Work-Family Interference: Nurses in Norway and Finland

The aim of the study is to investigate the level of work–family inter-ference (WFI) for part-time nurses in Norway and Finland. Part-time work is usually cited as a desirable way in which to facilitate work and family harmony. However, the opportunity to work part-time in professions may be associated with greater difficulties and challenges than commonly presumed. Part-time professionals are often stigmatized as being less committed to work and report fewer job rewards than colleagues in full-time positions. This study challenges the notion of the desir-able consequences of work hour flexibility concerning the integration of work and family. Part-time nurses in Norway and Finland report an equal level or even higher levels of interference than nurses in full-time positions. A disproportional distri-bution of inconvenient work schedules appears to be a central explanation for the results reported by Norwegian nurses, but to a lesser degree by Finnish nurses

Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in Finland

Background: Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms. Methods: The data of a follow-up study of 73 conventional piglet producing farms was used in the case-control study. The selection of the 41 PWD case and 28 control farms was based on the use of antimicrobials for treating diarrhoea in weaned pigs and the answers related to the occurrence of diarrhoea after weaning in the questionnaire. Four intermediate farms were excluded from the statistical analysis. Altogether 39 factors related to herd characteristics, weaner pig management and pig health were studied. The median number of sows was 59.0 (IQR = 44.0; 74.5) and 52.5 (IQR = 36.8; 61.5) on the case and the control farms, respectively. The significances of the univariable associations between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable were tested, and in the multivariate analysis quasibinomial generalized linear models were applied. Results: An increased risk of PWD was associated with the regimen of twice a day feeding and feed restriction after weaning (P = 0.02; compared to feeding three or more meals a day or the use of ad libitum feeding) and with a higher number of sows on the farm (P = 0.02; risk increasing with increasing number of sows). Automatic temperature control was associated with a decreased risk of PWD (P = 0.03; compared to manual temperature control). Conclusion: Twice a day feeding of newly-weaned pigs should be avoided if the amount of feed given is restricted. Variation in ambient temperature should be minimized in housing of newlyweaned pigs and this can be achieved by using automatic temperature control. With increasing number of sows in the herds the risk of PWD increases and more attention should be paid to prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea

Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in

Background: Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms. Methods: The data of a follow-up study of 73 conventional piglet producing farms was used in the case-control study. The selection of the 41 PWD case and 28 control farms was based on the use of antimicrobials for treating diarrhoea in weaned pigs and the answers related to the occurrence of diarrhoea after weaning in the questionnaire. Four intermediate farms were excluded from the statistical analysis. Altogether 39 factors related to herd characteristics, weaner pig management and pig health were studied. The median number of sows was 59.0 (IQR = 44.0; 74.5) and 52.5 (IQR = 36.8; 61.5) on the case and the control farms, respectively. The significances of the univariable associations between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable were tested, and in the multivariate analysis quasibinomial generalized linear models were applied. Results: An increased risk of PWD was associated with the regimen of twice a day feeding and feed restriction after weaning (P = 0.02; compared to feeding three or more meals a day or the use of ad libitum feeding) and with a higher number of sows on the farm (P = 0.02; risk increasing with increasing number of sows). Automatic temperature control was associated with a decreased risk of PWD (P = 0.03; compared to manual temperature control). Conclusion: Twice a day feeding of newly-weaned pigs should be avoided if the amount of feed given is restricted. Variation in ambient temperature should be minimized in housing of newlyweaned pigs and this can be achieved by using automatic temperature control. With increasing number of sows in the herds the risk of PWD increases and more attention should be paid to prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea

Yli 50-vuotiaiden valmius jatkaa sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon työssä

Sosiaali- ja terveysalan valtakunnalliseen henkilöstön työoloja ja hyvinvointia kartoittavaan kyselyyn vuonna 2005 vastasi 2 870 alalla toimivaa henkilöä (66,8 % lomakkeen saaneista). Vastaajista 921 oli 50-vuotiaita tai sitä vanhempia ja heistä 698 toimi välittömässä asiakas- tai potilastyössä. Näistä 279 (40 %) ilmoitti olevansa valmiita jatkamaan kokopäiväisesti työssään, vaikka heidän toimeentulonsa olisi muutenkin turvattu. Jatkamisvalmius oli voimakkaimmin yhteydessä hyviksi arvioituihin etenemismahdollisuuksiin (OR 3.9), työyhteisön toimivuuteen (OR 3.5), mahdollisuuksiin sovittaa yhteen työ ja muu elämä (OR 3.4) ja tyytyväisyyteen organisaation johtamistapaan (OR 3.0). Etenemismahdollisuuksien yhteys valmiuteen jatkaa työssä ei ole noussut esille näin selvästi aiemmin tehdyissä tutkimuksissa. Sen merkitystä työssä jatkamisen kannalta on näin syytä selvittää tarkemmin

Työn ja muun elämän yhteensovittaminen -esimiesvalmennus

Työn ja muun elämän yhteensovittaminen -esimiesvalmennus on yhdeksän tunnin valmennusohjelma, jonka tavoitteena on parantaa esimiesten osaamista ja valmiuksia tukea henkilöstön työn ja muun elämän yhteensovittamista omalla työpaikalla. Yhteensovittamisen onnistuminen on tärkeä työhy vinvoinnin osatekijä, joka mahdollistaa osaltaan hyvän työtuloksen. Esimiehet oppivat valmennuksen aikana hyödyntämään oman työpaikan työaikajärjestelyjä ja muita hyviä käytäntöjä työn ja muun elämän yhteensovittamiseksi omassa esimiestyössään. Esimiehet saavat tietoa ja vinkkejä, jakavat omia kokemuksiaan vertaisryhmässä sekä tekevät henkilökohtaisen kehittymissuunnitelman. Valmennus on tarkoitettu työpaikoille erityisesti siihen koulutettujen henkilöstön kehittäjien, HR-asiantuntijoiden ja muiden tukitoimintojen toteutettavaksi. Käsikirja sisältää valmennuksen ohjelman, kuvauksen ohjauksen perusperiaatteista sekä osallistujille suunnatun materiaalin

Work-Family Interference: Nurses in Norway and Finland

The aim of the study is to investigate the level of work–family inter-ference (WFI) for part-time nurses in Norway and Finland. Part-time work is usually cited as a desirable way in which to facilitate work and family harmony. However, the opportunity to work part-time in professions may be associated with greater difficulties and challenges than commonly presumed. Part-time professionals are often stigmatized as being less committed to work and report fewer job rewards than colleagues in full-time positions. This study challenges the notion of the desir-able consequences of work hour flexibility concerning the integration of work and family. Part-time nurses in Norway and Finland report an equal level or even higher levels of interference than nurses in full-time positions. A disproportional distri-bution of inconvenient work schedules appears to be a central explanation for the results reported by Norwegian nurses, but to a lesser degree by Finnish nurses

Työn ja muun elämän yhteensovittaminen : esimiehen opas

The Balancing work and life - training for supervisors course is a nine-hour training programme that aims to improve supervisors’ ability and readiness to support employees in balancing their work and life at their workplace. The successful balance of these two life areas is an important element of well-being at work, which in turn enables good work productivity. During the programme, supervisors learn toutilize their own workplace’s working time arrangement s and other good practices for balancing work and life in their own work as a supervisor. They obtain information and tips, share their own experiences in a peer group, and formulate a personal development plan. The programme is meant for workplaces, to be carried out by developers of personnel, HR specialist s and others in suppor t functions who have been especially trained in the method. The manual contains the training programme, a description of the basic principles of the process, and material for the participants