mercredi 22 juin 2022

Working conditions in retail

dimanche 12 juin 2022

An Entire year of paid vacation ! A dream come true !

Morgane SILVENT

“We wanted to offer this to our employees after ten years of service because we often have long careers at Orange, 20 years, 30 years sometimes more. And they didn't have the opportunity to go and breathe the air a little bit outside." Gervais Pelissier CEO, Orange

Formerly France Telecom one of the biggest telecommunications company with around 143 000 employees, has been singled out for its tyrannical management methods and numerous suicides in the workplace… Management at France Telecom is described as "management of terror" according to a posthumous letter from one of the employees who took his own life in 2009. A trial took place, and the case was relayed by medias, a film taking up this story was made : "corporate“. With the trend of corporate well-being, and the self care movements all around the world employers have understood that in order to attract new talents, they need to be attractive, so the company has struck hard this year by offering up to a year's leave to employees that have reached ten years of experience.The annouce has been made in february of this year. This proposal was made in response to a survey conducted in 2021 by the National Stress Prevention Committee. This is the 5th survey on working conditions and stress conducted in the company. The numbers are alarming : 23% of managers surveyed said they brought work to do at home. In addition, 58% of the respondents supervising between 11 and 50 people consider that "There are not enough of us for the job". It’s almost the same numbers for managers who supervise between 50 and 100 employees. Needing to breathe, wanting to think about your career, a professional reconversion project, wanting to evolve?

"For those who wish to do so, it is an opportunity to go and see what is going on elsewhere, but with a view to support, cultural enrichment and personal enrichment" Gervais Pelissier CEO, Orange

Gives its employees the opportunity to take time to think about their future. What is the point of having unmotivated, lost or meaningless employees ? Today, companies are aware more than ever on well-being at work, knowing that productivity depends a lot on this factor. The rise of startups and their participative management has influenced large groups which have been inspired by their operating methods to perform better. For this first year of launch, Orange will select 250 applications to reach 1000 employees in the following years. The candidates for this professional break will have to justify

concrete projects, it is not about just going to the beach or a fancy resort ! The objective of this measure is to allow those who wish to do so, to train, to set up a project or to prepare their evolution within the group without being influenced by any work-related pressure.

Other companies (Indeed for example) have decided to offer unlimited vacations to their employees. This system of "free" leaves has been popularized by companies such as Linkedin or Netflix, in United States there are no paid leaves defined by the law. This may seem heaven, but the psychosocial risks and organizational concerns that this system can generate should not be forgotten. Some startups that had adopted this system ended up going backwards, the tasks inevitably reflects on the other team members and the employees do not dare to take time off, because of the social pressure. At Indeed, it is the team that validates or not if you can go on vacation, employees have to inform them about two weeks in advance.

Numerous studies have shown that de-motivation at work costs a lot to companies, and this awareness has starded a change in mentality and more and more work psychologists are being called in. The biggest the number of employees is, the more of a positive impact it can have to slowly re evaluate human condition and performance at work by allowing people to get free time, instead of expecting them to both work, and figure out what is the next step in their lives. Giving them an opportunity to get time of reflection in a safe environment, isn't that complicated.

However, even when the solutions are known, it is a much more difficult step to take, than to implement them… For Laurence Saunder, from the French Institute for Action on Stress (IFAS in french), the answer comes from what she calls "the paradox of the leader". "Out of anxiety and fear, managers do not dare to let go, to trust, to implement more collaborative policies. A fear, even more real in a context of economic crisis, that very often only the perception of control can appease. And the more control you want to take, the more reporting you add. One of the real challenges is to convince these leaders to evolve on these ideas more profoundly“. The real motives behind improvements in a big company can seem unclear, yet it demonstrates that corporations understood efforts have to be made concerning each invidual's motives and well-being. After all, if employees are inspired to focus on their own growth and given time for it, they can also bring new ideas or projects to the compagnies and contribute in an fruitful and unexpected way.

Sources :

“France Télécom est responsable”, un suicide chez Orange qui fait polémique (Capital.fr)

Congés de respiration, année sabbatique… la tendance est-elle au repos dans les entreprises ? - Planning Congés (planning-conges.com)

Conditions de travail et stress enquête 2021 salariés Orange (focom-orange.fr)

Orange propose à ses salariés le "congé de respiration" (francetvinfo.fr)

Ces entreprises qui accordent des congés illimités à leurs salariés (lefigaro.fr)

Les congés illimités, comment ça marche? (bfmtv.com)

Une mauvaise ambiance au travail est un facteur plus important que le salaire pour 40% des Français ( Le Huffington Post LIFE )

Recherche motivation des salariés… (lemonde.fr)

vendredi 10 juin 2022

A DAY IN THE SHOES OF A FLIGHT DISPATCHER

Elisa MESTRE

Introduction

Do you know the profession of flight dispatcher?

It is essential in the world of aeronautics. To enlighten you on the subject, let me begin by introducing you to the profession.

The flight dispatcher is a flight preparer, who is responsible for flight and air traffic management. It coordinates and controls stopover operations. It is essential for aviation safety as well as for the safety of the services.

I will begin by introducing you to the flight dispatcher trade by talking to you about the missions, the education and skills required, as well as the salary and opportunities for change.

Finally, I would like to talk to you about the occupational risks that can be encountered by practicing this profession, in particular musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), psychosocial risks including stress and burn-out.

Missions

The Flight Dispatcher has a multitude of missions that he has to perform.

He prepares the flight plan files and then creates the flight plans based on different parameters and sends them to the crews.

The Flight Dispatcher must therefore analyze the weather as well as NOTAM (NOtice To AirMEN). This includes information on work or equipment at airports or technical problems.

He is also responsible for communication with airports and managing the schedules of crews and ramp agents. The crew includes the pilot and first officer, ramp agents guide the plane at take-off and landing.

It arranges for the aircraft to stop between landing and take-off, it must plan the loading, manage the fret and unloading of the aircraft, enforce the hygiene plan and ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.

In the event of a dysfunction, corrective measures must be implemented.

The latter uses specific software to carry out its missions.

Example of flight plan

Level of qualifications and skills required

To become a flight operations officer, you must have at least A-level and have completed training.

It is possible to integrate the ESMA (Ecole Supérieure des Métiers de l’Aéronautique), available on file. It’s a training that lasts 15 weeks and helps acquire the basics of the trade. Tuition fees are approximately €4,500.

It is also possible to integrate the ENAC (Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile) more advanced. To do this, you must hold at least un-A-level scientist or equivalence. Moreover, you must be selected on file, pass tests and pass an interview. this training lasts 11 weeks including a minimum of 4 weeks of training with an airline. The cost of the training is €3,900.

Then, created in 2013, Horizons Academy training centers also provide training for flight operations officers. the preconditions are A-level or a first professional experience, have a driver’s license and be over 18.
As in the schools mentioned above, admissions are on file. This is a theoretical training of 5 weeks and a professional internship of 4 weeks. The cost of this training is approximately 2,300€.
It is also necessary to have a good level of English to perform this trade.

Salary

The salary for a beginner is about €1,500 gross. This amount will gradually increase depending on the experience acquired and the company. It can vary between €1,500 and €3,000.

The possibilities of evolution

With experience, it is possible to apply for a position as a supervisor or a technical trainer if that person has the soul of an educator.

The most courageous and ambitious will try to reach a position within the management in operations or logistics.

The MSDs

This is an office job where the main tool is the computer.

Due to awkward postures and repetitive movements, the Flight Dispatcher is exposed to the risk of MSDs. MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders) are diseases that occur at the joint level. The work on the screen mainly affects the wrists, the lumbar spine, the shoulders and the neck.

Indeed, screen work is characterized by a static sitting posture and the repetitive movements of the fingers to type on the keyboard and click on the mouse.

The most common MSDs related to screen work are: low back pain, tendonitis, neuralgia, carpal tunnel syndrome.

There are solutions to prevent MSDs such as gestures and postures training, equipment such as ergonomic mice and office seats.

Psychosocial risks

It is a difficult job psychologically because it is regularly subjected to stress and crisis situations that cause fatigue. You have to make the right decisions as quickly as possible. It is therefore subject to psychosocial risks (RPS), including stress. In addition, staggered hours (3 x 8, night work, weekend work) promote this risk.

Burn out

In the worst case, stress can lead to burn out. It can be a consequence of stress contaminant and consequent. It can be defined as burnout. Under certain conditions, it can be recognized as an occupational disease.

Bibliography :

The series consequences in our lives

Andréa BIGOT

The series are part of our daily lives since many years. Indeed, with the creation about streaming services online, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, Canal VOD…the vision of series generalized in all the world. The fact that we can see his series anywhere, unlimited, with Internet or not, with all series, online, mean that people watch longer and longer.

Beyond the fact about series can influence our addiction, increase tiredness, the view, she can influence too positively in saving lives, but also deteriorating them, or even provoke the death in some people…

How the series were able to saves lives :

Most of series that we watch are inspired on a true story, and the young people and adults are based on them in daily life. Several series can save lives like Grey’s Anatomy, Dr House, 13 Reasons Why, The Office or Urgence…

Grey’s Anatomy :

A Woman has successfully to diagnose a cancer breast cancer thanks to the medical series.

Indeed, while breastfeeding, she noticed that she has a breast lump. But the first medical advice said that it was a simple accumulation of milk. When an episode of the series tackles the subjects about a woman, breastfeeding, having a breast lump merging about accumulation of milk, but it was a cancer. The young woman asks a second opinion, who was also a cancer. Thanks to this discovery, with chemotherapy, mastectomy, and radiation, she could have saved about his breast-cancer.

Dr House :

A German doctor saved his patient thanks to Gregory House.

The health of his patient degraded for no reason, no explication. Until one day, who the German doctor remember an episode of Dr House, where a patient suffering from cobalt poisoning. Having a hip replacement few years ago with cobalt, the poisoning was discovered, the patient was treated, he’s out of danger. The patient can say thank you to Dr House…

13 Reasons Why :

We all know that 13 Reasons Why represents the harassment, it can be moral, physical, or sexual.

But this series, was able to save many laves of young teenagers or adults. The “trash” side of the series was able to open our eyes about what is the harassment. This subject has often been taboo. The series allowed parents to open the dialogue with their children. And the young people were able to discover the effects of harassment and understand that I can have an irreversible impact on some young people (suicide).

13 Reasons Why was also able to avoid the worst for some teenagers ready to commit this act. Indeed, seeing the consequences of suicide on their loved ones, it discouraged.

It’s important to denounce acts of harassment, so that it does not happen again to anyone.

The Office :

Un man can realized a cardiac massage thanks to The Office.

A woman driving her vehicle puts on theses hazard lights. She was unconscious, not breathing. The man following this vehicle stopped to see what was going on. He found the unconscious young woman and decided to give her a cardiac massage. One of the episodes of The Office explained how to do this, thanks to Stayin’Alive music. Two other women present during these events called the emergency services, which intervened after the man. The cardiac massage having worked, the woman regained consciousness, and the man saved his life.

How the series was able to influenced negatively the lives :

The series also influence in a negative way. Many children, teenagers, adults spend their time watching series on their phone, computer, TV… But this can have consequences on our daily lives and can cause incidents.

Squid Game :

Squid Game is a series (prohibited for children under 16 years old) which appeared in 2021, and which made talk a lot about her.

Indeed, young children had fun reproducing the violent scenes of the series by playing “1, 2, 3 soleils”. Th looser was whipped with a rope. A young girl having lose, she received a blow to the face. Children who do not understand the seriousness of series do not realize how they can be dangerous.

An awareness among parents and teachers was subsequently put in place.

Vampire Diaries/New Girl/ Sex and the City :

Series have a great influence on clothing styles.

The main actresses of some series influence the clothing styles of young teenagers. For example, Elena Gilbert (Vampire Diaries) or even Hanna Marin (Pretty Little Liars), always well dressed, see their looks copied.

This is not necessarily negative, but it can be subject to discrimination.

Conclusion :

Watching series can have an impact on our daily lives. This is why it should not be abused (2 hours maximum per day). Even if the viewing of series can save lives, it is important to respect the viewing conditions to avoid any incident. It is also important to raise young people’s awareness of sensitive subjects (violence’s, harassment), because these are subjects that are not sufficiently considered today, and many suffer from them.

Bibliographie :

Grey’s Anatomy : 5 fois où la série médicale a sauvé la vie des fans (serieously.com)

Dr House sauve une vie (pour de vrai) (telerama.fr)

Brian Yorkey : "13 Reasons Why a sauvé des vies" | Konbini

États-Unis. Il sauve la vie d’une femme… grâce à la série « The Office » (ouest-france.fr)

Squid Game : des enfants imitent les jeux violents de la série Netflix à l'école | Actu

Les séries télévisées : une grosse influence? | Jeunes Journalistes (wordpress.com)

Séries TV : comment elles nous influencent au quotidien - Biba Magazine

The lack of maintenance technicians in industry ; A shortage linked to working conditions ?

Each year, it is estimated that more than 1500 maintenance technician jobs are not being filled in France. This shortage of technicians is a real problem for the industrial sector as it causes a slowdown in their economy. A shortage that does not seem to decrease over time and that industries have difficulty in resolving, so why is this profession so hard to fill?

The industrial maintenance technician's mission is to keep machines running properly. Their main objective is to avoid equipment breakdowns and production interruptions through preventive maintenance. Since even the smallest technical failure can lead to high additional costs, they regularly check, inspect and maintain the equipment. If a breakdown does occur, it is necessary to react as fast as possible. Using tests and measurements, they make a diagnosis and carries out the necessary work. It is their job to change a defective part, modify settings, correct certain data in the computer program that controls the automated machines and to put them back into service. They are constantly trying to improve the production tool but also to reduce costs. This is a job that requires great analytical skills, adaptability and a good resistance to stress.

At first sight, the job of maintenance technician has many advantages, particularly economic ones. It is a stable job where most of the hirings are made on permanent contracts. It is very rare to be unemployed because the need is high. Maintenance technicians have many opportunities and often have a wide choice of companies. The profession adapts to the changes and needs of the industry, so it is a profession where practices are evolving. In addition, the maintenance technician can quickly progress within the company and become a team manager. Despite these benefits, twice as many students would still need to be trained to compensate for retirements. One of the reasons for this shortage is undoubtedly the devaluation of technical courses. General courses are still seen as more prestigious and more lucrative than technical courses.

The job of maintenance technician, and the industrial sector more generally, is still associated with physical hardship, heavy and dirty machines that are difficult to handle, repatitive work and the like.

Although working conditions have greatly improved since the 1950s, jobs in this sector are still particularly hazardous today. Indeed, the information collected and analysed by the AFIM association (French Association of Maintenance Engineers and Managers) has established a worrying situation in terms of health and safety for maintenance jobs:

- An occurrence of serious accidents 3 times higher than the national average,

- An occurrence of illness 6 times higher,

- An occurrence of mortality 8 times higher.

This is due to several factors:

According to an INRS survey, maintenance workers are much more frequently exposed than other employees to:

- Noise pollution, outdoor work, bad weather, radiation and irradiation;

- Travelling on foot and in vehicles;

- Vibrations (working with vibrating machines and tools);

- Awkward postures and positions: squatting, lying down, kneeling, arms up, etc.

- Work with poor visibility (sometimes even no visibility);

- Chemical agents

In addition to the risks presented by equipment, goods and working environments, maintenance personnel are also subject to

- Technical and technological constraints: the systems and equipment to be maintained are increasingly sophisticated and complex.

- Strong organisational pressures: time pressure, frequent work interruptions, uncertainties about the work to be carried out, on-call duty, work on Sundays and public holidays, psychological pressure linked to the need to ensure productivity, unexpected maintenance operations, etc. ;

- Important material restrictions: absence or delays in obtaining spare parts, unsuitable tools, non-existent or inappropriate means of access and handling, insufficient number of co-workers, unavailable or non-updated plans of the installations, insufficient information on the intervention to be carried out.

The technician's job is therefore a difficult one, and improving working conditions must be a key objective in order to make this job more attractive.

The prevention of work hazards cannot be the same for preventive maintenance, which is carried out regularly and prepared, or for corrective maintenance, which is carried out unexpectedly: in the first case, individual protection devices can be provided to minimise the risk of accidents or exposure, while in the second case, an analysis of the specific risks must be done before each intervention in order to set up adequate prevention procedures and tools.

The integration of maintenance requirements into the conception of the machines is a necessary step to ensure that the technicians carrying out the maintenance do not have to deal with machines that are too difficult or dangerous to maintain.

By acting on the design of machines, the organisation of maintenance and the protection of workers, it is therefore possible to improve the working conditions of maintenance technicians, who will be able to communicate a more positive image of a profession that has improved and make it more attractive to younger people.

Bibliography:

Protais, M. (2019, 1 février). L’ingénierie française en danger à cause du manque d’ingénieurs et de techniciens. usinenouvelle.com.

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/l-ingenierie-francaise-en-danger-a-cause-du-manque-d-ingenieurs-et-de-techniciens.N798460

Organisation de la maintenance. Expositions aux risques - Risques - INRS. (2022). INRS.fr.

https://www.inrs.fr/risques/maintenance/expositions-risques.html

La prévention des risques en maintenance. (2022). Officiel-Prevention.com.

https://www.officiel-prevention.com/dossier/formation/fiches-metier/la-prevention-des-risques-en-maintenance

jeudi 9 juin 2022

Is wearing protection an asset or a disadvantage in skateboarding?

During the practice of extreme sports some protective gear like helmets are worn often by practitioners in training, freeride or contest. Protections are quite common in winter sports (snowboard, ski) or with extreme sports like climbing and rafting.

Despite the generalised utilisation of protective gear in the world of sport, there are still some sports where only a minority of practitioners use them and that is precisely the case for skateboard, that we are going to focus on.

But first, let’s define what a skateboard is.

It is simply a wood deck linked by screws to trucks, which allow the bearing and wheels to be linked.

Let’s see how the practice of skateboard is considered by the French legislation:

According to the article R412-34 of the traffic laws the skateboard is an equipment for personal movement and its user is considered as a pedestrian. It involved the skater to circulate on the side walk. Concerning protections, there is no obligation to wear anything, not even the helmet.

This is a list of the most used skater protection:

• helmet

• elbow pads

• knee pads

• crash pads

• wrist guards

Now to understand how protections are perceived in the world of skate, we have to understand that this sport is principally developed in two categories : the bowl and the street. Each has a different relation to the wearing of protection gear.

In street skate and in bowl skate during contest like Olympic Games:

During competitions, generally in France and in all over the world the wearing of the helmet is obligatory for competitors who are less than 18 years old. For people who are more than 18 years old the choice belongs to the practitioner.

But except for the helmet, which is worn by some skater, not much people use other protections (for example, a wrist guard to protect the wrist if it has had several shocks, but it still remains a personal choice of the skater).

Without specific like wrist guard on one wrist to protect him if he have been several times shock but it is still a personal choice from the skater.

During the freeride:

In street and for users who are more than 12 years old, it’s very rare to see people wearing protection. Frequently we can see users who came back from an injury wearing a specific protection where the user was hurt. To take the previous example, a person who was injured on their wrist will be wearing a wrist guard. However, it still remains very rare to see people wearing a complete set of protection.

It should also be noted that in general all practitioners under the age of 12, apart being accompanied by an adult, wear at least the following protections : Helmets, elbow pads and wrist guards.

In bowl and for the practitioners which are more than 15, it must be said that few users wear protection but still more than in street skate. But they are still a minority even in the case of users who has been hurt. In practice, for users less 15 years, the wearing of protections depends on their level and if they are accompanied.

To conclude, we can say that in the skateboard’s world, practitioners generally don’t wear protection even young user who have a quite high level

In street and in bowl, generally children who are not monitored by an adult or not with a parent don’t use protection even if they have them in a bag with us.

After interviews with skaters during theirs freeride at the Cosa Skatepark in Chelles, I could understand different reasons why they don’t wear protection. I asked them if they see protections as an asset or an inconvenience. I am going to list some answers I got from both people who do and do not wear protections.

• They are but I don't wear them, it bothers you too much when you have to bend down and then even when you wear it sometimes you hurt yourself, It is easier to get hurt wearing protections, because you feel sefer and you dare more. (54 years old)

• Me I don’t like them at all, it is always moving. I have to keep replacing them, plus, even when I do fall, I don’t get hurt a lot. (8 years old).

• This is very funny because I have been skating since 27 28 years old and I use protection for just 6 month, I am no longer 20 and protections amortized a little (42 years old)

• To me it’s obligatory, I never go skating without my protection gear! I am not willing to hurt myself! You never know what can happen to you! Better play it safe! (27 years old).

After reading these testimonials, we can understand that in skateboard using protection still remains a personal choice and greatly depends on the level and personal sensations.

Sources :

Le skate, sa composition ! - sk8attitude (skyrock.com)

Circulation en trottinette électrique, rollers ou skateboard | service-public.fr

Skateboard - Fédération Française de Roller & Skateboard - Fédération Française de Roller & Skateboard (ffroller.fr)

Micro sidewalk in Chelles

Inteerview with M.Thomer the French Olympic skateboard coach