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Studying time presence on site as an indicator or productive time use by construction workers

Productivity in construction is relatively low compared to other industries. This is particularly true for labour productivity. Problems that contribute to low labour productivity are often related to unorganised workspace, and inefficient organisation of work, materials and equipment. In terms of time use, site workers spend time on various activities including installing, waiting, walking etc. In lean production terms time use should be value adding and not wasteful or non-value adding. The study reported in this paper has endeavoured to measure the time use and movement applying an automated data system. The case study reflected a limited application to a specific kind of activity, namely doors installation. The study investigated time use and movements based on interviews and on automated detection of workforce. The interviews gave insights in the time build-up of work and value-added time use per day. The automated tracking indicated time intervals and uninterrupted presence of site workers on work locations giving indications of value adding time. The time measurements of the study enable comparison of time use categories of site workers. The study showed the data system calculated the same amounts of productive and value adding time one would expect based on the organisation and characteristics of the work. However, the discussion of the results underlined that the particular characteristics of individual projects and types of team work organisation may well have an impact on productivity levels of workers. More application and comparative studies of projects and further development and extension of the automated data system should be helpful.

A cross-sectional study of lactation room quality and Dutch working mothers’ satisfaction, perceived ease of, and perceived support for breast milk expression at work

BackgroundThe challenge of combining professional work and breastfeeding is a key reason why women choose not to breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding early. We posited that having access to a high-quality lactation room at the workplace could influence working mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions related to expressing breast milk at work, which could have important longer term consequences for the duration of breastfeeding. Specifically, we aimed to (1) develop a checklist for assessing the quality of lactation rooms and (2) explore how lactation room quality affects lactating mothers’ satisfaction and perceptions. Drawing on social ecological insights, we hypothesized that the quality of lactation rooms (operationalized as any space used for expressing milk at work) would be positively related to mothers’ satisfaction with the room, perceived ease of, and perceived support for milk expression at work.MethodsWe conducted two studies. In Study 1 we developed a lactation room quality checklist (LRQC) and assessed its reliability twice, using samples of 33 lactation rooms (Study 1a) and 31 lactation rooms (Study 1b). Data were collected in the Northern part of the Netherlands (between December 2016 and April 2017). Study 2 comprised a cross-sectional survey of 511 lactating mothers, working in a variety of Dutch organizations. The mothers were recruited through the Facebook page of a popular Dutch breastfeeding website. They completed online questionnaires containing the LRQC and measures aimed at assessing their satisfaction and perceptions related to milk expression at work (in June and July 2017).ResultsThe LRQC was deemed reliable and easy to apply in practice. As predicted, we found that objectively assessed higher-quality lactation rooms were associated with increased levels of satisfaction with the lactation rooms, perceived ease of milk expression at work, and perceived support from supervisors and co-workers for expressing milk in the workplace.ConclusionsThe availability of a high-quality lactation room could influence mothers’ decisions regarding breast milk expression at work and the commencement and/or continuation of breastfeeding. Future studies should explore whether and how lactation room quality affects breastfeeding choices, and which aspects are most important to include in lactation rooms.

Does working from home have benefits? Yes, it does!

A healthy working life in a healthy business

Proceedings van de USE Conference 2015 A Healthy Working Life in a Healthy Business

Working and learning in ateliers

In 2019, the first "Atelier Book" was published . Since then, a few years have passed and numerous new Ateliers have emerged. With this new atelier book, through more than 30 portraits, the richness and variety of ateliers within our college are shown. The portraits are divided as follows: ateliers at the NHL Stenden locations, external ateliers and ateliers which the facilities are a strong determinant. These portraits show which issues are being worked on, how they cooperate with the field and researchers and what the added value of the Ateliers is. This atelier book also contains a number of in-depth articles that talk about working and learning in ateliers. The contribution in chapter 1 is about: what NHL Stenden aims at with ateliers, where do the ateliers differ and some experiences with ateliers. After the portraits in chapter 2, chapter 3 presents the 'Atelier Value Creation Model' and a model with design dimensions. Both provide tools for designing and evaluating ateliers. Chapter 4 zooms in on the effects of physical space on learning. Then, Chapter 5 discusses the outcomes of (current) research on ateliers.

Create health ways of working

Het boek ‘Create Health Ways of Working: Insights from ten eHealth innovation research projects’ presenteert inzichten uit het meta-onderzoeksproject ‘Create & Health Innovation WAys of Working Analysis’, ook wel CHIWAWA genoemd. Binnen dit meta-onderzoeksproject inventariseerden onderzoekers van de Hogeschool Utrecht (Lectoraat Onderzoekend Vermogen en Lectoraat Co-design) het gebruik van creatieve manieren van werken bij innovatieprocessen in de zorg, waarvoor zij tien onderzoeksprojecten van Nederlandse kennisinstellingen volgende in de periode 2018 – 2022. Deze tien onderzoeksprojecten en het meta-onderzoek waren onderdeel van het ZonMw-programma Create Health. Het boek presenteert case-portretten van de tien onderzoeksprojecten naar eHealth innovatie die zich concentreerden rondom de thema’s dementie, eenzaamheid en overgewicht. Vervolgens geeft het boek verdieping met betrekking tot de creatieve manieren van werken in de tien Create Health-onderzoeksprojecten, begrip van relationele processen bij het creëren van kennisuitwisseling en zicht op de impact die een dergelijke samenwerking heeft op de zorg- en welzijnssector en op de creatieve industrie. Het boek bevat aanbevelingen voor toekomstige onderzoeksconsortia, financiers en de praktijk (creatieve industrie, zorgsector en doelgroep) en sluit af met de beschrijving van een tool die gebaseerd is op het Research Pathway Model, dat als instrument gebruikt kan worden om het gesprek tussen stakeholders van innovatieprocessen in de zorg te ondersteunen.