Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

O absenteísmo tem se tornado problema crucial tanto para as organizações como para os administradores. Suas causas estão ligadas a múltiplos fatores, tornando-o complexo e de difícil gerenciamento. Absenteísmo é a ausência do trabalhador ao serviço, quando se esperava que ele estivesse presente. Na enfermagem, esse fenômeno vem preocupando os gerentes, uma vez que faltas freqüentes ao trabalho repercutem no quantitativo de recursos humanos, refletindo na qualidade da assistência prestada à clientela. Além disso, o absenteísmo constitui-se variável relevante quando se trata de dimensionar quadro de pessoal para os serviços. Este estudo foi desenvolvido com base no quadro conceitual desenvolvido por Gaidzinski (1998), no qual as ausências são classificadas em previstas e não previstas. Ausências previstas são aquelas de direito do trabalhador, podendo ser planejadas com antecedência como férias, folgas e feriados. As ausências não previstas são as que efetivamente caracterizam o absenteísmo, pelo seu caráter imprevisível, entre elas: faltas abonadas e injustificadas; licenças médicas; maternidade; paternidade; acidente de trabalho; outras licenças amparadas por lei e/ou de direito do servidor (nojo, gala, congresso). Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo, exploratório e descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa cujos objetivos foram: mensurar o absenteísmo dos trabalhadores de enfermagem em uma Unidade Básica e Distrital de Saúde (UBDS) de um município de grande porte no interior paulista, no período de agosto de 1998 a julho de 2002; descrever a distribuição dos tipos de ausências não previstas desses trabalhadores. A população constituiu-se dos trabalhadores de enfermagem (enfermeiros, técnicos e auxiliares de enfermagem) que, no período estudado, encontravam-se alocados na UBDS selecionada para a investigação. Os dados relativos ao número de dias de ausências não previstas foram coletados junto à Divisão de Gerenciamento de Pessoal da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde e transcritos para uma planilha. Para o cálculo do Índice de Absenteísmo (IA), adotou-se equação proposta por Pavani (2000). O índice geral de absenteísmo encontrado foi de 6,61%, o que significa que do tempo total de trabalho esperado da equipe de enfermagem nos quatro anos, aproximadamente, 7% ficou comprometido devido às ausências não previstas. Em relação às categorias de trabalhadores, obteve-se 5,37% de absenteísmo para enfermeiros, 8,06% para técnicos e 6,82% para auxiliares de enfermagem.O tipo de ausência não prevista predominante foi a licença para tratamento de saúde com um percentual geral de 46,94%; sendo de 54,43%, 41,52% e 45,75% para enfermeiros, técnicos e auxiliares de enfermagem, respectivamente. Partindo da premissa de que é através do trabalho desenvolvido pelas pessoas que se alcançam os resultados propostos pela organização, neste caso, atender às necessidades de saúde da população, entende-se que o absenteísmo é essencialmente um problema de gestão e, neste sentido, cabe à gerência o acompanhamento e monitoramento da assiduidade de seus trabalhadores. / The absenteeism is becoming a crucial problem for organizations as well for managers. Its causes are linked to multiple factors and that is why it is so complex and difficult to manage. Absenteeism is the absence of workers, when they were expected to be present. In Nursing, this phenomenon is a concern for managers as the frequent absences affect the quantitative human resources, reflecting in the quality of the care provided to patients. In addition, absenteeism is a relevant variable in order to dimension the staff. This study was developed based on the Gaidzinski (1998) framework, in which the absences are classified as expected and non expected. The expected absences are the ones that can be planed before, such as leaves, vacations and holidays. The non expected absences are the ones that effectively characterize the absenteeism due to its non expected character, among them: non justified absences, medical leaves, family leaves, occupational accidents and other leaves that are included among the workers´ rights. This is a retrospective, exploratory and descriptive study based on a quantitative approach with the aims of: measuring the absenteeism among the nursing workers at a District Basic Health Unit of a large municipality in the state of São Paulo from August, 1998 to July, 2002; describing the types distribution of non-expected absences among these workers. The population was formed by nursing workers (nurses, nursing technicians and auxiliaries) that worked at the Unit in the above mentioned time period. Data related to the number of non expected absences were collected at the Human Resources Division of the Municipal Health Department and transcribed in a worksheet. To calculate the rate of absenteeism, the author adopted the equation proposed by Pavani (2000). The general rate of absenteeism was of 6.61%, meaning that from the total nursing team expected work in four years, approximately, 7% was impaired due to non expected absences. With respect to the categories of workers, 5.37% was the rate of absenteeism for nurses, 8.06% the rate for technicians and 6.83% for nursing auxiliaries. The predominant type of non expected absenteeism was the medical leave, representing 46.94% of the total; considering this leave, 54.43% was the rate for nurses, 41.42% for nursing technicians and 45.75% for nursing auxiliaries. Based on the idea that the organization achieves its goals through the work developed, in this case, to meet the population care needs, the absenteeism must be understood as a managerial problem and therefore, the managers must follow and monitor the diligence of their workers.

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study issues related to unemployment and retirement decisions of workers.The first chapter examines the impact of additional pension benefits on the retirement timing of low-income female workers in Germany. Using administrative pension insurance records from Germany, it studies the impact of a pension subsidy program on retirement decisions of recipients. The kinked schedule of the policy allows me to identify the causal effect using a regression kink design. The estimation suggests that 100 euros in additional monthly pension benefits induce female recipients to claim pensions earlier by about 10 months. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the ratio of the behavioral cost to the mechanical cost of this subsidy program is 0.3, which is smaller than that of other anti-poverty programs. The second chapter studies the total labor supply effects of Unemployment Insurance (UI) for older workers --- both at the extensive and the intensive margin. It documents sharp bunchings in UI inflows at age discontinuities created by UI eligibility for workers in their 50s. Using a combination of regression discontinuity designs and bunching techniques, we quantify the magnitude of these responses exploiting a variety of thresholds, kinks, and notches induced by the UI and retirement institutions. We estimate the total effect using a dynamic life-cycle structural model. Results suggest that the impact of UI extension on non-employment durations for older workers is almost twice as large as the impact for younger workers. The third chapter examines the impact of receiving written advance notification of layoff on the labor supply of displaced workers by exploring the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The California WARN Act, implemented in 2003, expands the requirements of the federal WARN Act. It provides protection to workers in smaller firms and at smaller layoff events. Using the Displaced Worker Supplement to the Current Population Surveys from 1996 to 2018 and a differences-in-difference method, I find that the displaced workers affected by the mini WARN Acts are 3\% more likely to claim unemployment insurance. Conditional on claiming UI, they are less likely to exhaust UI.

Thesis(M.A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / Disability is most prevalent in low income countries and communities. Cerebral palsy c is one of the disabilities that is affecting a sizeable number of children in low income countries. This study sought to explore the psycho-social challenges faced by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Dzivarasekwa Suburb in Zimbabwe. The study had the following objectives: to identify the psycho-social challenges facing caregivers of children with cerebral palsy, to appraise individual characteristics of caregivers which predispose them to stress, social exclusion and other psychosocial challenges, to establish which coping mechanisms are employed by caregivers of children living with cerebral palsy in response to the challenges they are facing and also to suggest possible solutions/ strategies social workers may employ to improve caregiving of children with cerebral palsy. The study used a qualitative approach in exploring the psychosocial challenges caregivers face. The qualitative approach was useful as participants were able to participate freely giving a more realistic picture of their challenges. The research used an exploratory-descriptive case study design in exploring challenges faced by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Dzivarasekwa Suburb. Data was then collected using in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Participants were caregivers of children with cerebral palsy, a hospital psychologist as well as social workers for a local NGO supporting the rehabilitation work at a local hospital. Data were analysed used the Thematic Context Analysis method. The research concludes that caregivers are subjected to stressing conditions, lack the financial means of caring for a child with CP; caregivers employ negative strategies to the problems they face which include using the children to beg, prostitution among others. The study recommends that, government should lead initiatives for supporting children with disabilities and their families, formation of support groups for parents of children with cerebral palsy, and continuous training of frontline workers in disability to avoid burn out.

Medical Social Workers are placed in fast pace environments with little time to process their feelings after being exposed to their client’s traumatic stories. The study assessed the implications of vicarious trauma on medical social workers and its impact on client outcomes. The current study utilizes a sample of 20 medical social workers employed in hospital settings across San Bernardino County. Social Work personnel were asked to take The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, which measurements are most congruent to the DSM-5 criteria of Secondary Traumatic Stress. To assess the relationship between Secondary Trauma and demographic characteristics of the social worker, an ANOVA and Post-Hoc test were conducted on SPSS to analyze data. This study will assist social workers in recognizing implications to their vicarious trauma and seek intervention before it manifests into their patient relationship. Policies that require social workers to be evaluated for vicarious traumatization would be advantageous and decrease turnover rates among medical social work.

Patients receiving dialysis treatment experience immense changes in their health and well-being, therefore receiving adequate social support services is an integral aspect of their care plan. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about social support services offered by social workers to patients receiving dialysis care. Furthermore, this study sought to develop awareness about additional services need to assist social workers in providing social, emotional, and physical support to patients. This qualitative study used data from a non-probability snowball sample of 10 social workers that work with patients receiving dialysis care. Findings of this study are significant to social work practice as the analysis provided insight that may enhance current practices in dialysis centers. Furthermore, the qualitative analyses gathered through the one-on-one interviews led to the emergence of seven central themes. Themes anticipated by the researchers included the perception about the ability to provide social, emotional, and physical support, as well as to highlight the role of social workers in this healthcare setting. Additional themes identified during this study focused on reasons for patients lacking social support, the scarcity of resources, and recommendations corroborated with first-hand experiences in the field to better serve patients. Recommendations included increased focus on providing therapeutic services within dialysis, additional transportation options for patients, and greater availability of resources to meet the various needs of patients.

Thesis (MPH)--University of Limpopo, 2010. / Introduction: Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), with an estimated 360 million chronic infections worldwide, about a million of which die each year from chronic liver diseases. In South Africa (SA) over 50% of the population has been infected by HBV, and at least 3 million people are chronic HBV carriers. Chronic HBV carriers have the potential of transmitting HBV parenterally in the hospital setting, thus health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of contracting HBV, with the most likely exposure being via a needle stick injury (NSI). There is an effective vaccine against HBV which is recommended by the SA Department of Health, yet previous studies have shown that most HCWs are not vaccinated. Aim and objectives: The study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding hepatitis B vaccination amongst HCWs in the Ekurhuleni Metro. Objectives were to determine: (1) the level of knowledge of HCWs about vaccination against HBV; (2) the attitudes of HCWs towards vaccination against HBV; (3) the practices of HCWs regarding HBV prevention and (4) the barriers to / predictors for effective HBV vaccination among HCWs at Ekurhuleni Metro Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study which made use of a self-administered questionnaire that was sent to Ekurhuleni nurses and doctors who were working in 3 public hospitals, 7 district clinics, and 110 general practices. Results: Two hundred and fifteen questionnaires were distributed and 161 were returned giving an overall response rate of 74.9%. HCWs do not report their NSI; over a third [37.6% (41/81)] always reported the NSI; while 72% (116/161) of HCWs had been vaccinated, only 61.2% (71/116) of those vaccinated had received all 3 doses of the vaccine. For knowledge of HBV vaccination, 66.5% (107/161) scored poor; 31.7% (51/161) scored moderate; and 1.8% (3/161) scored high. For attitudes towards HBV vaccination, 0.6% (1/160) scored negative; 24.4% (39/160) scored neutral; and 74.5% (120/160) scored positive. A positive attitude score was a significant predictor for being vaccinated (OR=1.13, p=0.007) Conclusion: Guidelines should be put in place to increase vaccination uptake and reduce the risk of exposure to HBV infection by HCWs

Los trastornos musculoesqueléticos son lesiones de importancia en el ámbito laboral, debido a que causan incapacidad temporal y ausencia en el trabajo. En la industria avícola, los trastornos musculoesqueléticos podrían ser más frecuentes en miembros superiores debido a los movimientos repetitivos que realizan los trabajadores. Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados a trastornos musculoesqueléticos en miembros superiores en los trabajadores de la empresa avícola Redondos S.A. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional transversal analítico. La población estuvo conformada por trabajadores de ambos sexos de las áreas de procesamiento de pollos. Se aplicaron una ficha de recolección de datos, un cuestionario para evaluar actividad física y el Cuestionario Nórdico estandarizado Kuorinka para el reporte de trastornos musculoesqueléticos.Se calcularon las razones de prevalencia ajustadas (RPa) a través de modelos de regresión de Poisson. Resultados: 126 trabajadores de edad promedio 37.1±0.9 años y 56.4% mujeres participaron en el estudio. 50% reportó tener dolor de hombro, 48.4% en muñeca y mano, 28.6% en codo y antebrazo en los últimos 12 meses. Sin embargo, en los últimos 7 días, 69.4% reportó tener dolor en codo y antebrazo, 34.9% en hombro y 19.8% en muñeca y mano. Las mujeres (RPa:3.78; IC al 95% 1.22 - 11.68) y aquellos que trabajan en días de descanso (RPa: 2.66; IC al 95% 1.37 - 5.15) tuvieron mayor probabilidad de reportar dolor en miembros superiores. La temperatura del ambiente de trabajo (a 11° Celsius) también fue un factor asociado al dolor musculoesquelético en columna (RPa: 0.50; IC al 95% 0.27 - 0.90) en los últimos 12 meses y (RPa: 0.42; IC al 95% 0.21 - 0.82) en los últimos 7 días. Conclusiones: Los factores asociados a la presencia de trastornos musculoesqueléticos en miembros superiores en los trabajadores de la empresa avícola fueron el género y trabajar en días de descanso. / Musculoskeletal disorders are injuries of relevance in the working places as they cause temporary disability and absenteeism in employees. In the poultry industry, musculoskeletal disorders could be present in upper limbs due to the repetitive movements performed by its workers. Objectives: To determine the factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs in the workers of the poultry company Redondos S.A. Methods: An cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants were workers of both genders from the areas of chicken processing. A data collection form, a questionnaire to measure physical activity and the standardized Kuorinka Nordic Questionnaire for the reporting of musculoskeletal disorders were applied. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) using Poisson regression models. Results: 126 workers, 37.1 ± 0.9 years average, 56.4% women, participated in the study. 50% reported shoulder pain, 48.4% in wrist and hand, 28.6% in elbow and forearm in the last 12 months. However, in the last 7 days, 69.4% reported pain in elbow and forearm, 34.9% in shoulder, and 19.8% in wrist and hand. Women (aPR: 3.78; IC al 95% 1.22 - 11.68), and those having a second job (aPR: 2.66; CI al 95% 1.37 - 5.15) were more likely to report pain in the upper limbs. Temperature in the work area (11° Celsius) was also a factor associated with upper-back pain (aPR: 0.50, 95% CI 0.27 - 0.90) in the last 12 months and in the last 7 days (aPR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.21 - 0.82). Conclusions: Factors associated with the presence of musculoskeletal disorders in the upper limbs on workers from a poultry company were being female and having a second job. / Tesis

The purpose of this study was to determine the consistency with which Extension workers in Utah interpret data elements for reporting Extension activities into State Extension Management Information System (SEMIS). Subsequent insight into the areas of greatest inconsistencies and in-service training needs were gained. Extension workers in Utah were asked to report a predetermined list of hypothetical activities on the SEMIS weekly report form. These together with other report forms of previously submitted reports of common activities were studied in detail. It was found that the consistency for various activities reported ranged from 53 percent to 96 percent. It was also found that there were certain types of activities that were more often inconsistently reported than others. It was concluded that in-service training was needed to improve the consistency with which Utah Extension workers reported their weekly activities into SEMIS.

Multi-skilling, an organisational strategy aimed at increasing the skill repertoire of the worker with the intent of facilitating the role and task flexibility among organisational members, is investigated.A literature review on the subject identified a number of factors contributing towards the development of a multi-skilled workforce. These ranged from the abolition of demarcation restrictions between jobs and skill-based pay systems, to the modification of the supervisory role. However, the literature fails to consider the role of technology in such developments. It was suggested that this was central to the development of skills.A framework was proposed that hypothesized a relationship between technological uncertainty the extent to which task activities are varied and difficult and skill requirements. It was further hypothesized that technology influences the structuring of activities within organisational subsystems. It was suggested that these would act either to facilitate or inhibit multi-skilling development.The structuring of activities within a unit consist of specialisation (the number of different tasks assigned to the unit); standardisation (the degree to which policies, rules, and procedures are formalised and used to guide action); interchangeability (the extent to which A can perform Bs job at short notice, and vice versa); locus of authority (the source of decision-making authority within the unit, for example, the supervisor rather than the worker); and skill heterogeneity (the variability in skill composition among unit members).A preliminary evaluation of the framework was carried out in an organisation engaged in the processing of mineral ore, with a largely semi-skilled workforce (N=165), where a multi-skilling programme was in progress.Evidence was presented that suggested a relationship between the level of technological uncertainty and ++ / skill development. However, the results failed to confirm the pervasive influence of technology with regard to the structuring of activities within subsystems. Instead, technological uncertainty was significantly related to the design of jobs, and specifically to the degree of the standardisation of jobs of organisational members. Also, contrary to the anticipated direction, there was an association between perceived standardisation of activities within subsystems and job satisfaction.