This article records and assesses developments in relations between employers and academic staff in British polytechnic institutes and colleges. It focuses on the conditions of service and contracts of employment for lecturers. It also analyzes to what extent these issues are symptomatic of a shift in the employee relations strategy of schools…

VITAL (Vision Impaired Task and Assignment Lexicon) is an integrated computerized system that performs workplace design tasks for visually impaired workers. VITAL consists of three modules: ergonomics consultation, disability index, and work measurement. Evaluation indicated that VITAL could be used as a tool to help nonprofessional vocational…

Reviews areas of legal liability for employer-provided training: failure to comply with legally mandated training requirements, nontraditional training methods, and violations of individual rights resulting from discriminatory content or delivery of training. (SK)

Examined sex-typed traits (instrumentality and expressiveness), the work environment (demands and interpersonal resources), and importance of stressor episodes as predictors of measures of coping (avoidance, problem reappraisal, and active problem solving) with 132 managers. Found women more likely to use avoidance and problem-reappraisal coping,…

Investigated impact of support from family and friends, workplace, and community services agencies on perceived stress and health outcomes of 133 employed caregivers of dependent parents. Found that support from family and friends and community agencies buffered negative impact of caregiving and work and family role strain, and supportive work…

Conducted comparative case study of organizational climates in two prisons Findings from 149 staff members and 442 inmates revealed that flattening organizational structure without decentralizing authority seemed to have negative effects on staff supervisory relations and job satisfaction. Inmates reported better quality of life and more effective…

Provides a discussion of the definition of sexual harassment, the types of sexual harassment, the "reasonable woman standard," and employer liability for sexual harassment. Provides some suggestions for avoiding liability. (MLF)

Study examined causes of and differences in stress and burnout among British teachers. Surveys indicated that teachers had low anxiety, stress, and burnout levels, though individual, environmental, and psychological factors correlated with stress and burnout. Although individual stress and burnout management is important, there must be action to…

Examined relative contribution of work stressors, family and community resources, and Army support resources to family adaptation of 238 single parents serving on active duty in U.S. Army. Results indicated that adaptation of single-parent families to Army demands were influenced more strongly by availability of family, community, and Army…

In a college course on diversity in the workplace, students' experiences with conducting a cultural audit of the university as a workplace illustrate the dilemmas that can arise when students conduct action research in a real client system. Despite the inherent problems, the project resulted in significant student learning about the subject and…

Discusses paradoxes of leadership, including (1) directors need to enjoy their work, but cannot avoid disagreeable tasks; (2) staff protection of directors ultimately proves harmful; (3) when directors are most discouraged, they need to be most motivated; (4) humor can help accomplish serious results; and (5) the longer a director is employed, the…

A cross-sectional study (n=3,663) and a longitudinal study (n=61) of employed persons found that openness to experience increases job-decision latitude. This effect is neutralized, however, by poor interpersonal relationships at work. (SK)

Examined children's perspectives on their work in the retail sector in Denmark. Examined why children work, methods of movement in the marketplace, and differences between good and bad jobs. Found that these perspectives differ in various ways from available documentation on youth employment and they highlight the importance of including the…

Reviews literature to form a folklore of information workspace and emphasizes the importance of studying folklore of information work environments in the context of the current shift toward removing work from any particular place via information systems, e-mail, and the Web. Discusses trends in workplace design and corporate culture. Contains 84…

A study investigated the relationship between condition of employment of 388 direct-care staff in the Netherlands and the distribution of their activities in residential facilities for people with intellectual disability. Results found that employee characteristics tended to affect nonresident-oriented activities of direct-care staff rather than…