Better supporting workers in ML workplaces

This workshop is aimed at bringing together a multidisciplinary group to discuss Machine Learning and its application in the workplace as a practical, everyday work matter. It's our hope this is a step toward helping us design better technology and user experiences to support the accomplishment of that work, while paying attention to workplace context. Despite advancement and investment in Machine Learning (ML) business applications, understanding workers in these work contexts have received little attention. As this category experiences dramatic growth, it's important to better understand the role that workers play, both individually and collaboratively, in a workplace where the output of prediction and machine learning is becoming pervasive. There is a closing window of opportunity to investigate this topic as it proceeds toward ubiquity. CSCW and HCI offer concepts, tools and methodologies to better understand and build for this future

Developing an Intervention Toolbox for the Common Health Problems in the Workplace

Development of the Health ↔ Work Toolbox is described. The toolbox aims to reduce the workplace impact of common health problems (musculoskeletal, mental health, and stress complaints) by focusing on tackling work-relevant symptoms. Based on biopsychosocial principles this toolbox supplements current approaches by occupying the zone between primary prevention and healthcare. It provides a set of evidence-informed principles and processes (knowledge + tools) for tackling work-relevant common health problems. The toolbox comprises a proactive element aimed at empowering line managers to create good jobs, and a ‘just in time’ responsive element for supporting individuals struggling with a work-relevant health problem. The key intention is helping people with common health problems to maintain work participation. The extensive conceptual and practical development process, including a comprehensive evidence review, produced a functional prototype toolbox that is evidence based and flexible in its use. End-user feedback was mostly positive. Moving the prototype to a fully-fledged internet resource requires specialist design expertise. The Health ↔ Work Toolbox appears to have potential to contribute to the goal of augmenting existing primary prevention strategies and healthcare delivery by providing a more comprehensive workplace approach to constraining sickness absence

Occupational health regulations and health workers: protection or vulnerability?

Several trade agreements include occupational health and safety regulations but there are many barriers to implementation. Mechanisms for sanctions are often weak but the lack of political will is the biggest barrier

Managing performance in quality management: A two level study of employee-perceptions and workplace-performance

Purpose: This paper addresses potential effects of the control element in Quality Management. First, behavioural theories on how elements of performance management can affect organisational performance are examined. Secondly, theoretical models on how perceptions of work conditions may impact wellbeing and performance are considered. Direct and indirect pathways from performance management to productivity/quality are inferred. Methodology: Matched employee-workplace data from an economy-wide survey in Britain and two-level structural equation models are used to test the hypothesised associations. Findings: The use of practices in workplaces is inconsistent with a unified performance management approach. Distinct outcomes are expected from separate components in performance management and some may be contingent on workplace size. For example, within Quality-planning, strategy dissemination is positively associated with workplace-productivity; targets are negatively associated with perceptions of job demands and positively correlated with job satisfaction, which in turn can increase workplace-productivity. With respect to Information & Analysis: keeping and analysing records, or monitoring employee-performance via appraisals that assess training needs, are positively associated with workplace-productivity and quality. Originality: This paper illustrates how control in Quality Management can be effective. Although the merits of performance management are subject to ongoing debate, arguments in the literature have tended to focus on performance appraisal. Analyses of economy-wide data linking performance management practices, within Quality Management, to employee perceptions of work conditions, wellbeing and aggregate performance are rare

A Design Construct of Developing Approaches to Measure Mental Health Conditions

Mental health is an important determinant of communities’ well-being, influenced not only by individual attributes, but also by social and organisational environments in which people work and live. Despite studies examining mental health status among specific populations, few attempts are evident that focus on solution designs for detecting and measuring impact of mental health conditions. In this study, we develop a construct utilising design science research principles for outlining common vocabulary around the problem, and solution design relevant to a mental health management system. For the case of IT professionals, the developed construct is informed through a social-media based dataset containing more than 65,000 cells and 100 attributes potentially identifying influencing factors. Machine learning techniques are applied to the dataset to discover new findings for this specific group. It is anticipated that the analysis reported in this study would contribute in developing other electronic health management systems both for communities and healthcare professionals

Fragmentation in the future of work:A horizon scan examining the impact of the changing nature of work on workers experiencing vulnerability

Introduction: The future of work is characterized by changes that could disrupt all aspects of the nature and availability of work. Our study aims to understand how the future of work could result in conditions, which contribute to vulnerability for different groups of workers. Methods: A horizon scan was conducted to systematically identify and synthesize diverse sources of evidence, including academic and gray literature and resources shared over social media. Evidence was synthesized, and trend categories were developed through iterative discussions among the research team. Results: Nine trend categories were uncovered, which included the digital transformation of the economy, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning-enhanced automation, AI-enabled human resource management systems, skill requirements for the future of work; globalization 4.0, climate change and the green economy, Gen Zs and the work environment; populism and the future of work, and external shocks to accelerate the changing nature of work. The scan highlighted that some groups of workers may be more likely to experience conditions that contribute to vulnerability, including greater exposure to job displacement or wage depression. The future of work could also create opportunities for labor market engagement. Conclusion: The future of work represents an emerging public health concern. Exclusion from the future of work has the potential to widen existing social and health inequities. Thus, tailored supports that are resilient to changes in the nature and availability of work are required for workers facing vulnerability

Usluge medicine rada i održavanje radne sposobnosti na radnome mjestu

This paper describe the concept of maintenance of work ability (MWA) at workplaces and the contribution of occupational health services (OHS). Changing working life and its demands increase the need for MWA. The concept of MWA is approximately ten years old in Finland. It has attained large popularity in media and is a central trend in the promotion of well–being at workplaces. It has received wide approval in politics and labour market as one of the main topics of internal policies. The maintenance of work ability has become the main service of occupational health. The activities of MWA are increasing. It is considered profitable and it has many positive effects at workplaces, but has not yet been established properly as a part of everyday work processes. Occupational health services play a significant role in different phases of MWA process, but it should be more significant, especially in small workplaces. More trust, communication and collaboration are needed.U ovome se radu opisuje koncepcija održavanja radne sposobnosti (ORS) na radnome mjestu i doprinos medicine rada tomu. Promjene tijekom radnoga vijeka, a posebno promjene u zahtjevima radnoga mjesta sve više traže primjenu strategije ORS–a. Ova se koncepcija u Finskoj primjenjuje desetak godina i postala je medijski veoma popularna. Njezina je primjena sa svrhom poboljšanja uvjeta na radnome mjestu ključna. Strategija ORS–a konsenzusno je prihvaćena i u političkom okružju i na tržištu rada kao jedno od glavnih pitanja unutrašnje politike. Ona je postala i glavnom uslugom medicine rada. Sve su intenzivnije djelatnosti povezane s ORS–om, budući da se smatra isplativim i da povoljno utječe na rad. Ipak, ova strategija još nije potpuno prihvaćena kao dio svakodnevice. Premda medicina rada ima važnu ulogu u provođenju različitih faza procesa primjene strategije ORS–a, njezina je prisutnost još potrebnija, a posebno u organizacijama s malim brojem radnih mjesta. Valja pridobiti više povjerenja i ostvariti bolju izmjenu informacija i suradnju među stranama

Parametric and Semiparametric Estimation of the Adoption of Work Teams

This paper is concerned about the adoption of work teams and the factors that facilitate team adoption. It focuses on four factors - trade union, technological change, training of the workforce and shared mode of compensation. Both parametric and semiparametric estimation methods are used to estimate the association of these factors with team adoption. A nonparametric confidence band test is used to test the parametric specification of probit model. The test rejects the distributional assumption of the parametric probit model. The semiparametric estimates show that trade union density is not associated with team adoption while prodit sharing, new technology and training provisions for more employees facilitate the adoption of work teamsWork Teams; Probit; Confidence Band; Semiparametric

Occupational exposure to metals and other elements in the tractor production

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