Experiences of improvement of everyday life following a rehabilitation programme for people with long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19: Qualitative study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To explore challenges in everyday life for people with long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19 and whether a rehabilitation programme contributed to the remedy thereof. BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems around the world need knowledge about acute COVID-19 treatment, long-term effects exerting an impact on peoples' everyday lives, and how to remedy these. DESIGN: This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. METHODS: Twelve people with long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19 participated in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Individual semi-structured interviews were made. Data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three themes and eight sub-themes emerged with respect to everyday life challenges and experiences of the rehabilitation programme. The themes were (1) Personal insight and knowledge, (2) Changed daily routines at home and (3) Coping with working life. CONCLUSION: Participants experienced long-term effects of COVID-19 as cognitive challenges, fatigue and headaches, which affected their everyday lives, that is inability to overcome daily tasks at home and at work, maintaining family roles and relations with relatives. The rehabilitation programme contributed to a vocabulary and insights related to the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the experience of being a different person. The programme contributed to changes in daily routines, organising breaks in everyday life and explaining challenges to family/relatives and the way in which they affected daily routines and their role in the family. In addition, the programme supported several of the participants in finding the right workload and working hours. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: We recommend multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes inspired by cognitive remediation of long-term COVID-19 cognitive effects. Municipalities and organisations could collaborate in the development and completion of such programmes, possibly comprising both virtual and physical elements. This could facilitate access and reduce costs. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients contributed to the conduct of the study by participating in the data collection via interviews. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Data collection and processing of data are approved by the Region of Southern Denmark (journal number: 20/46585).

Staff quality of working life and turnover intentions in municipal nursing care and social welfare: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses and social workers are two common professions with a university degree working within municipal nursing care and social welfare. Both groups have high turnover intention rates, and there is a need to better understand their quality of working life and turnover intentions in general and more specifically during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated associations between working life, coping strategies and turnover intentions of staff with a university degree working within municipal care and social welfare during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional design; 207 staff completed questionnaires and data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Turnover intentions were common. For registered nurses 23% thought of leaving the workplace and 14% the profession 'rather often' and 'very often/always'. The corresponding figures for social workers were 22% (workplace) and 22% (profession). Working life variables explained 34-36% of the variance in turnover intentions. Significant variables in the multiple linear regression models were work-related stress, home-work interface and job-career satisfaction (both for the outcome turnover intentions profession and workplace) and Covid-19 exposure/patients (turnover intentions profession). For the chosen coping strategies, 'exercise', 'recreation and relaxation' and 'improving skills', the results (associations with turnover) were non-significant. However, comparing the groups social workers reported that they used 'recreation and relaxation' more often than were reported by registered nurses. CONCLUSIONS: More work-related stress, worse home-work interface and less job-career satisfaction together with Covid-19 exposure/patients (Covid-19 only for turnover profession) increase turnover intentions. Recommendations are that managers should strive for better home-work interface and job-career satisfaction, monitor and counteract work-related stress to prevent turnover intentions.

The impact of COVID-19 on the family and working life of fathers with young children

This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on the working style of fathers raising young children and its influence on their family and working life. Fathers with full-time jobs (N = 606) participated in this study in August 2020. The results indicated the following conclusions, (a) Only fathers in certain conditions (desk work, college graduate, high income, etc.) increased the number of days working from home, (b) The fathers who worked from home because of COVID-19 reported "doing family" (active, responsive, and generative involvement in the family) more than others, (c) The fathers who worked from home and had working spouses negotiated more with their spouses and work colleagues, (d) Changes in working style increased "doing family," and improved satisfaction with family and work, and the satisfaction with their lives. Actualizing fathers' life careers through the societal change of work environments was discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Transitioning from University to Working Life: A Comparison of Business Graduates' Perceptions of Skills before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business schools and students. The unusual circumstances created by the pandemic situation have provided a unique occasion to look at challenges and opportunities facing business graduate students when transitioning from university to working life. Using a survey from business students who graduated before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study explores the role of skills (IT and non-IT skills) in the transition from university to working life as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business students' skills and career decisions. It was found that non-IT skills were perceived as more essential than IT skills, and having IT skills such as data analytics and business applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were more essential skills for students who graduated during the pandemic. Finally, business students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are considering acquiring new digital/technological skills. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Working Conditions and Well-Being across the COVID Pandemic in UK Social (Care) Workers

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, social work and social care practitioners had some the worst working conditions of any sector in the UK. During the pandemic, data revealed that social care occupations had higher COVID infection and mortality rates than the general population. The article reports the changing working conditions (measured via the Work-Related Quality of Life scale) and well-being (measured via the Short Warwich–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) of UK social care and social workers across three timepoints between May 2020 and July 2021 through an online cross-sectional survey of working conditions and well-being. Analysis of variance demonstrated that both well-being and working conditions were significantly poorer in July 2021 (phase 3 [ n  = 1,606]) than the previous two phases (n  = 2,523 and n  = 2,424, respectively), suggesting that both working conditions and well-being worsened within the social care and social work workforce across the pandemic. Furthermore, each of career satisfaction, working conditions, control, general well-being and home–work interface predicted poorer well-being at Time 3. Whilst chronically poor working conditions can lead to poorer individual psychological and physiological health outcomes, our findings highlight continually poor conditions in this sector, with potential further impacts on organisations and the service users that social care workers support. It is therefore important that individuals, organisations and government develop mechanisms to support these critical workers during and following the pandemic.

Remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic: identification of working life impacts, employees' data protection abilities and trust outcomes

Purpose: This study examined employees' experiences of remote work and the impact of remote work on working life. Design/methodology/approach: This was a mixed-methods study undertaken in three Finnish nonprofit firms. In total, 1,154 respondents took part during the first and second COVID-19 waves in Finland. Findings: COVID-19 remote working saved employees' and businesses' financial resources;increased job satisfaction, firms' performances and employee employment opportunities;and positively affected organizations' trust outcomes. This study found that female team leaders were significantly more likely than male team leaders to trust team members' data protection abilities. In addition, remote work can reduce climate pollution. Remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic also affected the social lives of the employees and work relationships and led to a reduction in physical activity levels and work overload. Research theoretical implications: The main theoretical contributions of this study are the identification of remote working characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic, positive/negative outcomes of remote working, and further forms measurable propositions. This study contributes to the change management literature and opens up new avenues for future research. Practical implications: This study can help managers to better understand and lead employees at a time when significant numbers continue to work remotely. Continued work in this field is important because organizations are required to be agile in a changing operating work environment. Given that home-based work has become the new normal, organizations may need to update their data protection rules and address organizational trust issues. Social implications: Social effects can be seen as an increased understanding of the effects of remote work in the colleague network. Although remote work suits many employees, they also wish to see their colleagues occasionally. Thus, a mix of remote work with some in-office time may be a more attractive option than remote work only. Originality/value: The integrated multidimensional framework applied in this study is based on research findings. The framework is dynamic and can be further expanded with new findings, serving as a theoretical basis to guide future research. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Pandemi ve Ekonomik Durgunluk Sürecinde KOBÍ'ler ve Sosyoekonomik Önemi

Çin'in Wuhan şehrinde ortaya çıkarak zamanla tüm dünyayı ektisi altına alan Covid-19 salgını tüm dünyada olduğu gibi ülkemizde de sosyoekonomik yaşamımızda geniş ve derin etkiler bırakmıştır. Günlük yaşamımızdan ekonomik hayatımıza kadar bir çok alanda alışılması ve düzeltilmesi son derece zor deneyimler yaşanılmasını ve beraberinde ulusal düzeyde bir çok sosyoekonomik tedbir ve önlem alınmak zorunda kalınmıştır. Pandemi süreci ile birlikte yaşanılan ve toplumun bütün katman ve alanlarında görülen bu değişikliklerin her biri ayrı bir akademik çalışma ile analiz edilmesi ve yeterince ders alınması gereken yaşanmışlıklardır. Bu çalışmamızda pandemi süreci ile birlikte yaşanılmaya başlanılan ve ekonomik hayatımızda özellikle KOBÍ'lerle birlikte yaşanılan tecrübenin olumlu, olumsuz etkileri incelenmeye çalışılmıştır. Küçük ve orta büyüklükteki işletmelerin kuruluşundan, faaliyete başlamaları, üretim ve istihsale ilişkin çalışmaları, yeni koşullara uyum süreci, personel politikası, istihdama olan katkıları, hasılı bir bütün olarak sosyoekonomik yaşamımızdaki etkileri incelenmeye çalışılacaktır. Ülkemiz ekonomisi için son derece önemli rol ve görevler üstlenen ve toplam istihdam, üretim, işletme sayısı gibi sosyoekonomik göstergeler bakımından çok belirgin bir rol üstlenen bu konuyu genel bir girişten sonra KOBÍ kavramı, Türkiye'de KOBÍ'lerin durumu, nitelikleri, avantajları, dezavantajları, serbest piyasa ekonomisinde KOBÍ'ler, sosyoekonomik olarak ekonomiye katkıları ve Kobilerin ekonomik ve sosyal rollerinin olumlu anlamda arttırılması için yapılması gerekenler ve yapılmaması gerekenler incelenmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışma ile KOBÍ'lerin sahip olduğu esneklikten yararlanılarak ekonomik ve sosyal refahın nasıl artırılabileceği ortaya konulmaya çalışılarak Türk ekonomisinin ve sosyal yapısının beklenen seviyeyi yakalayarak sosyoekonomik motor görevini arttırarak sürdürebileceği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmamızda pandemi süreci ile birlikte yaşanılmaya başlanılan ve ekonomik hayatımızda özellikle KOBÍ'lerle birlikte yaşanılan tecrübenin olumlu, olumsuz bütün etkileri incelenmeye çalışılmıştır. Küçük ve orta büyüklükteki işletmelerin kuruluşundan, faaliyete başlamaları, üretim ve istihsale ilişkin çalışmaları, yeni koşullara uyum süreci, personel politikası, istihdama olan katkıları, hasılı bir bütün olarak sosyoekonomik yaşamımızdaki etkileri incelenmeye çalışılacaktır. Ülkemiz ekonomisi için son derece önemli rol ve görevler üstlenen ve toplam istihdam, üretim, işletme sayısı gibi sosyoekonomik göstergeler bakımından çok belirgin bir rol üstlenen bu konuyu genel bir girişten sonra KOBÍ kavramı, Türkiye'de KOBÍ'lerin durumu, nitelikleri, avantajları, dezavantajları, serbest piyasa ekonomisinde KOBÍ'ler, sosyoekonomik olarak ekonomiye katkıları ve Kobilerin ekonomik ve sosyal rollerinin olumlu anlamda arttırılması için yapılması gerekenler ve yapılmaması gerekenler incelenmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, KOBÍ'lerin sahip olduğu esneklikten yararlanılarak ekonomik ve sosyal refahın nasıl artırılabileceği ortaya konulmaya çalışılarak Türk ekonomisinin ve sosyal yapısının beklenen seviyeyi yakalayarak sosyoekonomik motor görevini arttırarak sürdürebileceği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.Alternate :The Covid-19 pandemic, which emerged in Wuhan, China and affected the whole world over time, has left widespread and profound impacts on our socio-economic life in our country as well as all over the world. It has led to extremely difficult experiences to get used to and to be corrected in many areas from our daily life to our economic life. It has also brought about many socioeconomic measures and precautions to be taken at the national level. Each of these chan es that has occurred th the pandemic process and been observed in all layers and parts of society are the experiences that should be analyzed within separate academic studies and enough lessons should be taken. This study aims to examine all the positive and negative effects of the experience that has begun to occur with the pandemic process and been experienced in our economic life, especially with SMEs. This study tries to examine the effects of small and medium-sized enterprises on our socio-economic life as a whole, from their establishment to the initiation of their activities, their works related to production, their adaptation process to new conditions, their personnel policy, and their contributions to employment. After a general introduction to SMEs, which play a very important role and duties for our country's economy and play a very prominent role in terms of socio-economic indicators such as total employment, production, number of enterprises, the study examines the concept of SME, the status of SMEs in Turkey, their qualifications, advantages, disadvantages, SMEs in a free market economy, their socio-economic contributions to the economy, and things that should or should not be done in order to increase the economic and social roles of SMEs in a positive way. This study aims to reveal how the economic and social welfare can be increased by making use of the flexibility of SMEs, and to demonstrate that the Turkish economy and Turkish social structure can achieve the expected level and continue to increase its socio-economic engine role.

Simulating Percentage of Workers Opting to Work from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using N-Player Iterative Game Theory

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has led to several countries establishing guidelines asking citizens to stay secluded and at their homes as much as possible. This has a profound impact on the working lives in almost all professions. Hence, people have been advised to work from home. However, working from home has several limitations and on average will cause financial losses to an individual. This has given rise to a dilemma where each person has the choice of working from home or going outside with the incentive of earning more capital but also increasing the risk of capturing the virus. We have modeled this situation using an n-player game where each player is trying to maximize their payoff, i.e., trying to make as much money as possible but limiting the risk of catching the virus. We aim to predict the proportion of a population cooperating, i.e., the following work from home guidelines at a particular stage of spread. This project presents an algorithm to model the n-player game and has used actual COVID-19 case numbers from various Indian states to simulate the situation. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Transformation of Home into Workspace for Women during Covid-19 Pandemic: Expression of Work and Non-Work Life Balance on Social Media

With the pandemic remote working has become the norm around the world, especially for office workers. In cases where the necessary equipment and infrastructure cannot be provided, it is inevitable for the employees to be faced with a challenging home-office environment where their needs such as home and child care are mixed together while they carry out their work at home (Vu, 2020). Practices related to the position of women in the business world, who made positive progress until the beginning of the global epidemic;as a result of the fact that women and mothers are particularly affected by ‘work-at-home' during the pandemic, decades of gains related to women's participation in the workforce may be disrupted. However, it is observed that working women, who face many difficulties in work-life balance, start to think about taking a step back in their careers or leaving their jobs (Baser, 2020). The main questions of this study are how and to what extent female employees adapt to the "home” as both living and working space, how they experience the balance of work and non-work life, and how this situation affects their well-being and well-being during the pandemic period. Our work deals with working from home in the context of the relationship between the individual and the environment, in order to contribute both theoretically and practically to a multidisciplinary subject that includes architecture, psychology and medicine. In this, the posts about working from home on a social networking platform (Instagram™) with a netnographic (Serafinelli, 2017) approach between March'2020 and October'2021 were evaluated with content analysis. Instagram content, with its data repository function that records people's digital footprints, is an official source used in many researches today (Serafinelli, 2017). Following the first phase of the research, which was conducted on indicators related to time interval, gender, positive-negative emotion-concept sharing, work and non-work life balance, workplace and institutionalism, the evaluations were made on shared photographs. Content analysis produced seven themes mainly related to children and workspace arrangements. And the absence of males in the reflected experiences of women is critical. © Peter Lang GmbH.

Mental health outcomes and workplace quality of life among South African pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers is gaining attention globally. This study assessed the quality-of-working life (QoWL) and prevalence of, and risk factors for anxiety, depression and stress among South African pharmacists. METHODS: An online survey, after stratification by province, was sent to 3435 (target = 2454) randomly selected pharmacists between 14 April to 18 May 2021. Sociodemographic data were collected and mental health was assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale and a modified Work-Related Quality-of-Life tool. Prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress and QoWL was estimated. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with mental health outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 953/2454 pharmacists (38.8%) responded. Of these, 56.5% were 40 years or younger, 78.5% were female, 45.4% were White race and 44.5% were practicing in a community pharmacy setting. Pharmacists demonstrated symptoms of anxiety (n = 605, 66.1%), depression (n = 561, 62.9%), stress (n = 642, 73.8%) and low QoWL (n = 409, 51.3%). Significant risk factors (aOR; 95%CI) for anxiety, depression and stress were female gender (1.96;1.36-2.83,1.84;1.27-2.67,1.58;1.05-2.38, history of mental health conditions (2.50; 1.52-4.13, 3.68; 2.19-6.19, 3.34;1.85-6.03) and significant COVID-19 mitigation changes to pharmacy practice (2.70; 1.36-5.38, 4.23; 2.06-8.70, 3.14;1.44-6.82), respectively. Practice changes were also associated with a low QoWL (5.19; 2.40-11.8). Compared to their Black/African colleagues, Indian pharmacists were at higher risk for anxiety (1.82; 1.03-3.23) and stress symptoms (2.28; 1.21-4.32), while risk for depression was significant amongst White pharmacists (1.86; 1.05-3.32). Pharmacists living apart from family were at significant risk for anxiety (1.66; 1.15-2.41), depression (1.52; 1.06-2.18) and low QoWL (1.60; 1.10-2.34). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the mental health of South African pharmacists. Interventions to support the psychological well-being and improve QoWL of pharmacists are needed.

A Spontaneous Adoption of AR Technology a manufacturing industrial context

Digital transformation is a process encompassing all organizations, requiring a proactive attitude and willingness to change. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the relevance of digitization through an increased awareness and implementation of digital tools for working life. The next wave of successful innovation in industry demands high-pitched adoption of technologies for production and workplace learning systems. Organizations are trying to understand which technologies to invest in, based on usability measures, cost effectiveness, and sustainability. It can be hard to predict which technology is best suited for specific tasks. This implies a growing risk regarding investments in technology. This paper describes the spontaneous use of technology for augmented reality (AR, Microsoft HoloLens 2) in a Norwegian manufacturing company during Covid-19. The case illustrates how AR technology can be used in assembling, installation and acceptance testing of machinery for selective soldering in the production of circuit boards. Data were collected through case study research and a qualitative research design, through observation and interviews with the participants. The results show that Microsoft HoloLens 2 is easy to adopt and could contribute to immediate and real value creation in industrial production companies. We believe that the spontaneous usage of AR technology in such extraordinary circumstances as a pandemic could motivate and guide other businesses facing important decisions related to technology implementation. The original value of this article is a contribution to the discussion on the Technology Acceptance Model, which is chosen as a theoretical framework for the paper. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Financial Reasons for Working beyond the Statutory Retirement Age: Risk Factors and Associations with Health in Late Life.

Despite an increasing trend of working life prolongation, little is known about the risk factors for financial reasons for working beyond the statutory retirement age (SRA), and how these reasons relate to health. The present study examined (1) the determinants of working beyond the SRA, (2) the workers' self-reported reasons for working beyond the SRA, and (3) the association between these reasons and health in late life. Cross-sectional data of 1241 individuals from the Swiss survey "Vivre/Leben/Vivere" were analyzed. The results showed that people with a low level of education and with a low income have an 80% higher risk of working beyond the SRA for financial reasons than for other reasons (p < 0.001). Moreover, self-rated health was not significantly associated with working beyond the SRA for financial reasons but was significantly associated with education and income (p < 0.01). In conclusion, while previous studies have already identified financial difficulties as one important reason for working beyond the SRA, the present study indicated the socioeconomic factors that are crucial for increasing the risk for working beyond the SRA. Thus, our results help to guide the adaptation of social policies for better maintaining and promoting the health of particularly vulnerable older workers.

Back to the Future of Work: Old Questions for New Technologies

In the past decade or so the Future of Work question has emerged as a major policy concern at national and international level. This is in large part due to opportunities and challenges created by the development of data and AI driven automation technologies, and in the past two years by the Covid pandemic, which has led many employees and employers to rethink the ways in which they work, as individuals and organisations. In the USA, there is now talk of a great resignation, as many employees reconsider the value and quality of their working lives. If there is one lesson that we have already learned it is that the future of work question resists easy formulations and answers, nor is it primarily a matter of jobs being replaced by automation. As work touches nearly every aspect of our lives the future of work is bound to be a complex question in need to careful investigation. In this talk I won't offer predictions, but try to unpack the problem, asking not so much what is the future of work, but rather how should we ask good question(s) about it in the first place. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Academic Teachers about Their Productivity and a Sense of Well-Being in the Current COVID-19 Epidemic.

This article looked at the situation of university teachers in Poland during the COVID-19 epidemic as a result of their need to work remotely. The study was conducted in the first stage (I) on 21 academicians and in the second stage (II) on 18 academicians. The study was conducted to determine the level of productivity of the study group in their online learning competencies in relation to their well-being, as well as during the height, and weakening of the epidemic. The results of the survey conducted, especially during the height of the epidemic, indicated varying levels of self-evaluation of their productivity in relation to their digital competencies linked to the need for them to work remotely, which also affected their psychological well-being. Several cases of respondents indicated a negative assessment of their own productivity, and thus their quality of work life and sense of psychological well-being. However, some respondents, on the contrary, showed a desire to work, the need for self-improvement, and to continue their mission of teaching.

RETHINKING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT POST COVID-19

As countries around the world are adjusting in the post COVID-19 era, a new “normal” has emerged. Industries are reassessing their entire business model, assessing new ways to use advanced technology tools, reinforcing the impact of growing online commerce and preparing the return to their business. Opportunities to push digitalization and automation has accelerated by rapid learning about what it takes to drive productivity in organizations when staff are unavailable and without the resources they would normally access. The pandemic has also shaped a new working life/environment with a combination of remote and on-site working, a hybrid model, in which some employees are on premises, while others work from home. With the explosion of workforce conversations on digital collaboration tools, knowledge now flows dynamically across the digital communications channels that define the new working relationships. This implies that the organizations’ approaches to knowledge management need to consider how emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and collaborative platforms, can support problem-solving and help workers innovate and uncover new insights. The paper aims to perform an analysis of the impact which innovative technologies may have on the implementation and application of KM initiatives and activities in the post-COVID era. Moreover, as knowledge management and working life are strongly connected to each other, their relation is also further analyzed. In particular, the paper will investigate the new trends in working life, such as Work 4.0, and discuss their criticality and applicability. To summarise, the paper will highlight the changes that have been inevitably induced by the pandemic in organizations and in the ways employees work, not only acquiring and creating new knowledge using technology, but continuously disseminating it throughout the organization. Copyright © 2021 by the American Institute Federation of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved

Mental well-being and quality of working life in UK social workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A propensity score matching study

Social work, like many other health and social care services has been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article compares the differences of mental well-being and work-related quality of life (WRQoL) for UK social workers before and during the pandemic. Mental well-being and WRQoL were better during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 than prior to the pandemic in 2018. The findings of this study suggest that during the highpoint of the pandemic other factors such as increased support to changes in working practices may be responsible for this improvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic interest into its potential impact on mental well-being has intensified. Within the social care sector, the pandemic has increased job demands and prolonged stress taking a disproportionate toll on the workforce, particularly social workers. This article compares the mental well-being and quality of working life of social workers in the United Kingdom (UK) before and during the pandemic. Data were collected in 2018 (N = 1,195) and 2020 (N = 1,024) using two cross-sectional surveys. To account for the differences between the datasets, propensity score matching was employed prior to effect estimation, utilising demographic and work-related variables common to both datasets. The differences between the two time-points were estimated using multiple regressions. Both mental well-being and quality of working life were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018. This suggests that during the highpoint of the pandemic in the UK, increased support, and changes to working practices, such as reprioritisation of work and other initiatives, may be responsible for increased mental well-being and quality of working life. While acknowledging the known pressures on UK social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic this evidence suggests a mixed picture of the pandemic with lessons for managers and employers.

Are high performance work systems compatible with the extending working life agenda?

Purpose>The paper examines the compatibility of two UK policy priorities – extending working life (EWL) and the promotion of national economic performance through high performance work practices (HPWP).Design/methodology/approach>Empirical analysis has been conducted using data from WERS2011 to test hypotheses on whether age moderates the link between HPWP and employee well-being outcomes.Findings>Development-oriented human resource strategies are found to compromise the wellbeing of older workers relative to younger ones, while some dimensions of HPWP lead to more favourable wellbeing outcomes for older workers relative to their younger counterparts (flexible working, performance-related pay and appraisal systems).Research limitations/implications>At older ages those still in the workforce may be over-represented by happier and psychologically more robust individuals who have settled into jobs they find fulfilling, matching their personal characteristics and abilities. If so, the adverse well-being influence of development-oriented strategies may be understated, while favourable well-being outcomes for older workers may be overstated.Practical implications>HRM strategies may need to be more age sensitive to support the EWL agenda better.Originality/value>While many studies have examined the link between HPWP and a range of individual-level outcomes, less widely researched is whether responses vary by age, which the paper addresses.

Perception of Quality of Work Life in Employees in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of working life. Methods: Within the scope of the study, questionnaire was applied to 510 people working in the public and private sectors in Turkey. The survey form consists of sections on employee's demographic information, and quality of working life scale. The research was conducted through an online survey between April 2020 and July 2020 and delivered to a wide audience through the researchers' social networks. This data, collected by convenience sampling method. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used to analyze the study data. Results: It was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the participants' way of working at home or remotely during the pandemic period (t = 3.625, p-value = 0.000) and their gender and the mean total score of QWL (t =-3.005, p-value = 0.003). Conclusion: The study results show that the COVID 19 pandemic has negative effects on the quality of working life. In addition, both public and private sector employees have experienced serious changes in their working life in this process, and in this case, it is seen that their working life quality is adversely affected.

Can They Stay or Will They Go? A Cross Sectional Study of Managers' Attitudes towards Their Senior Employees.

A larger amount of older people need to participate in working life due to the global demographic change. It is the employer, through the manager, who enables employees to have access to measures in the workplace that facilitate and enable a sustainable extended working life. The aim of this study was to evaluate work life factors associated with managers believing their employees can work versus wanting to work until age 65 or older. This cross-sectional study included 249 managers in the Swedish municipality sector. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate associations between different univariate estimates and in data modelling using the SwAge-model. The result stated that 79% of managers believed their employees 'can' work and 58% of managers believed their employees 'want to' work until age 65 or older. Health, physical work environment, skills and competence are associated the strongest to managers believing employees 'can' work until age 65 or older. Insufficient social support at work and lacking possibilities for relocations associated the strongest to managers believing employees would not 'want to' work until age 65 or older. Though, several countries (especially in Europe) have included in their social policy measures that retirement age be increased after 65, proposing ages approaching 70. When these proposals become laws, through obligation, people will have no choice (if they want to or if they can continue working). However, people's attitudes to work may be different (especially after the COVID-19 pandemic), and this analysis of the participating managers' attitudes showed there is a difference between why employees 'can' versus 'want' to work respectively. Therefore, different strategies may be needed to contribute to employees both being able to and willing to participate in working life until an older age. These findings on managers' perspectives, regarding whether they believe employees would be able to versus would want to work and the SwAge-model, will hopefully contribute to an increased understanding of organisational actions and measures in the process of creating a sustainable extended working life and to increase senior employees' employability.