Coaching employees with chronic illness: Supporting professional identities through biographical work

Chronic illness is a growing issue in the workplace, and can prompt employees to reconsider their professional and personal goals due to potential future physical limitations. Coaching can provide support to keep employees in the workforce. In this study, 34 employed people with chronic illnesses participated in a chronic illness career coaching intervention to help develop personal resources to stay in the workforce. An analysis of data from exit interviews suggests that coaching supports coachees’ identity work and behavioral strategies for integrating illness and work, increasing their confidence and improving their expectations for continuing to work

What Aspects of Shiftwork Influence Off-shift Well-being of Healthcare Workers?

Characteristics of shiftwork schedules have implications for off-shift well-being. We examined the extent to which several shift characteristics (e.g., shift length, working sundays) are associated with three aspects of off-shift well-being: work-to-family conflict, physical well-being, and mental well-being. We also investigated whether these relationships differed in four nations. The Survey of Work and Time was completed by 906 healthcare professionals located in Australia, Brazil, Croatia, and the USA. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis that shiftwork characteristics account for significant unique variance in all three measures of well-being beyond that accounted for by work and family demands and personal characteristics. The patterns of regression weights indicated that particular shiftwork characteristics have differential relevance to indices of work-to-family conflict, physical well-being, and mental well-being. Our findings suggest that healthcare organizations should carefully consider the implications of shiftwork characteristics for off-shift well-being. Furthermore, although our findings did not indicate national differences in the nature of relationships between shift characteristics and well-being, shiftwork characteristics and demographics for healthcare professionals differ in systematic ways among nations; as such, effective solutions may be context-specific

Testing a Model of Stigma Applied to Chronic Illness in the Workplace

Chronic illness affects a large and growing number of workers in the United States and around the world. Threat of stigmatization due to chronic illness is a stressor for this worker population. A comprehensive model of stigma and stress developed by Major and O\u27Brien (2005) was adapted to chronic illness at work and tested using a sample of 332 working adults with chronic illness. Boundary flexibility, supervisor support, previous discrimination, and stigma meta-perceptions related to perceptions of overt and covert stigma threat at work. Overt stigma threat was directly associated with work withdrawal and turnover intentions and covert stigma threat related to anxiety and depression, which related to feelings of strain, job satisfaction, affective commitment, turnover intentions, and work withdrawal. The fit of the model as originally proposed was less than adequate; a series of empirically-based and theoretically supported model revisions produced a good-fitting model. Participants used many strategies to cope with perceived stigma threat; individuals were classified into four coping clusters that included: engagement coping, coping through denial, disengagement coping, and low levels of coping. Differences between clusters in modeled relationships between endogenous variables were examined using multiple groups analysis (with coping clusters as groups). Individuals who reported overall low levels of coping showed nonsignificant relationships between stigma threat and anxiety and depression, and between anxiety and depression and work strain, job satisfaction, work withdrawal, affective commitment and intent to turnover; no other systematic differences between clusters were detected. Organizations should consider working to increase flexibility and educating supervisors on how to manage workers with chronic illness in order to prevent high levels of stigma threat for workers with chronic illness.

How organizations can support employees with chronic health conditions

McGonagle, A. K. (2021, Jan. 19). How organizations can support employees with chronic health conditions. Harvard Business Review. Digital Article H0642R, 2-6. https://hbr.org/2021/01/how-organizations-can-support-employees-with-chronic-health-conditions Accession Number (AN) for EBSCO: AN 148431318 Description: Chronic health conditions are prevalent and present several challenges to employees. Yet, there is little written about how to support workers with chronic health conditions. This article presents challenges associated with working with chronic health conditions, along with proven ways to support workers with chronic health conditions. Supporting workers facing these challenges is good for business - and it is the right thing to do

What Men Can Do to Reduce Gender Inequality in Science, Medicine, and Global Health: Small Wins and Organizational Change

Background: Gender inequality remains a pressing issue in science, medicine, and global health. Much of the scientific literature focuses on inequality-reduction strategies specific to women. Far less attention, however, has been paid to men’s roles in reducing gender-based barriers, despite that men dominate nearly all authority structures within science, medicine, and global health and thus have greater power to influence organizational cultures and women’s upward mobility. Methods: We review literature from business and social sciences, apply them to areas of science, health, and medicine, and deliver eight actionable, evidence-based recommendations with a distinct focus on involving men in organizational change. We highlight both “small wins” (practices that all men can implement) and organizational-level strategic culture and policy changes. Findings: Our recommendations are as follows: (1) Men should ensure that women have ample space to communicate their ideas; (2) Male leaders should seek out and highlight women’s contributions; (3) Men should take public stances against other men’s actions and language that demean, harass, and negatively stereotype women; (4) Men should actively promote cultural artifacts in organizations that equally represent both genders; (5) Leaders should implement policies that support work-family balance, such as flexible work arrangements and paid family leave; (6) Men should use flexible work arrangements and paternity leave options, encourage other men to do the same, and refrain from evaluating men and women differently when they use them; (7) Men should diversify their networks to include women and ensure they disperse information about advancement opportunities to both men and women; (8) Finally, men in leadership positions should advocate for, and, importantly, sponsor women. Interpretation: We argue that men play a critical role in reducing gender-inequality and can take concrete actions to promote the advancement of women in science, medicine, and global health. Funding: We received no funding for this work