Sickness absence among 299484 blue-collar workers in the trade industry during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Many blue-collar workers in the trade and retail industries have jobs that make it hard to avoid contacts with other people, which may have increased their risk for sickness absence (SA) during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim was to investigate rates of SA and sociodemographic and occupational differences in risk of SA during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods A prospective cohort study of all blue-collar workers in Sweden in the trade and retail industry aged 18-67 in 2018 (n = 299 484), followed 5 years (2016-2020) using linked microdata from nationwide registers. Descriptive statistics of rate of workers having had at least one SA-spell >14 days were calculated, and logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of having SA due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses (some infectious, respiratory, and symptom-based diagnoses). Results Their SA rates increased from fluctuating between 7.6%-8.2% in 2016-2019 to 10.0% in 2020. 0.05% had SA due to Covid-19 and 2.2% had SA due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses. Factors associated with having SA due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses were older age (OR age 55-64: 3.41, CI 3.04-3.82 compared to 18-25) and only elementary education (OR 1.50, CI 1.37-1.64 compared to university/college). Warehouse and terminal staff (reference category) was the occupational group with the highest risk of SA/DP due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses. Cashiers had the second highest risk, with CIs that overlapped 1 (OR 0.91, CI 0.77-1.06). All other occupational groups had significantly lower ORs (0.48-0.78). Conclusions The SA rates increased slightly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Within the trade and retail industry, the warehouse and terminal staff was the occupational group with the highest risk of SA due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses. Key messages • The rates of SA among blue-collar workers in the trade and retail industry increased slightly during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. • Warehouse and terminal staff and cashiers were the occupational groups with the highest risk of SA due to Covid-19 or related diagnoses among blue-collar workers in the trade and retail industry.


Background:
According to the Neo-Marxist Class Theory, supervisors' health is at risk due to their position of authority without strategic power. We investigate how the interaction between the class location and an Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) is related to mental health risk, including gender differences and mediation by work-life balance.

Methods:
From the 6th wave of the European Working Conditions Survey, we selected workers aged 15 to 64 of the 28 European Member States (pre-Brexit). ERI was measured with 18 proxies for the ERI Questionnaire items. For mental health, the WHO-5 well-being index was used. Relationships were analyzed using linear regression models.

Results:
We found evidence for the relationship between ERI and mental health of European employees (ß = -0.641, p < .001), partially mediated by work-life balance. Contrary to previous NMSC studies, we did not find worse mental health for supervisors. The vulnerability for ERI increases with class position (supervisors ß = -0.703; topmanagers ß = -1.099), with supervisors showing a higher mean ERI (subordinates M = 0.445; supervisors M = 0.459; topmanagers M = 0.437, p < .001). The mental health of female supervisors appears more vulnerable to ERI than men's.

Conclusions:
Our findings show that mental health risks of supervisors become apparent especially in situations where esteem, job security and promotion opportunities do not match the status expectations of the position. A labor market policy that encourages organizations to have those tasks performed by their own permanent employees (as opposed to outsourcing them), with a focus on a healthy work-life balance and fair remuneration, can benefit the mental health of this group of employees. Key messages: The mental health of employees in higher positions of authority is more vulnerable to situations of effort-reward imbalance.
European labor market policies focused on security for employees, rather than flexibility for employers, can reduce mental illness among the European middle managers and subordinates.

Background:
Discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace and in higher education institutions are important public health issues. Here we aim at analyzing the prevalence of discrimination and sexual harassment of lecturers and students at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. We assess whether there are differences between lecturers and students, women and men, and different study programs.

Methods:
An online questionnaire was sent to N = 7095 students of all study programs and N = 2528 lecturers at Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The survey was conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. We investigated experienced or observed discrimination or sexual harassment at the medical faculty. Furthermore, we analyzed frequency, perpetrators, situational factors, attributed reasons and forms of harassment encountered.

Conclusions:
Discrimination and sexual harassment are prevalent in academic medicine. There are differences in the reasons and sources of discrimination and sexual harassment between students and lecturers. Specific programs for lecturers and students are necessary to educate the faculty on how to prevent and respond to it and whom to address. Key messages: National preventive strategies should be implemented to tackle issues of discrimination and harassment in higher education institutions. Special attention should be paid to female students and lecturers. inventory of mistreatment of women by their couple (APCM) with cronbach's alpha of 0.94; this instrument takes into account physical and psychological violence. SPSS v22 software was used for data analysis, X2 test with Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) and MannWhitney U test.

Results:
A total of 740 women participated, with a mean age of 28.1AE12.07, 87.8% heterosexual. Gender, sexual preference, educational level, witnessing violence in the family or in relationships with friends obtained values of p > 0.05 to suffer violence, while age was higher for those who suffered genderbased violence (28.8 vs 24.2) and the associated factors (OR/ CI95%) were being a housewife (3.1/1.4-6.9), being a student (0.5/0.3-0.8), being married (1.8/1.05-3.3), having a boyfriend (0.3/0.2-0.5), having suffered violence in a previous relationship (1.6/1.06-2.5), identifying gender-based violence correctly or perceived (0.2/0.1-0.4), having suffered gender-based violence at some time by their partner in their last relationship (15.9/5.0-50.9) (p < 0.05) Conclusions: Being a housewife, being married, having suffered violence in previous relationships and in the last relationship increase the risk of gender violence, while being a student, having a boyfriend and knowing the concept of gender violence decrease the probability of suffering it.

Key messages:
We must work on a deconstruction of ideas that allows women with risk factors for violence with their couples to identify it without fear of not meeting the socio-cultural expectations assigned to it. Including a woman's partner within the structure of prevention of violence against women must be fundamental to promote an environment free of violence.

Background:
While the Canadian universal health system provides access to basic services, key health benefits are employer dependent. Given that non-standard workers (NSWs) only rarely have access to such benefits they have increased vulnerability to the many insecurities derived from their precarious employment, as clearly seen during the pandemic. The growing problem of non-standard work and workers' heightened risk for health status deterioration, followed by a possible accentuation of health inequities, is a population health concern. This study summarizes several health services gaps experienced by NSWs and discusses policy implications and possible solutions.

Methods:
From January to July 2021, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 40 NSWs in Ontario, Canada, part of a larger mixed-methods six-country study, including three European countries. The target population