Search Results (9)

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are vital drivers of economic growth in Kenya, yet they face persistent barriers, including limited capacity, financial exclusion, and weak market integration. This study assessed the potential of universities as strategic hubs for MSME capacity building through a collaborative initiative between Egerton University and the KCB Foundation. Using the International Labour Organization’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) methodology, 481 entrepreneurs from Egerton, Njoro, and Gilgil were trained in a business development bootcamp. This study evaluated the training effectiveness, participant demographics, confidence in skill application, networking outcomes, and satisfaction levels. The results showed high participant confidence (over 95% across all regions), strong financial management uptake (85%), and mobile banking adoption (70%). Gilgil led in inclusivity and peer engagement, while Njoro showed stronger gender representation. However, logistical challenges caused 25% absenteeism in rural areas, and only 23% accessed post-training mentorship. These findings underscore the transformative role of HEIs in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship through localized, inclusive, and industry-aligned training. Policy recommendations include hybrid delivery models, tiered curricula for diverse skill levels, and institutionalized mentorship through public–private partnerships. This case demonstrates the value of embedding entrepreneurship support within university mandates to advance national MSME development agendas. Full article

Planting plays a significant role in commercial forestry. Labour-related issues (scarcity, increased wages, absenteeism, ageing and high turnover), inconsistent work quality, increased operational costs, and poor ergonomics prompted the development of innovative planting techniques. This study aimed to assess the productivity (plants/productive machine hour), worker productivity (plants/worker PMH), work quality and tree survival of a manual and a semi-mechanised planting method. Two study sites at Flatcrown and Kwambonambi, consisting of 37 plots, were planted at 1333 stems/ha, alternating across the study sites. Block-level and elemental-level time studies were conducted, followed by work quality assessments. The manual method planted 7.23 ha/shift (Flatcrown) and 5.89 ha/shift (Kwambonambi), whilst the semi-mechanised method planted 4.72 ha/shift (Flatcrown) and 3.19 ha/shift (Kwambonambi). The manual method was 50% to 60% more productive (plants/PMH) than the semi-mechanised method. In terms of plants/worker PMH, higher worker efficiency of 30%–40% was observed at the Flatcrown site, which was characterised by level terrain and low residue presence compared to the Kwambonambi site, which had a gentle (<20%) terrain and medium residue presence. Planting quality was conducted according to planting specifications. The two methods did not significantly differ, although the study suggests that the proportion of good-quality plantings could be somewhat higher for the manual method. There was no significant difference in tree survival across methods and sites after one month. Full article

In an ageing society, organizations must consider the inclusion and effective management of older professionals if they wish to remain competitive. Besides having harmful and far-reaching effects on people’s health, age discrimination in the workplace leads to absenteeism, lower levels of productivity, and early retirement. Within such a context, this problematic organizational feature of most Western, now ageing, organizations and labour markets starts gaining more relevance. However, to date there has been little discussion, research, or policy development to ensure that older employees’ skills and capabilities are optimally put to use by organizations without the occurrence of ageism. We present the results of a systematic literature review based on 30 studies in the context of ageing organizations to make recommendations for human resource management. We suggest an approach to effectively manage intergenerational organizations, reducing the occurrence of age discrimination and its related consequences, as well as to achieve high employee engagement. Our review indicates that a strong ethics framework that is continuously followed, disseminated, and updated by management, together with a combination of efforts from all stakeholders, may accomplish the best results towards a culture that respects and values people of all ages at work, positively impacting on productivity. Full article

Smart building technologies and building automation and control systems (BACS) can offer a range of additional benefits beyond energy savings, in particular by improving building responsiveness to user needs. Although in recent years these technologies have gained popularity as a means of reducing energy consumption and improving building performance, a clear picture of the role of BACS in providing a wider range of benefits is still missing. This review identifies and collects BACS impacts in office buildings with a special emphasis on improving indoor environmental quality by adapting building operation to changing conditions and guaranteeing feedback and real-time interaction with occupants. The resulting benefits, such as increased employee productivity, fewer occurrences of sick leave, and lower rates of absenteeism are highlighted. Offices represent an interesting field of application, as small improvements in the built environment can have a significant impact on labour costs which are the predominant share of the total operating costs. Furthermore, quantitative relationships between physical factors of the indoor environment and benefits have been displayed where available. This literature review aims at establishing an approach that comprehensively evaluates BACS across their entire spectrum, leading to the promotion of novel business cases. Full article

Over the past 30 years, the workplace has witnessed significant changes. The fast growth in the use of information and communication technologies and changes in working hours and agreements radically changed the nature of the job. One such change is flexible employment schemes, which can provide alternatives for employees with disabilities and health problems, giving incentives to increase their productivity and job satisfaction. This study examines the relationship between those schemes and labour outcomes, such as job satisfaction, job quality and absenteeism in this group of people. Furthermore, the objective is to explore the role of flexible employment for carers of people with impairments. The empirical analysis relies on the European Working Conditions Survey from 2000 to 2015. The findings show that employees with disabilities and health problems working under flexible employment schemes are more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction and lower absenteeism rates than their counterparts working under fixed employment schemes. Moreover, carers’ job satisfaction and organisational loyalty are significantly improved when flexible employment schemes are in place. The policy implications suggest efficient implementation at the state and corporate levels of flexible employment systems that can promote job satisfaction, reduce turnover intentions and, thus, increase productivity. Full article

In developed countries, population aging due to advances in living standards and healthcare infrastructure means that the care associated with chronic and degenerative diseases is becoming more prevalent across all facets of society—including the labour market. Informal caregiving, that is, care provision performed by friends and family, is expected to increase in the near future in Canada, with implications for workplaces. Absenteeism, presenteeism, work satisfaction and retention are known to be worse in employees who juggle the dual role of caregiving and paid employment, representing losses to workplaces’ bottom line. Recent discourse on addressing the needs of carer-employees (CEs) in the workplace have been centred around carer-friendly workplace policies. This paper aims to assess the potential cost implication of a carer-friendly workplace intervention implemented within a large-sized Canadian workplace. The goal of the intervention was to induce carer-friendly workplace culture change. A workplace-wide survey was circulated twice, prior to and after the intervention, capturing demographic variables, as well as absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover and impact on coworkers. Utilizing the pre-intervention timepoint as a baseline, we employed a cost implication analysis to quantify the immediate impact of the intervention from the employer’s perspective. We found that the intervention overall was not cost-saving, although there were some mixed effects regarding some costs, such as absenteeism. Non-tangible benefits, such as changes to employee morale, satisfaction with supervisor, job satisfaction and work culture, were not monetarily quantified within this analysis; hence, we consider it to be a conservative analysis. Full article

Sickness absence is one of the most important working population health indicators. It is a complex phenomenon that is investigated by health care and occupational health specialists, economists, and work psychologists. Sickness absence is used as a predictor for morbidity and mortality, but besides the health status of an individual, sickness absence is influenced by demographic, socio-economic factors, and work environment factors. Conflicts at work are a common psychosocial risk factor that can affect sickness absence. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between different types of workplace conflict and self-reported medically certified sickness absence using cross-sectional survey data pooled from four periodic national surveys—Work conditions and risks in Latvia (2006–2018). The sample is representative of the working population of Latvia, as respondents were randomly drawn from different regions and industries. In total, the study sample (n = 8557) consisted of employees between 16 and 80 years old (average 42.8 +/− 12.6) of which 46.2% were males and 53.8% were females. Researchers used the computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) method for collecting data. The association between workplace conflicts and sickness absence was analysed by using binomial logistic regression and calculated as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), with adjustment for gender, age, education and survey year. The risk of sickness absence was higher among women (OR = 1.24, CI 1.13–1.35), employees aged 25–44 years old and employees with higher income. Controlling for socio-demographic factors and survey year, the odds of sickness absence increased significantly for all types of workplace conflict analysed. The strongest association with sickness absence was related to conflicts between managers and employees (OR = 1.51, CI 1.37–1.66) and conflicts between groups of employees (OR = 1.45, CI 1.31–1.61). Conflicts between employees and with customers also increased the odds of sickness absence (OR = 1.39, CI 1.27–1.52 and OR = 1.11, CI 1.01–1.23, respectively). Our findings suggest that tailored interventions at a company level for reducing workplace conflicts as risk factors of sickness absence are required. Those should focus on the improvement of managers’ leadership and human resource management skills. Full article

Among the main causes of absenteeism are health problems, emotional problems, and inadequate work-family policies (WFP). This paper analyses the impact of the existence and accessibility of WFP on work absenteeism, by considering the mediating role of the well-being, which includes emotional as well as physical or health problems, that is generated by these policies. We differentiate between the existence of the WFP and its accessibility, as the mere existence of the WFP in an organisation is not enough. Additionally, workers must be able to access these policies easily and without retaliation of any kind. The model includes the hierarchy and the gender as moderating variables. To test the proposed hypotheses, a structural equation model based on the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach is applied to a sample of employees in the service sector in Spain. On the one hand, the findings show that the existence of WFP has no direct effect on absenteeism; however, accessibility to these policies does have a direct effect on absenteeism. On the other hand, both the existence and accessibility of WFP have positive direct effects on emotional well-being. In addition, emotional well-being is positively related to physical well-being which, in turn, promotes a reduction in absenteeism. Finally, significant differences in the relationship between the existence of WFP and emotional well-being confirm the special difficulty of female managers in reconciling family life and work life. Full article

This article explores the question of political struggles for inclusion on an oil palm land deal in Ghana. It examines the employment dynamics and the everyday politics of rural wage workers on a transnational oil palm plantation which is located in a predominantly migrant and settler society where large-scale agricultural production has only been introduced within the past decade. It shows that, by the nature of labour organization, as well as other structural issues, workers do not benefit equally from their work on plantations. The main form of farmworkers’ political struggles in the studied case has been the ‘everyday forms of resistance’ against exploitation and for better terms of incorporation. Particularly, they express agency through acts such as absenteeism and non-compliance, as well as engaging in other productive activities which enable them to maintain their basic food sovereignty/security. Nonetheless, their multiple and individualized everyday politics are not necessarily changing the structure of social relations associated with capitalist agriculture. Overall, this paper contributes to the land grab literature by providing context specific dynamics of the impacts of, and politics around land deals, and how they are shaped by a multiplicity of factors-beyond class. Full article