• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.193-209
• /
• 2021

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to specify the relationship between demographic cohesion and firm performance by examining the roles of HR practices, such as job rotation and flexible work arrangement. Design/methodology/approach - This study samples 1,093 firms in Korea and collects their data between 2007 and 2017 from Workplace Panel Survey, a database from Korea Labor Institute. The demographic cohesion is measured using the Herphindal-Hershman index and the firm performance is measured with net incomes. This study employs a fixed-effects model for the estimation of firm performance with respect to demographic cohesion, job rotation, and flexible work arrangement. Findings - There is a positive relationship between demographic cohesion and net incomes. And the relationship is positively moderated by job rotation. However, flexible work arrangement shows a mixed moderation. Research implications or Originality - Differentiated from the studies on demographic diversity, this study shows that demographic cohesion has a mixed impact on firm performance. While demographic cohesion can improve firm performance through trust building, in-group favoritism, and collective identity it entails internal conflicts. However the link between demographic cohesion and firm performance is moderated by job rotation and flexible work arrangement. While there is a positive moderation of job rotation, there is a negative moderation of flexible work arrangement.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.3-12
• /
• 2023

The present study examines the impact of COVID-19 anxiety on employees' psychological resources and behaviors, drawing on the conservation of resources theory. We also investigate whether flexibility in work contexts has a meaningful effect on employees' responses to the pandemic. A total of 284 working adults participated in an online survey consisting of self-reporting questionnaires that assessed levels of COVID-19 anxiety, vigor, innovative work behavior, and flexible working arrangements. The results showed that the level of vigor mediated the positive relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and innovative work behavior, and the perceived level of flexible working arrangements moderated this mediation effect positively. The findings highlight the importance of considering employees' psychological resources and work arrangements in managing the negative impact of COVID-19-related anxiety. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for organizations to better understand the psychological processes that employees undergo during a crisis. Further research on diverse work settings and cultural backgrounds is needed to expand on the present findings.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.11 no.11
• /
• pp.169-175
• /
• 2013

Smart flexible work has been a topic of considerable interest to researchers, practitioners, and public policy advocates as a tool to help individuals manage work and family roles. In this study, we investigated the types of smart flexible work arrangement and analyzed the organizational units associated with it. We found that the critical success factors of smart flexible work and the specific types of flexibility make a difference in the effects found. And we proposed on the direction of policy promotion that can contribute to the introduction of smart flexible work.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.53-58
• /
• 2024

Background: As social distancing persists and interest in work-life balance grows, more companies are adopting flexible work policies. While there have been studies on sleep disorders associated with different types of work, such as shift work, research exploring the relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders is still limited, particularly among Korean workers. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey, focusing on 31,243 paid workers out of a total of 50,538 participants. We defined flexible workers as those who set their own working hours. Sleep disorders were divided into three categories: 'difficulty falling asleep,' 'frequent waking during sleep,' and 'waking up feeling exhausted and fatigued.' Using scores derived from three specific symptoms, the Minimal Insomnia Symptoms Scale (MISS) was calculated to assess the prevalence of insomnia. We used chi-square tests to analyze demographic and job-related differences. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify any relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders. Results: Significant differences were found between flexible and non-flexible workers regarding age, income level, education level, and job type. Flexible workers reported sleep-related symptoms significantly more often. The odds ratio for insomnia was 1.40 (95% CI 1.21-1.61). For males, the odds ratio was 1.68 (1.36-2.08). Conclusion: This study establishes a correlation between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders among Korean salaried workers. Potential causes could include changes in circadian rhythm, increased work demands, and extended working hours. To precisely determine causality and associated diseases, further research is required.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.37-51
• /
• 2022

This study examines the relationship between flexible work and workers' work-life balance using data from the 23rd Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, with a focus on the impact of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the analysis, WFH was found to have a positive effect on the happiness of workers, satisfaction with family relationships, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction related to job security for women. In addition, we looked at the changes in time use of WFH workers and non-WFH workers before and after COVID-19, with a particular focus on aspects such as time spent sleeping and on self-development, childcare, housework, exercise, and social gatherings. Compared to non-WFH workers, WFH workers increased the time spent on housework and childcare after COVID-19, with this trend more pronounced among women. The results of this study suggest that the effect of utilizing WFH may be halved for workers who have to take care of children and work at the same time, and that this effect may be greater for women. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen social support measures so that WFH workers who face a work-life conflict due to childcare can maintain work productivity and realize a work-life balance, and to ensure that the flexible work arrangement should not be a medium that reinforces traditional gender roles. Active policy efforts will be required to make sure this happens.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.128-134
• /
• 2014

With the development of Information Communication Technology and a way of solving problems such as productivity improvement, advanced working attitude, greenhouse gas reduction, low birth rate, aged problem, etc., the need of smart work is increasing. Getting out of legacy working types that are limited in time and space, the flexible seat system at a smart work center that supports the smart working environment is proposed. However, the seat choice based on employee's emotional judgement may cause the decline of forming cooperative space and mutual communication because of the scattered seat arrangement between employees. This paper proposed a seat recommendation method for the mutual cooperation at a smart work center. The method is based on a work similarity of employees. A prototype system also implemented to show the feasibility.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.114-123
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to explore personal as well as occupational factors and health status associated with work-life balance in Korean registered nurses. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis using cross-sectional nationally representative data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) in 2014. Study participants included 450 registered nurses in South Korea. Descriptive analysis, Independent t-test, $x^2$ test, and Logistic regression analyses were performed using the SPSS 21.0 statistical program. Results: Work-life balance was reported in 70.6% individuals with 85.7% being male and 70.0% being female nurses. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being male good health state, having less than 40-hour working week, lower number of night duty, policy on flexible work arrangement were significant predictors of work-life balance. Conclusion: This study provided evidence that identify predictors of work-life balance in registered nurses in South Korea. Therefore, we need the actively support health care service promotion and prevention for work-life balance predictors.

• Journal of the Korean Graphic Arts Communication Society
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 1995

Polymeric mesogens having a regularly alternating rigid-flexible repeating structure in the main-chain polymer exhibit distinct even-odd oscillation in their thermodynamic quantities with respect to the number of methylene units in the spacer. The even-odd oscillation depends on the number of methylene groups in the spacer the entropy change at the NI(nematic-isotropic) phase transition becomes less distinct when the linking group is replaced by the carbonate. In our previous work, we have suggested that the characteristics arise from the geometrical arrangement of the linkage. In this work, we have prepared a series of carbonate-type monomer and dimer liquid crystals. The thermodynamic behaviors at the NI phase transition have been compared with those previous reported for the ether- or ester-type liquid crystals. For the dimer series, the orientational order parameter of the mesogenic core was determined by using H-NMR technique. The origin of the difference observed among linking groups was found to the geometrical characteristics of chemical structure.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.111-117
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this study is to provide the basic guidelines of spatial and physical environment for the planning and design of clinical laboratory by analysing the extent of satisfaction of clinical laboratory scientists. The data for this analysis was gathered from March to May 2005 by the questionnaires of 208 clinical laboratory scientists who work in the 13 hospitals. All the collected data was analyzed by the SPSSWIN program. In this study, the satisfaction measurement tool was composed with 8 items and 5 score scale. The mean score of satisfaction for spatial and physical environment was 2.89 out of 5.0, "noise" was the lowest 2.40, "temperature and moisture of the lab." was 2.72, "lab. area, service area and administration area" was 2.77, "passageway space" was 2.94, circulation of workers was 2.94, "color of finish" was 3.19, "lighting of lab." was the highest 3.39. In conclusion, various factors, noise, temperature and moisture, clinical lab area, were evaluated to moderate dissatisfaction. Noise was especially the first serious problem in clinical lab. Considering the high growth of the number of tests, the planning of the clinical laboratory size should be considered not only to provide the optimal size but how it will correspond to the growth of the number of tests. Therefore the arrangement of each section need to be flexible in arrangement which is inevitable in expansion and reconstruction in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Interior Design Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.163-164
• /
• 2007

This plan for the Medical and Information Technology University which is built by the will and support of Korea at the small county Kingdom of Swaziland in Africa. As we consider the essential condition of self-supporting of nation is the education for the poor country in culturally and socially. The establish the University in the downtown is a significant work in socially and culturally as the urban infrastructure. Besides, this is presenting the master plan not only educational institution purpose but the place for the desirable communication between regional resident in educational and cultural circumstances. It is the main concept for this plan that flexible arrangement of the lower stories buildings on the gentle hill according to the geographic features of the field, road situation, supporting equipment, construction ability and Building materials.