Those who cannot have what they want must want what they can get: The experience with company-based early retirement pension schemes in Norway

Early retirement is a central bridge between permanent work and standard pension age. During 1988-1989, 10% of all private Norwegian companies, employing about 20% of all employees, had made use of early retirement schemes, mainly as a means of reducing staff. A central question is whether early retirement creates welfare or reduces it for the early retirees. Case studies of 4 companies and panel studies of potential early retirees have been used to throw light on these questions: what are the experiences of those involved, and do they wish to leave work or is leave taken involuntary? Only 1 of 7 early retirees adapted poorly, mostly due to poor health, a strong work orientation combined with unfilled expectations for part-time work and the feeling that they had no choice but to accept the offer. The majority seem to adjust fairly well to life as a pensioner, especially if they have some part-time work. Besides high financial compensation, satisfaction with early retirement depends on whether the scheme is regarded as legitimate in the community and the individual considers the transition to be meaningful.     

Eight myths on motivating social services workers: theory-based perspectives

A combination of factors has made formal motivational and reward systems rare in human service organizations generally and virtually non-existent in social service agencies. The author reviews eight of these myths by reference to eight motivational theories which refute them: need theory, expectancy theory, feedback theory, equity theory, reinforcement theory, cognitive evaluation theory, goal setting theory, and social influence theory. Although most of these theories have been developed and applied in the private sector, relevant research has also been conducted in social service agencies. The author concludes with a summary of guidelines suggested by the eight theories for motivating human service workers.     

Demographic foundations of the sex role revolution

The current revolution in sex roles is not simply the result of feminist ideology; it is a consequence of the demographic changes that have occurred during this century. Women seek work outside the home in response to a situation created, in part, by the decline in birth and mortality rates. Engaging in productive labor is not, however, a new activity for married women. In fact, the male "breadwinner" system of the last century has been a historical aberration. Women have traditionally participated in production. Feminism clearly provides an ideological basis for the new egalitarianism in marriage, but it is not possible to meaningfully examine the changing sex roles during this century without also examing the concurrent demographic trends.     

Intervention with high-risk infants and toddlers

This early intervention program serves children and parents. It includes a therapeutic infant day care center and a mother-child interaction group. Counseling is also provided for families with children in the center and for families with children under three years of age in the community.     

Eating Its Own: The Whistleblower's Organization in Vendetta Mode

This paper reports on Australia's largest whistleblower study. Specifically it focuses on the experiences of whistleblowers in the Queensland public sector during the Goss Labor government's first term. Rather than being affirmed as good citizen-workers when they took disclosures of wrongdoing to their supervisors within the units in which they worked, the whistleblowers encountered obstruction and vilification. Their experiences offer a rare check-up on the state of workplace dissent.