Organizational downsizing and the instrumental worker: Is there a connection?

A national population sample of 424 employees was used to explore the proposition that the widespread use of organizational downsizing by management has led employees to adopt a more instrumental orientation to the employment relationship. Contrary to predictions, employees who had never worked in a downsized firm (Controls), or who had been made redundant as a result of downsizing (Victims), reported stronger instrumentalist beliefs than those who had experienced at least one downsizing but had never been made redundant (Survivors). Employees who had experienced more downsizings were also more likely to report lower instrumentalism, by disagreeing with statements suggesting that work is a necessary evil, just something that has to be done in order to earn a living, and that money is the most important reason for having a job. The findings are discussed in the context of reactance theory and instrumentalism as a malleable socialized work attitude

Bar Rat

My main influences are usually the people who surround me, and the experiences that I face because of those people. Working as a bartender has directly impacted my art. Faces, expressions, emotions and behaviors intrigue me. Bartending allows me to be a participant in and observer of many unique human interactions and social codes that I use as material for my work. I often photograph the people I interact with, especially while bartending, to use as source material. For a while I was focusing on extreme emotions such as grief, but I have become more interested in the nuances of people’s underlying feelings and behaviors. An example of this is a moment of introspection that flashes across a man’s face, or a hand gesture that a woman makes when telling a funny story. These instantaneous seconds of unguarded display are difficult to capture on camera and they are so ubiquitous that we rarely recognize them while they are happening. For me, work is most satisfying and deliberate when I am driven by specific psychological content, and the images I collect at the bar have been propelling me in this direction. I have been working mainly with oil paints for the last few years, but more recently I have been experimenting with other media including ink, gesso, pastels, acrylics, and collaged paper. Working with the materials I have on hand to create a compelling composition is a challenge I relish. I feel as though I am solving a problem when I use the tools I have nearby to make an interesting piece. There is an unfinished quality that flows through all of my pieces, regardless of how carefully considered they are. I am attracted to the rawness that is created by this unadorned formal practice. In my work, I cultivate a compositional playfulness and spirited mark-making

Employees behaving badly: social liabilities at work

The impact that negative or distracting others (social liabilities) have on individuals in the workplace should not be underestimated. The purpose of this research was to develop a broad, theoretically derived measure of Employee Social Liability (ESL). Three linked studies were conducted to 1. generate a pool of potential items to measure the ESL construct, 2. systematically reduce this item pool, and 3. analyse the factor structure and provide a nomological network for ESLs. We provide empirical evidence that ESL represents a higher-order construct incorporating four categories of employee behavior in the domains of 1) distrust, 2) lack of cooperation, 3) increased social demands, and 4) negative relationships at work. Psychometric support is provided for a new survey measure designed to assess both the four ESL facets and the higher level construct. These sub-scales were found to have internal reliabilities ranging from .82 to .94. Finally we provide a nomological network for the ESL construct, demonstrating both discriminant validity and convergent validity with i) one’s own bad workplace behaviors, ii) emotional intelligence, and iii) having supportive managers and work friends. Limitations and practical implications conclude the article

Alien Registration- Macky, Sam (Lincoln, Penobscot County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/7369/thumbnail.jp

The Role of Mental and Physical Health on Fear of Crime

Fear of crime is a significant social issue that affects quality of life, often leading to behavioral changes and increased anxiety. While prior research has explored the link between fear of crime and health, notable gaps remain – particularly regarding how distinct dimensions of health influence fear of crime. This study addresses these gaps by examining the effects of perceived health and depressive symptoms on fear of crime. Data were drawn from the Arkansas Crime, Public Safety, and Health Survey (ACPSHS), an online, opt-in survey of approximately 2,300 non- institutionalized adults in Arkansas. Ordinary least squares regression models were used to assess the direct effects of self-reported health and depressive symptoms on fear of crime, controlling for key sociodemographic variables. Results show that poorer perceived health and higher levels of depressive symptoms are both significantly associated with greater fear of crime. Racial disparities were also evident, with Black Arkansans reporting significantly higher fear levels than White respondents. Gender and age differences emerged as well: women expressed greater fear than men, and fear of crime declined with age. Notably, educational attainment had no statistically significant effect, while individuals with a history of arrest were less likely to report fear. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between health and perceptions of public safety and carry important implications for both public health strategies and crime prevention policies

Workplace Contextual Supports for LGBT Employees: A Review, Meta‐Analysis, and Agenda for future Research

The past decade has witnessed a rise in the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This has resulted in some organizational researchers focusing their attention on workplace issues facing LGBT employees. While empirical research has been appropriately focused on examining the impact of workplace factors on the work lives of LGBT individuals, no research has examined these empirical relationships cumulatively. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review and meta‐analysis of the outcomes associated with three workplace contextual supports (formal LGBT policies and practices, LGBT‐supportive climate, and supportive workplace relationships) and to compare the relative influence of these workplace supports on outcomes. Outcomes were grouped into four categories: (a) work attitudes, (b) psychological strain, (c) disclosure, and (d) perceived discrimination. Results show that supportive workplace relationships were more strongly related to work attitudes and strain, whereas LGBT supportive climate was more strongly related to disclosure and perceived discrimination compared to the other supports. Our findings also revealed a number of insights concerning the measurement, research design, and sample characteristics of the studies in the present review. Based on these results, we offer an agenda for future research

The psychological effects of unemployment: a review of the literature

The literature on the psychological effects of unemployment is reviewed, with particular attention being paid to the somewhat scarce New Zealand literature on the subject. Studies conducted at the macrosocial level are discussed, followed by studies that focus on the individual, with respect to physical health, mental health and psychological well-being, and social attitudes. The differential effect of unemployment on various social groups is examined, and the methodological deficiencies in some of the studies reviewed are summarized. In conclusion, it is suggested that the documented psychological ill-effects of unemployment should make us view rising levels of unemployment with concern

First experience with BAK-free travoprost 0.004% in topical glaucoma medication

Ahmed Salah Gado, Tamer Ahmed MackyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cairo University, Cairo, EgyptObjectives: Benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-free travoprost 0.004% (Travatan Z®, Alcon Laboratories, Inc, Fort Worth, TX) is a new formulation that was developed with the aim of creating a formulation of travoprost that would maintain the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy and have an improved overall safety profile, particularly improved ocular surface tolerability.Methods: Thirty newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients were treated with BAK-free travoprost 0.004%. IOP readings were recorded at baseline before initiating treatment, at 4–6 weeks, and after 12 weeks of starting treatment. In addition, patient demographics, subjective symptoms (ie, burning, foreign-body sensation, itching, and stinging), and objective clinical signs such as conjunctival hyperemia were collected. Subjective symptoms were evaluated using a four-point scale ranging from “no symptoms,” “mild symptoms,” “moderate symptoms” to “severe symptoms.” As for clinical signs, severity of conjunctival hyperemia was evaluated. All other adverse events were collected.Results: BAK-free travoprost 0.004% provided an IOP decrease in all patients, with an overall mean of 28.3 ± 2.1 mmHg at baseline to a mean of 18.7 ± 1.6 mmHg at 4–6 weeks, and a mean of 18.4 ± 1.4 mmHg after 12 weeks. Both subjective symptoms and objective clinical signs were very few after treatment.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that BAK-free travoprost 0.004% is an effective, well tolerated, and safe medication in POAG patients.Keywords: primary open-angle glaucoma, POAG, benzalkonium chloride, Travata

Intrinsic, extrinsic or total rewards

No abstract