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Objectives: This scoping review aimed to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic influenced any modifications to patient selection methods or prioritisation and services provided by proton therapy centres. Method(s): This review was conducted based on the PRISMA methodology and Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review guidelines.1,2 A literature search was performed in Medline, Embase, Web Of Science and Scopus as well as grey literature. Keywords including "COVID-19" and "Proton Therapy" were used. Articles published from 1 January 2020 in English were included. In total, 138 studies were identified of which 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. A scoping review design was chosen to capture the full extent of information published relating to the aim. Result(s): Six of 14 articles included statements regarding treatment of COVID-19 patients. Three publications recommended deferred or alternative treatment, two indicated to treat urgent/emergency patients and one reported continuous treatment for infectious patients. Recurring impacts on PT provision included more frequent use of alternative therapies, reduced referrals, delayed treatment starts and CT simulation, change in treatment volume and staffing limitations due to pandemic restrictions. Consequently, telehealth consults, remote work, reduction in patient visitors, screening procedures and rigorous cleaning protocols were recommended. Discussion/Conclusion: Few publications detailed patient selection or workflow methods used during the pandemic. Further research is needed to obtain more detailed information regarding current global patient selection methods in proton therapy, collecting this data could aid in future planning for proton therapy in Australia.
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Organizations, societies, and economies are the scope of sustainability in every community. The growing realization of electronically-enabled business as critical drivers of sustainable economic growth and development especially during crisis is no doubt propelling nations into harnessing the benefits of enterpreneural transformation in the 21st century and post covid-19 era. Teleworking and Telecommuting are technologies that have the ability to enable ubiquitous digital service transmissions needed to combat and curtail the prevalence of pandemics such as Covid-19. Capabilities of telecommuting can be effectively utilized to address the challenges associated with Covid-19 presently and in the post covid-19 era including threats in war-turned geographical spaces. However, there is the paucity of such knowledge, orientation and awareness amongst entrepreneurs, industries and companies in developing countries like Nigeria. This lacuna, if properly bridged will help unpack the link between production, consumption and service delivery in an emerging economy. This paper examines the notional impact of the concept of telecommuting and teleworking as a mechanism for a sustainable economic transformation and global repositioning of the work force beyond the covid crisis. Furthermore, it analyzes and juxtaposes the readibility of business environments to ensure their employee's safety in the work place and remote working, thus providing continuity to economic, productive and business activity. This conceptual study uses the interpretive paradigm, through deductive analysis to draw the conclusion that there is a very poor level of deployment of telecommuting and teleworking models in countries like Nigeria during crisis and pandemics and therefore recommends that organizations adopt this mechanism to propel safety of the workforce and reduce cost. With the approval for the operation of the 5G network in the Nigerian telecommunications space, entrepreneurs can explore the gains to sustain remote working or working from home in the post-covid-19 era.
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COVID-19 triggered a monumental shift to remote work. The challenge of connecting and relating among knowledge employees emerged globally, and research about remote work in this unique circumstance surged. However, we know more about the impact of remote work on knowledge employees in low-context cultures than in high-context. Given that Brazil is high context, we explored how remote work impacted relating and connecting among knowledge employees in Brazil. First, employees lost the informality of work-life;instead of informal, fluid communication and collaboration, participants had to book appointments and schedule time to discuss simple issues. Second, good-humoured behaviours diminished, implicating connectedness. Third, non-verbal communication ceased, and employees lost facial expressions, eye contact, and other prevalent signs necessary for context. Fourth, the loss of unstructured exchange of experiences and ideas lessened tacit knowledge sharing. Fifth, workspace inequalities emerged as the employees' homes were unequipped for remote work. Lastly, the most significant win was work-life balance. Therefore, remote work in high-context cultures is not without peril;culture and socioeconomics underline remote work's self-generating, self-organizing mechanisms. Thus, corporate leaders and human resource professionals should address remote work as a layered phenomenon and, carefully, with employees, co-construct the notion of connecting and relating. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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the CoVid-19 pandemic drastically changed different aspects of the daily lives of millions of people, generating an increase in the use of the internet for maintaining social contact, teleworking or online studies. this study explores the extent to which the internet connection pattern changed during the CoVid-19 confinement in a sample of adults from four latin american countries, considering gender and age. a descriptive study was carried out, including a non-probabilistic convenience sample design. the final sample was comprised of 1488 participants. this analysis shows that internet habits changed in terms of frequency, duration, and time of use. We observe differences when it comes to gender and age. in women, the increases in use are greater for the different variables analyzed, especially for the frequency of connection at night. in terms of age, the younger the age, the greater the increase in internet connection time throughout the day and connection time at night. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) la pandemia de CoVid-19 cambio drasticamente diferentes aspectos de la vida cotidiana de millones de personas, generando un incremento del uso de internet para el mantenimiento del contacto social, el teletrabajo o los estudios online. en este articulo se evalua en que medida presento cambios el patron de conexion a internet durante el confinamiento por CoVid-19 en una muestra de adultos de cuatro paises de america latina, considerando el sexo y la edad. se propuso un estudio descriptivo, con diseno no probabilistico de muestreo por conveniencia. la muestra final quedo compuesta por 1488 participantes. el analisis muestra que los habitos de conexion a internet se modificaron en terminos de frecuencia, duracion y horarios, observandose diferencias en funcion del sexo y la edad. en mujeres son mayores los incrementos de uso para las distintas variables analizadas, especialmente para la frecuencia de conexion nocturna. en cuanto a la edad, a menor edad se observa un mayor aumento del tiempo de conexion a internet a lo largo del dia y de conexion en horario nocturno. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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By early 2020, COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic which led to an enormous number of challenges worldwide in various sectors. The Philippine government has implemented multiple quarantine guidelines and travel restrictions to ensure the people's health and safety. However, the International Labour Organization projected an initial economic and labor market disruption affecting 11 million workers, or about 25% of the Philippine workforce, due to the pandemic. Therefore, the government, thru the concerned agencies continues to encourage employers to implement alternative work plans such as a work-from-home (WFH) operation in compliance with the established regulations in line with existing laws and policies. In line with the telecommuting concept, various research has already been performed, however, some were regarded inconclusive and require further study. Hence, in this study, a Web application was developed along with an embedded fuzzy model to evaluate the telecommuting capability assessment of employees. The proposed web application with embedded fuzzy model is capable of providing capability assessment using the four main input variables which are also relatively characterized for possible telecommuting cost assessment. © 2022 IEEE.
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Remote work has been gaining in popularity for years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Along with its perceived benefits, remote work often results in individuals spending long hours at a computer or on the phone. Consequently, remote workers may find that a large portion of their day is spent sitting without taking any kind of break, especially those for physical activity. The purpose of this action research study was to explore proven strategies that enable remote workers to take active breaks during their workday. Data was collected from longtime remote workers during Cycle 1 research through 11 semi-structured interviews and document analyses. Data analysis led to 12 themes that responded to the research questions. Along with the literature and a focus group, these findings informed the action step, which was designed, executed, and evaluated in Cycle 2. The action step involved four longtime remote workers sharing their lived experiences around remote work, breaks, and activity through a podcast series. These podcasts were consumed by 16 new remote workers who answered qualitative survey questions to determine the impact of the podcasts on their break taking during their workdays. The research found that a remote worker's work environment, degree of autonomy, and break options influence how they fit in breaks during their workdays. The findings suggest that remote workers need consistent organizational support;that having autonomy to manage their workdays is critical for remote workers;and all breaks "are not created equal". (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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This chapter explores the barriers and disruption to community and communication resulting from remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Utah's decision to abruptly transition to a fully online model resulted in several communication impacts for staff. First, staff participants received little and inconsistent communication from the University. This caused uncertainty within departments, which trickled down to the students staff serve. Second, this led to staff participants feeling disconnected from the institution and increased their concerns around misinforming students. At the same time, the move to online learning and work decreased efficient communication between colleagues. Casual interactions in the office became email threads and extended feedback processes. Third, staff reported that online communications with students became less personal, which created difficulty for building and maintaining rapport. Finally, staff members' overall sense of community consistently dropped as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on and they were forced to continue to work remotely. The discontent and apprehension felt by staff members around the communication provided from University leadership was compounded by the impact of working from home. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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PurposeThe unimagined workplace disturbance caused by the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has made many organizations virtual or telework driven workplaces, often without the infrastructure and systems in place to support employees facing these sudden workplace changes (Burrell, 2020). Many stressors accompanied this transition, to include lack of childcare, home-school responsibilities and layoffs and business closings. These stressors have perpetuated concerns for the job and financial security for all workers (Fox, 2020), leading some employees to struggle with the work-life balance out of concern for being laid off due to perceived low productivity (Fox, 2020). This study aims to explore those manifestations.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19 induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment to fill a gap in the literature concerning emerging workplace dynamics due to COVID-19 for small real estate businesses in the USA.FindingsThe results of this qualitative research case study provide knowledge and information about the need for small businesses to be resourceful and resilient in the way that they support and engage remote workers. This qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19-induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment for small real estate businesses. The analysis of current work-life structures through a qualitative lens provides trends among workers to gain a greater perspective of the current accelerators and barriers to worker success in a COVID-19 teleworking environment.Originality/valueThis qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19 induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment to fill a gap in the literature concerning emerging workplace dynamics due to COVID-19 for small real estate businesses. The value of this research is that majority of the participants were African-Americans, which represents a participant group that is highly under researched.
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Objective: To evaluate whether the COVID19 pandemic continues to affect working practices/patterns in staff working in a global medical communications agency, and establish what impact these have on various factors relevant to their work. Research design and methods: Staff were asked to detail changes in working practices (pre- vs post-pandemic), via an online survey conducted in September 2022. Those with changes in working patterns were asked to assess the resulting impact on key work-related aspects. Categories were: communication, creativity, effectiveness, resolving queries, briefing, career progression/development opportunities, professional relationships and work/life balance;ratings were: very positive, positive, neutral and negative. Result(s): Of 36 respondents, most (n=32, 89%) reported changes in working patterns post-pandemic: 31 (86%) from predominantly office-based to predominantly remote, and 1 (3%) from predominantly remote to predominantly office-based. Four (11%) reported no change. Seventeen (53%) considered the overall impact on their daily work as neutral, 14 (44%) as positive and one (3%) as negative. Most staff reported a very positive/positive impact on effectiveness (69%) and work/life balance (63%). Categories with majority neutral responses were communication with delivery team (63%), creativity (47%), query resolution (50%), providing/receiving briefs (78%), and career progression/- development opportunities (63%). Overall, 56% of staff felt that their new working pattern negatively impacted their ability to form working relationships with peers. Conclusion(s): Most staff work in a hybrid manner post-pandemic. Although hybrid working has minimal impact on key workrelated aspects, it is important to have balance between office and remote working where possible, to develop and maintain working relationships (and thus foster a sense of community), whilst enabling individual flexibility.
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This study focuses on measuring the relationship between organizational learning culture (OLC) and turnover intentions of telecommuting call center agents. Although many studies involve the call center industry from different perspectives, the literature is scant in studies that have assessed the relationship between OLC and turnover intent in telecommuting call center agents. Call centers exist in almost every organization worldwide. Organizations have centralized their customer service process through computerbased technologies allowing call center agents to work from home. In addition, in the post-COVID-19 era, telecommuting has become a permanent option for many call center employees. Indeed, in the call center industry, telecommuting has become an essential part of the business strategy that seeks to attract new and maintain current employees. In the call center industry, learning is a factor that influences job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Specifically, OLC increases job satisfaction and performance in telecommuting call center agents, influencing employees' turnover intentions. The study 's findings indicate that OLC is a needed factor that helps lower turnover intentions of telecommuting call center agents in the United States.
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Due to COVID-19, the shift to telecommuting became a widely used work set-up to maintain economic balance. This work set up is associated with risks to employees' wellness. As prevention to the risks, employees must be provided with ways to understand the telecommuting attributes. In relation, this study targets in understanding the links between the socio-economic demographic status, work engagement, and food intake of the education sector's tele-employees. The 110 samples are gathered from the Senior High school Department using convenience sampling, an online survey, and the mixed method. ANOVA and multi-linear regression are used as statistical treatments. The study found that the older generation with higher Income is more likely linked with higher work engagement. The younger generation, low-income earners, and males are inclined more toward unhealthy foods as compared to their counterparts. Low-income earners perceived that their work engagement falls under the category that energy to work is at a bare minimum level. The participants' education attainment revealed significance with energy-giving or carbohydrate-source foods. The qualitative data highlighted job position was perceived with a link to food intake and work engagement. Unhealthy food consumption is perceived with a beneficial association with work engagement, although it is suggested for further investigation. With these findings, the education sector's stakeholders, nutrition, mental health professionals, and future researchers would mainly benefit from this study for intervention generation. © 2023 ACM.
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Objectives: Many patients with long COVID experience at least one vision problem. This study determines the association of long COVID with seeing difficulties. Method(s): We conducted a cross-sectional analysis with the Census Household Pulse Survey data (N = 51,288). We excluded adults who reported contracting COVID within the past four weeks, those with missing data on seeing difficulty when infected with COVID, and long COVID. Long COVID was defined as having symptoms lasting three months or longer that the adults did not have prior to having COVID. Adults self-reporting to a question on seeing with "some difficulty," "a lot of difficulty," or "unable to do" were classified as having "seeing difficulties." We conducted Chi-square tests and logistic regressions with replicate weights. Logistic regressions adjusted for long COVID, sex, age, race and ethnicity, marital status, income, education, food sufficiency, health insurance, remote work, vaccine doses, region, depression, and anxiety. Result(s): During the survey period (November 2 - November 14, 2022), 37.3% reported seeing difficulties, and 14.4% reported long COVID. A higher percentage of adults with long COVID reported seeing difficulties than those without long COVID (47.6% vs. 31.9%). In the fully adjusted logistic regression model, compared to adults with no COVID or without long COVID, those with long COVID had greater odds of seeing difficulties (AOR = 1.50, 95%CI = 1.32, 1.70). We did not observe a statistically significant difference between adults without long COVID and no COVID (AOR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.93, 1.10 p = 0.7888). Conclusion(s): One in eight adults had long COVID. Adults with long COVID had significantly higher odds of seeing difficulties than those without long COVID. Therefore, a follow-up of patients with long COVID needs to include screening for seeing difficulties. More research is needed on the links between long Covid and vision care.Copyright © 2023
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of telecommuting on "In Role Performance (IRP) and Extra Role Performance (ERP) of employees" and the research has also examined the moderating effect of "Polychronic Time Culture (PTC) vs Monochronic Time Culture MTC" and "High Context Culture (HCC) vs low context culture (LCC) on the relationship between teleworking and IRP and ERP, whether these factors moderate the relationship or not. The quantitative approach is used for this study. Data is collected through the online survey method, where 312 teleworkers of the telecommunication sector respond to the questionnaire. The collected information is tested using SPSS and AMOS by using confirmative factor analysis and structural equation modelling. This study's findings show that teleworking had a significant impact on the IRP and ERP of employees. Time cultures also had a significant moderating impact on the relationship between teleworking and In-role performance and employees' extra-role performance. In contrast, HCC vs LCC had an insignificant moderating impact on the relationship between teleworking and IRP of the employees, and it significantly influences the ERP of employees. This research has been conducted only in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. Furthermore, this research focused only on two dimensions of Hall's cultural model;future research can use the national cultural model's other dimensions. This study gives several insights into how employees and organizations can be encouraged to work from home according to the organisation's standards. It also enables the organization to motivate employees to EERP while working from home.
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The research subject of this paper is the analysis of the attitudes of employees in pharmaceutical companies towards the business aspects of the pharmaceutical industry during and after the end of the pandemic in the Republic of Serbia. The aim is to examine the differences in the attitudes of employees, as well as to determine which variables predict the situations of endangering the professional reputation of pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted by means of a survey during 2021 on a sample of 27 innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies. We used the SPSS program for descriptive statistics analysis, chi square test and binary logistic regression models. The findings show that there is a statistically significant difference in the expressed attitudes of employees in innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies in terms of coming to the office during the pandemic;the lack of medicines and medical devices used in the treatment of COVID-19 infections;the patient access to a chosen doctor;the expectations of the employees to continue working from home after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of the binary regression models show the slowdown in the supply chain, the access to doctors and working from the home office have not been perceived as creating situations of endangering professional reputations, that is, they contribute to the sustainable economic success. On the other hand, the introduction of digital technologies decreases the occurrence of conditions in which their professional reputation has been threatened.
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The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the current stage of implementation of telework in Romania and to determine potential positive and sustainable effects generated by its development on a large scale. The research methodology used is based on descriptive analysis, comparative analysis, but also on econometric analysis. The general results obtained show that Romania registers a very low level of telework employees, this being influenced, not only by the low share of those with tertiary education and high skilled professionals, but also by the fact that most Romanian employees do not want to practice this type of work. The results also showed that telework can generate significant economic and social benefits. The potential solutions we have identified for the sustainable development of the telework phenomenon in Romania include investments in tertiary education and awareness campaigns among both employees and companies, regarding the positive effects that can be obtained through telework and business development.
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This paper examines how telework frequency has affected the usage of major communication media, and subsequently knowledge sharing, among a large sample of full-time Japanese employees with no prior telework experience during the country's fourth COVID-19 state of emergency. Results suggest that mandatory telework resulted in lower use of face-to-face meetings and phone calls;in higher use of instant messaging and virtual meetings, and that it had no effect on e-mail use. Moreover, phone call, instant messaging, and virtual meeting frequencies were found to mediate the relationship between telework frequency and knowledge sharing. These findings highlight the importance of both existing and newer communication media in offsetting the loss of face-to-face meeting opportunities. Government-mandated telework may have accelerated the adoption of new communication tools such as instant messaging and virtual meeting, which had not yet gained full acceptance before the pandemic.
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The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a large-scale change in the way university educators worked. This article examines tensions that shaped how educators adapted their teaching as they worked from home during the pandemic. The study is based on empirical data gathered at a large-scale, research-intensive UK university in the first weeks of lockdown. Activity Theory analysis is used to examine transformations in practice, how these changes were culturally and historically situated and materially and socially mediated. The themes identified are examined through a series of vignettes to pinpoint personal factors that influenced the expansion of work. This study's findings signal a call to action to support new forms of work through five policy actions related to personal factors that influence the work, life and wellbeing of educators. Going forward, there is a need for universities to develop and implement policies that take into consideration these five areas to support educators to expand how they work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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PurposeWork-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India's future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become the primary/sole mode of communication for employees, which holds several implications for employers and employees. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ICT media characteristics and usage frequency on multiple WFH outcomes. Specifically studied was ICT media's ability to support synchronicity or coordinated behaviours of individuals working together.Design/methodology/approachThis work examined the effect of ICT media's synchronicity-supporting ability and usage frequency on WFH employees' need for competence and relatedness satisfaction, thereby wellbeing and preference to WFH. Data from 301 white-collar employees of varied manufacturing and services organizations of India was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling.FindingsAchieving more synchronicity by frequently using ICT media that can better facilitate coordinated behaviours did not directly influence WFH employees' feeling of belongingness (need for relatedness) or wellbeing. It did, however, positively affect their feeling of effectance (need for competence) and thereby wellbeing. However, unexpectedly, it negatively influenced preference to WFH more often.Originality/valueThis study has uniquely combined media synchronicity and self-determination theories to investigate the implications of a work practice on employee wellbeing and preferences. Also, an extensible media evaluation parameter was created that encompasses the characteristics and usage frequency of a set of ICT media.
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This chapter shares the author's personal experiences during the early part of the lockdown in the UK in the spring of 2020, with all the uncertainties it created, and considers it from a dramatic storied perspective. It presents the author's perspective of creating a story out of COVID-19. Over the coming weeks in the spring of 2020, as the virus spread in lightning dramatic form, was a series of intertwined stories neither the author nor anyone else had fully processed. They were being encouraged to work from home. As we moved into March the government suggested that we should not have mass meetings, not go to pubs, sporting events or concerts. The notion of working from home and social distancing were being considered. We were all inadvertently being drawn into a classic dramatic story of life and death, without having the distance or space to respond fully to the emotions created. From a dramatherapy perspective, one could argue this is Jung's 'Collective Unconscious' at its most literal and dramatic-an unseen virus spreading throughout the very DNA of all humankind, that was completely unknown to us till a few months earlier, had no antidote and could be deadly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Purpose: This study aims to assess e-working remotely from the perspective of online workers based on important theoretical aspects that have been found to have an impact in this regard. Specifically, the study examines the influence that work-life balance, job effectiveness, organizational trust and flexibility have on e-workers experience in terms of satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: For this research, the E-Work Life (EWL) scale, which consists of 17 questions and yields four critical dimensions, namely work-life balance, job effectiveness, organizational trust and flexibility, was adapted to measure remote e-working experience. Data were collected by sending the electronic questionnaire link to e-workers. In order to define the factorial structure and test whether the data fit the hypothesized measurement model, factor analysis was initially conducted on a sample of 230 e-workers. The relationship between EWL scale variables and e-worker experience was examined using order logit model. Findings: This paper initially provides the validity and reliability of the EWL scale. Exploratory factor analysis optimally supported three factors and 13 items in contrast to the original scale. The influence that the remaining structure comprised of work-life balance, job effectiveness and flexibility has on e-worker experience was also measured. Results indicate that work-life balance and job effectiveness have a positive influence on e-workers satisfaction with online working, while flexibility does not show a positive association in this regard. Of the three variables, job effectiveness shows to be the most influential factor for e-worker satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: For the nature of this study, a larger sample size would have been more preferable. It must also be noted that the study took place in circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic where social activities were limited, and this could have interfered with employees' emotions to some level and ultimately with their evaluation of e-work. It is suggested that further research be conducted. Practical implications: Owing to the increasing occurrence of these working practices worldwide, particularly with the COVID-19 situation, this study, through its' findings, contributes to a broader knowledge on successful implementation of e-work environments. It helps individuals to comprehend crucial e-work-related issues and supports organizations to identify areas for improvement, so that effective strategies can be developed to increase productivity while supporting worker's well-being and satisfaction at the same time. Originality/value: This paper addresses a previously identified need for further validation of the newly developed EWL scale in a different setting and with a new sample. At the same time, it adds to the understanding of the impact of important dimensions previously shown to affect e-worker satisfaction with online working. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)