Part-time medical director: way station or end of the line?

This article is mostly directed to physicians who are contemplating a career change into management. You may be one of those persons who is contemplating taking a part-time position and continuing part-time clinical practice to see if you might enjoy management. It is important to understand that a part time medical director is there primarily because management perceives a need for a physician's skills and license. When a physician is hired on a part-time basis, it is unlikely that management realizes the larger benefits that can accrue to the organization from the physician manager's knowledge of health care and unique approach to the problems and opportunities in the delivery of that health care. Part-time medical directors seldom have an opportunity to be exposed to real management issues and activities and are usually sequestered and limited to functions that a naive management team thinks are most appropriate to a physician's skills and temperament. Be cautious in extrapolating a part-time experience to a full-time role. Consider taking the plunge to full-time management without a part-time transition phase.     

Atypical Employment Relations and Government Policy in Europe

Abstract. This paper analyses government policy towards the two major forms of atypical work in Europe: part-time employment and temporary work. It is submitted that the policies implemented promote the volume of marginal part-time employment and temporary work. The policies aiming at more temporary jobs did not result in additional employment; they merely resulted in a redistribution of unemployment and a shift in the recruitment patterns in the direction of subsidised temporary jobs. Too much emphasis on numerical flexibility is not without danger. Countries run the risk that employers will not pay sufficient attention to the source of their long-term flexibility, manpower training. I t is argued that regular part-time work is an alternative for uncertain temporary jobs, Its potential expansion is considerable. Some recommendations are put forward to promote regular part-time jobs and improve the position of flexible part-time workers and temporary workers.     

Women and Part-time Work: The Careers of Part-time NHS Nurses

This paper examines theoretical explanations of the employment disadvantage experienced by many female part-time workers. Data from a survey of 643 qualified National Health Service (NHS) nurses is used to establish employment profiles of respondents. Employment profiles reveal that, contrary to many predictions, part-time female nurses do not 'invest less' in their careers than their full-time counterparts in terms of qualifications and experience. Neither are part-time nurses relatively 'uncommitted' to their careers compared to full-time nurses. It is found that the organizational context affects how opportunities are structured for part-time nurses. The management implications of the findings for the NHS are also considered.     

SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR: A POSTAL CASE STUDY

This is a case study of workforce scheduling in the U.S. postal system. We use it to analyze the benefits of scheduling flexibility at postal distribution systems, which can come from several sources. We focus on the additional flexibility deriving from increasing the proportion of part-time employees, as well as from increasing the cross-training of part-time employees. These two dimensions of scheduling flexibility are decision points of particular interest to the postal management. We used a large-scale simulation model of the dynamic functioning of the postal distribution system in conjunction with a staff-scheduling model to obtain insights into policy issues of interest. Our results show that the operating environment at a distribution station affects cost and customer service performance, and that gains from greater scheduling flexibility are situationally dependent. The benefit of cross-training part-time workers is modest over the range of levels considered realistic for distribution stations. Our overall recommendation is for postal managers to increase the proportion of part-time employees, allowing more efficient matching of resources with the varying demands for mail delivery on different routes. For the range of conditions we modeled, cost reductions from more part-time workers average over six percent when capacity utilization is low. Customer service improvements are even larger, and range between 20 and 43% when capacity utilization is high. Improvements at the upper end of the range are achieved when demand variability is also at its highest.     

Part-Time Work in the Nordic Countries: A Trap for Women?

Abstract. The aim of the study is to examine the consequences of part-time employment at the individual level, especially for women. Are part-time jobs precarious as compared to full-time jobs, and are they traps, or perhaps rather bridges, in the labour market? The results indicate that the situation of part-timers varies in the Nordic countries. On one hand, the gap between part-time and full-time work has narrowed in Sweden and Norway, which may reflect a normalization of part-time work in these countries. On the other, part-timers' situation in the Finnish labour market still seems more precarious than that of full-timers. However, in most cases part-time work is a bridge rather than a trap in the Nordic labour market.     

‘Quality’ part-time work in Australian organizations: implications for HRD

Part-time work is an international phenomenon. Many western countries show similar patterns to Australia, with a significant increase in part-time work in the last twenty to twenty-five years. In Australia, part-time work has developed some unique features, particularly as it often involves lower wages and poor conditions. Part-time employees in Australia are often excluded from human resource development (HRD) activities such as training and career tracks provided to full-time workers. The experience of particular Australian organizations illustrates possible avenues for quality part-time work. This paper examines practical examples of quality part-time work in eight Australian organizations across five industries (nursing, hospitality, retail, local government and the legal profession). Using case study research, the paper discusses the dimensions of quality part-time work in different industry and occupational contexts from an HRD perspective.     

Part-Time Work in the EEC Countries: Evolution during the 1980s

Whereas part-time working remains the exponent par excellence of the flexibility of female employment, its relative growth seems to have come to a standstill in both Denmark and the United Kingdom as far as women are concerned, and for men it is now becoming more a matter of young people offsetting studies and work. In France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Ireland and Germany, the increase in female employment between 1983 and 1989 is largely attributable to the growth of part-time employment. The difference with respect to the countries of the South of Europe is striking since the proportion of part-time working there is low, and has not increased significantly since 1983. Its concentration in already very close sectors, its non-optional nature, insecurity and awkward working hours make part-time employment of very little personal value for employees.     

How to make the pitch for a part-time workload

Are you planning on moving from full-time to part-time hours? You'll need a game plan to negotiate what you want, including establishing a timeline and agreeing on productivity expectations. If you can agree on a reasonable timeframe that doesn't inconvenience anyone or endanger important results or relationships, you have a high probability of getting your boss' okay. If you and the boss can't agree on what you must produce, don't consider part-time work unless you thrive on combat. Once you negotiate your new schedule, consider the issue of managing co-worker resentment. Here are the best hints for keeping co-worker envy and resentment at a manageable level: Don't be secretive; keep a low profile; attend all office frolics; and ask for a trial period.     

农户兼业及其对农地承包经营权流转的影响

本文兼顾日本和我国农村固定观察点兼业标准,提出了划分农户兼业的新标准。文章分析了我国农户兼业的地区差异和阶段性差异两大特征,将农户兼业分为前期成长、中期平稳发展和后期分化3个阶段,并据此推断我国农业生产的兼业化与专业化并存会成为一种常态。文章认为我国农地流转呈现流转规模逐年增长、地区差异明显和流转主体趋向多元等3大特征,并利用Logit模型和多元线性回归模型,重点分析了农户兼业对农地流转的影响。回归结果表明:简单地认为农户兼业会妨碍农地流转是不妥当的,有些地区兼业农户参与农地流转的概率并不必然显著低于纯农户和非农户;农户农地转出比重与农户兼业程度呈现U型曲线关系。模型结果显示一些地方农地转出受到了行政干预。文章最后提出5点政策建议。     

Part-Time Employment and the Utilisation of Labour Resources

The populations of industrialised countries, particularly in Europe, are ageing. Due to this demographic development social expenditure will increase, while the labour force will be growing only slowly or declining. These developments will have major economic implications. The number of people employed, the productivity per worker and the trend in their real earnings will be important factors constituting the base for levying taxes and premiums for financing social expenditure in the future. In this paper it is argued that the promotion of part-time employment contributes to a better utilisation of the labour supply potential in a country, to the broadening of the base for financial social security expenditure and at the same time reduces the number of benefits drawn. Some policy recommendations to promote part-time employment are also presented.     

Women's Labour Force Participation and Part Time Work in Spain

Spain is one of the southern countries where the percentage of women working part-time is relatively low in comparison to other European countries, together with a low female activity rate. Some important obstacles to increasing female activity rates have already been removed, as younger cohorts of women show a more permanent attachment to the labour force than older women, meeting even high unemployment, which is especially acute for women and young people. Under the recent labour market reform, it is hoped that part-time contracts, which were first regulated in 1984, would be a way of facilitating flexibility and an incentive for employers to create jobs, as the experience of other countries has shown. The relative novelty of part-time work in Spain is the reason why this typically female employment regime has not been much explored in Spain yet, in spite of its important role in the reorganisation of the employment system.     

Gender and Promotion in the Academic Labour Market

Several hypotheses are put forward with respect to promotion differentials between males and females on the academic labour market. These hypotheses are tested on the basis of a longitudinal data set of academic staff members at Utrecht University. The methods applied include Poisson regression, Negative Binomial analysis and Probit analysis. Full-time instead of part-time work and a Ph.D. degree prove to be efficient but not sufficient instruments for women on the academic labour market to catch up with men with respect to promotions.     

THE ACADEMIC FLOW MODEL: A MARKOV-CHAIN MODEL FOR FACULTY PLANNING*

A Markov-chain faculty planning model to be used with institution-specific data is presented to describe and better understand the complex phenomena of faculty movement through an institution and on its relationship to salary costs, composition of the faculty, and faculty turnover rate. The model updates the earlier work done at Stanford University and Oregon State University by the addition of states for fixed-term appointments and for part-time FTEs to reflect accurately the current hiring trends at many institutions. The model is implemented and tested at two different institutions. The findings suggest that the model is a viable means of gaining useful insights and quantitative data on the faculty profile, salary costs, expected departures, and part-time trends. And further, when used as a planning tool, and the model apparently is comprehensive and flexible enough to analyze the probable effects, both in the short and long run, of alternative personnel policies on the faculty composition.     

Real-time schedule adjustment decisions: a case study

Service capacity management has been extensively studied and successfully applied in many industries, with an emphasis on tour/shift scheduling and assignment decisions. However, few studies have addressed real-time work schedule adjustment decisions made necessary by demand uncertainty and/or labor supply disruption. This case study deals with the real-time work schedule adjustment decision and investigates the association of managerial experience, workforce mix (full- and part-time staff), and information accuracy with managers’ adjustment decisions. We designed an experiment that involved practicing service managers from a McDonald's franchise who provided their adjustment decisions for a given set of test scenarios. Their decisions were analyzed and evaluated via a controlled experiment. Using profitability as the primary performance measure, the study identifies the following outcomes: First, senior managers of a store with a higher proportion of part-time staff made more adjustments and attained slightly higher profitability than junior managers, when all employees accepted adjusted schedules. Second, managers of a store with a higher proportion of part-time staff were able to make slightly higher profits, particularly when capacity shortages occurred. And third, to achieve the majority of the benefits from schedule adjustments, it is sufficient to search for information that correctly identifies the direction of demand changes, rather than identifying the exact magnitude of the changes.     

Effects of Individual and Group Contingency Interventions on Attendance in Adolescent Part-Time Employees

This study examined the effects of individual and group monetary contingencies on the attendance of adolescent part-time employees. Attendance increased in both individual and group contingency phases; however staff questionnaire responses indicated a preference for the individual contingencies. Future research should consider staff acceptability regarding interventions and provide guidelines for the determination of intervention appropriateness.     

员工敬业度、工作绩效与工作满意度的关系研究

本文基于角色理论,探索员工敬业度、工作绩效与工作满意度之间的关系,以及工作绩效在员工敬业度与工作满意度之间的中介作用。利用在职学生的137份调查数据进行统计分析,结果显示,中国文化背景下,工作绩效也包括任务绩效和关系绩效两个维度;员工敬业度、工作绩效和工作满意度之间存在显著正相关;工作绩效在员工敬业度与工作满意度之间起完全的中介作用。     

Bending over Backwards? Using a Pluralistic Framework to Explore the Management of Flexible Working in the UK Police Service

Professional reduced-hours working is a form of flexible working that runs counter to the increasing trend of employer-led flexibility, and exemplifies the rise of the so-called 'idiosyncratic' employment deal. Although an emerging body of literature, there is evidence to suggest that despite the claim that professional reduced-hours working provides 'better' part-time employment than usually typifies this pattern, it actually confers considerable costs to both individuals and organizations. Some academics have called for a more strategic approach to the introduction and management of professional reduced-hours working, in order to combat these problems. Utilizing a pluralistic perspective on the employment relationship, I draw on data from research in three metropolitan UK police forces to argue that the needs of the part-time employee and the organization will be difficult to integrate. Showing how the negotiation context of the employment relationship has changed and resulted in a power shift from the manager to the part-timer, I argue that the best that can be achieved is a minimal integration of the needs of both parties, and draw out the theoretical and practical implications of this position.     

全日制与非全日制工程硕士培养模式探索

全日制与非全日制工程硕士都以应用型复合型高层次工程技术和工程管理人才为培养目标,在招生模式、培养过程上有很多相似之处,但同时也存在差异,因此本文将对两种培养模式进行分析比较,总结出"三结合"的培养模式。     

The role,power and influence of company chairs

This paper develops an analytical framework to depict the heterogeneity that characterises the role of board chair and demonstrate the potential variability in how chairs operate boards and exercise power and influence on strategy, control and resource related tasks at board level. Theories of power and influence, as applied to top management teams and boards of directors, are explicated within the context of contemporary governance practices that are establishing the role of the board chair as distinct to that of the chief executive officer. Specifically, the paper maps sources of power and varying contemporary chair practices, including chair nomenclature (i.e. executive vs. non-executive chairs), chair origin (insider vs. outsider) and chair time (full-time vs. part-time). A number of theoretical chair-power models emerge from this analysis and are subject to empirical analysis using data collected from 160 chairs of 500 FTSE-listed companies. Theoretically and empirically, the paper complements structural approaches to studying boards with attention to behaviour on boards. By linking board structure, board process and the exercise of influence, the study reveals both differences amongst chairs in how they run the board, but also that chairs’ differ in the influence they exert on board-related tasks. Full-time executive chairs exert their greatest influence in strategy and resource dependence tasks whereas part-time, non-executive chairs seem to exert more influence over monitoring and control tasks.     

Comparing three alternative types of employment with permanent full-time work: How do employment contract and perceived job conditions relate to health complaints?

Previous research has found that alternative employment arrangements are associated with both impaired and improved well-being. Since such inconsistencies are likely to derive from the type of employment contract as well as the characteristics of the job, this paper compares permanent full-time work with forms of alternative employment (permanent part-time, fixed-term and on-call work) in order to investigate how different employment contracts and perceptions of job conditions relate to individual well-being. This study contributes to the literature by addressing several questions. Different forms of alternative employment are distinguished and individual background characteristics that might be intertwined with the employment contract are controlled for. Moreover, the scope of this study extends to the effects of perceived job conditions, and possible interactive effects with type of employment are tested. Analyses of questionnaire data from 954 Swedish healthcare workers show that perceptions of the job (job insecurity, job control and demands), but not the type of employment contract, predicted health complaints. However, type of employment interacted with perceptions of job insecurity, in that insecurity was associated with impaired well-being among permanent full-time workers, while no relationship was found for on-call or core part-time employees. Despite the absence of interactions between employment contract and job demands or job control, it can be concluded that knowledge about the relationship between alternative employment arrangements and the well-being of workers can be enhanced when the combined effects of employment contract and job conditions are studied.