Documents social climate 45 results

"Objective The aim of the study was to elucidate the development of the psychosocial work environment in Denmark from 1997–2005. Methods The analyses were based on two national questionnaire surveys (N1=1062; N2=3517) of randomly selected employees who completed the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. The psychosocial work environment was described by 19 scales and 6 single items. Results Quality of leadership and social support from supervisors were the only dimensions that saw improvements. The negative developments were: higher work pace, less influence (job control), less *possibilities for development (skill discretion), lower level of meaning of work, more role conflicts, decreased role clarity, reduced sense of community, less social support from colleagues, increased conflicts at work, more threats of violence and more slander and gossip. Conclusions The psychosocial work environment in Denmark has deteriorated during the period 1997–2005. This deterioration was seen not just among certain groups of employees but in all subgroups, incorporating gender, age and socioeconomic status. The negative development of a country's psychosocial work environment is worrying; as such, there is a strong need to change this negative trend."

Objectives This study investigated the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and low-back pain and the potential intermediate role of psychological strain variables in this relationship. Methods The research was part of a prospective cohort study of risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms. The study population consisted of 861 workers from 34 companies in The Netherlands who had no low-back pain at baseline and for whom data on the occurrence of low-back pain were obtained with annual questionnaires during a 3-year follow-up period. Information on psychosocial work characteristics and psychological strain variables was collected using a questionnaire at baseline. Cases of low-back pain were defined as workers who reported, in at least one of the annual follow-up questionnaires, that they had had regular or prolonged low-back pain in the previous 12 months.Results After adjustment for individual factors and quantified physical load at work, nonsignificant relative risks ranging from 1.3 to 1.6 were observed for high quantitative job demands, high conflicting demands, low supervisory support, and low co-worker support. Decision authority and skill discretion showed no relationship with low-back pain. In general, the estimated relative risks for the psychosocial work characteristics were scarcely influenced by additional adjustment for job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and sleeping difficulties. Conclusions It can be concluded that low social support, from either supervisors or co-workers, appears to be a risk factor for low-back pain. Some indications of a relationship between high quantitative job demands and high conflicting demands and low-back pain were also found. Little evidence was found for an intermediate role for the psychological strain variables under study.

Objectives This study investigated the effects of workplace bullying and the psychological work environment on the well-being and subjective stress of the targets and observers of bullying. Methods In a questionnaire study, stress and psychological ill-health were measured, and the causes of reported stress were analyzed for municipal employees (N=949, 85% women, 15% men, mean age 41 years for the men and 40 years for the women). Results Both the targets of bullying and the observers reported more general stress and mental stress reactions than did respondents from the workplaces with no bullying. The targets also expressed feelings of low self-confidence more often than did those who had not been subjected to bullying. Being bullied, but also features of one's work, especially haste, excessively difficult tasks and poor goal clarity, predicted the stress reactions reported. Of the single forms of bullying, judging a person's work unjustly or in an offending manner, restricting a person's possibilities to express his or her opinions, and assaulting one's private life were the most clearly connected with all the stress reactions measured. Victim history was associated with feelings of low self-confidence. The targets of bullying used sleep-inducing drugs and sedatives more often than did the respondents who were not bullied. Conclusions The study shows that not only the targets of bullying, but also bystanders, suffer when someone is bullied in the workplace. Bullying must therefore be regarded as a problem for the entire work unit and not merely as a problem of the target.

"The positive relationship between the quality of the work environment, and workers' performance is a well-known issue. But what is the difference between a healthy and welcoming workplace and a hostile and discriminating one? This article, using data coming from two INAPP surveys on the quality of work (carried out in 2010 and 2015) is aimed at describing the Italian workplaces by focusing on the social climate with respect to: job satisfaction; relationships with colleagues and supervisors; skills mismatch; and presence of discrimination and harassment. Furthermore, for some variables, workers' perception is compared with the employers' view. In a timespan of profound economic, social, and cultural transformations, the paper reflects on this complexity in an attempt to provide food for thought in both analytical and policy terms."

"Su richiesta delle confederazioni sindacali Cgil, Cisl e Uil dell'Emilia-Romagna, la Fondazione Istituto per il Lavoro ha condotto un'indagine volta ad analizzare la percezione dei lavoratori rispetto alle loro condizioni di lavoro. L'obiettivo che l'indagine persegue è quello di delineare un quadro di riferimento all'interno del quale tutti gli attori che intevengono, quali facilitatori, per la prevenzione nella gestione del sistema salute e sicurezza possano trarre utili informazioni ed indicazioni per avviare strategie di miglioramento della qualità del lavoro e della vita lavorativa. La conoscenza, anche se non scevra da contraddizioni, di come i lavoratori percepiscano il lavoro e la sua organizzazione, è fonte preziosa per una politica di intervento bottom up, ossia che si origini dal basso. Il rapporto di collaborazione tra le organizzazioni sindacali e Istituto per il Lavoro ha permesso la realizzazione di un questionario, quale strumento di indagine, in grado di esaminare l'organizzazione del lavoro e monitorare le prolematiche legate al miglioramento delle condizioni di lavoro e della qulità dellva vita lavorativa, cercando di comprendere, in particolare, le cause scatenanti di malessere e di insicurezza, nonchè gli effetti sui singoli e sull'impresa. Il questionario è 'mediato' da un documento analogo della Fondazione per il miglioramento delle condizioni di vita e di lavoro di Dublino, offrendo così la possibilità di poter collocare la situazione regionale in un contesto europeo. Nel rispetto dei diversi pesi occupazionali e di consistenza produttiva settoriale, i questionari sono stati distribuiti nelle Province emiliano-romagnole ed in particolare tra le imprese appartenenti al settore della metalmeccanica , tessile, gomma-plastica, edilizia, ceramica, alimentare e delle poste. Grazie all'impegno delle strutture sindacali e degli stessi lavoratori, l'elaborazione dei dati si è potuta effettuare su oltre 13 mila questionari, per un totale di circa 700 imprese di diverse classi dimensionali."