The direct impact of regional climate change on labour productivity

Source: Trinity College
"Global climate change will increase outdoor and indoor heat loads, and may impair
health and productivity for millions of working people. This study applies physiological evidence about effects of heat, climate guidelines for safe work environments, climate modelling and global distributions of working populations, to estimate the impact of two climate scenarios on future labour productivity. In most regions, climate change will decrease labour productivity, under the simple assumption of no specific adaptation. By the 2080s, the greatest absolute losses of population based labour work ability as compared with a situation of no heat impact (11-27%) are seen under the A2 scenario in South-East Asia, Andean and Central America, and the Caribbean. Climate change will significantly impact on labour productivity unless farmers, self-employed and employers invest in adaptive measures. Workers may need to work longer hours to achieve the same output and there will be economic costs of occupational health interventions against heat exposures."

Touching the future, building skills for life and work: conference proceedings

Source: ACER
"Papers fom this research conference are available in a single volume PDF. Speakers include Geoff Masters, Stuart Macintyre, Richard Sweet, Richard Slaughter, Suzanne Mellor and Terri Seddon."

Reducing work-life conflict: what works? what doesn't?

Source: Health Canada
"More and more workers are finding it difficult to balance the roles of employee, parent, spouse, and eldercare giver. Trying to balance paid work, family responsibilities, and personal needs takes a toll on employers, families, and workers. And it shows up as higher absenteeism, reduced employee commitment, declining job satisfaction, lower workplace morale, and reduced satisfaction with family life. So how do Canadian employees and employers cope with competing work and family demands? The answer to this and other questions is the focus of the report Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn’t published in 2008 by Health Canada. The report examines what employers, employees and their families can do to reduce work-life conflict."

The Getting and Keeping Of Wisdom: Inter-Generational Knowledge Transfer in a Changing Public Service

"The current paper addresses changes in the makeup and responsibilities of leaders in the public service, and the consequences for knowledge management, human resource management and succession planning in the federal public service over the next decade. It further introduces the notion of wisdom as an important characteristic of seasoned and strategic leaders and a corporate resource that can be fostered, retained and disseminated, as well as lost to departures." From the Public Service Commission of Canada.

The impact of the mobile phone on work/life balance - final report

This three-year project examined the social impact of mobile technologies at home and work. It collected nationally representative data between March and September 2007 from a sample of 2185 individuals, comprising 1905 individuals from 1435 on-line households and 280 individuals in 280 off-line households.

The report found that only 12% of the 13,978 calls made on mobile phones were work-related. Conversely, the mobile phone is used overwhelmingly for contacting family (49%) and friends (26%). The remainder of calls are to service providers or to pick up messages from voicemail (less than 15%).

Current strategies to employ and retain older workers

"This report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration to support the work of the Taskforce on the Aging of the American Workforce, describes current strategies used by employers to help attract and retain older workers and by nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the government to facilitate their employment."

Longer work life needs management re-think

"The baby boomers are shaping up as the first generation to banish conventional retirement, challenging policy-makers and governments to re-address how and why people work and train".

Babies and bosses: reconciling work and family life

Getting family-friendly policies right will help reduce poverty, promote child development, enhance equity between men and women and stem the fall in birth-rates, according to this report, which compares the different approaches that the 30 OECD countries take to help parents balance their work and family commitments. Selected material from the report is available free online.

Stress at work

This report considers recent analysis of stress and reviews a series of recent high-profile contributions to the debate. It then explores the legal and policy context against which organisations must operate in regard to stress. Practical interventions are examined and critically evaluated.

Searching for the Silver Bullet: Leading Edge Solutions for Leveraging an Aging Workforce

'Searching for the Silver Bullet: Leading Edge Solutions for Leveraging an Aging Workforce' explores what proactive organizations are doing to creatively meet the challenges posed by an aging workforce. The study includes in-depth case studies about four companies that have successfully implemented programs to address the changing workforce demographics: Boston Scientific, First Horizon Corporation, The Aerospace Corporation and Weyerhaeuser. The study provides insights for HR managers on such topics as: implementing effective flexible work arrangements, helping older workers successfully transfer knowledge and devising creative solutions for rehiring retirees.