Expendable to essential? Changing perceptions of gig workers on Twitter in the onset of COVID-19

While ride-hailing ridership declined in 2020 due to COVID-19 induced restrictions like stay-at-home orders, food/grocery delivery services became quasi-essential. This study investigates if and how public perceptions of gig work related to platform-based ride-hailing and food/grocery delivery services changed during the early stages of the pandemic. We collected a sample of 23,845 Twitter posts ('tweets') related to these platform-based services within two-week periods before and after the US COVID-19 emergency declaration. Sentiment analysis on tweets was conducted to investigate changes in public perception of gig work. Tweet content was analyzed by descriptively coding about 10% of the sample of tweets manually along ten different dimensions (e.g., personal experience, informative, and about driver);then we used thematic analysis to gain an understanding about the public's views towards gig work/workers. We tested supervised machine learning methods to explore their potential to classify the rest of the sample along the ten descriptive dimensions. The number of tweets increased by approximately 150% after the emergency declaration and became more positive in sentiment. Qualitative results indicate that tweets about negative personal experiences with drivers/companies decreased during COVID-19, while tweets exhibiting a sense of community (e.g., sharing information) and concern towards gig workers increased. Findings can inform policy and workforce changes regarding platform-based service companies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Beliefs and care practices around COVID-19 in railway personnel in Argentina

Objective: to characterize the situation of railway workers regarding their beliefs and practices of occupational health care in the context of COVID-19. The "ASPO", decreed on 03/20/2020 in Argentina, recognizes public passenger transport as an essential service. Public transport systems are high-risk contexts since they transport large numbers of people in a confined space, with limited ventilation, many common contact surfaces and few possibilities of identifying people infected with coronavirus. Methodology: exploratory-descriptive, quantitative and observational design, with a standardized questionnaire of questions and specific indicators for data collection. The sampling by quotas that was made up of 459 participants from different railway lines. Results 81.4% consider that it is very possible/quite possible to become infected in their workplace, while the home is perceived as the place with the lowest risk of contagion (65.68%). The perception of the feeling of sustained tiredness/listlessness increased by 44%;that of bad mood/irritability/nervousness 46.8%;constant alertness 55.7%;fear of getting sick/dying 39.7%;appetite 40.1%;difficulty sleeping 35.9%;and sexual desire 16.6% while it decreased by 14.4%. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) Objetivo: caracterizar la situacion de los trabajadores ferroviarios respecto de sus creencias y practicas de cuidado de la salud laboral en el contexto de la COVID-19. El Aislamiento Social Preventivo Obligatorio, decretado el 20/03/2020 en Argentina, reconoce al transporte publico de pasajeros como servicio esencial. Los sistemas de transporte publico son contextos de alto riesgo ya que transportan un gran numero de personas en un espacio confinado, con ventilacion limitada, gran cantidad de superficies comunes de contacto y escasas posibilidades de identificar personas contagiadas de coronavirus. Metodologia: diseno exploratorio-descriptivo, cuantitativo y observacional, con un cuestionario estandarizado de preguntas e indicadores especificos para la recoleccion de datos. El muestreo por cuotas quedo conformado por 459 participantes de diferentes lineas del ferrocarril. Resultados: el 81,4% considera que es muy posible/bastante posible contagiarse en su lugar de trabajo, mientras el hogar se percibe como el lugar de menor riego de contagio (65,68%). La percepcion sobre la sensacion de cansancio sostenido/desgano aumento un 44%;la de mal humor/irritabilidad/nerviosismo 46,8%;el estado de alerta constante 55,7%;el miedo a enfermar/morir 39,7%;el apetito 40,1%;la dificultad para dormir 35,9%;y el deseo sexual 16,6% mientras que disminuyo en el 14.4%. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

No choice but to be essential: Expanding dimensions of precarity during COVID-19

Under COVID-19, low-wage service sector workers found themselves as essential workers vulnerable to intensified precarity. Based on in-depth interviews with a sample of 52 low-wage service workers interviewed first in Summer 2019 and then in the last two weeks of April 2020, we argue that COVID-19 has created new and heightened dimensions of precarity for low-wage workers. They experience (1) moments of what we call precarious stability, in which an increase in hours and predictable schedules is accompanied by unpredictability in the tasks workers are assigned, (2) increased threats to bodily integrity, and (3) experiences of fear and anxiety as background conditions of work and intensified emotional labor. The impacts of COVID-19 on workers' lives warrant an expanded conceptualization of precarity that captures the dynamic and shifting nature of precarious stability and must incorporate workers' limited control over their bodily integrity and emotions as core components of precarious working conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A longitudinal investigation of the roles of cognitive and affective job insecurity before and during the pandemic

Background: While an increasing body of research has examined employees' job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, we know little about the role of cognitive and affective job insecurity in the pandemic context. Methods: We conducted a two-wave study on 211 service employees in South Korea to assess the indirect effect of their cognitive job insecurity that existed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on their job performance after the onset of the pandemic, via affective job insecurity. Results: Mediation analysis revealed that pre-COVID cognitive job insecurity significantly indirectly affected mid-COVID job performance through mid-COVID affective job insecurity. Further, we found this indirect effect significant only among female employees. Discussion: These findings underscore the long-term effects of cognitive job insecurity on job performance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Students with autism spectrum disorder and their social communication needs in college

This qualitative descriptive study explored how college and university disability service personnel in the Northeast, Southeast, and Western U.S. describe and identify the ways support services help address the social communication needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chevallier, Kohls, Troiani, Brodkin, and Schultz's (2012) social motivational theory was the theoretical foundation utilized in this study. There were 2 research questions that were explored: 1) How do college or university disability service personnel describe the social communication needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? and 2) How do college or university disability service personnel identify the ways that support services help address the social communication needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? The sample consisted of 16 disability service personnel from the Northeast, Southeast, and Western U. S. Data was collected through individual interviews and two focus groups. Themes were identified through a 6-phase thematic analysis process resulting in 6 themes: social maintaining, social reward, social orienting, identifying autism spectrum disorder, documentation, and information from individuals. Findings indicated that participant students with ASD need support in a social setting through friendships and support from disability service personnel. Participants stated COVID-19 impacted the students' support needs in social communication. Disability services personnel and college counselors could utilize the results from this study as a rationale for developing methods and strategies to support the social communication needs of students with ASD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of religiosity on political skill: Evidence from Muslim hotel employees in Turkey

Purpose: While former literature has shown that people have a strong tendency to seek religious support during difficult times, knowledge gaps exist in how the mechanism of religiosity works to support employees' mental status and performance. Therefore, based on self-categorization theory, this study aims to examine the effects of employees' intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on building their mental toughness and mindfulness and the further formation of employees' political skills. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected from 404 full-time hotel employees working in 34 hotels in Turkey during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in spring 2020. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the proposed hypotheses. Findings: Results of this study show that intrinsic religiosity improves employees' mental toughness, while extrinsic religiosity enhances employee mindfulness. Additionally, both mental toughness and mindfulness help employees to develop political skill. Research limitations/implications: This study enriches knowledge to workplace religiosity literature and expands the research scope of religion-related research in hospitality and tourism literature. Future studies are recommended to consider religious heterogeneity and longitudinal design. Practical implications: To foster employee mental well-being, hotel firms should create a religious-friendly workplace and develop religion-friendly policies. Opportunities should be created within hospitality organizations for employees to develop and use their political skills in needed work aspects. Originality/value: The findings of this study contribute to valuable theoretical and practical implications. To the best of the knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to study hotel employees' religiosity during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

On being warm and friendly: The effect of socially responsible human resource management on employee fears of the threats of COVID-19

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the influence of socially- responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on employee fears of external threats during the COVID-19 outbreak, based on social support and event system theories. COVID-19 caused sharp profit declines and bankruptcies of hotels, restaurants and travel agencies. In addition, employees faced threats to their health and job security. How to overcome employee anxieties and fears about the negative impacts of this crisis and promote psychological recovery is worthy of attention from researchers and practitioners. This research investigated the impacts of SRHRM on employee fears through organizational trust, with the COVID-19 pandemic playing a moderating role between SRHRM and employee fears. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses were tested through multiple linear regression analysis based on a survey of 408 employees in hospitality and tourism firms in China. Qualitative data were also gathered through interviews with selected managers. Findings: The results showed that SRHRM had a negative influence on employee fears of external threats by enhancing trust in their organizations. In addition, the strength of the COVID-19 pandemic positively moderated the effect of SRHRM on employee fears. When the pandemic strength was more robust, the negative effects of SRHRM on employee fears were more significant. Research limitations/implications: This research illustrated the contribution of SRHRM in overcoming employee fears of external threats in the context of COVID-19. It shed light on the organizational contribution of SRHRM to hospitality and tourism employee psychological recovery during the crisis. Originality/value: This research explored strategic HRM by examining the effects of SRHRM on employee fears in the midst of a severe crisis, specifically COVID-19. The moderation effect of event strength and mediation effect of organizational trust were tested. It is of great value for hospitality and tourism firms to foster employee psychological recovery during a crisis such as COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)