Employee problems and their consequences in the technology industry: evidence from surveys and counseling records

An Index to Assess Overwork-Related Adverse Effects on Employees Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act in Taiwan

Background

The present study aimed to digitally evaluate the risk of overwork-related adverse effects (OrAEs) among employees from various occupational categories in Taiwan.

Methods

Anonymous data of employees from seven companies/factories providing occupational health services were analyzed. The studied population comprised 5505 employees, and the data analyzed included employment duration, working hours, shift work schedules, and health checkup results. The risk for OrAEs was assessed by an index, Karo index (0-4, the larger the value, the higher the risk for OrAEs) obtained using a risk matrix made up of cardiocerebral and occupational risk factors. Karo index values of 3 and 4 were categorized as at high risk for OrAEs (h-OrAEs).

Results

The 5505 employees had an average employment duration of 8.5 years and a mean age of 39.4 years. The prevalence rates for h-OrAEs of the seven companies/factories ranged from 3.9% to 34.2%. There were significant differences in prevalence rates for h-OrAEs between employees of retail stores and high-tech manufacturing factories. Multivariate analysis results indicated that workers of high-tech manufacturing factories had significantly higher risk for h-OrAEs compared with retail store workers.

Conclusion

In terms of satisfying health risk management and legal requirements in Taiwan, the newly issued Karo index, which covers a wide range of occupational risk factors, can serve as an assessment and a warning tool for managing the risk of OrAEs in workplaces. To reduce risks for h-OrAEs, active and prudent control of cerebrocardiovascular risks and working hours is recommended.

Advancing the field of employee assistance programs research and practice: A systematic review of quantitative studies and future research agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the critical role of organizational support for the workforce. An employee assistance program (EAP) represents an inclusive strategy which organizations adopt to provide supportive and empathic care to help employees overcome undesirable situations. To date, we have limited knowledge of what EAP issues have been researched from the human resource management (HRM) perspective and what theoretical underpinning these studies have used. This article systematically reviews quantitative empirical studies on EAPs. Drawing upon 115 articles from 72 journals across 40 years (1981–2020), we trace the evolutionary trend of the construct of EAP and shed light on the internal link of EAP with HRM. After summarizing research themes, methods, theories, and approaches to the evaluation of EAPs, we identify pitfalls in the current research and contribute to extending the field by proposing several research agendas for future investigation.

The impact of Covid-19 on organisational commitment with mediating role of satisfaction among the Iraqi auditors

Purpose

The study seeks to examine the effect of the Covid-19 on organisational commitment with the mediating role of job satisfaction of Iraqi auditors to determine the impact the Corona has on the organisational commitment of Iraqi auditors with the mediating role of job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study's statistical population consists of those auditors working in the auditing organisations and private sector auditing institutions in Iraq. The number of respondents was 1,500 and 305 questionnaires were collected and analysed using Cochran's formula. Data were collected using the Covid1-19 questionnaire developed by the researcher, Minnesota Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (1967) and Allen and Meyer (1990) Organisational Commitment Questionnaire. In this study, the components of individual fear, collective fear and the transition from a feeling of security to insecurity with 29 questions for the impact of Covid-19 and job satisfaction components derived from the Minnesota Model, which includes six components (payment system, nature of job, progress opportunities, organisational atmosphere, leadership style and physical condition) is based on 19 questions. The components of organisational commitment are based on three types of emotional commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment with 24 questions. Structural equation modelling using Smart-PLS software was used to analyse the data.

Findings

The results showed that the Covid-19 effect variable was not significant on organisational commitment but was significant considering the mediating role of job satisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper has covered a very interesting topic nowadays and the results may give great insight to auditors in a challenging condition due to COVID 19.