• Interdisciplinary scholarship shows that LGBTQ + people in many national and urban contexts face discrimination at work.

• The literature tends to characterize this reality as social/cultural and policy implementation problems.

• Queer and trans materialist scholarship offers powerful alternative framings.

• The conceptual frames of ‘homonormativity’ and ‘homonationalism’ highlight inclusion as a form of harm.

• LGBTQ+ workplace experiences are inextricable from cisheteropatriarchal racial capitalism’s structural dispossessions.

The Synergy tool was used to forecast long-term care (LTC) resident needs for nurse staffing planning. Forecasting techniques were applied to longitudinal resident needs data from 67 unique residents across four units in two LTC homes in British Columbia. Acuity and dependency needs scores were forecasted for a four-week period using an Error Trend Seasonality (ETS) model. The four units demonstrated changing or stable resident acuity and dependency needs during the forecasting period. Increasing, decreasing, or stable resident acuity needs during the forecasted period would suggest the unit would benefit from higher, lower, and similar regulated nurse staffing level than the previous period respectively. Increasing, decreasing, or stable resident dependency needs during the forecasted period would suggest the unit would benefit from higher, lower, and similar PSW staffing level than the previous period respectively. This integrated technique sheds light on proactively planning staffing needs based on considerations of resident needs.

In a society dominated by market-based ideology and management practices that prioritize financial considerations, some organizations are shifting toward humanistic ideology and practices that emphasize human welfare. To examine this transformation in pay-setting, we studied a U.S. company that introduced a living wage for its low-wage workers. Interviews with 64 participants across two sites revealed both intended and unintended effects. Motivated by humanistic aims, the living wage was designed to reduce financial insecurity; indeed, workers felt more financially secure and fulfilled in their personal lives. However, its humanistic intent conflicted with the dominant market-based ideology linking wages to performance, raising concerns about whether these workers deserved higher pay. To resolve this tension, managers and workers altered expectations for workers to reflect two aspects of professional-class roles: autonomy and overwork. As workers internalized these expectations, they adopted elements of professional-class identities while remaining in working-class jobs. Simultaneously, managers reaffirmed their own role identities as shapers of performance despite their weakened control over wages. These findings inform a multilevel model conceptualizing how a transformative humanistic practice can be subordinated to market-based ideology through identity work. We contribute to research on humanistic management and the interconnections between wage, class, work roles, and identity.

The right to strike is a key feature of freedom of association and effective collective bargaining. We consider how the legal regulation of strikes and boycotts affects the power resources available to workers and unions to improve working conditions and workers’ voice in firms, such as global supply chains and platform giants, that utilize network-of-contracts business models. We begin by bringing the literatures on power resources theory and supply chain and platform capitalism into conversation. Treating law as a form of institutional power influencing workers’ ability to exercise other power resources in network-of-contracts business models, we then examine how the laws regulating strikes influence workers’ ability to mobilize their other power resources to affect the terms and conditions of work. We investigate the Make Amazon Pay campaign and related strikes to gauge how the legal regulation of strikes affects workers’ power to disrupt supply and production under network-of-contracts business models. We conclude by highlighting the need to revise the law of strikes to fit the power relations under supply and platform capitalism.

In this paper, I examine the literature on overwork, and I discuss its significance to the management accounting literature. Overwork, or working long hours, is a prevalent phenomenon, particularly among professional workers. Despite its pervasiveness, overwork has seldom been addressed in the accounting literature or studied as a distinct construct in managerial accounting research. Consequently, there is limited understanding of the management controls that contribute to overwork and the consequences of overwork in a management accounting context. This is despite overwork directly relating to an assumption in the management accounting literature that management controls are needed to motivate otherwise effort-averse employees. In this paper, the existing literature on employee overwork, primarily sourced from outside of accounting, is systematically reviewed and categorized into reasons for overwork and consequences of overwork. I discuss reasons at the economic, individual, job, and organization levels that are proposed as antecedents of overwork in the literature. I also find that there are negative consequences to overwork in the work domain as well as outside of work and to employee health, in addition to important macro-level consequences. Additionally, some relevant findings from the accounting literature are discussed. This paper also identifies significant gaps in the overwork literature from a management accounting perspective and discusses future research opportunities.

In Canada, 67% of unpaid caregivers are simultaneously balancing paid employment with unpaid care, equating to over 5.2 million Canadian Carer-Employees (CEs). This balancing act often incurs negative impacts on CEs’ health and well-being, including burnout, resulting in adverse effects on their labour force participation. To mitigate these social and economic impacts, McMaster University partnered with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop the CSA B701:17 (R2021) Carer-inclusive and accommodating organizations standard and accompanying handbook B701-18HB Helping worker-carers in your organization. Since publication in 2017, there has been minimal uptake of the Standard across Canadian workplaces, with just 1062 complimentary downloads total. To determine the level of uptake across workplaces in Canada, the present mixed-methods study used purposive sampling to collect survey (n = 71) and semi-structured interview data (n = 11). The survey data was analyzed for descriptive statistics and logistic regression modelling. The interview data were thematically analyzed for common CFWPs and barriers to Standard uptake. It was found that only 24% of workplaces have implemented the Standard into their workplace practices, with full implementation and current supports as strong predictors of formal uptake. Prominent themes around barriers to uptake and existing organizational policies highlight the critical importance of workplace culture in facilitating CFWPs.

Background
In 2022, Ontario colleges and universities reported an estimated 67 vacant full-time nursing faculty positions, driving significant recruitment of nurses directly from clinical practice. Many of these nurses transition to academia lacking the necessary pedagogical preparation and socialization for a faculty role, leading to feelings of inadequacy, stress and an increased intent to leave their positions.

Objective
This qualitative descriptive study explored nurses’ experiences as they transitioned into the professor role to identify strategies to decrease transition stress, improve career satisfaction, and decrease early-career nursing faculty attrition at Ontario colleges.

Methods
Data were collected in semi-structured interviews with nine participants from Ontario colleges offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and analyzed using Conventional Content Analysis.

Results
Study findings detailed their emotional experiences, diverse preparations before becoming a professor, and the challenges navigating their new role. The study provided three major themes: 1) emotional aspects of the transition experience, 2) preparation for the nursing professor role, and 3) navigating the role and college setting. Nursing professors desired improved orientation programs, formal mentorship opportunities and socialization to the nursing professor role.

Conclusion
The findings underscore the need for evidence-informed orientation programs that provide comprehensive training in institutional policies, nursing pedagogy, and support in adapting to the academic culture. These findings can guide Ontario colleges in offering standardized orientation programs that support nurses’ excelling as professors and improve retention of this important group.

Context: Long-term care (LTC) staff have been burdened by heavy workloads, compromising their ability to deliver resident-centred care.

Objectives: This study adapted the Synergy Model for LTC and evaluated the impact from usage of the Synergy tool, a resident-needs assessment tool, on LTC staff perspectives. The tool assesses eight resident acuity and dependency characteristics and can be used in real-time to identify residents’ priority care needs and inform staffing and workload distribution.

Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted in two Canadian LTC homes where the impact of the implementation of the Synergy tool was assessed. Quantitative data included online staff surveys (2 time points) and administrative overtime data (18 months). Qualitative data were gathered through two focus groups per LTC home with staff and leadership (n = 3–5 participants per focus group, N = 14 total participants).

Findings: Quantitative data indicated mental health improvement and short-term decline in staff overtime rates during implementation. Qualitative data themes were improved care planning and resident-centred staffing. However, increased workload was perceived with short-term tool use.

Limitations: Adoption of the tool was implemented over a short duration with a minimal impact strategy in a limited number of care units within the natural LTC setting to reduce overall LTC workload impact and to more closely mimic what would be feasible in most LTC homes. The findings from this study should be interpreted with the implementation constraints in mind.

Implications: Although tool use yielded positive outcomes, structural barriers must be addressed to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.

Over the past three decades, unions have played a critical role in advancing the rights and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and other equity-seeking groups within and outside of unions. Accordingly, most unions in industrialized countries have institutionalized equity internally and through external campaigns, often delivered by union centrals. Scholarship about these initiatives has been largely celebratory, arguing that they have rendered unions more representative and socially just. This paper draws on interview and survey responses to explore LGBTQ union members’ experiences and perceptions of their unions in two deindustrializing cities. Workers who participated in union LGBTQ initiatives felt protected by their unions, less isolated in the workplace and more connected to coworkers and their unions. More commonly, however, workers faced barriers to accessing LGBTQ programming, felt disconnected from their unions and preferred employer to union support. These findings qualify the assumption that upscaling LGBTQ initiatives will advance union renewal. Instead, we suggest that strategies that foster inclusion in the workplace and union local are more likely to promote union engagement among, and social justice for, LGBTQ workers, particularly in places without preexisting support for LGBTQ people.

Background
Understanding organizational mechanisms that protect the mental health of the healthcare workforce during pandemics and epidemics is critical to support decision-making related to worker health and safety. This systematic review aimed to identify organizational-level factors, strategies or interventions that support the mental health of healthcare workers during pandemics or epidemics.

Methods
A comprehensive search was used, including online databases, a grey literature review, and handsearching of reference lists. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they described implementing or testing organizational-level factors, strategies or interventions to support healthcare workers’ mental health during pandemics or epidemics. There were no limitations by language, publication status, or publication date. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, data analysis and quality appraisal, with conflicts resolved through discussion or third-party arbitration. Data analysis was guided by the Job Demands-Resources Model. A narrative synthesis is presented, given the high degree of heterogeneity across studies.

Results
A total of 10,805 articles from database searches and 190 records from other sources were screened. The final review included 86 articles. Studies were of low (n = 11), moderate (n = 39), and high quality (n = 36). Regarding job demands, 40 studies explored high work pressure or heavy workload factors, with the majority investigating working hours (n = 32). Increased working hours may be associated with an increased risk of diverse mental health outcomes. Regarding job resources, leadership factors, strategies (support, appreciation, responsiveness; n = 19) and leadership interventions (n = 3) may be associated with decreased burnout, anxiety, stress, and increased well-being. The availability and adequacy of personal protective equipment (n = 20) may be associated with decreased burnout, anxiety, depression, and stress. Mixed findings were reported on associations between diverse mental health outcomes and training and education (n = 28) or peer support (n = 3). Results should be interpreted cautiously given the high heterogeneity among factors, strategies, and interventions assessed and outcomes measured.

Conclusions
Organizational-level mechanisms can critically influence the mental health of healthcare workers’ during pandemics and epidemics. More focused attention is needed to explore and act on the integral role of leadership and the availability of protective equipment to support healthcare workers’ mental health.

Objective
This study aimed to investigate and compare burnout and its dimensions—exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy—across workplace and socio-demographic characteristics among nursing faculty in Canada and the United States (U.S.).

Background
Burnout among nursing faculty affects the availability and retention of educators, crucial for producing qualified nurses to meet healthcare demands. Despite its significance, research in this area remains limited.

Design
A correlational cross-sectional survey was used.

Methods
An online survey was administered to 640 nursing faculty in Canada and 111 in the U.S. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and multivariate linear regression identified predictors of burnout.

Results
Overall, 62.4 % of participants reported moderate to high burnout. Canadian faculty were primarily involved in undergraduate and graduate education, whereas U.S. faculty devoted more time to service activities. Predictors of burnout and its dimensions varied by country. In Canada, older faculty (≥60 years) and those with a nursing diploma reported lower burnout, while those with a Doctor of Nursing Practice reported higher levels. In the U.S., burnout was higher among younger faculty (≤39 years), those with more teaching hours and lower among non-tenured faculty.

Conclusion
Factors influencing burnout differ between Canada and the U.S., reflecting variations in academic environments. Tailored interventions, such as workload balancing and targeted support, are essential for addressing burnout and improving faculty retention.

In Canada, approximately 35% of individuals in the workforce are carer employees (CEs). Workplaces lack support programs and initiatives resulting in CEs taking absences from work and opting for early retirement. These circumstances additionally decrease productivity and economic growth, and cause strains on the psychological, physical, and financial well-being of CEs. Many newcomers to Canada are providing care to those across transnational boundaries while being employed. These immigrants are known as transnational CEs (TCEs). The research questions this secondary analysis aims to answer are “What are the experiences of visible minority TCEs before and after the Covid-19 pandemic in London, Ontario, and what are the implications of these experiences for policymakers and employers?”. A qualitative thematic analysis by Braun & Clarke using the ATLAS.ti coding software was conducted to examine the dataset on South American, African, Pakistani, and Syrian descent TCEs. The philosophical orientation that underpins this study is constructivism and the theoretical framework that informs the findings is the intersectionality theory. Data analysis generated from the 29 participants in the study revealed three main themes: (1) the variations in gender-based transnational care, (2) cultural expectations of caregiving, and (3) recommendations to policymakers and employers. The results of the study suggest that male TCEs are more likely to provide financial caregiving, whereas female TCEs do more physical and emotional caring. Furthermore, culture influences caregiving as there are higher expectations from the only or eldest child in the family and those who live abroad. The findings also illustrate that there is a lack of caregiver-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs) in the workplaces (e.g., family responsibility leave) and TCEs lack knowledge about CFWPs. They recommended financial relief, employer support, and extended vacation/family leave to help them balance work and transnational caregiving. Study implications include employer engagement to promote and sustain visible minority TCEs’ health and well-being and educating TCEs and employers on the importance of CFWPs.

The expansion of remote working arrangements has required managers to adjust their approach to managing performance, as they transition from in-person to technology-mediated tools and practices. Past research has identified negative worker impacts associated with intensified digital monitoring and discipline-based coaching. However, few studies have investigated the antecedents of more worker-friendly arrangements. This paper examines the role of collective worker voice in shaping remote work performance management choices, based on a comparative study of telecommunications call centers in Canada, the United States, and Germany. Findings suggest that strong collective voice, especially when backed by institutional power, fosters a balanced approach to remote performance management by constraining the intensity of electronic performance monitoring and use of disciplinary practices, as well as by supporting more developmental coaching.

Introduction: Burnout remains a critical issue within the long-term care (LTC) sector, underscoring the urgent need for early detection and prevention strategies targeting the healthcare workforce. This paper aimed to describe the processes of uncovering the underlying drivers of burnout and distress among LTC workers, providing a foundational understanding to inform the development of a Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT).

Materials and methods: Using an experience-based co-design approach, 11 focus groups were held with a purposive sample of 24 Ontario LTC workers between July 2023 and October 2024. Each session, lasting 2 h, included 4–5 participants representing a diverse range of professional and occupational roles, including personal support workers, nurses, social workers, and administrators or leaders. The objectives of this approach were two-fold: (1) to explore the work-related experiences of LTC workers; and (2) to examine their perceptions of existing burnout and distress tools, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, to assess their relevance and applicability within the LTC context. Each focus group session was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. An iterative process generated codes from the transcripts that culminated in a thematic framework of key findings.

Results: Four interrelated themes emerged: (1) challenges inherent in the LTC work environment; (2) the impacts of workplace pressures on employee health and well-being; (3) managing psychosocial risk factors in the workplace; and (4) the need for a context-specific tool to assess burnout in LTC settings. Participants provided in-depth perspectives on their roles within the LTC sector, highlighting the profound impact of burnout on their well-being and the persistent challenges they face in their work environment.

Discussion/conclusion: The findings highlight the pressing need for tailored systemic interventions to effectively address burnout and moral distress among LTC workers and leaders. By employing a co-design approach, this study offers critical insights into the lived experiences of these workers, informing the development and refinement of burnout assessment tools to better reflect the unique needs of this workforce. Developing a BAT, co-created by and for LTC workers, coupled with robust support systems, is crucial to addressing the rising distress and fostering resilience within this vital sector.

With international migration on the rise and the critical need for labour in the global north, governments are increasingly focused on the employment integration of immigrants. Studies demonstrate that where immigrants choose to settle has an impact on how effectively they integrate into employment. In Canada, there has been a shift in immigrant settlement patterns away from large urban centres toward small and mid-sized cities. Understanding how local context shapes the employment integration of newcomers in their first few years of arrival is critical in informing policy to improve employment outcomes. Using a case study approach, this study explores the employment experiences of recent immigrants in a mid-sized city in Ontario, Canada to identify challenges and opportunities they face integrating into the local labour market. Findings were framed into an emerging model of immigrant employment-seeking strategies that identified how individual and contextual factors affect immigrant labour market integration. At the individual level, despite employing several strategies, most immigrants found themselves in low-skilled positions. At the city level, challenges were associated with a concentration of specific industries with a lower demand for diverse skill sets. Providing support at critical points of the integration process including prearrival and during the initial years postmigration can accelerate the uptake of immigrants into commensurate employment. This study contributes to further understanding of the important role of cities in ensuring the efficient and effective employment integration of immigrants into the Canadian labour market.

(1) Background: The enduring impact of COVID-19 on the long-term care (LTC) sector remains uncertain, necessitating targeted efforts to address current and emerging challenges. This study aims to identify the key stressors faced by healthcare workers (HCWs) in LTC and to co-develop innovative, actionable strategies that mitigate these stressors, foster resilience, and promote workforce retention. (2) Methods: This study utilized a qualitative co-design methodology within a mixed-methods, multi-phase framework conducted between July 2023 and October 2024. This article focuses on Phase 1, which involved 11 semi-structured focus groups and steering group discussions with 24 HCWs, including personal support workers (PSWs), nurses, and LTC administrators across Ontario to explore workplace-related distress and foster a shared understanding of challenges in the LTC sector. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis to derive key themes and actionable insights. (3) Results: Key themes emerging from co-design sessions included the need for (i) effective workload management tools, (ii) the prioritization of psychological safety and mental health services, (iii) reducing regulatory and bureaucratic burdens, (iv) strengthening management practices, and (v) fostering recognition and a positive sector image. Co-design sessions with HCWs and leaders facilitated the identification of priority issues and high-level solutions, including addressing workload issues, implementing mental health and support programs, enhancing work–life integration, improving management training, and promoting psychological safety in LTC settings. (4) Conclusions: This study deepens our understanding of workplace challenges in the LTC sector and the factors contributing to HCWs’ mental distress. Leveraging a co-design approach offers valuable insights into the lived experiences of HCWs and leaders. The findings provide actionable guidance for LTC leaders and policymakers to create effective, tailored interventions that actively engage HCWs in addressing workplace stressors and mitigating recurrent challenges.

This study analyses the relationship between academic capitalism and employment precarity. Drawing on two cross-national sources of survey data, we compare academics’ experiences with job insecurity and related stress in Australian and Canadian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although these two countries are similar liberal market economies, Australian higher education has embraced academic capitalism to a greater extent than in Canada. Against this backdrop, our study focuses on the moderating role of ‘soft income’ from international tuition fees and the use of contingent labour in explaining cross-country differences. We find that international tuition played a role in heightening job insecurity and associated stress, particularly in the Australian universities due to their greater reliance on this source of income. However, these outcomes converged for ‘permanent’ and ‘casual’ academics in Australia but diverged in Canada. We contend that the cross-national differentiation is likely due to the weaker job protections afforded to permanent academics in Australia.

With the assistance of a Committee of experts, McMaster University partnered with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop the Caregiver Inclusive and Accommodating Organizations Standard (B701–17). The Standard provides workplace guidelines to better accommodate carer-workers through building carer-friendly workplace programs. A qualitative ex ante evaluation was undertaken to determine stakeholders’ (n = 17) views regarding the significance and potential uptake of the Standard. This involved seeking feedback from stakeholders in various types of organizations across Canada, after they had read the draft Standard. Following transcription, interviews were thematically analyzed, resulting in four themes: (1) necessity; (2) impact of employer size; (3) motivators for implementation, and (4) use as an educational tool. Although initially in its early stages, the Standard now provides a key tool to improve accommodations for carer-workers.

Current approaches to global talent management (GTM) tend to prioritize high-potential and high-performing employees and performance-focused goals realized inside organizational boundaries, with relatively little attention to societal impacts. We argue for an inclusive approach to GTM and focus on the social context for GTM and outcomes for society at large. We identify four types of GTM and draw direct links between GTM and social cohesion. Finally, we identify actionable recommendations for firms to implement in order to maximize the benefits of GTM and to reach beyond work settings to have a positive impact on the communities in which they operate.

American media coverage of the “Great Resignation” may have contributed to a belief that job dissatisfaction is widespread in the United States, even though surveys show relatively high and stable levels of job satisfaction among American workers. Using data from the 2023 Quality of Employment Survey, we investigate whether individuals’ beliefs about job dissatisfaction mirror empirical evidence or align more with media portrayals of widespread discontent. While most study participants expressed personal job satisfaction, over half believed that the majority of Americans were not at all satisfied, indicative of pluralistic ignorance—a phenomenon involving a collective misperception about a group’s norms or beliefs. Dissatisfaction beliefs were more common among remote workers and those with fewer work friendships. Moreover, believing in widespread job dissatisfaction was associated with lower organizational commitment, controlling for personal job satisfaction. We discuss the role of pluralistic ignorance in reconciling personal experiences with contrasting media representations of work and the economy.

Entrepreneurship support services for refugees provide a wide range of services to support venture creation and build resilience. However, mental health supports to address issues of trauma are often not included in these programmes. This is problematic as trauma experienced by refugees can negatively influence elements of entrepreneurship critical for success and the entrepreneurial journey carries a risk of retraumatisation. We propose a framework for a trauma-informed approach to refugee entrepreneurship support that integrates insights from the literature on trauma-informed care. The framework emphasises three key components: temporal reorientation, identity reconstruction and preventing retraumatisation. Temporal reorientation helps refugees reconnect with the present and envision a positive future using tools like mindfulness and bridging practices. Identity reconstruction focuses on developing a cohesive entrepreneurial identity, enabling refugees to rebuild their sense of self through narrative identity work and cultivating a collective entrepreneurial identity within their communities. Preventing retraumatisation involves creating safe, culturally sensitive environments that foster trust while empowering refugees through holistic, peer-supported interventions. This framework offers a novel approach to addressing the unique challenges refugee entrepreneurs face, integrating mental health considerations into entrepreneurship support and paving the way for future research focused on trauma’s impact within entrepreneurship.