for engaging in the programme included addressing health-related goals. Participants identified accessibility, the flexible schedule, interprofessional staff and the HIV-specific, group-based environment as facilitators to engagement. Participants reported high attendance rates, but identified episodic health challenges and overcrowded space as potential barriers to attending exercise classes. Perceived impacts on health and disability outcomes included improved physical, mental, social and cognitive health, and activities of daily living. Anticipated or actual experiences transitioning to independent exercise included facilitators (supportive programme leaders) and barriers (challenges motivatiing self to exercise alone).ConclusionsFeatures of the programme that facilitated engagement included the interprofessional, group-based environment that offered tailored exercise in an HIV-specific facility, whereby participants perceived benefits in domains of health and disability. However, challenges transitioning to independent exercise remain. Group-based PT-led exercise programmes may facilitate engagement in exercise among adults living with HIV and complex multimorbidity.

Face-to-Face vs. E-Learning Models in the COVID-19 Era: Survey Research in a Spanish University

This study shows the results of an autobiographical questionnaire of Spanish university students regarding two different educational models caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: face-to-face and e-learning. The aim is to discover their perceptions and opinions about their experiences during the learning process and what they have experienced during this global emergency and period of home confinement. The sample is made up of 100 students from the Primary Education Degree programme and the research was carried out through a qualitative study of the questionnaire. The results, divided into categories of each educational model, show the interpretation that the students make of the current reality and their own learning process. The most important aspect of the face-to-face learning model, according to 75% of the students, is direct communication with the teacher, and for 88% of them this model was effective. For the e-learning model, the flexible schedule, the economic savings and explanatory videos are the relevant ideas that the students express, with 68% stating that it was an effective model. The main conclusion is that the students prefer to continue with the face-to-face learning process (49%) rather than online teaching (7%) or, failing that, mixed or blended learning (44%), where the theoretical classes could be online and the practical classes could be face-to-face.

OP0317-PARE THE CONTEMPORARY WORK-RELATED BURDEN OF DISEASE FOR PEOPLE WITH RHEUMATIC DISEASES IN GREECE

Background:EULAR recommendations emphasize the importance of suitable working conditions for people with Rheumatic diseases (RD). Thus, opportunities and choices at work need to be increased for people with rheumatic diseases. Conversely, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the working population and particularly those with chronic conditions, such as those with RD. However, there is still a lack of reliable data.Objectives:To depict contemporary real-life data regarding the work-related burden of disease among Greek patients with RD. To develop a White Paper with proposals to the State in order to facilitate people with rheumatic diseases to rejoin or be retained in the work force.Methods:A 24-item quantitative questionnaire was uploaded in the website and social media of REUMAZEIN to capture patients’ responses in respect to work life. The questionnaire was online accessible for a 45-day period (15/8-30/9/2020).Results:The responses of 503 adult people with RD (M/F/NA 94/408/1), were available for analysis. Their age was stratified in decades (18-20 0.6%,21-30 5.99%, 31-40 22.36%, 41-50 38.92%, 51-60 22.16% and over 60 9.58%); totally, 83.44% were in the “work-reproductive” period. The predominant RD types were RA 30.3%, SLE 22.8%, AS 20.2% and PsA 20.2%, respectively. Nearly 90% were on medication, namely 40% on biologics, 33% on methotrexate (as a monotherapy or combined therapy), 16.2% on steroids. A minority were either on alternative therapies (2.8%) or off medication (7.5%), respectively. Most of the people were still employed (72.9%) on a full-time schedule (57.7%) and 4.8% on a part-time one, due to their RD. The rest of them (27.1%) were out of work either due to RD (17%) or retirement (1.7%) or for unrelated to the RD reasons (8.4%). The main source of financial income was personal work (52.4%), followed by a family member support (31.1%), while 11% had either a state pension (8%) or a subsidy (3.2%). In respect to the daily house-keeping, half of them (59.3%) had a varying difficulty (mild 36.3%, severe 23%) and 0.8% considered themselves as “unable”. The diagnosis was mostly established (81%) prior to the work onset. Post-diagnosis, RD had not affected their working schedule in 47.2%, 17% continued to work with respective adaptations but 30% had quitted or resigned from their work 1-7 years later. RD was notified to the work environment by 85%. As for a compassionate work management, 46% reported no change, 28% an improved policy but 28% a worse one. The development of relative adaptations in the work setting (as chairs, devices, flexible schedule) were considered as favorite factors easing the work by 85%. 17% reported an employer’s knowledge on RD related working legislation, 43% the contrary and another 38.7% wished for a future employer’s awareness. Most of the participants (58.9%) had no personal information on this field but were eager to get it. The uneventful impact of RD on finding or keeping a job was registered by 77.4% and 66.9%, respectively. During COVID, most of the participants (53%) have not asked for an RD-related leave and only 24.2% chose to telework, a policy that raised mutual satisfaction in 19%. Of note, the working conditions have not mainly been altered (67%) after the end of the 1st quarantine.Conclusion:This study highlighted that although RD predominate in females, women are more willing to participate in such projects (F 90%). The financial income was mainly based on a personal or a family member work reimbursement (83%), while 11% depended on a state pension or subsidy. The majority has notified the RD to their work environment (85%) while another 85% considered as favorite factors easing the work, several adaptations in the work setting such as chairs, devices, flexible schedule etc. Interestingly, 60% of the participants were unaware of the beneficial legal work rights and nearly 70% of them believe that RD is an obstacle for employment or working maintenance. COVID has not dramatically impaired their work life although the use of teleworking should be strengthened.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.