The Employee Suggestion System: A New Approach Using Latent Semantic Analysis

Employee suggestion systems are often used as a way to improve participation from members of the organization to help solve problems that cannot be solved through traditional organizational practices. In the government sector, employee involvement programs are the most difficult to implement mainly because management regularly changes with new administration and these changes bring about many short‐term management practices and systems. Toyota's approach to employee suggestion programs has been widely benchmarked and studied, yet there is little research to show that these practices can be applied or are successful in the public sector. This work uses a statistical data‐mining technique to compare which types of human resource management practices are prevalent in employee suggestion programs at Toyota and a target government organization. This work shows that Toyota emphasizes organization‐centered factors to stimulate employee participation in solving small problems that relate to an employee's job. On the contrary, government organizations tend to emphasize employee factors that make conditions right for employees to make larger improvements in their jobs that lead to improvements outside their work areas. Findings suggest that Toyota's approach to employee suggestion programs is not a way to weaken management's obligation to perform problem solving, but instead is another medium to highlight problems that do not require management's intervention. These new insights and others provide an increased understanding of employee suggestion programs in the public sector that are unique to manufacturing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Occupational stress factors in visual display terminal (VDT) operation: a review of empirical research

A review of the literature involving empirical research (experimental and field investigations) on stressful aspects of visual display terminal (VDT) operation is presented. Studies reviewed included assessment of visual fatigue and/or performance, musculoskeletal symptoms and operator attitudes towards job demands and quality of working life. In addition, some investigation included discussions and evaluations of the physical attributes of VDT workplaces; including ergonomic factors (task lighting, glare conditions, anthropometric configuration of VDT and accompanying furniture), environmental factors (temperature, humidity, radiation) and psychosocial factors (job demand, work content, work-rest schedules).

The literature reveals that levels of visual and musculoskeletal complaints among VDT operators are high. Moreover, ergonomic field assessment of VDT workplaces indicate that the majority of those examined were suboptimal with respect to existing recommendations regarding lighting, glare control and anthropometric dimensions of screen, keyboard, desk and chair. Nevertheless, evidence of causal linkages between specific ergonomic attributes of the workplace and specific patterns of symptomatology are lacking.

Finally, work demand and task structure attributes to the VDT operation were demonstrated to have strong effects on incidences of reports of visual and postural symptoms as well as on psychosocial attitudinal indicators. Hence, it is argued that approaches toward stress reduction must include job content as well as ergonomic factors.     

Stress, computer-based work monitoring and measurement systems: a conceptual overview

The design and implementation of computer-based work monitoring systems can result in changes in the organization, job and task. Electronic performance monitoring (EPM) systems are one type of change based on principles of work simplification and work rationalization. In this new work arrangement, control and coordination functions are allocated to the computer. The supervisor becomes a monitor of information and primarily provides negative performance feedback to the employee. The employee is constrained in his/her ability to use either job resources or social resources to meet the greater demands resulting from the system controlling the pace of work. It is proposed that these work arrangements provoke stress responses in employees that can result in short-term illness and potentially long-term changes in health status. Information enriched work environments are proposed as an alternative. These new work arrangements could improve job resources and social resources to manage job demands and reduce the potentially damaging stress responses. To provide a frame of reference we focus on the impact of EPM systems on the organizational and job elements involved in provoking individual stress responses. The impact of EPM systems on individual health is described using a psychosocial stress framework. Ergonomics interventions discussed include: participation in the design process; allocation of control and coordination functions between the computer and the employee; development of feedback systems; and work measurement and the development of performance appraisal systems.     

Covariation between workplace physical and psychosocial stressors: evidence and implications for occupational health research and prevention

There is increasing interest in distinguishing the effects of physical and psychosocial workplace stressors on the aetiology of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Modest associations have been found between psychosocial stressors and MSD, such as intensive load, monotonous work and low job control. Interpretation of these results has been limited by likely covariation between physical and psychosocial stressors. This investigation examined exposure covariation among blue- and white-collar workers employed in a mass production manufacturing environment (N = 410). Physical stressors were assessed from questionnaire and accelerometry. Psychosocial stressors were assessed from questionnaire. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were computed. An exploratory factor analysis procedure identified possible common factors linking specific physical and psychosocial stressors. Moderate to high correlations between some physical and psychosocial stressors showed evidence of covariation both across and within groups. Covariation was strongest among blue-collar production and low-status office workers. Factor analysis results showed considerable shared variance between some physical and psychosocial stressors, such as repetition and job control, suggesting that these disparate stressors manifest from common work organization factors that govern the structure of work. While recognizing the conceptual differences between physical and psychosocial stressors, these results call attention to the strong empirical relationships that can exist between some stressors in the workplace setting. To guard against ambiguous study findings that can occur when exposures are mixed, it is critical that future epidemiologic studies include information about the degree of association between task-level stressors. Future research on work organization determinants of task-level stressors, and their coincident occurrence in jobs with greater specialization, may provide promising new insights into the nature of risk for MSD and effective prevention strategies.     

Covariation between workplace physical and psychosocial stressors: evidence and implications for occupational health research and prevention.

There is increasing interest in distinguishing the effects of physical and psychosocial workplace stressors on the aetiology of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Modest associations have been found between psychosocial stressors and MSD, such as intensive load, monotonous work and low job control. Interpretation of these results has been limited by likely covariation between physical and psychosocial stressors. This investigation examined exposure covariation among blue- and white-collar workers employed in a mass production manufacturing environment (N = 410). Physical stressors were assessed from questionnaire and accelerometry. Psychosocial stressors were assessed from questionnaire. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were computed. An exploratory factor analysis procedure identified possible common factors linking specific physical and psychosocial stressors. Moderate to high correlations between some physical and psychosocial stressors showed evidence of covariation both across and within groups. Covariation was strongest among blue-collar production and low-status office workers. Factor analysis results showed considerable shared variance between some physical and psychosocial stressors, such as repetition and job control, suggesting that these disparate stressors manifest from common work organization factors that govern the structure of work. While recognizing the conceptual differences between physical and psychosocial stressors, these results call attention to the strong empirical relationships that can exist between some stressors in the workplace setting. To guard against ambiguous study findings that can occur when exposures are mixed, it is critical that future epidemiologic studies include information about the degree of association between task-level stressors. Future research on work organization determinants of task-level stressors, and their coincident occurrence in jobs with greater specialization, may provide promising new insights into the nature of risk for MSD and effective prevention strategies.     

Work organization, job stress, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Recent studies indicate potential links among work organization, job stress, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs). In this paper we propose several pathways for a theoretical relationship between job stress and WRMDs. These pathways highlight the physiological, psychological, and behavioral reactions to stress that can affect WRMDs directly and indirectly. One model stipulates that psychosocial work factors (e.g., work pressure, lack of control), which can cause stress, might also influence or be related to ergonomic factors such as force, repetition, and posture that have been identified as risk factors for WRMDs. In order to fully understand the etiology of WRMDs, it is important to examine both physical ergonomic and psychosocial work factors simultaneously. Smith and Carayon-Sainfort (1989) have proposed a model of the work system for stress management that provides a useful framework for conceptualizing the work-related factors that contribute to WRMDs. Practical applications of this research include practitioners taking into account psychosocial work factors and job stress in their efforts to reduce and control WRMDs.     

High-demand jobs: age-related diversity in work ability?

High-demand jobs include 'specific' job demands that are not preventable with state of the art ergonomics knowledge and may overburden the bodily capacities, safety or health of workers. An interesting question is whether the age of the worker is an important factor in explanations of diversity in work ability in the context of high-demand jobs. In this paper, the work ability of ageing workers is addressed according to aspects of diversity in specific job demands and the research methods that are needed to shed light upon the relevant associated questions. From the international literature, a body of evidence was elicited concerning rates of chronological ageing in distinct bodily systems and functions. Intra-age-cohort differences in capacities and work ability, however, require (not yet existing) valid estimates of functional age or biological age indices for the specific populations of workers in high-demand jobs. Many studies have drawn on the highly demanding work of fire-fighters, ambulance workers, police officers, medical specialists, pilots/astronauts and submarine officers. Specific job demands in these jobs can be physical, mental or psychosocial in origin but may cause combined task-level loadings. Therefore, the assessment of single demands probably will not reveal enough relevant information about work ability in high-demand jobs and there will be a call for more integrated measures. Existing studies have used a variety of methodologies to address parts of the issue: task analyses for quantifying physical work demands, observations of psychological and physiological parameters, measures of psychosocial work demands and health complaints. Specific details about the work ability of ageing workers in high-demand jobs are scarce. In general, specific demands are more likely to overtax the capacities of older workers than those of younger workers in high-demand jobs, implying greater repercussions for health, although these effects also vary considerably within age cohorts. Functional tests for job-specific work ability should be developed for high-demand jobs in order to monitor individual functional ageing and to facilitate well-timed intervention. It is concluded that a shift from 'no-diversity thinking' to 'diversity thinking' is needed in the context of deciding about the work ability of ageing workers in high-demand jobs.     

Creativity in non‐routine jobs: The role of transformational leadership and organizational identification

An increasing number of individuals work in jobs with little standardization and repetition, that is, with high levels of job non‐routinization. At the same time, demands for creativity are high, which raises the question of how employees can use job non‐routinization to develop creativity. Acknowledging the importance of social processes for creativity, we propose that transformational leaders raise feelings of organizational identification in followers and that this form of identification then helps individuals to develop creativity in jobs with little routinization. This is because organizational members evaluate and promote those ideas as more creative, which are in line with a shared understanding of creativity within the organization. To investigate these relationships, we calculated a mediated moderation model with 173 leader–follower dyads from China. Results confirm our hypotheses that transformational leadership moderates the relationship between job non‐routinization on employee creativity through organizational identification. We conclude that raising feelings of social identity is a key task for leaders today, especially when working in uncertain and fast developing environments with little repetition and the constant need to develop creative ideas.     

Caught between the users and the firm: How does identity conflict affect employees' innovative behavior

Absorbing external knowledge is crucial for innovation within the organization. One way of tapping external knowledge sources is to rely on employees who reach out across the firm's boundary to external stakeholders and address knowledge sets located beyond the organizational boundary. However, such employees are likely to identify with the stakeholders they reach out to which exposes them to potentially conflicting demands—with positive or negative effects for their employing organization. We investigate whether and how their dual identification with the organization and with users, and the potential identity conflicts this engenders, affects their job satisfaction and innovativeness. We study a sample of 243 employees in two industries, revealing that perceived conflict between organizational identification and user identification detracts from job satisfaction if and only if employees are strongly identified with both targets. We find also that identity conflict is indirectly and negatively related to innovative work behavior through job satisfaction. Our paper contributes to the literature on the benefits and risks of employee ties to external stakeholders. We contribute also to research on embedded users by elucidating under what conditions they are most valuable to their employing organizations.     

Computer-telephone interactive tasks: predictors of musculoskeletal disorders according to work analysis and workers' perception

Sixty-two workers engaged in computer-telephone interactive tasks in an active telemarketing center and a telephone call center of an international bank subsidiary in S?o Paulo. Brazil, were assessed by means of a work analysis and a self-administered questionnaire aiming to determine the statistical relationship of ergonomic, organizational and psychosocial characteristics of their jobs with the report of symptoms in neck-shoulder and hand-wrist for more than 7 consecutive days and any time away from work during the current job due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). According to chi-square univariate tests and multiple logistic regression models, active telemarketing operations, duration in the job and the low level of satisfaction with the physical arrangement of the workstation emerged as the factors most related to neck-shoulder and hand-wrist MSD and MSD-induced time away from work. This study emphasizes the role of psychosocial factors and duration in the job in MSD occurrence and induced absenteeism among workers engaged in computer-telephone interactive tasks.     

Ageing, working hours and work ability

The current paper reports the main results of several studies carried out on Italian workers using the work ability index as a complementary tool for workers' periodical health surveillance. The work ability index shows a general decreasing trend over the years, but it changes differently according to working conditions and personal health status. In jobs with higher mental involvement and autonomy, but lower physical constraint, it remains quite constant and high over the years, while it significantly decreases with a steeper trend the higher the physical work load and the lower the job control are. Sex and working hours appear to act concurrently in influencing work ability, particularly in association with more physically demanding jobs. It is therefore necessary to adopt flexible interventions, able to give ageing shift workers a proper support for maintaining a satisfactory work ability, by means of actions addressed both to work organization and psycho-physical conditions.     

Mind your E-manners: Impact of cyber incivility on employees’ work attitude and behavior

We examined cyber incivility in the workplace of Singapore and also examined its impact on employee job satisfaction, organizational commitment, quit intention, and workplace deviance. Data were collected from 192 employees. Results of the survey showed that male supervisors engaged in active forms of cyber incivility while female supervisors engaged in passive cyber incivility. Regression analyses also showed that cyber incivility was negatively related to employees’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Employees who experienced cyber incivility were also more likely to quit their jobs or engaged in deviant behavior against their organization. Thus, cyber incivility has negative consequences on both individuals and organizations. Consequently, it is important that firms educate employees and have appropriate policies to discourage cyber incivility.     

Biomechanical aspects of sitting: An application to VDT terminals

In order to avoid musculoskeleta! problems when working at a VDT terminal, biomechanical aspects of sitting and of working in a sedentary position need to be considered. This papers reviews relevant biomechanical knowledge and relates it to field studies of VDT users and their preferred workstation settings. It is concluded that even though good agreement exists between subject comfort rating and preferred postures on the one hand and biomechanical data on the other, an ergonomic work organization is necessary to achieve the best possible work conditions.     

Privacy and biometrics: An empirical examination of employee concerns

Advances in authentication technology have led to a proliferation of biometric-based systems in the workplace. Although biometric technologies offer organizations a cost-effective method of increasing security, employees are often hesitant to permit use. The collection and storage of employee biometric data raises concerns about proper use of these intensely personal identifiers. This work draws from organizational privacy practices, electronic monitoring, procedural fairness, self-construal, and technology adoption theories. We investigate the effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on three newly developed dimensions of employee privacy concern related to organizational use of biometric technology. These dimensions include perceived accountability, perceived vulnerability, and perceived distrust toward the organization. We test the predictive power of our model using data from an organization deploying a new biometric system designed to track employee work assignments under the auspices of improving personnel safety. Results indicate that self-construal plays a significant role in the formulation of privacy concerns and both perceived accountability concerns and perceived vulnerability concerns are significant predictors of attitude toward using biometric technology in the workplace.     

Relationships between job organisational factors,biomechanical and psychosocial exposures

The relationships between work organisational, biomechanical and psychosocial factors were studied using cross-sectional data from a pooled dataset of 1834 participants. The work organisational factors included: job rotation, overtime work, having second jobs and work pace. Task and job level biomechanical variables were obtained through sub-task data collected in the field or analysed in the laboratory. Psychosocial variables were collected based on responses to 10 questions. The results showed that job rotations had significant effects on all biomechanical and most psychosocial measures. Those with job rotations generally had higher job biomechanical stressors, and lower job satisfaction. Overtime work was associated with higher job biomechanical stressors, and possibly self-reported physical exhaustion. Those having second jobs reported getting along with co-workers well. Work pace had significant influences on all biomechanical stressors, but its impact on job biomechanical stressors and psychosocial effects are complicated.

Practitioner Summary: The findings are based on a large number of subjects collected by three research teams in diverse US workplaces. Job rotation practices used in many workplaces may not be effective in reducing job biomechanical stressors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Overtime work is also associated with higher biomechanical stressors.     

Work organisation and gender among hospital cleaners in Quebec after the merger of 'light' and 'heavy' work classifications

In Québec, Canada, cleaning tasks were once divided into 'light' or 'heavy' cleaning, assigned respectively to women and men. These categories are being merged; in principle, both genders are assigned the same tasks. Activity analysis using observations and interviews examined work activity of male and female cleaners in two hospitals. In one hospital, work activity could be compared before (time 1) and after the work reorganisation (time 2). Some gender segregation of tasks appeared to have persisted at time 2, in both hospitals. Some route assignments contained components that were difficult for all cleaners, especially women of average strength. Only about one-third of the recommendations for improvement made at time 1 had been carried out by time 2, 12 years later. In a low-status job, it may be hard to meet equality, health and efficiency goals because commitment to improving equipment and worksite design may be lacking. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Current attempts to desegregate jobs should be accompanied by attention to physical job demands in order to protect employee health and access to equal employment. The study also shows the need to follow up ergonomic interventions, particularly in low-status jobs such as cleaning, where recommendations can be forgotten.     

Video display terminals and vision of workers Summary and overview of a symposium

This summary discusses issues raised at a National Research Council symposium on vision and VDT work, held at the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Symposium participants critically reviewed laboratory studies of visual function and field surveys of visual complaints of VDT operators to determine what conclusions can be drawn about the prevalence, severity, causes of, and possible remedies for reported difficulties. Although speakers' perspectives differed, a number of points appeared to gain consensus: (i) properly designed epidemiologies) studies comparing the incidence of visual problems in VDT operators with that in non-VDT workers are needed, (ii) Visual issues are closely interrelated with ergonomic and job design variables, and use of multivariate statistical analysis is necessary to determine what specific aspects of work involving VDTs may contribute to visual and other complaints, (iii) No scientifically valid study has established that VDT use causes harm, in the sense of damage, to the visual system, (iv) Existing knowledge indicates a number of measures that could be taken to improve worker comfort and performance: use of high-quality displays; control of workplace lighting conditions; application of principles of anthropometric design; and consideration of workers' needs in design of jobs, (v) Surveys of radiation emissions from VDTs indicate that levels of radiation are far below U.S. occupational exposure standards. Published data provide no evidence that cateracts are associated with VDT use. (vi) Standards should be based on research. Differing opinions on whether setting standards is useful and appropriate point to the need for caution in this area. Needs for further research were identified.     

Employee dispositions to job and organization as antecedents and consequences of information systems use

Organizations implement information systems to improve employee productivity and engender favourable organizational outcomes. Although there is evidence of positive outcomes of system use, research has suggested that system use may lead to negative consequences for employees and organizations. There has been limited research that focuses on how employees' use of information systems in the workplace is associated with their positive and negative dispositions to job and organization. We develop and test a model that posits that dispositions to job (ie, job satisfaction, job security, job anxiety, and emotional exhaustion), and organization (ie, organizational commitment and organizational trust) will play a dual role of antecedents and consequences of system use. We conducted 2 longitudinal studies in the context of 2 different systems—a functional system and an enterprise system—and found support for our hypotheses (N = 257 and 181, respectively). We found that preimplementation job and organizational dispositions significantly predicted both lean and rich measures of system use. Further, we found that rich measures of system use (ie, cognitive absorption use and deep structure use) had differential impacts on postimplementation employee dispositions—functional system use had a positive impact and enterprise system use had a negative impact. Overall, our findings offer a comprehensive understanding of system use, and its antecedents and consequences for employees in organizations.     

Work routinization and implications for ergonomic exposure assessment

Jobs in many modern settings, including manufacturing, service, agriculture and construction, are variable in their content and timing. This prompts the need for exposure assessment methods that do not assume regular work cycles. A scheme is presented for classifying levels of routinization to inform development of an appropriate exposure assessment strategy for a given occupational setting. Five levels of routinization have been defined based on the tasks of which the job is composed: 1) a single scheduled task with a regular work cycle; 2) multiple cyclical tasks; 3) a mix of cyclical and non-cyclical tasks; 4) one non-cyclical task; 5) multiple non-cyclical tasks. This classification, based primarily on job observation, is illustrated through data from a study of automobile manufacturing workers (n = 1200), from which self-assessed exposures to physical and psychosocial stressors were also obtained. In this cohort, decision latitude was greater with higher routinization level (p < 0.0001), and the least routinized jobs showed the lowest self-reported exposure to physical ergonomic stressors. The job analysis checklist developed for non-routinized jobs is presented, and limitations of the task analysis method utilized in the study are discussed. A work sampling approach to job analysis is recommended as the most efficient way to obtain a comparable unbiased exposure estimate across all routinization levels.     

An ergonomic expert system for risk assessment of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders

A computer-based expert system (SONEX) was developed to identify ergonomic risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) in a wide variety of jobs and provide expert prevention advice. SONEX uses a rule base and 6 knowledge base modules: WRMSD risk factors are grouped into two main knowledge base modules (symptoms, engaged body part) with four supplementary knowledge base modules (work environment, work chair, work tools, organization factors). SONEX uses a menu-based interface and a series of simple questions that lead a user through each of the two main modules. Based on user responses it then recommends other knowledge base modules that are relevant for a detailed analysis of work risks. The SONEX rule base has over 140 questions, the knowledge base includes over 200 risk factors, and around 500 possible answers can be generated. SONEX relates ergonomic shortcomings in the job with worker's subjective symptoms; it predicts possible WRMSDs; and it offers preventive suggestions for ergonomic improvements to the job to prevent WRMSDs. It has been tested in a variety of work places with known ergonomic problems and with known employee WRMSDs by comparing its performance with conventional analytical methods and results show that it accurately predicts possible WRMSD risks and identifies ergonomic shortcomings. The advantages of SONEX are that it is much faster than other ergonomic analysis methods and it can be used by ergonomists and other professionals and also by workers themselves.