Professional staff in American unions: Changes,trends, implications

The last twenty-five years has been a period of rapid change for the American labor movement. One way in which that change has been manifested has been the growth in the number of professional, technical, and administrative personnel employed by labor organizations. This article examines data on changes in the employment of union professional staff in 30 major unions between 1961 and 1985. The reasons for these changes are discussed, along with the implications of these trends for the institutional future of American unions.     

Logging injuries in Louisiana: nature,trends, and rehabilitation considerations

Logging is a dangerous occupation, as documented through reported injuries and fatalities. Accidents in the logging industry account for pain, suffering, employee turnover, and high insurance costs. Worker injuries and high insurance costs, in addition to other factors, may be minimized and reduced through safety education and improved logging practices. Furthermore, the injured logger, or logger with a disability may return to logging or other employment through development of viable medical and vocational rehabilitation planing. This article addresses the economic impact of logging, reviews logging injuries, describes a safety program designed to reduce logging injures, discusses rehabilitation considerations for specific injuries, and outlines particular reemployment prospects for loggers with disabilities.     

Contact networks in the emergency department: Effects of time,environment, patient characteristics,and staff role

Emergency departments play a critical role in the public health system, particularly in times of pandemic. Infectious patients presenting to emergency departments bring a risk of cross-infection to other patients and staff through close proximity interactions or contacts. To understand factors associated with cross-infection risk, we measured close proximity interactions of emergency department staff and patients by radiofrequency identification in a working emergency department. The number of contacts (degree) is not related to patient demographic characteristics. However, the amount of time in close proximity (weighted degree) of patients with ED personnel did differ, with black patients having approximately 15 min more contact with staff than non-white patients. Patients arriving by EMS had fewer contacts with other patients than patients arriving by other means. There are differences in the number of contacts based on staff role and arrival mode. When crowding is low, providers have the most contact time with patients, while administrative staff have the least. However, when crowding is high, this differential is reversed. The effect of arrival mode is modified by the extent of crowding. When crowding is low, patients arriving by EMS had longer contact with administrative staff, compared to patients arriving by other means. However, when crowding is high, patients arriving by EMS had less contact with administrative staff compared to patients arriving by other means. Our findings should help designers of emergency care focus on higher risk situations for transmission of dangerous pathogens in an emergency department. For instance, the effects of arrival and crowding should be considered as targets for engineering or architectural interventions that could artificially increase social distances.     

La précarité de l'emploi au service de la prospérité du fast-food

The fast food industry offers an exception to the traditional rule that steady employment and employee qualifications are necessary for business to thrive. Since this industry sprang up in the United States during the 1950s, its major firms have offered unskilled jobs to a young, devoted labor force in transit between fast-food establishments. As a consequence, the itineraries of incoming new hires and outgoing employees crisscross. Though causing a few operational problems, this high turnover rate among wage-earners is good for business. The major (just-in-time) principle of sales and production requires an exceptionally high commitment. Only new, young team-members correspond to the profile defined in these eateries.     

Toward a valid approach to nonprofit efficiency measurement

Past literature in nonprofit management uses the overhead ratio of nonprofits as a measure of efficiency. Although the overhead ratio might measure top‐heaviness, we argue that it does not measure nonprofit efficiency. To investigate this, we use financial and operational data to rank the efficiency of Habitat for Humanity affiliates with the overhead and administrative ratio, as well as data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA), two of the most popular efficiency measures. While the DEA and SFA rankings are statistically correlated, overhead ratio rankings are negatively correlated with both SFA and DEA rankings. We argue that nonprofit scholars, managers, and donors should move away from concepts and measures of efficiency based on financial ratios, and toward ones that embrace maximizing what nonprofits are able to make and do.     

Organizational Change,Politics, and the Official Statistics of Punishment

Most organizational researchers characterize politics as a force organizations experience from outside and administration as the practices managers adopt in response to the uncertain environment. To assess that approach, this paper examines a crisis that changed California criminal justice agencies' administrative practices and their communication of statistical information to outsiders. In 1976, managers and wardens supported conservative reform bills that effectively ended professional criminal rehabilitation and quantitative evaluation studies, and they shifted administration toward bureaucratic controls, using routine population counts. Changes in agency statistical activities clarify how members of government organizations act politically to maintain or change administrative practices.     

Implementing an employee performance management system in a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organizations are not exempt from the imperatives of employee attraction, retention, and motivation. As competition for staff, donors, and funding increases, the need to manage employee performance will continue to be a critical human resource management issue. This article outlines a study of the introduction of a performance management system in an Australian nonprofit organization and analyzes its design and implementation. It explores how performance management can be introduced and used effectively within a nonprofit environment to benefit staff and the organization. However, the use of performance management is not without its challenges, and the research also identified initial employee resistance and a resulting initial spike in labor turnover. However, findings indicate that if nonprofit organizations are willing to undertake consultation with staff and ensure that the organization's specific context, values, and mission are reflected in the performance management system, it can be a useful tool for managers and a direct benefit to employees.     

Encouraging Therapeutic Reflection in Child and Adolescent Protective Services

Child and adolescent protective workers are exposed to difficult work practices, cultures and caseloads. The emotional toll of protective work appears too complex and often too painful to address, often resulting in a high turnover of staff and low professional recognition both within and outside the organisation. This paper explores how the application of therapeutic reflection may enhance both work practice and professional recognition of protective workers.     

Comparing the Prevalence and Organizational Distinctiveness of Faith-Based and Secular Development NGOs in Canada

Faith-based development organizations (FBOs) have been argued to deliver more cost-efficient development projects than their secular counterparts through exclusive access to faith networks, which provide predictable decentralized funding, the recruitment of volunteers, low employee salaries, and less overhead and indirect costs. To date, however, comparative analyses of religious and secular organizations have relied on a case-by-case approach, limiting the generalizability of findings. This study addresses this methodological gap by analyzing Registered Charity Information Return filings and organizational websites of 844 Canadian development NGOs to determine the proportion of FBOs and their organizational distinctiveness. The results show that FBOs comprise 40% of the Canadian NGO sector in terms of the number of organizations and their expenditures in developing countries, and are significantly less reliant on federal funding (p?<?.1), pay employees lower salaries (p?<?.01), but do not exhibit a significant difference in their expenditures on overhead and indirect costs. Thus, Canadian FBOs participation in faith networks shapes their organizational modus operandi but does not result in a low overhead alternative to secular NGOs.

     

Going beyond training: theory and practice in managing learning

The establishment of new bodies to replace the Central Council for Training and Education in Social Work (CCETSW) and to regulate the social work profession provides the opportunity to establish an improved progressive system of qualifications and continued professional development in the coming years. With the current pressure on social work agency budgets it is imperative that precious training resources—staff and money—are used to make the maximum impact on service delivery. Our involvement in the provision of a range of training programmes leads us to believe that much of the staff development and training effort invested by agencies in their staff often seem to have a limited impact on effectiveness. A change in approach is needed so that learning is placed at the heart of organisational processes to maximise the benefits of affirmation and growing professional confidence. This is essential if we are to continue to ‘nurture’ valuable professional staff and ensure that services remain flexible, creative and responsive in meeting ever‐rising public expectations.

This paper examines some of the challenges of evidence‐based practice and the demands for routine evaluation and objective‐setting. The advantages and disadvantages of a competence specification approach within the development of service and occupational standards as the basis for professional education are discussed. The paper argues that strategies for practice learning require the development of learning organisations and a better academic and agency partnership to support more effective professional education and continued professional development.     

Voluntary turnover among non-supervisory casino employees

As gaming is expanding nationally and internationally, existing gaming operations are facing increased competition for employees with gaming experience. This study investigates the factors related to employee turnover in the gaming industry. Workers of six casinos in Reno, Nevada were surveyed concerning their work attitudes and turnover intentions, resulting in a sample of 492 observations. The sample represents all non-supervisory job types typically found in casinos. Pearson correlations and multivariate regression analysis were employed to investigate the relationships among turnover intentions and job satisfaction, specific satisfaction dimensions, organizational commitment, worker perceptions, pay, and labor market conditions. The results show that job satisfaction and organizational commitment are most strongly related to turnover. In contrast to previous findings, labor market conditions and pay play only a minor role in an employee's decision to quit. Instead, perceived lack of job security, satisfaction with supervision, and perceived employer concern with employee well-being emerge among the most important factors. The results imply that employers in the gaming industry can manage employee turnover by providing effective supervision that is based on employee participation and fair treatment of employees. Training of supervisors, therefore, may be a relatively inexpensive method of controlling employee turnover in casinos.     

The cost of implementing a 2-1-1 call center-based cancer control navigator program

ObjectivesDetermine the cost of implementing a call center-based cancer screening navigator program.MethodsSocial service call centers in Houston and Weslaco, TX, assessed cancer risks and implemented cancer screening promotion and navigation. Micro costing was used to estimate the program costs. Staff logs and call records tracked personnel time and material costs, including a standard 30% overhead rate. Sensitivity analysis examined the effect of varying uncertain cost parameters. Scale effects were simulated for larger population coverage.ResultsThe total cost to recruit and navigate 732 persons, out of 2933 individuals who called the center was $215,847. The participant time cost was $19,503, and the personnel cost was $116,523. The cost per navigated participant was $295 (95% CI, $290.56–$298.07). The average cost per participant for recruitment and referral only, was $36 (95% CI, $34.9–$36.9). Average cost declines to $34 for recruitment and referral, and to $225 for recruitment, referral, and navigation when the number of participants increases to 15,000 individuals.ConclusionsExpanding 2-1-1 referral services with opportunistic cancer screening promotion takes advantage of existing infrastructure but requires substantial additional staff time, participant time, and budget. Cost estimation is the first step in a full economic evaluation and informs program planners and decision-makers on the resource and budgetary requirements of this innovative strategy for increasing cancer screening in low income communities.     

The family's role in person-centered care: practice considerations

Effective implementation of person-centered care requires a shared understanding and commitment to make it a reality by administrative personnel, direct care providers, and residents and their family members. Long-term care facilities must seek ways to engage residents' families in person-centered care through its training, policies, care planning, and documentation. Doing so may require revisions to policies and work practices, and ongoing leadership efforts to maintain this care framework within the realities of staff turnover and regulatory requirements. Developing protocols and procedures that facilitate family members' communication with staff and build consensus and shared values will result in a system that represents and honors the unique perspectives, values, and needs of each resident receiving care. It is important for facility leadership to set the tone for acknowledging the importance of family involvement in person-centered care by modeling acceptance of concerns and criticisms as valid and by acknowledging that direct care providers, residents, and their family members have a voice in care decisions. Such an approach has the greatest chance of success in promoting person-centered care and the shared values necessary to ensure its successful implementation.     

Gender-based faculty-pay differences in academe: A reduced-form approach

I test for gender differences in faculty salaries for the academic year 1987–1988, using a basic sample of 560 higher education institutions. The ratios of female faculty pay to male faculty pay are regressed on a reduced-form equation for implicit marginal productivity ratios and rate of departure ratios. Marginal productivities depend on faculty and administrative inputs and proxies for technology. Rate of departure ratios depend on various institutional characteristics, such as size, unionization, administrative intensity, Carnegie Foundation classification, type of ownership, and degree of faculty tenured. The results indicate that, after adjusting actual pay ratios for implicit marginal productivity ratios, female faculty pay is at least as high as male faculty pay for much of the sample (74 percent).     

A Tracking and Notification System to Support the North Carolina JOBS Evaluation

Abstract

An integral part of the North Carolina Job Opportunities and basic skills (JOBS) Program evaluation is the longitudinal tracking study. The JOBS Traking and Notification System (JTNS) is a computer program developed to automate administration and tracking in the 12 evaluation counties. The JTNS notifies researchers of survey administration dates, tracks surveys, updates participant status, reports county performance, supports data entry from survey, and supports numerous other administrative tasks. The notification program has helped the counties keep abreast of their progress without the burden of the administrative overhead necessary for this evaluation. The system has performed well and has heightened theinterest of many counties concerning automation.     

Examining Direct Service Worker Turnover in Three Long-Term Care Industries in Ohio

This is the first study to examine direct service worker turnover and its predictors across three provider types: nursing homes, home health agencies, and providers of services for the developmentally disabled. Stratified random sampling procedures were used to select provider types across five geographic regions in Ohio. Data were collected from administrative staff. Findings indicated that annual direct service worker turnover did not significantly vary by provider type (mean = 33%). Predictors of turnover related to job burnout, negative social support, and region. Policymakers can promote practices to lower direct service worker turnover such as addressing burnout and increasing support.     

Health Risk and Occupational Category

This study seeks to determine the influence of occupational category on health risk by utilizing a corporate-wide health risk appraisal (HRA). A subgroup of the corporate population, 10,124 college-degree employees, completed a health risk appraisal and comparisons were made between the male subjects' (6,553) and female subjects' (3,571), occupational categories, and estimated health risk. For the males, significant differences were found between the six occupational categories; clerical, professional and craft categories exhibited greater health risk. The females displayed no significant differences between occupational categories. The authors suggest that occupational variables are likely to have an influence on health risk when mean age for the occupational category is adjusted and educational level of subjects is controlled. Findings are discussed regarding significance to employee assistance providers and other corporate personnel involved in employee health services.     

How technology affects the design and administration of pensions and benefits

Conclusion Technology presents opportunities in all areas of employee benefits — design, administration, and communication. Indeed, it holds out the potential to deliver benefits, like almost every other product or service, in a way that is “better, faster, cheaper.” But achieving that goal will involve substantial financial investment and many hours of staff time.     

Psychiatric supervision for social work?

There are increasing efforts by psychiatrists and insurance companies to maintain psychiatric control in mental health settings and thus limit the autonomous functioning of clinical social workers. This paper presents facts indicating that psychiatrists actually are only peripherally involved in mental health facilities. Clinical social workers as autonomous professionals diagnose and treat mental disorders and often hold key positions in administration and in program and staff development. The attempt to maintain a facade of psychiatric control amounts to a distortion of the reality of professional roles and results in inefficiency, increased costs, and a lowering of the quality of care.     

Costing child protective services staff turnover

This article details the process used in one state to determine the financial costs to the child welfare agency accrued over the course of one year that were directly attributable to CPS staff turnover. The formulas and process for calculating specific cost elements due to separation, replacement and training are provided. The practical considerations inherent in this type of analysis are highlighted, as well as the use of this type of data to inform agency human resource strategies.