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Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders
Inputs: Emerging Issues
Aspects of work organization affect general well-being, physical
health, and stress-related outcomes. There are a number of important
emerging scientific and health issues related to work organization
practices.
- Work-Life / Flexibility – Women are entering
the workforce at increasing rates, and couples are working longer
hours. Due to these circumstances and recent trends in family planning
(e.g., couples having children later in life when care of elderly
family members may also become necessary), workers are increasingly
finding themselves “sandwiched” between work and domestic
responsibilities. The links between work-life conflict and employees’
well-being and functioning (both at work and home) have become a growing
concern for both employers and workers. Further study is needed to
examine the risks posed by work-life conflict and especially the design
and benefits of work-life programs to restore work-life balance.
- Disaster Mental Health/Traumatic Stress –
9/11 and recent hurricanes have served to elevate disaster mental
health as an area of concern in occupational safety and health, with
special attention to stress experienced by emergency responders. Effort
is needed along several lines to reduce stress risks among disaster
workers, including (1) development of psychosocial instruments to
reliably assess psychological stress in post-disaster situations,
(2) further study on how disaster response work can be better organized
and managed to reduce stress risks, and (3) further study of ways
to improve the resilience of disaster workers and to improve mental
health interventions to reduce the risks of post-traumatic stress.
- Depression / Psychological Illness – The
mental health of workers is an area of increasing concern to organizations.
For example, depressive disorders affect approximately 10% of adults
in the U.S. each year and they are among the most costly health problems
for organizations. Evidence linking work organization with depression
and other mental health problems, and with increased productivity
losses, is beginning to accumulate. There is a pressing need to better
understand organizational practices and factors that contribute to
poor mental health, to develop interventions that effectively target
these risk factors, and to translate and disseminate information on
risk factors and interventions for application in organizations.
- Workplace Violence – Studies indicate that
as many as one-third of workers report they experienced some sort
of psychological aggression, emotional harassment, or abuse while
on the job during the past year. Workplace psychological aggression
can be costly in terms of individual outcomes, such as increased psychological
stress, reduced satisfaction, and poorer physical health, and in terms
of organizational outcomes such as turnover, counterproductive work
behaviors, and decreased productivity. Research is needed to improve
our understanding of individual and organizational risk factors for
psychological aggression in the workplace and to develop effective
prevention strategies that can be used by organizations to reduce
these risks.
- Older Workers – A critical challenge in public
health during the next decade is how to ensure the safety and health
of an aging U.S. workforce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates
that between 2000 and 2015, the number of workers 55 years and older
will increase by 72 percent – from 18.2 million to 31.2 million.
This compares to a rate of only seven percent for workers between
the ages of 16 to 54. Despite this unprecedented increase in the number
of older workers, we have only limited knowledge of the safety and
health risks they will encounter. Research is needed to better understand
the types of jobs and working conditions older workers experience,
identify risk factors that may disproportionately affect these workers,
and develop best practices and organizational-level interventions
designed to improve the safety and health of older workers.
- Minority Worker Health – Evidence suggests
that racial and ethnic minorities, who collectively comprise at least
25% of the U.S. workforce, are overexposed to a variety of health-
and safety-compromising conditions due to their overrepresentation
in low status occupations and due to issues related specifically to
race and ethnicity. Despite these exposures, few research efforts
have been directed toward better understanding the occupational safety
and health of minorities. Research is needed to develop a more comprehensive
knowledge base of the full range of workplace risk factors that impact
minority groups. Further, research efforts to develop, implement,
and evaluate information and interventions designed to target these
risks are also needed.
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NIOSH Program Portfolio:
Work Organization and Stress-Related Disorders
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