A good work environment means better health

LONDON - Bad workplace systems can cause a range of ailments, from cardiovascular disease to mental health, and a good work environment can translate into better health for workers, research says.

A new study shows that the best way of working allows employees a greater level of participation as well as providing greater possibilities for adapting working conditions to their needs, greater recognition of their work and fair treatment.

“We have studied the relationship between exposure to psychosocial risks and the kind of labour management practices used to hire, use, develop, hold onto or dismiss workers,” Clara Llorens Serrano, study leader, told Spain’s Scientific Information and News Service (SINC).

Serrano is a researcher at the Trade Union Institute of Labour, Environment and Health (ISTAS-CCOO).

The study shows that a good working environment enables employees to learn new skills, work under permanent contracts, get paid salaries according to the number of hours worked and tasks carried out, as well as a working week of between 31 to 40 hours.

A survey was carried out October 2004-July 2005 on 7,612 people employed by others in Spain, an ISTAS-CCOO release said.

It showed that “the better the labour management practices used in organising work, the better the psychosocial environment of the workplace will be, with fewer cases of health-related problems”.

The most significant results show how a democratically functioning workplace and the use of methods to enable direct participation by workers in carrying out their daily tasks leads to a better working atmosphere.

The findings were published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.