Medici, Guri
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sWafety: A Complementary Low-threshold Safety Management Process
Effective safety management requires a reliable information basis. At the same time, established safety management systems (SMS) and surveys are known to have certain limitations, such as low participation rates or data bias due to the influence of situational factors (e.g., Pfeiffer, Manser & Wehner, 2010; Sujan, 2015). In collaboration with Swiss companies from the aviation, nuclear and healthcare industries, sWafety was developed and tested as a complementary process concept to address these shortcomings. sWafety provides a low-threshold process design and digital tool that aims to further engage and motivate employees to participate in data collection, analysis, and feedback to further improve data quality.This paper describes the design of the sWafety process, which is based on a user-centered approach as well as insights from motivation theory, gamification, and practical expertise. Key process elements are presented that support motivated employee participation through short survey cycles, low respondent burden, direct feedback processes and active user involvement in data interpretation and safety measure development. Based on a use case with a Swiss hospital, a minimum viable app-prototype was applied to test the extent to which key process elements can be transferred to operational practice and how they are evaluated by users. An eight-day application scenario of sWafety was conducted with a team of anesthesia professionals (n = 7). Prototyped process elements included daily app-based data collection and alternating feedback presentation. A formative evaluation was conducted by means of a workshop.The results of a qualitative content analysis indicate that the key process elements are transferable to operational practice. Concisely worded questions, tasks, or feedback that encourage reflection and learning, were found to be more motivating than gamification. Timely feedback, particularly on work-related information, and full transparency regarding the purposes and outcomes of the surveys also appear to be very important factors motivating participation in providing safety-related data. However, users called for more opportunities to provide bottom-up information and a more active role in discussing findings and developing safety measures.Effective implementation of sWafety into operational practice requires that the general process design is adapted to a company’s specifics. Particular attention should be paid to how local, decentralized processes can be implemented to enable timely feedback and appropriate employee involvement in discussing results and developing safety measures. Regarding low-threshold process design, the results imply that elements which trigger intrinsic motivation (e.g., learning or reflection) should be preferred over gamification. Also, further development of technical solutions for flexible interaction with the app and for data analysis can further increase the potential of sWafety.
Grass roots of occupational change: Understanding mobility in vocational careers
Most prior research on career mobility has focused on people changing jobs and organizations. We know little about processes involved in individuals changing occupations, although these changes cause high individual, organizational, and public costs. Moreover, occupations are increasingly acknowledged as important anchors in times of more boundaryless careers. The current study investigates the impact of early satisfaction with the trained occupation (VET satisfaction) on occupational change by analyzing 10-year longitudinal panel data gathered in Switzerland (N = 905). Results from regression analyses showed that VET satisfaction predicted occupational change up to ten years after graduation. VET satisfaction in turn was affected by work characteristics experienced during VET, and VET satisfaction mediated the relationship between work characteristics during VET and occupational change. Using a subsample (N = 464) for which data were available on jobs taken up after graduation, we showed that VET satisfaction explained occupational change over and above work satisfaction in jobs held after graduation, highlighting the formative role of early experience during VET. Our findings inform both theory and practice. To fully comprehend occupational change, established turnover models also need to reflect on early formative vocational experiences. Firms should pay attention to favorable work characteristics already during VET and adjust adverse conditions to reduce undesired occupational mobility.
Facing change with stability: The dynamics of occupational career trajectories
In today’s dynamic work environments, individuals must manage their careers. Although research suggests that many individuals change jobs and organizations more frequently, they often pursue their careers within one occupation still. The current study addresses how such seemingly stable careers unfold in the face of societal, economic, and technological changes and explores the proactive and reactive strategies individuals use to sustain occupational stability throughout their careers. Applying qualitative content analysis to 32 semi-structured interviews, we revealed eight major strategies underlying the process of occupational stability maintenance. We discuss the identified strategies using control theory and job crafting as theoretical lenses and introduce the concept of occupational crafting for understanding stability maintenance in vocational careers. The study highlights occupations as meaningful reference points in contemporary careers and illustrates how proactive and reactive strategies lead to occupational stability.