• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.173-187
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• 2012

This qualitative case study focused on the activation plan of flexible work arrangements. We selected eight workers from a foreign affiliated firm that has various flexible work arrangements for in-depth interview and focus group interview. The workers were categorized into two groups; those who have experiences with flexible working and those who have needs for flexible working. We analyzed their condition of work-family life and experiences with flexible working. Through the focus group interview, we can find out the needs and suggestions about activation plans of flexible work arrangements.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1-26
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• 2014

This study analyzes the effects of the three types of flexible work arrangements (part-time, flexitime, and reduced working hours for childcare) available in Korea on work-family conflict, facilitation, and job satisfaction for married working women ages 15-49. The study employs a panel analysis based on the first to the fourth data from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families (KLoWF). The major results are as follows. First, the availability of part-time jobs and reduced working hours to facilitate childcare is significantly related to work-family conflict for married women. If a married woman is employed in a part-time position or if reduced working hours for childcare are available, the conflict within the family caused by the job is reduced. Second, none of the three types of flexible work arrangements have a statistically significant influence on work-family facilitation for married women. Third, the availability of reduced working hours for childcare has a positive effect on the job satisfaction of married women. In conclusion, flexible working hours for women who are raising children are the main factor in reducing the negative effect of a job on a woman's family life as they contribute to work and family compatibility.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.101-129
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• 2017

Local transient extreme wind loads caused by group tower-related interference are among the major reasons that lead to wind-induced damage of super-large cooling towers. Four-tower arrangements are the most commonly seen patterns for super-large cooling towers. We considered five typical four-tower arrangements in engineering practice, namely, single row, rectangular, rhombic, L-shaped, and oblique L-shaped. Wind tunnel tests for rigid body were performed to determine the influence of different arrangements on static and dynamic wind loads and extreme interference effect. The most unfavorable working conditions (i.e., the largest overall wind loads) were determined based on the overall aerodynamic coefficient under different four-tower arrangements. Then we calculated the one-, two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic loads under different four-tower arrangements. Statistical analyses were performed on the wind pressure signals in the amplitude and time domains under the most unfavorable working conditions. On this basis, the non-Gaussian distribution characteristics of aerodynamic loads on the surface of the cooling towers under different four-tower arrangements were analyzed. We applied the Sadek-Simiu procedure to the calculation of two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic loads in the cooling towers under the four-tower arrangements, and the extreme wind load distribution patterns under the most unfavorable working conditions in each arrangement were compared. Finally, we proposed a uniform equation for fitting the extreme wind loads under the four-tower arrangements; the accuracy and reliability of the equation were verified. Our research findings will contribute to the optimization of the four-tower arrangements and the determination of extreme wind loads of super-large cooling towers.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.3-12
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• 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 Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.23-49
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• 2017

This paper is part of the dissertation for an MSc in Project Management and Innovation of Strathclyde Business School The research aims at understanding how IT-SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Information Technology Business) implement and use Flexible Work Arrangements and Flexible Working Hours (FWH/FWA) in their organisations. In-depth interview data was collected from managers and business owners of 31 companies whose needs for Work-Life Balance varied. Results show that many factors positively influence IT-SMEs to use FWH/FWA. For example, customers and partners working at different work-hours, traffic congestions between home and office, and the general stereotype of IT personnel. However, the results also found several concerning factors that may hamper the success of FWH/FWA implementation. They include the inadequacy of management skills in tracking, monitoring, and assessing employee's real performance, contextual factors for Thai IT-SMEs, i.e. conflict resolution culture, IT people's protocol of communication exchanges, and shortcoming of technology infrastructure. The findings also show that many companies that had used FWA eventually stopped. Thus, a four-phase cyclical framework called PLIC (Purpose-Limitation-Implementation-Consequence) has been developed as an approach to FWH/FWA implementation.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2013

This study is about the evaluation of the color arrangements of working clothes that are harmonized with working environment and assist in the protection of workers in industrial sites. This study attempted color arrangement design with the intention of giving order to the colors of working environment and working clothes so as to help improve the safety of work and the management aspects including human resource management, efficiency improvement, and the practice of business ethics. The study method consisted of literature research, empirical research, and evaluation research. The literature research performed theoretical examination about colors, industrial safety, and visibility. Three actual outdoor work sites in the machine industry were chosen and pictures were taken at 20-30 m from workers. The background colors of the work environment of each work site and the colors of the working clothes that were actually worn were analyzed through color values measured with a color-difference meter(CR-400). As a result, it was found that between value and chroma which affect visibility, color arrangement based on differences in chroma could be a greater influence than color arrangement based on differences in value. The results of this study could assist the integration of color schemes among working environment colors, people and working clothes by suggesting color arrangements with improved visibility that are applicable to the working clothes of domestic machine manufacturers that are playing a pivotal role in domestic industries and by presenting appropriate guidelines.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.45-56
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• 2013

This study researches functional arrangements for colors of work clothes - concentrating on the arrangements of lightness - for safety protection of workers at the job sites in the mechanical industry. To conduct such study, blue color (5PB) is selected for the CAD simulations on six arrangements of brightness based on two colors. The brightness ranges are of 5PB color (between 3~7.5) which are measurable by Munsell Conversion, and arrangements on lightness consisting of one arrangement of high lightness-gap, two of medium lightness-gap, and three of low lightness-gap. To analyze the data of color values after applying arrangements of lightness and to evaluate the levels of awareness regarding arrangements, the NCS colorimetric is being applied. Color palettes are based on the NCS notations, and then marked with color triangles. After evaluation, the visibility proves to be high when the arrangements contain high lightness at the top and bottom, and the arrangements with higher lightness-gap show higher effects in safety. Since this study tends to check factors of lightness, the other color factors were limited. Therefore, in order to apply these results at the job sites, integrated applications of such results will be very useful for developing safe working clothes in the future.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.spc
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• pp.525-533
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• 2020

Purpose: Workers in special employment relationship (WSERs) are workers in nonstandard employment arrangements who lack worker protection accorded in standard employment arrangements. This study aimed to describe self-rated health (SRH) and depressive symptoms (DS) among Korean WSERs in comparison to regular wage workers (RWW) and identify associations between working conditions and those outcomes. Methods: In this study, secondary data analysis using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey was used. The sample totaled 29,120, including 1,538 WSERs and 27,564 RWWs. Sociodemographic and work-related characteristics were employed as explanatory variables and SRH and DS as dependent variables. Using multiple logistic regression, the determinants of fair/poor SRH and DS were identified. Results: The prevalence rates for fair/poor SRH and DS in WSERs were 25.2% and 28.3%, respectively, and 20.7% and 25.0% in RWWs, respectively. Compared to RWWs, WSERs had 31% (aOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.14~1.49) and 20% (aOR=1.20, 95% CI=1.06~1.36) higher odds of SRH and DS, respectively. Some factors, such as a lack of rest guarantee and sickness presenteeism, had a larger influence in the WSER than in the RWW group. Conclusion: Compared to RWWs, WSERs reported having poorer working conditions and were more likely to report poor general and mental health. Therefore, in Korea, public health policymakers should consider measures to protect the working conditions and health of WSERs, a growing segment of the working population. The study produced new epidemiological evidence regarding the relationships between employment arrangements and health.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.87-106
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• 2022

This study compared working arrangements, interest in rural migration, and life satisfaction in Japan in two periods: immediately after the COVID-19 (2019 coronavirus disease) pandemic and two years after the global outbreak. The comparison was based on data from the "Survey on Changes in Attitudes and Behaviors in Daily Life under the Influence of Novel Coronavirus Infection, 2020, 2021", which was conducted four times by the Japanese Cabinet Office directly after the COVID crisis (May 2020 and September 2021). The respondents who participated in both the first and fourth surveys were employed individuals aged 20 years or older. The results are as follows. First, the proportion of Tokyo residents engaging in telework immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic was 36.1%, which is higher than the levels observed nationwide. Second, individuals involved in telework and those working under flexible arrangements were more highly interested in moving to rural areas than those who commute to work. Third, among people engaged in telework, life satisfaction diminished immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the period before this crisis. After two years of the pandemic, however, life satisfaction among this group improved. Changes in working arrangements due to the pandemic can be expected to promote migration, as well as help revitalize regions and encourage the discovery of new lifestyles.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.93-98
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• 2022

Background: Despite a growing number of investigations exploring the health problems in precarious workers, there is still a paucity of studies investigating workplace violence in workers with multi-party employment arrangements (WMPEAs). This study was aimed at comparing the prevalence of workplace violence between non-WMPEA and WMPEA. Methods: The 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey data were used. The study subjects were employees aged 20-74, with 26,239 non-WMPEA and 1,556 WMPEA. WMPEA included temporary agency workers and workers providing outsourced services. Workplace violence including verbal abuse, unwanted sexual attention, threats, and humiliating behaviors were used as outcome variables. The odds ratios of risk of workplace violence were calculated using multiple logistic regression. Results: The age-standardized prevalence of workplace violence was significantly higher among WMPEA. After adjusting for all covariates, the risk of workplace violence among WMPEA was still significant (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.5-2.2) compared with non-WMPEA. The odds ratio of workplace violence among female WMPEA was 1.99 (95% CI 1.53-2.59), which is higher than that of male WMPEA (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.18-1.96). Conclusion: We found that WMPEA were exposed to higher risk of workplace violence. Discrimination against WMPEA in the working environment and management policy need to be corrected. It is also necessary to identify the risk factors of workplace violence in WMPEA and to make efforts to prevent violence.