Securing the well-being and engagement of construction workers: an initial appraisal of the evidence

Construction sites pose unique challenges for employers who are seeking to develop interventions to improve outcomes for workers. The contractors who constructed the infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games were encouraged by the client organisation to actively engage their workers and promote their well-being. This paper examines how scholarly research has approached well-being and engagement in the construction industry. A literature review identified a total of 21 papers that have examined either well-being or engagement in construction and only a single paper examined both subjects. There has been very limited research into this area. The existing papers highlight a number of gaps which could be filled through future research. The concept of well-being in construction is poorly defined and predominantly focuses on stress and work-life balance. There is a lack of clarity or certainty about whether and how some of the recommendations for improving wellbeing can be realistically implemented in construction, such as giving workers more flexible working arrangements. It is also unclear what specific benefits construction companies, and their clients, could expect to see from engagement or well-being strategies. Consequently, it is currently difficult to make a convincing business case or plan for the introduction of well-being or engagement strategies in construction. Nonetheless, there is evidence that engagement and well-being strategies can improve outcomes for individual construction workers and professionals, such as maintaining or improving health or promoting safety or skills development. Many of the practices that engage individuals also promote well-being: They do not need to be approached as completely separate issues. The extant research suggests that construction companies could usefully review; how they allocate and use resources on projects; the leadership and coaching skills of site managers; how workers can influence the planning of their work, and; their human resources procedures

Commons: Governance of Shared Assets [PDF Version]

Abstract & Contents The idea for this book came slowly following a gradual collection of blog posts on the CCRI website in recent years. The posts centred around the general theme of how we manage shared assets and what alternative approaches there might be, informed by research and practice in the governance of commons resources. The whole area of commons and management of common pool resources has become more topical over the last 6 years following the award of the Nobel Prize for Economics to Elinor Ostrom, for her work on commons. Commons has long been an element of research within CCRI, particularly in relation to Common Land and Town and village Greens in England and Wales. Chris Short organised annual conferences on common land management from 1999-2010 which attracted over 1,500 delegates and sponsorship from the Countryside Agency, Defra, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales. This book is no more than a set of ‘musings’ or collected thoughts about a range of issues which we have addressed in our professional activities. It does not claim to address all aspects of an issue, or to present a balanced view of research findings. The aim is simply to present some of our ideas about management and governance of a range of resources that can be perceived in some way as ‘shared assets’. The resources addressed range from the local to the global, and encompass what have been termed traditional commons (such as fisheries, pasture, water) and ‘new’ commons such as the internet and urban areas. Our purpose in producing this book is to raise awareness of the principles of commons governance. Our aim is to encourage thinking about the ways in which application of these principles might open up alternative solutions to achieving long-term and sustainable management of the many assets that we share in common. Contents • COP21 - ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ or new approach? • Cities and the concept of ‘urban commons’ • Designing the urban commons • Urban commons - the view from beneath • What value street art? • Marine fisheries • What future for Lowland commons? • Peatlands • Climbing the wall • The Internet is not a commons? • Final thought

Police Custody Healthcare: An evaluation of an NHS commissioned pilot to deliver a police custody health service in a partnership between Dorset Primary Care Trust and Dorset Police

This evaluation was sponsored by Dorset Primary Care Trust and the South West Strategic Health Authority to examine the local commissioning relationship established to providepolice custody healthcare across Dorset's three 24/7 custody suites, located in Poole, Weymouth and Bournemouth. This initiative has the status of a national pilot, and the evaluation is expected to carry lessons for a wide range of audiences in and beyond Dorset

Automation, algorithms, and politics| bots and political influence: a sociotechnical investigation of social network capital

This study explains how bots interact with human users and influence conversational networks on Twitter. We analyze a high-stakes political environment, the UK general election of May 2015, asking human volunteers to tweet from purpose-made Twitter accounts—half of which had bots attached—during three events: the last Prime Minister’s Question Time before Parliament was dissolved (#PMQs), the first leadership interviews of the campaign (#BattleForNumber10), and the BBC Question Time broadcast of the same evening (#BBCQT). Based on previous work, our expectation was that our intervention would make a significant difference to the evolving network, but we found that the bots we used had very little effect on the conversation network at all. There are economic, social, and temporal factors that impact how a user of bots can influence political conversations. Future research needs to account for these forms of capital when assessing the impact of bots on political discussions

Equal opportunities and diversity:exploring the relevance of Le Grand's models of service provision

The purpose of this article is to draw on Le Grand's (2007) model of service provision of ends and means (trust, targets, voice and choice) to critique the accepted frameworks for conceptualising the chronology of equal opportunities and diversity (EO&amp;D) in the UK. We do this by reviewing the attempts to provide a chronological analysis before outlining and applying Le Grand's (2007) model. We find that the ‘eras’ of the chronologies give way to a much more complex and fluid picture. Moreover, focusing on ends and means highlights some major issues in the development of EO&amp;D policy that needs to be addressed.</jats:p

Whistleblowing over patient safety and care quality: a review of the literature

© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review existing research on whistleblowing in healthcare in order to develop an evidence base for policy and research. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative review, based on systematic literature protocols developed within the management field. Findings: The authors identify valuable insights on the factors that influence healthcare whistleblowing, and how organizations respond, but also substantial gaps in the coverage of the literature, which is overly focused on nursing, has been largely carried out in the UK and Australia, and concentrates on the earlier stages of the whistleblowing process. Research limitations/implications: The review identifies gaps in the literature on whistleblowing in healthcare, but also draws attention to an unhelpful lack of connection with the much larger mainstream literature on whistleblowing. Practical implications: Despite the limitations to the existing literature important implications for practice can be identified, including enhancing employees’ sense of security and providing ethics training. Originality/value: This paper provides a platform for future research on whistleblowing in healthcare, at a time when policymakers are increasingly aware of its role in ensuring patient safety and care quality