Nuno Rebelo dos Santos

Decent work: An aim for all made by all

The aim of this article is to analyse the 11 substantive elements of the Decent Work concept developed by the International Labour Organization. We identify 4 main aspects regarding the pursuit of decent work, which are challenges for the different agents who operate in society: (1) the responsibility shared among the various social agents; (2) cultural differentiation in expressing Decent Work; (3) its evolving character arising from the advancement of scientific knowledge; and finally, (4) the global interdependence in the scenario in which social agents operate. Four propositions aligned with those aspects are formulated, and consequences for research and intervention are proposed.

Job resources, work engagement and workers’ performance: a study in a retail company

The change in company management’s paradigm to a greater concern for its human capital has allowed the raising of new ways for facing organisational success. Based on that assumption, the present study intends to analyse the relations between work engagement and job resources and their implications in workers’ performance. For that, we reckoned on the participation of 101 workers from a multinational retail company in the field of household equipment that had taken the surveys and annexed to them the results from their formal performance appraisals. The obtained results represent a reinforcement to the importance of job resources in the emergence of engagement at the workplace and make us ponder on the appropriateness of formal performance appraisal systems. The implications of this study are then discussed in light of its relevance to human resources management.

Recognition of the contributive uniqueness: construction and psychometric studies

People, by their unique and changeable character, are presently a valuable and active organizational factor that can make a difference in an organization. The recognition of the contributive uniqueness’ concept is defined as the recognition given, by the several organizational levels, to the individual, namely, the recognition of his/her unique contributions to the organization. Given the importance of understanding in which way this recognition exists, the goal of the present article is to verify de psychometric qualities of a recognition of the contributive uniqueness’ questionnaire Organizational Recognition of the Contributive Uniqueness Questionnaire (QROSC), applied to a sample of workers of several organizational sectors and dimensions (n=384). In a first phase, the present study demonstrated that QROSC has a good intern consistency and a factorial structure based on four factors: effect of the recognition culture, tangible recognition, openness and acceptance-integration, regarding the acceptance and integration of workers’ uniqueness, and colleagues’ recognition. In the second phase, the first differential studies were made, in witch was possible to verify significant differences between the questionnaire’s dimensions and the considered demographic factors, reinforcing the importance of recognizing the contributive uniqueness as an important asset for the organizational development and to gain value. Suggestions of future research is addressed that may reinforce the instrument’s robustness, as well as the obtained results that may contribute to the utility of the instrument in the organizational context.

Sistema de avaliação do desempenho em enfermagem: eficiência e eficácia

Since 2004, formaldehyde (FA) has been classified by the International Agency for Cancer Research as a carcinogen. The FA ranks 25th in the overall United States chemical production, with more than 5 million tons produced each year. Due to its economic importance and varied use, many individuals are exposed to FA at their occupational settings. This study aimed to assess the exposure to FA in two occupational settings – FA production factory and pathology anatomy (PA) laboratories – and relate it to possible health effects by comparing frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral bloodIntroducao: As desigualdades em saude sao reconhecidamente um problema de saude publica. A relacao entre determinantes sociais e as desigualdades em saude sao um achado robusto. Enquanto nos adultos e claro que estas desigualdades socioeconomicas se manifestam no seu estado de saude, a situacao e menos clara nas criancas e adolescentes. Foi entao efetuada uma revisao da literatura sobre a influencia dos determinantes sociais na saude na idade pediatrica. De forma a contribuir para um melhor conhecimento sobre a materia. Metodologia: A pesquisa foi efetuada segundo as normas PRISMA, com base nos termos MeSH: Social Class, Pediatric, Hospital, Emergency Treatment, Socioeconomic factor e Healthcare Disparities, na PubMed, Scielo e nas bases de dados da Cochrane. Foram excluidos artigos de revisao, opiniao bem como artigos que tratavam de questoes de acesso aos cuidados. Foi efetuada uma descricao quantitativa e qualitativa dos resultados. Resultados: Foram selecionadas 17 publicacoes, exceto uma do tipo descritiva, todas referentes a estudos observacionais analiticos, a maioria usando dados retrospetivos. Encontrou-se forte evidencia na relacao entre desigualdades em saude e os fatores socio economicos na idade pediatrica. Conclusao: Apesar de nenhuma das publicacoes selecionadas apresentar dados colhidos em Portugal, e seguro afirmar que e possivel encontrar a mesma relacao na idade pediatrica. E importante estudar mais esta area, identificar os determinantes sociais mais importantes bem como as populacoes mais vulneraveis, para melhor poder planear os cuidados de saude e combater as desigualdades. Palavras-Chave: Desigualdades em Saude, Determinantes Sociais da Saude, Fatores Socio-economicos, Pediatria