699 research outputs found
Working time flexibility components and working time regimes in Europe: using company-level data across 21 countries
Working time ?exibility comprises a wide variety of arrangements, from part-time,
overtime, to long-term leaves. Theoretical approaches to grouping these arrangements
have been developed, but empirical underpinnings are rare. This article investigates
the bundles that can be found for various ?exible working time arrangements, using the
Establishment Survey on Working Time and WorkâLife Balance, 2004/2005, covering 21
EU member states and 13 industries. The results from the factor analyses con?rmed that
working time arrangements can be grouped into two bundles, one for the employee-centred
arrangements and second for the employer-centred arrangements, and that these two
bundles are separate dimensions.Wealso tested the stability of the factor analysisoutcome,
showing that although we ?nd some deviations from the pan-Europe and pan-industry
outcome, the naming of the components as ?exibility for employees and ?exibility for
employers can be considered rather stable. Lastly, we ?nd three country clusters for the 21
European countries using the bundle approach. The ?rst group includes the Northern
European countries along side Poland and Czech Republic, the second group the
continental European countries with UK and Ireland, and lastly, the southern European
countries with Hungary and Slovenia
A Port Graph Rewriting Approach to Relational Database Modelling
International audienceWe present new algorithms to compute the Syntactic Closure and the Minimal Cover of a set of functional dependencies, using strategic port graph rewriting. We specify a Visual Domain Specific Language to model relational database schemata as port graphs, and provide an extension to port graph rewriting rules. Using these rules we implement strategies to compute a syntactic closure, analyse it and find minimal covers, essential for schema normalisation. The graph program provides a visual description of the computation steps coupled with analysis features not available in other approaches. We prove soundness and completeness of the computed closure. This methodology is implemented in PORGY
Impact of age norms and stereotypes on managers' hiring decisions of retirees
Purpose -Our study investigates the role of managers in the re-employment of early retirees and asks what the effect is of managersâ age norms and stereotypes on managersâ employment decisions.
Design/methodology/approach- A combination of a factorial study and a survey was conducted. First, information on the age norms and stereotypes was collected. Secondly, profiles of hypothetical retired job applicants were presented to the employers, who were asked to make a specific hiring decision. The information collected during both studies was combined in the analysis and multilevel models were estimated.
Findings -The results indicate that higher age norms result in a higher propensity to hire an early retiree. Stereotypes, by contrast, do not influence managersâ decisions. Early retireesâ chances for re-employment are also related to their own circumstances (physical appearance and relevant experience) and organisational forces, as they are hired when organisations face labour force shortages.
Research limitation / implications â with the use of vignettes study we deal with hypothetical hiring situation.
Originality value- Although the effect of age norms and age stereotypes has been often suggested, not much empirical evidence was presented to support this notion. Our study estimates the effect of age norms and stereotypes on hiring decision.
key words: bridge employment; early retirees; age norms; age stereotypes; multilevel models.
Trade unions and precariat in Europe : representative claims
Trade unions have been charged with neglecting labour market âoutsidersâ, while alternative actors have emerged to represent these. In response, unions have stepped up their claim to be representative of all workers, without distinction. We review the theoretical and policy debates on this issue, and argue that representation as such has been under-theorized. We draw on Sawardâs concept of ârepresentative claimsâ to analyse the different grounds for competing assertions of representativeness. We identify four main forms of claims, and illustrate these with empirical examples. We conclude that these different claims are mutually reinforcing in stimulating attention to the outsiders, and in their interaction with institutional settings, they have a performative effect in defining new social actors
Dissecting unique and common variance across body and brain health indicators using age prediction
Ageing is a heterogeneous multisystem process involving different rates of decline in physiological integrity across biological systems. The current study dissects the unique and common variance across body and brain health indicators and parses interâindividual heterogeneity in the multisystem ageing process. Using machineâlearning regression models on the UK Biobank data set (N = 32,593, age range 44.6â82.3, mean age 64.1 years), we first estimated tissueâspecific brain age for white and gray matter based on diffusion and T1âweighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, respectively. Next, bodily health traits, including cardiometabolic, anthropometric, and body composition measures of adipose and muscle tissue from bioimpedance and body MRI, were combined to predict âbody ageâ. The results showed that the body age model demonstrated comparable age prediction accuracy to models trained solely on brain MRI data. The correlation between body age and brain age predictions was 0.62 for the T1 and 0.64 for the diffusionâbased model, indicating a degree of unique variance in brain and bodily ageing processes. Bayesian multilevel modelling carried out to quantify the associations between health traits and predicted age discrepancies showed that higher systolic blood pressure and higher muscleâfat infiltration were related to olderâappearing body age compared to brain age. Conversely, higher handâgrip strength and muscle volume were related to a youngerâappearing body age. Our findings corroborate the common notion of a close connection between somatic and brain health. However, they also suggest that health traits may differentially influence age predictions beyond what is captured by the brain imaging data, potentially contributing to heterogeneous ageing rates across biological systems and individuals
Finland
Peer reviewe
Creating a positive casual academic identity through change and loss
Neoliberalism has significantly impacted higher education institutes across the globe by increasing the number of casual and non-continuing academic positions. Insecure employments conditions have not only affected the well-being of contingent staff, but it has also weakened the democratic, intellectual and moral standing of academic institutions. This chapter provides one practitionerâs account of the challenges of casual work, but rather than dwelling on the negativities, it outlines the potential richness of an identity based on insecurity and uncertainty. This exploration draws on the literature of retired academics and identity theory to illustrate the potential generative spaces within an undefined and incoherent identity
Nose to Tail: Using the Whole Employment Relationship to Link Worker Participation to Operational Performance
Although many employers continue to adopt various forms of worker participation or employee involvement, expected positive gains often fail to materialize. One explanation for the weak or altogether missing performance effects is that researchers rely on frameworks that focus almost exclusively on contingencies related to the workers themselves or to the set of tasks subject to participatory processes. This study is premised on the notion that a broader examination of the employment relationship within which a worker participation program is embedded reveals a wider array of factors impinging upon its success. I integrate labor relations theory into existing insights from the strategic human resource management literature to advance an alternative framework that additionally accounts for structures and processes above the workplace level â namely, the (potentially implicit) contract linking employees to the organization and the business strategies enacted by the latter. The resulting propositions suggest that the performance-enhancing impact of worker participation hinges on the presence of participatory or participation-supporting structures at all three levels of the employment relationship. I conclude with implications for participation research
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