The relationship between absence from work and job satisfaction: Greece and UK comparisons

The paper starts with a literature survey concerning absenteeism and job satisfaction. Most of the literature on absenteeism suggests that absence from work is a complex issue influenced by multiple causes, both of personal and of organizational nature. Job satisfaction has also been identified as one of the factors affecting an employee’s motivation to work attendance. There is no universal agreement concerning the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. Some research has found no correlation between these two variables whereas other studies indicate a weak relationship between these two variables. It has also been suggested that absence and job satisfaction might be more strongly related under some conditions, for instance in case of blue collar workers. After a survey of the relevant literature, this study attempts to establish a causal relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction using a new set of Greek and European data. The paper concentrates on Greek data given that absenteeism has not been the subject of systematic investigation in Greece. The empirical results suggest that there is a weak negative relationship between injury absenteeism and job satisfaction. Furthermore, comparisons are made with similar findings from UK.Job Satisfaction; Absenteeism; Greek labour market

A Survey of Safety and Health at Work in Greece

The subject of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is increasingly gaining the interest of policy makers and researchers in European countries given that the economic and social losses from work-related injuries and diseases are quite substantial. Under this light, this paper will present an overview of the Greek legislation framework regarding OSH issues, and the current status of empirical research on the subject in Greece. In addition, the paper identifies the knowledge gaps and methodological shortcomings of the existing literature in order to contribute towards future research in the OSH field in Greece.Accidents at work; Occupational diseases; Safety

Labour market and health: Theoretical, empirical and cognitive aspects

The purpose of this study is to present the current state of knowledge regarding the theory, empirical research, determinants and consequences of occupational health and safety. It first describes the main theoretical approaches, as well as the theoretical framework and empirical results of occupational health and safety issues. Moreover, it presents an overview of the legislation framework regarding OSH issues, and the current status of empirical research on the subject in European Union countries, highlighting cross country differences. In addition, there is an attempt to identify the knowledge gaps and methodological shortcomings of the existing literature in order to contribute towards future research in the OSH field, especially in Greece. The study also seeks to investigate potential causal relationships between specific OSH indicators – variables. Furthermore, the study investigates the effect of labor earnings on workers’ psychological well-being and distress, employing data from thirty three European countries and Turkey. Moreover, the thesis argues that, although the labor markets of most industrialized countries have undergone several changes, there has been lack of attention concerning the occupational health and safety consequences of these changes. Moreover, given that there has been an increase in workplace hazards and occupational diseases, implying rising costs for social protection systems, EU countries have implemented several health and safety policies in order to improve working conditions

An evidence synthesis of strategies, enablers and barriers for keeping secrets online regarding the procurement and supply of illicit drugs

This systematic review attempts to understand how people keep secrets online, and in particular how people use the internet when engaging in covert behaviours and activities regarding the procurement and supply of illicit drugs. With the Internet and social media being part of everyday life for most people in western and non-western countries, there are ever-growing opportunities for individuals to engage in covert behaviours and activities online that may be considered illegal or unethical. A search strategy using Medical Subject Headings terms and relevant key words was developed. A comprehensive literature search of published and unpublished studies in electronic databases was conducted. Additional studies were identified from reference lists of previous studies and (systematic) reviews that had similar objectives as this search, and were included if they fulfilled our in-clusion criteria. Two researchers independently screened abstracts and full-texts for study eligibility and evaluated the quality of included studies. Disagreements were resolved by a consensus procedure. The systematic review includes 33 qualitative studies and one cross-sectional study, published between 2006 and 2018. Five covert behaviours were identified: the use of communication channels; anonymity; visibility reduction; limited posts in public; following forum rules and recommendations. The same technologies that provide individuals with easy access to information, such as social networking sites and forums, digital devices, digital tools and services, also increase the prevalence of inaccurate information, loss of privacy, identity theft and disinhibited communication. This review takes a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to synthesising knowledge on the strategies adopted by people in keeping secrets online. Whilst the focus is on the procurement and supply ofillicit drugs, this knowledge is transferrable to a range of contexts where people keep secrets online. It has particular significance for those who design online/social media applications, and for law enforcement and security agencies

Fostering inclusive organizations through virtuous leadership

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an integrative framework of virtuous behaviors and inclusion in a variety of organizations. In so doing, we draw on earlier virtuous leadership models in view of delineating the virtuous leadership construct and advancing extant theoretical developments in the field. We elaborate on research streams focusing on virtue theory in business and management and suggest fruitful ways to expand on these issues. The chapter is intended to explore precisely how virtuous leadership can claim conceptual distinctiveness with respect to related values-based leadership theories. The chapter specifies dispositional and situational predictors of virtuous leadership that in turn address employee needs for both self-actualization through, and belongingness to, a business community. Virtuous leadership is by nature inclusive insofar as it generates multilevel beneficial outcomes by placing an emphasis on how leaders enact virtuous behaviors from which a diversity of organizational stakeholders can significantly benefit. Furthermore, virtuous leadership is socially beneficial by fostering equitable, inclusive, and more humane workplaces, as well as by being more sensitive to a bundle of societal and communal expectations

The relationship between absence from work and job satisfaction: Greece and UK comparisons

The paper starts with a literature survey concerning absenteeism and job satisfaction. Most of the literature on absenteeism suggests that absence from work is a complex issue influenced by multiple causes, both of personal and of organizational nature. Job satisfaction has also been identified as one of the factors affecting an employee’s motivation to work attendance. There is no universal agreement concerning the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. Some research has found no correlation between these two variables whereas other studies indicate a weak relationship between these two variables. It has also been suggested that absence and job satisfaction might be more strongly related under some conditions, for instance in case of blue collar workers. After a survey of the relevant literature, this study attempts to establish a causal relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction using a new set of Greek and European data. The paper concentrates on Greek data given that absenteeism has not been the subject of systematic investigation in Greece. The empirical results suggest that there is a weak negative relationship between injury absenteeism and job satisfaction. Furthermore, comparisons are made with similar findings from UK

The relationship between absence from work and job satisfaction: Greece and UK comparisons

The paper starts with a literature survey concerning absenteeism and job satisfaction. Most of the literature on absenteeism suggests that absence from work is a complex issue influenced by multiple causes, both of personal and of organizational nature. Job satisfaction has also been identified as one of the factors affecting an employee’s motivation to work attendance. There is no universal agreement concerning the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. Some research has found no correlation between these two variables whereas other studies indicate a weak relationship between these two variables. It has also been suggested that absence and job satisfaction might be more strongly related under some conditions, for instance in case of blue collar workers. After a survey of the relevant literature, this study attempts to establish a causal relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction using a new set of Greek and European data. The paper concentrates on Greek data given that absenteeism has not been the subject of systematic investigation in Greece. The empirical results suggest that there is a weak negative relationship between injury absenteeism and job satisfaction. Furthermore, comparisons are made with similar findings from UK

The effectiveness of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions in improving productivity, work performance and workability : a systematic review

Background Healthy lifestyles play an important role in the prevention of premature death, chronic diseases, productivity loss and other social and economic concerns. However, workplace interventions to address issues of fitness and nutrition which include work-related outcomes are complex and thus challenging to implement and appropriately measure the effectiveness of. This systematic review investigated the impact of workplace nutrition and physical activity interventions, which include components aimed at workplace’s physical environment and organizational structure, on employees’ productivity, work performance and workability. Methods A systematic review that included randomized controlled trials and or non-randomized controlled studies was conducted. Medline, EMBASE.com, Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched until September 2016. Productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, work performance and workability were the primary outcomes of our interest, while sedentary behavior and changes in other health-related behaviors were considered as secondary outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full-texts for study eligibility, extracted the data and performed a quality assessment using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk-of-Bias Tool for randomized trials and the Risk-of-Bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Findings were narratively synthesized. Results Thirty-nine randomized control trials and non-randomized controlled studies were included. Nearly 28% of the included studies were of high quality, while 56% were of medium quality. The studies covered a broad range of multi-level and environmental-level interventions. Fourteen workplace nutrition and physical activity intervention studies yielded statistically significant changes on absenteeism (n = 7), work performance (n = 2), workability (n = 3), productivity (n = 1) and on both workability and productivity (n = 1). Two studies showed effects on absenteeism only between subgroups. Conclusions The scientific evidence shows that it is possible to influence work-related outcomes, especially absenteeism, positively through health promotion efforts that include components aimed at the workplace’s physical work environment and organizational structure. In order to draw further conclusions regarding work-related outcomes in controlled high-quality studies, long-term follow-up using objective outcomes and/or quality assured questionnaires are required. Trial registration Registration number: PROSPERO CRD42017081837

A Survey of Safety and Health at Work in Greece

The subject of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is increasingly gaining the interest of policy makers and researchers in European countries given that the economic and social losses from work-related injuries and diseases are quite substantial. Under this light, this paper will present an overview of the Greek legislation framework regarding OSH issues, and the current status of empirical research on the subject in Greece. In addition, the paper identifies the knowledge gaps and methodological shortcomings of the existing literature in order to contribute towards future research in the OSH field in Greece

A Survey of Safety and Health at Work in Greece

The subject of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is increasingly gaining the interest of policy makers and researchers in European countries given that the economic and social losses from work-related injuries and diseases are quite substantial. Under this light, this paper will present an overview of the Greek legislation framework regarding OSH issues, and the current status of empirical research on the subject in Greece. In addition, the paper identifies the knowledge gaps and methodological shortcomings of the existing literature in order to contribute towards future research in the OSH field in Greece