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The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of 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 (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 13836

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Sari Mansour

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

School of Business Administration, TÉLUQ University of Quebec, Québec, QC G1K 9H6, Canada
Interests: human resource management; organizational behavior; occupational health and safety; job design; technological innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the fourth industrial revolution, leading to radical changes in the world of work (e.g., reorganizing work processes, requalification of jobs and tasks, performing tasks virtually, human–robot collaboration, etc.). Such changes seem to meet the needs of our societies at the economic level (e.g., saving business and jobs and reducing real estate and related costs), at the social level (e.g., allowing employees to balance work and private life), and at the ecological level (e.g., reducing travel and energy consumption). Despite these advantages, these new ways of working have demonstrated inequalities in organizations, for example between those who can work from home and those whose roles do not allow it (Bapuji et al., 2020). In addition, the COVID-19 crisis also revealed how many frontlines and often low-skilled workers (e.g., healthcare and retail business), who delivered products and services to those working from home were more exposed than others to health harms. Saving business activities by focusing on short-term financial outcomes without taking care about employee needs have shown new challenges in terms of occupational health and safety (OHS) (Collings et al., 2021) making human resources (HRM) practices inefficient both at economic and ethical levels (Guest, 2017).

Although robots and Artificial Intelligence may protect workers from hazardous physical work and environments with chemical and ergonomic risks, this algorithmic management promotes the emergence of new challenges and risks in terms of OSH (e.g., feeling pressured to perform tasks at the same speed and with the same efficiency as robots, deskilling.). In the same vein, today’s popular online platforms, which provide workers flextime and flex location, offer many forms of non-standard employment and bad working conditions (e.g., time constraints; blurring of the boundary between professional and private life, unstable income) (Stacey et al., 2018). Furthermore, teleworking has become a new reality in our society in recent years. This new way of working seems to offer a promising organizational solution, especially when it meets an employee’s needs (Mansour & Tremblay, 2018) and capacities to exercise them. However, working from home may have some negative consequences on productivity and OHS and lead to new behaviors at work. For example, it can blur the boundary between professional and private life, generate “digital stress” and presenteeism (excessive presence and exceeding working hours online to complete work tasks despite fatigue or illness), and foster cyberloafing behaviors (e.g., using technology for purposes beyond the work) and complexify knowledge sharing and teamwork. This new world of work pushes organizations to rethink the way they operate and to act actively to find sustainable solutions to protect the health and well-being of workers (Kniffin et al., 2020), to help them to craft their new work environment and to achieve sustainable performance and productivity. However, the impacts of these emerging technologies on OHS to date are largely uncertain and remain unexamined by researchers. For that reason, this Special Issue focuses on the paradox of OHS in this new work of work. Many theoretical and empirical questions then arise concerning the ability of organizations to operate efficiently and ethically in this new world of work to ensure sustainable well-being and performance for all stakeholders.

In such an ever-changing environment, and before fully integrating these new ways of working into policies, we need comprehensive, relevant, and high-quality research that is better aligned with the needs of all stakeholders. Research addressing these various issues will provide stronger foundations for making evidence-based decisions regarding the long-term impact of these challenges and the effectiveness of sustainable approaches to manage them. They will also contribute to new ways of conceptualizing HRM and management models and extending the existing theories and practices.

We invite you to submit high-quality, original, and rigorous theoretical/empirical research articles that provide new findings covering the current gaps highlighted. We welcome papers in different disciplines, set in a variety of occupational settings and times (e.g., before and during the COVID-19). Please note that papers will be subjected to a thorough and rigorous peer-review by experts in the field.

References

Bapuji et al., 2020: Bapuji, H., Patel, C., Ertug, G., Allen, D.G. Corona crisis and inequality: Why management research needs a societal turn. J. of Manag. 2020, 46, 1205-1222. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0149206320925881#tab-contributors.

Collings et al., 2021: Collings, D.G., McMackin, J., Nyberg, A.J., Wright, P. M. Strategic human resource management and COVID‐19: Emerging challenges and research opportunities. J. of Manag. Stud. 2021, 58, 1378. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8013558/.

Guest, 2017: Guest, D. E. Human resource management and employee well‐being: Towards a new analytic framework. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 2017, 27, 22-38. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1748-8583.12139.

Stacey et al., 2018: Stacey, N., Ellwood, P., Bradbrook, S., Reynolds, J., Williams, H., Lye, D. Foresight on new and emerging occupational safety and health risks associated with digitalisation by 2025. Luxembourg: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. 2018 https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/foresight-new-and-emerging-occupational-safety-and-health-risks-associated.

Mansour & Tremblay, 2018: Mansour, S., Tremblay, D.-G. Work–family conflict/family–work conflict, job stress, burnout and intention to leave in the hotel industry in Quebec (Canada): Moderating role of need for family friendly practices as “resource passageways”. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2018, 29, 2399–2430. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1239216.

Kniffin et al., 2020: Kniffin K. M., Narayanan J., Anseel F., Antonakis J., Ashford S. P., Bakker A. B., Bamberger P., Bapuji H., Bhave D. P., Choi V. K., etc. COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. Am. Psychol. 2020, 76, 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000716.

Prof. Dr. Sari Mansour
Guest Editor

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

fourth industrial revolution 4.0
COVID-19
occupational health and safety
job crafting
sustainability
telework
online platform
artificial intelligence
presenteeism
digital stress

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 751 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Time-Based Stress and Procedural Justice: Can Transparency Mitigate the Effects of Algorithmic Compensation in Gig Work?

by Benjamin Semujanga and Xavier Parent-Rocheleau

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010086 - 11 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1565

Abstract

The gig economy has led to a new management style, using algorithms to automate managerial decisions. Algorithmic management has aroused the interest of researchers, particularly regarding the prevalence of precarious working conditions and the health issues related to gig work. Despite algorithmically driven remuneration mechanisms’ influence on work conditions, few studies have focused on the compensation dimension of algorithmic management. We investigate the effects of algorithmic compensation on gig workers in relation to perceptions of procedural justice and time-based stress, two important predictors of work-related health problems. Also, this study examines the moderating effect of algorithmic transparency in these relationships. Survey data were collected from 962 gig workers via a research panel. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis show that the degree of exposure to algorithmic compensation is positively related to time-based stress. However, contrary to our expectations, algorithmic compensation is also positively associated with procedural justice perceptions and our results indicate that this relation is enhanced at higher levels of perceived algorithmic transparency. Furthermore, transparency does not play a role in the relationship between algorithmic compensation and time-based stress. These findings suggest that perceived algorithmic transparency makes algorithmic compensation even fairer but does not appear to make it less stressful. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of Work)

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14 pages, 578 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Furloughed Employees’ Voluntary Turnover: The Role of Procedural Justice, Job Insecurity, and Job Embeddedness

by Felix Ballesteros-Leiva, Sylvie St-Onge and Marie-Ève Dufour

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095664 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1723

Abstract

During the COVID-19 lockdown period, several employers used furloughs, that is, temporary layoffs or unpaid leave, to sustain their businesses and retain their employees. While furloughs allow employers to reduce payroll costs, they are challenging for employees and increase voluntary turnover. This study uses a two-wave model (Time 1: n = 639/Time 2: n = 379) and confirms that furloughed employees’ perceived justice in furlough management and job insecurity (measured at Time 1) explain their decision to quit their employer (measured at Time 2). In addition, our results confirm that furloughed employees’ job embeddedness (measured at Time 1) has a positive mediator effect on the relationship between their perceived procedural justice in furlough management (measured at Time 1) and their turnover decision (Time 2). We discuss the contribution of this study to the fields of knowledge and practice related to turnover and furlough management to reduce their financial, human, and social costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of Work)

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16 pages, 722 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Power of Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Negative Affect Leverages Need Satisfaction to Foster Work Centrality

by Jérémy Toutant and Christian Vandenberghe

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032379 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2005

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions in organizations and people’s lives by generating uncertainty, anxiety, and isolation for most employees around the globe. Such disruptive context may have prompted employees to reconsider their identification with their work role, defined as work centrality. As such reconsideration may have deep implications, we reasoned that individuals’ affective dispositions would influence work centrality across time during the pandemic. Drawing upon the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and the met expectations underpinnings of negative affectivity, we predicted that positive and negative affect would foster, albeit for different reasons, work centrality. Based on self-determination theory, we further expected the fulfilment of the needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence to enhance the effect of positive and negative affectivity. Based on a three-wave study (N = 379) conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown followed by a reopening of the economy in Canada (i.e., May to July 2020), we found negative affectivity, but not positive affectivity, to drive work centrality over time, and found this effect to be enhanced at high levels of the satisfaction of the needs for autonomy and relatedness. The implications of these results for our understanding of the role of trait affectivity in times of crisis are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of Work)

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20 pages, 790 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advantages of and Barriers to Crafting New Technology in Healthcare Organizations: A Qualitative Study in the COVID-19 Context

by Sari Mansour and Sarah Nogues

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9951; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169951 - 12 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3903

Abstract

Nursing professionals are constantly required to adapt to technological changes, and especially so in the wake of COVID-19, which has prompted the development of new digital tools. A new and specific form of job crafting in relation to new technology has recently emerged in the literature; that is, adoption job crafting. However, little is known about this specific form of job crafting, especially within the pandemic context. We aim, in this study, to explore the advantages of and barriers to adoption job crafting. We used NVivo software to analyze 42 semi-structured interviews conducted during COVID-19. Our findings revealed that nurses had proactive and positive attitudes toward new technology (adoption job crafting) to enhance efficiency, sustainability, well-being, virtual teamwork, communication, and knowledge sharing. We also identified many barriers to adoption job crafting due to several organizational obstacles, such as the lack of human resource management practices, especially training, and the characteristics of the technology used. We contribute to the literature by documenting innovative cases of and barriers to adoption job crafting, which have not been explored before. These findings stress the necessity to adopt human resources practices, especially training, to foster positive job crafting among nurses and safeguard their adaptive expertise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of Work)

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Review

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20 pages, 836 KiB

Open AccessReview

What Is on Your Gig Radar? Toward a Hierarchical Structure of Coping

by Samira A. Sariraei, Denis Chênevert and Christian Vandenberghe

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114219 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1915

Abstract

Digitalized independent workers, known as gig workers, have been shown to work under high-pressure, with a lack of autonomy, a lack of feedback and perceived competence, and a high level of isolation. We conducted a literature review to investigate how gig workers cope with these sources of stress. We identified primary sources of psychological stress in gig work and the main strategies used by workers for coping with them. We show that focusing solely on identifying coping strategies depicts a fragmented literature, making it impossible to compare, link, or aggregate findings. We suggest a radar classification of coping based on the motivational action theory of coping and self-determination theory that defines coping as a process to adapt to the environment and maintain well-being. We argue that this framework is both relevant and necessary for developing research on gig-worker coping. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Paradox of Occupational Health and Safety in the New World of Work)

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