The well‐being and voice of migrant workers in participatory organizational interventions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huong Le ◽  
Karina Nielsen ◽  
Andrew Noblet
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Organizational Interventions

scholarly journals The Relational Fit in Organizational Interventions—What Can Organizational Research Learn from Research in Psychotherapy?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8104
Author(s):  
Malene Friis Andersen ◽  
Karina Nielsen ◽  
Jeppe Zielinski Nguyen Ajslev
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Organizational Research ◽  
Organizational Interventions ◽  
Therapist Factors ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
The Way

There is a growing interest in organizational interventions (OI) aiming to increase employees’ well-being. An OI involves changes in the way work is designed, organized, and managed. Studies have shown that an OI’s positive results are increased if there is a good fit between context and intervention and between participant and intervention. In this article, we propose that a third fit—the Relational Fit (R-Fit)—also plays an important role in determining an intervention’s outcome. The R-Fit consists of factors related to 1) the employees participating in the OI, 2) the intervention facilitator, and 3) the quality of the relation between participants and the intervention facilitator. The concept of the R-Fit is inspired by research in psychotherapy documenting that participant factors, therapist factors, and the quality of the relations explain 40% of the effect of an intervention. We call attention to the importance of systematically evaluating and improving the R-Fit in OIs. This is important to enhance the positive outcomes in OIs and thereby increase both the well-being and productivity of employees. We introduce concrete measures that can be used to study and evaluate the R-Fit. This article is the first to combine knowledge from research in psychotherapy with research on OIs.

Weak ties matter: Social network dynamics of mobile media multiplexity and their impact on the social support and psychological well-being experienced by migrant workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 205015792110011
Author(s):  
Piper Liping Liu ◽  
Tien Ee Dominic Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Multiplexity ◽  
Mobile Ict

This study investigates the contextual and relational characteristics that underlie people’s information and communication technology (ICT) use and the implications for their well-being. We contextualize this investigation according to migrants, because they are faced with disruptions to their personal networks in the migration process that may attenuate the availability of social support and negatively affect their mental health. Migrants tend to be proficient in using mobile ICT to connect with different social ties to fulfill their needs, which potentially makes a difference to their psychological well-being. Through a survey of 504 internal migrant workers in China, we examined the social network factors that underlie multiple mobile ICT use and the attendant influences on social support and psychological well-being. Redressing the overemphasis on the importance of strong ties in extant literature, this study highlights the salience of mobile media multiplexity (i.e., the use of multiple mobile communication channels for social interactions) in weak tie communication and the greater contribution of weak ties toward social support and psychological well-being than strong ties. Our findings suggest that mobile-mediated communicative relationships with newer and more distanced social connections outside their immediate circles enhance the well-being of migrants. We contend that media multiplexity vis-à-vis weak ties underscores the reconfiguration of migrants’ communicative relationships following the separation from original ties and facilitates rewarding interactions with new ties.

“It’s better I’m dead”: oppression and suicidal ideation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Reber
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Context ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Temporary Migrant ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
First Time

Purpose Anecdotal accounts of suicide among temporary low-wage migrant workers in the UAE are numerous, but unofficial and qualitative accounts remain unexplored. This study aims to examine how the socio-environmental context can lead some low-wage migrants, irrespective of their nationality or culture, to contemplate suicide for the first time after arriving in the host country. Design/methodology/approach The findings draw from ten months of qualitative fieldwork (2015–2016) and in-depth interviews conducted with 44 temporary migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, earning in the lowest wage bracket in Dubai. The study used a non-probabilistic, purposive sampling approach to select participants. Three criteria drove eligibility: participants had to reside in the UAE, be non-national and earn Dh1500 (US$408) or less a month. Otherwise, diversity was sought in regard to nationality, occupation and employer. Findings Eight (18%) of the 44 study participants interviewed admitted to engaging in suicidal thoughts for the first time after arriving in the UAE. The findings suggest that for low-wage migrants working in certain socio-environmental contexts, the religious, gendered or other cultural or group characteristics or patterns that may be predictors of suicide in migrants’ country of origin may become secondary or possibly even irrelevant when one is forced to survive under conditions that by most objective standards would be deemed not only oppressive but extremely exploitative and abusive. Originality/value This study contributes to understandings of how the emotional and psychological well-being of temporary foreign low-wage migrant workers can be impacted by the socio-environmental context of the host country. It is a first step in understanding the intimate thoughts of low-wage migrant workers on the topic of suicidality, furthering our understanding of suicidal ideation and the factors that can contribute to it.

Well-being of North Eastern Migrant Workers in Bangalore

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-114
Author(s):  
Divya Pradeep ◽  
K. C. Adaina ◽  
Sonia Kahmei
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
North East ◽  
Material Conditions

This paper explores the quality of life and subjective well-being of north-east migrant workers engaged in various formal and informal jobs in Bangalore. The composite well-being index reveals moderate well-being for the majority of workers. The disaggregated analysis, however, shows poor material conditions of life. Using the Day Reconstruction Method, we also find positive emotions associated with activities such as socialising but negative emotions for work and commuting. With respect to interacting partners, the negative emotions were highest while dealing with clients and customers. We also found positive correlations between life satisfaction and quality of life indicators, most strongly, with job quality. Lower quality of jobs, reported by women in comparison to men, suggests that organisations should aim to create more equal and enabling work spaces for all genders.

scholarly journals The mental health and depression of rural-to-urban migrant workers compared to non-migrant workers in Shanghai: a cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S55-S63
Author(s):  
Zan Li ◽  
Junming Dai ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Junling Gao ◽  
Hua Fu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Urban Migrant

Abstract Background Migrant workers worldwide commonly are susceptible to mental disorders. Since the 1980s, there has been a large-scale increase in the number of migrant workers in China; this development parallels the acceleration of socio-economic transformation. Studies addressing this population rarely focus on workers’ mental health or psychological well-being, yet it is imperative to understand the mental health status of rural-to-urban migrant workers and study the relationship between migration and mental health. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 3286 participants (response rate 85.4%) was conducted among different work units in Shanghai. All of the variables of this survey were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire, with depression measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and poor mental health (PMH) measured by the World Health Organization 5-Item Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scale. Pearson’s χ2 test and logistic regression were used to compare migrants with urbanites, and to identify factors related to mental health outcomes. Results Migrant workers (15.3%) had a slightly higher prevalence of depression than non-migrant (12.0%) workers, with notable PMH (26.9%) among participants >45 y of age. In the logistic regression models, those who reported low job satisfaction, unhealthy organizations, poor physical health (self-rated) and long working hours were 2.86 (95% CI 2.14 to 3.84), 1.42 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.91), 1.89 (95% CI 1.41 to 2.55) and 1.48 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.03) times more likely to have depression, respectively. Similarly, workers >45 y of age were 2.92 (95% CI 1.65 to 5.16) and 1.80 (95% CI 1.01 to 3.21) times more likely to have PMH for low job satisfaction and unhealthy organizations, respectively. Conclusions There are numerous potential causes affecting the mental health of Chinese internal migrant workers. Strengthening the construction of healthy organizations and enhancing workers’ job satisfaction may improve the mental health status or psychological well-being of this group.

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