Worker satisfaction with adaptive automation and working conditions: a theoretical model and questionnaire as an assessment tool.

This article focuses on methods and tools to measure worker satisfaction with reference to industrial automation. Despite technological advances in automation, the role of human workers on industrial shop floors remains crucial. To promote humans' roles, production systems should be designed and organized so workers are valued and get satisfactory jobs. The article presents a novel holistic model of worker satisfaction with adaptive automation and working conditions. The model takes into account psychosocial and physical working conditions and the characteristics of the automation system the worker interacts with and its user interface. We propose a questionnaire to be used as a practical tool to assess worker satisfaction with industrial automation, considering also the case of adaptive automation. The proposed version of the questionnaire is the result of pilot testing carried out among shop floor operators and takes into account adjustments derived from end-user feedback.

Role of job and personal resources in the appraisal of job demands as challenges and hindrances.

Previous research has shown that challenge and hindrance job demands show different effects on employees' wellbeing and performance. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that employees' subjective appraisal of job demands as challenges and hindrances may vary: they can be appraised as challenges or hindrances or both. Subjective appraisal of job demands was found to be also related to employees' wellbeing and productivity. However, little is known about predictors of the appraisals of job demands made by employees. The aim of the study was to identify predictors of such appraisals among job and individual resources. Cross-sectional research was carried out among 426 IT, healthcare and public transport employees. COPSOQ II scales were used to measure job demands (emotional, quantitative, cognitive demands, work pace and role conflicts) and job resources (influence at work, possibilities for development, vertical and horizontal trust), single questions were used to measure employees' subjective appraisals of job demands as hindrances and challenges, and PCQ was used to measure psychological capital. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that only horizontal trust predicted the appraisal of job demands as challenges, and vertical trust predicted the appraisal of job demands as hindrances among four analysed job resources. Individual resource-psychological capital-predicted only the appraisal of job demands as challenges. Control variables-occupation, age and job demands also played a significant role in predicting the appraisal of job demands. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Effectiveness of bimanual coordination tasks performance in improving coordination skills and cognitive functions in elderly.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of the performance of bimanual coordination tasks with specific characteristics on the changes in quality of coordination, musculoskeletal load of the upper limbs and cognitive functions. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A group of 26 people aged 60-67 years performed 6 sessions of bimanual coordination training. Each session included set of tasks that varied depending on the shape in which the cursor moved, the coordination mode (in-phase, anti-phase, complex) and the tracking mode (imposed or freely chosen speed). Performance was assessed by: Error, Variability and Execution. The load of upper limb muscles was expressed with the value of the normalized EMG amplitude. Cognitive functions were evaluated using the Vienna Test System. The Variability and Error values obtained during the sixth training session decreased by more than 50% of the initial values. Tasks with freely chosen speed showed changes from 15% to 34% for Error and from 45% to 50% for Variability. For tasks with imposed speed and coordination mode anti-phase or complex it was between 51% and 58% for Error and between 58% and 68% for Variability. Statistically significant differences between load during the sixth training session compared to the first session occurred in three out of four muscles and were between 9% to 39%. There were statistically significant differences in motor time and no differences in variables describing attention and working memory. CONCLUSIONS: Coordination mode is meaningful for improving coordination skills; tasks in the anti-phase and complex are recommended. Tracking mode also plays a role, tasks with an imposed cursor movement speed have greater potential to improve coordination skills than tasks with freely chosen. Improved control skills resulted in the reduction of upper limb musculoskeletal load. It can be assumed that an increase in coordination skills with the use of appropriate training can help to reduce musculoskeletal load.

Job satisfaction is more than a fruit basket, health checks and free exercise: Cross-sectional study among 10,000 wage earners.

AIM: Workers who are satisfied with their job are the cornerstones of healthy and productive companies. This study investigated factors associated with job satisfaction in the general working population. METHODS: From the 2010 round of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, currently employed wage earners ( N=10,427) replied to questions about work, lifestyle and health. Multinomial logistic regression controlled for sex, age, job group, smoking, body mass index, chronic disease and general health assessed the association between work factors and job satisfaction (very satisfied and satisfied, respectively, with unsatisfied as reference). RESULTS: Psychosocial work factors - social support from superiors, social support from colleagues and influence at work - had the strongest association with job satisfaction. For example, for high social support from superiors, the odds ratio (OR) for being very satisfied with the job was 12.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.71-17.51). With sedentary work as reference, the OR for being very satisfied with the job for 'standing and walking work that is not strenuous' was 1.57 (95% CI 1.06-2.33), while the opposite was seen for 'heavy and strenuous work' with an OR of 0.34 (95% CI 0.18-0.62). Only two out of five types of workplace health-promotion offers (physical exercise and healthy diet) were associated with job satisfaction. For example, for offers of physical exercise the OR for being very satisfied with the job was 1.84 (95% CI 1.33-2.55). CONCLUSIONS: While psychosocial work factors and to some extent physical work demands are important for job satisfaction, workplace health-promotion offers appear to play a minor role.

Do all types of restructuring threaten employees' well-being? An exploratory study.

OBJECTIVES: Most research on the negative impact of restructuring on employees' health considers restructuring involving personnel reduction. The aim of this study was to explore the assumption that the type of restructuring, business expansion versus restructuring not involving expansion (only reductions and/or change of ownership), influences its psychological responses: appraisal of the change, psychosocial working conditions and well-being after the change. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out among 857 employees that experienced restructuring in 2009 and/or 2010 and 538 employees from companies not restructured at that time. The main variables, i.e., assessment of change in terms of personal benefits and losses, psychosocial job characteristics and well-being were measured using a questionnaire developed in "The psychological health and well-being in restructuring: key effects and mechanisms" project (PSYRES). RESULTS: It was found that the employees who experienced business expansion in comparison to those who experienced exclusively change of ownership had a higher appraisal of change, while those who experienced restructuring not involving business expansion did not differ from those who experienced change of ownership. As far as psychosocial working conditions are concerned, those employees who experienced exclusively business expansion did not differ from those in the not restructured companies (except for quantitative demands that were higher), while most psychosocial working conditions of the employees who experienced restructuring not involving expansion were poorer than in the not restructured companies. Also, well-being measures of the employees who experienced exclusively business expansion did not differ from those in the not restructured companies (except for innovative behavior that was even higher), while well-being measure of those who experienced restructuring not involving expansion was poorer than of those in the not restructured companies. CONCLUSIONS: Restructuring involving exclusively business expansion is not a threat to psychosocial job characteristics (except for quantitative demands) or to employees' well-being. Therefore, the type of restructuring should be taken into account when the restructuring--psychological health relationship is discussed.