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Rethinking Occupational Fatigue and Recovery: Towards Sustainable Healthy Work

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11832

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tomohide Kubo

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Guest Editor

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kawasaki 214-8585, Japan
Interests: occupational fatigue; sleep; recovery from work

Dr. Imelda S. Wong

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Guest Editor

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45209, USA
Interests: occupational fatigue; nonstandard work schedules; fatigue risk management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the early 2000s, advances in information and communication technologies have facilitated a shift in traditional views, enabling more flexibility in work hours and expanding the boundaries in the workplace. These technological improvements have made it easier to participate in global markets, perform work remotely, or join the gig economy. However, these opportunities can also blur the lines between work and leisure time, by extending work hours or requiring work on nonstandard schedules, which increase the potential for fatigue-related adverse health and safety consequences. Thus, as work arrangements evolve, so should rethink our assessment of occupational fatigue and recovery. In this Special Issue of IJERPH, we welcome manuscripts from all disciplines that address the risks and consequences of occupational fatigue in the new economy, and propose effective countermeasures that support sustainable work and promote recovery.

Dr. Tomohide Kubo
Dr. Imelda S. Wong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

right to disconnect from work
remote work
psychological detachment from work
leisure crafting
intensified job demands
worktime control
fatigue risk management
Karoshi (death due to overwork)
shift work scheduling
work recovery

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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0 pages, 591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Too Committed to Switch Off—Capturing and Organizing the Full Range of Work-Related Rumination from Detachment to Overcommitment

by Oliver Weigelt, J. Charlotte Seidel, Lucy Erber, Johannes Wendsche, Yasemin Z. Varol, Gerald M. Weiher, Petra Gierer, Claudia Sciannimanica, Richard Janzen and Christine J. Syrek

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3573; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043573 - 17 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4625 | Correction

Abstract

Work-related thoughts during off-job time have been studied extensively in occupational health psychology and related fields. We provide a focused review of the research on overcommitment—a component within the effort–reward imbalance model—and aim to connect this line of research to the most commonly studied aspects of work-related rumination. Drawing on this integrative review, we analyze survey data on ten facets of work-related rumination, namely (1) overcommitment, (2) psychological detachment, (3) affective rumination, (4) problem-solving pondering, (5) positive work reflection, (6) negative work reflection, (7) distraction, (8) cognitive irritation, (9) emotional irritation, and (10) inability to recover. First, we apply exploratory factor analysis to self-reported survey data from 357 employees to calibrate overcommitment items and to position overcommitment within the nomological net of work-related rumination constructs. Second, we apply confirmatory factor analysis to self-reported survey data from 388 employees to provide a more specific test of uniqueness vs. overlap among these constructs. Third, we apply relative weight analyses to assess the unique criterion-related validity of each work-related rumination facet regarding (1) physical fatigue, (2) cognitive fatigue, (3) emotional fatigue, (4) burnout, (5) psychosomatic complaints, and (6) satisfaction with life. Our results suggest that several measures of work-related rumination (e.g., overcommitment and cognitive irritation) can be used interchangeably. Emotional irritation and affective rumination emerge as the strongest unique predictors of fatigue, burnout, psychosomatic complaints, and satisfaction with life. Our study is intended to assist researchers in making informed decisions on selecting scales for their research and paves the way for integrating research on the effort–reward imbalance into work-related rumination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Occupational Fatigue and Recovery: Towards Sustainable Healthy Work)

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12 pages, 550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Furr-Recovery Method: Interacting with Furry Co-Workers during Work Time Is a Micro-Break That Recovers Workers’ Regulatory Resources and Contributes to Their Performance

by Ana Junça-Silva

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13701; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013701 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2349

Abstract

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and the recovery step model our research expands on a cognitive (regulatory resources) mechanism that links human–animal interactions and employee performance. This study aimed to explore whether daily human–animal interactions during worktime would be conceived as a daily-recovery process that restores the individual’s daily regulatory resources and, as a result, improves daily adaptive and task performance. To test this, a daily diary study during 10 working days, with 105 teleworkers was performed (N = 105 × 10 = 1050). Multilevel results demonstrated that daily interactions between human and their pets served to recover their daily regulatory resources that, in turn, improved daily task-and-adaptive performance. This research not only expands our theoretical understanding of regulatory resources as a cognitive mechanism that links human-animal interactions to employee effectiveness but also offers practical implications by highlighting the recovery role of interacting with pets during the working day, as a way to restore resources needed to be more effective at work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Occupational Fatigue and Recovery: Towards Sustainable Healthy Work)

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11 pages, 460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Joint Association of Daily Rest Periods and Sleep Duration with Worker Health and Productivity: A Cross-Sectional Web Survey of Japanese Daytime Workers

by Hiroki Ikeda, Tomohide Kubo, Shuhei Izawa, Nanako Nakamura-Taira, Toru Yoshikawa and Rie Akamatsu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11143; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711143 - 5 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2322

Abstract

A daily rest period (DRP) is a daily inter-work interval that contains sleep opportunity. This study investigates the joint association of DRP and sleep duration with worker health and productivity. A total of 13,306 Japanese daytime workers participated in this web-based cross-sectional survey. Participants reported on their DRPs and sleep duration; moreover, sleep difficulties, mental health, and presenteeism were assessed by the standardized questionnaires. The participants were divided into 10 groups based on their DRPs and sleep duration. Logistic regression analyses showed that the combination of quick return (QR: DRP of <11 h) and short sleep duration (<6 h) was found to be significantly associated with sleep difficulties (odds ratio [OR] = 4.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.83–7.01), poor mental health (OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 1.79–5.15), and presenteeism (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.47–3.77) compared with the reference group (the combination of adequate DRP [15 h] and a normal sleep duration [≥6 h]). The combination of QR and normal sleep duration or adequate DRP and short sleep duration was significantly associated with high ORs for the outcomes. QR, short sleep duration, or both negatively affect worker health and productivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Occupational Fatigue and Recovery: Towards Sustainable Healthy Work)

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