Sonja Treven

The paper examines how utilization of management tools supports enterprises’ operating in supply chains. The paper critically reviews the results of a previous, survey-based study, with a sample of 198 employees from Slovenian organizations, who assessed utilization of management tools in their organizations. With hierarchical regression analysis authors test the associations between management tools’ usage and enterprises operating in supply chain; the impact was controlled with the most significant personal and organizational drivers of management-tools usage. Results show that loyalty management, core competences, and scenario and contingency planning are most strongly associated with the supply chain management’s activities in organizations. The traditional supply chain management’ tools, like outsourcing, lean production and total quality management, are currently not considered to be important vehicles for supporting enterprises’ participation in supply chains. The results from this study suggest rethinking of the current focus of management tools utilization, when organizations try to improve their participation in supply chains. More management tools were measured than in earlier studies regarding management tools, supporting enterprises’ participation in supply chain; relations between management-tools utilization and enterprise participation in supply chain were empirically examined. In addition, the most commonly used management tools were considered simultaneously, which had not been done in prior studies.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the importance of a healthy working environment and approaches to establish a healthy working environment of older employees and their impact on work engagement of older employees. The working environment that is not suitable and adapted for older employees presents a big challenge for Slovenian and other companies in which the work force is getting older. Hence, this paper develops a model of a healthy working environment for older employees, in which they could feel well because of its positive affect on their health.Design/methodology/approach: The research method in this paper was the descriptive-correlative type. After a systematic review of literature, which relates to this topic, the authors used the compilation method. In addition to descriptive statistics, factor analysis and regression analysis were used in this paper.Findings: Considering the demographic changes and active ageing in the workplace, age diversity of employees has to become a part of the general strategy of a company to ensure equality and diversity. Adequate working conditions, which should exist in every company, contribute to the improvement of healthy working environment for older employees and their work-engagement. This paper presents that approaches to establish a healthy working environment of older employees have a positive impact on work-engagement of older employees.Practical implications: The stated findings will help companies to better understand and manage their older employees and the importance of establishing a healthy working environment for older employees with which the work-engagement of older employees can be improved. Socially responsible behavior benefits all in this way, too.Originality/value: This paper is based on forming a research model for creating a healthy working environment for older employees as a part of social responsibility. The main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of establishment of a healthy working environment for older employees on the work engagement of older employees in Slovenia.

The main objective of the paper is to determine the impact of behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees on their work engagement in large- and mediumsized companies in Slovenia. The research is based on the implementation of a factor analysis by which we wanted to reduce the large number of variables into a smaller number of factors. With those factors, we performed a simple linear regression. Based on the results, we confirmed the hypothesis that behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees have a statistically significant negative impact on their work engagement. Well-being of employees of varying ages in the workplace is key for long-term effectiveness of companies. From this point of view, companies should apply appropriate measures to reduce burnout as well as to contribute to employees’ well-being and better workplace performance, which is reflected in work engagement of employees.

Background: The aging of the European population is a demographic trend reflected in the ever-growing number of older employees. This paper introduces the importance of motivation and satisfaction in the workplace among age diverse employees in Slovenian companies. Objectives: The goal is to investigate the differences between the motivation and satisfaction of employees from different age groups in the workplace. Methods/Approach: The paper is based on research including a survey of two age groups of employees in Slovenia. We employed the Mann-Whitney U test to verify differences in the motivation and satisfaction in the workplace between the two groups. Results: Older employees are more motivated by flexibility in the workplace; autonomy at work; good interpersonal relationships in the workplace; the possibility of working at their own pace; respect among employees; equal treatment of employees regardless of their age. They are more satisfied with interpersonal relationships in the company; their work; working hours and the distribution of work obligations; and facilitation of the self-regulation of the speed of work performed. Conclusions: Motivation and satisfaction change as individuals age. Using this information, managers and employers can apply appropriate measures to contribute to employees’ well-being and better workplace performance, better working relationships with colleagues, higher productivity, and greater creativity.

Background and Purpose: People spend a significant part of their lifespan working, but the role of age in job design and implementation of work have largely been ignored. The consequences can be evident in stress and burnout in different symptoms. Thus, age-diverse employees are faced with different symptoms of burnout and stress when carrying out their work. The main aim of this paper is to present burnout of older employees compared to younger employees in Slovenian companies.Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper is based on research including a survey between two age groups of employees, namely the younger employees that were classified in the group of under 50 years of age and the older employees that were classified in the group of above 50 years of age. Since the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro- Wilk test showed that the data was not normally distributed, the noan-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to verify differences in the physical symptoms of burnout, emotional symptoms of burnout, and behavioral symptoms of burnout in the workplace between two groups.Results: The results show that there are significant differences in the great majority of the variables describing the physical symptoms of burnout, emotional symptoms of burnout, and behavioral symptoms of burnout in the workplace between younger and older employees.Conclusion: Well-being in the workplace of age-diverse employees is a key for long-term effectiveness of organizations. Managers and employers should apply appropriate measures to reduce burnout as well as to contribute to employees well-being and better workplace performance.

Theories often describe leadership with different classifications, based on personality and behaviour, and have been used to establish the traits and behaviours that determine an effective leadership style. We used the quantitative methodology to investigate the determinants of the leadership style among nursing leaders in Slovene hospitals. Based on the results, we determined that demographic characteristics such as gender, age, length of employment, and level of education do not affect the choice of the leadership style. Internal organizational characteristics such as job position, emotional intelligence, communication, personal characteristics, and the decision-making process are positively associated with the leadership style. Personal characteristics are considered important when it comes to using specific leadership styles, regardless of the choice of the leadership style, which also depends on the situation and external influences.

This paper discussed the significance of well-being (WB) and well-being management (WBM). As successful WBM requires the implementation of different training programs, such programs are presented in detail. The cause–effect relationship between training and individual/organizational performance is researched as well. The aim of the research to support this article was to present WBM, its training programs, as well as the determination of WBM activities concerning the mentioned programs implemented in Slovenian organizations.