Working as a contact center attendant: Relating purpose, meaning, sustainability and mental health.

BACKGROUND: There are companies that can be considered financially successful while creating negative externalities for their workers. This is the case of contact centers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to investigate the challenges for a service company (such as a contact center) in reconciling its economic and financial objectives with the promotion of the work dimension, guaranteeing workers the possibility of professional, collective, and human development. METHODS: This research has a qualitative ethnographic approach. An activity-centered work analysis method, also known as "Ergonomic Work Analysis" (EWA), was carried out in one of the largest companies in the Brazilian contact center market. RESULTS: The case shows that the achievement of economic-financial objectives of the analyzed company is mainly done by harming the well-being of its workers. In particular, the work of the attendants did not bring any development perspective for them. The prevalence of instrumental rationality in decision-making processes and the asymmetry of power relations between stakeholders are the main reasons why workers' well-being is not considered. CONCLUSION: The discussion proposes that work-related sciences, such as ergonomics and psychodynamics of work, can bring another type of rationality to the decision-making processes of companies. The work also needs to be sustainable enough to allow the construction and development of professionals, and the health of working population, while improving the company's performance.

Proposal of guidelines to assist managers to face pressing challenges confronting Latin American universities: a complexity theory perspective.

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing problems in Latin America and posed unprecedented challenges for Latin American universities (LAU). These challenges can be characterised as complex problems that cannot be understood through reductionist approaches. This paper aims (i) to provide a complex system perspective of the challenges confronting LAUs and (ii) to propose guidelines for managers of LAUs to address them in practice. A multidisciplinary group was formed and conducted an iterative process of research, brainstorming and debate of potential solutions to the following problems considered particularly important by their universities: mental health issues in the university environment, student learning gaps, brain drain, and anti-science movements. Complexity theory and E/HF concepts are integrated to demonstrate that understanding what LAUs are experiencing in a fragmented manner is impossible, and that the interactions between the challenges should be at the centre of the managers' actions plans. Practitioner summary: Managers of LAUs can benefit from the guidelines proposed to understand the pressing challenges confronting universities and develop systemic approaches to address them.

Impacts of organizational restructuring on the health of ambulance drivers from a university hospital. / Impactos da reestruturação organizacional na saúde dos motoristas de ambulância em um hospital universitário.

The transport of patients by ambulance is part of the services offered by a Hospital and its importance lies in facilitating the connection between the institutes involved in patient care. However, a significant amount of complaints about irritability and aggressiveness of drivers was registered after a strategic change in the organizational structure that directly affected these professionals. This study aimed to survey the health issues of ambulance drivers at this hospital, from the reorganization of work, through an ergonomic analysis of work. The data were obtained through observation and interviews with managers, leaders, and drivers of the transport sector of the hospital. The main results found were: 1) the key performance measurement is time, which is a measure that does not consider all variabilities that occur during transport, 2) prescribed work of drivers only considers the task of driving an ambulance, while their real work includes taking care and paying attention to the needs of the patient and other professionals, 3) after the restructuring and centralization of the transport sector, drivers stopped feeling as part of the team of health professionals and started to feel like a "shared service".

O transporte de pacientes por ambulância é parte dos serviços oferecidos pelo hospital e sua importância está na facilitação da conexão entre os institutos envolvidos no cuidado do paciente. No entanto, quantidade significativa de reclamações a respeito da irritabilidade e agressividade dos motoristas foi registrada após reestruturação organizacional que afetou diretamente este grupo de profissionais. O objetivo deste estudo foi fazer um levantamento das questões de saúde dos motoristas de ambulância deste hospital, a partir da reorganização do trabalho, por meio de uma análise ergonômica do trabalho. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de observação da situação de trabalho e entrevistas com gerentes, líderes e motoristas do setor de transporte do hospital. Os principais resultados foram: 1) o principal indicador de desempenho é o tempo,que desconsidera as imprevisibilidades que ocorrem nos trajetos; 2) o trabalho prescrito dos motoristas só considera a tarefa de dirigir a ambulância, mas o trabalho real engloba o cuidado e atenção às necessidades do paciente e de outros profissionais; 3) com a reestruturação e centralização do setor, os motoristas deixaram de se sentir parte do time de profissionais de saúde e passaram a se sentir como um "serviço compartilhado".

Impactos da reestruturação organizacional na saúde dos motoristas de ambulância em um hospital universitário / Impacts of organizational restructuring on the health of ambulance drivers from a university hospital

Resumo O transporte de pacientes por ambulância é parte dos serviços oferecidos pelo hospital e sua importância está na facilitação da conexão entre os institutos envolvidos no cuidado do paciente. No entanto, quantidade significativa de reclamações a respeito da irritabilidade e agressividade dos motoristas foi registrada após reestruturação organizacional que afetou diretamente este grupo de profissionais. O objetivo deste estudo foi fazer um levantamento das questões de saúde dos motoristas de ambulância deste hospital, a partir da reorganização do trabalho, por meio de uma análise ergonômica do trabalho. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de observação da situação de trabalho e entrevistas com gerentes, líderes e motoristas do setor de transporte do hospital. Os principais resultados foram: 1) o principal indicador de desempenho é o tempo,que desconsidera as imprevisibilidades que ocorrem nos trajetos; 2) o trabalho prescrito dos motoristas só considera a tarefa de dirigir a ambulância, mas o trabalho real engloba o cuidado e atenção às necessidades do paciente e de outros profissionais; 3) com a reestruturação e centralização do setor, os motoristas deixaram de se sentir parte do time de profissionais de saúde e passaram a se sentir como um "serviço compartilhado".

Abstract The transport of patients by ambulance is part of the services offered by a Hospital and its importance lies in facilitating the connection between the institutes involved in patient care. However, a significant amount of complaints about irritability and aggressiveness of drivers was registered after a strategic change in the organizational structure that directly affected these professionals. This study aimed to survey the health issues of ambulance drivers at this hospital, from the reorganization of work, through an ergonomic analysis of work. The data were obtained through observation and interviews with managers, leaders, and drivers of the transport sector of the hospital. The main results found were: 1) the key performance measurement is time, which is a measure that does not consider all variabilities that occur during transport, 2) prescribed work of drivers only considers the task of driving an ambulance, while their real work includes taking care and paying attention to the needs of the patient and other professionals, 3) after the restructuring and centralization of the transport sector, drivers stopped feeling as part of the team of health professionals and started to feel like a "shared service".

Organisational and relational factors that influence return to work and job retention: The contribution of activity ergonomics.

BACKGROUND: Work is a determinant of employee health, and the same conditions that contribute to an illness do not favour return to work; consequently, they hinder job retention, other employees can become ill and new leaves are generated. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the nursing technicians work in intensive and semi-intensive care units (ICUs and SICUs) and discuss the influence of organisational and relational factors on return to work and job retention. This study also discusses the contributions of activity ergonomics to these processes. METHOD: Qualitative case study based on ergonomic work analysis (EWA). Data were collected using documentary analyses, and global, systematic, and participant observations involving nursing technicians working in ICUs and SICUs. RESULTS: Task planning and the staff size adjustment to respond to the work demands of these units were ineffective in real-world situations and were aggravated by cases of absenteeism, medical leave, and employees returning to work. CONCLUSIONS: Work structure limits return to work and job retention. An EWA based on the activities developed by professionals is a valid tool for understanding working processes by applying transforming actions to real-world work situations.

Defining the meaning of "sustainable work" from activity-centered ergonomics and psychodynamics of Work's perspectives.

INTRODUCTION: Work-related issues are already part of the theoretical framework and the historical rationale that underpin corporate sustainability. However, the relationship between work and sustainability is still little known in company practices. Based on the concepts of activity-centered ergonomics (ACE) and psychodynamics of work (PDW), this paper investigates the meaning of "sustainable work" in Brazilian companies. Thus, two research questions guided this study: How the concept of "sustainable work" can be defined in the perception of companies based on the perspective of ACE and PDW? How the concepts provided by these approaches can help companies in developing practices towards sustainable work? METHOD: Case studies conducted in ten Brazilian companies engaged in corporate sustainability practices involving document analysis, interviews, and content analysis. RESULTS: Companies recognize the importance of human action in organizational processes, by considering people as the cornerstone for ensuring corporate sustainability, and seeking to build a work with meaning and significance. However, i) Improvement actions are usually mitigatory or compensatory, acting on the effects while the root causes remain untouched; ii) Sustainability initiatives focus on individual issues, in most cases on the leader (individual), narrowing its scope and neglecting broader, important topics such as work organization and work content; iii) Both work overload and work for sustainability agenda are usually disregarded; iv) A comprehensive view of health should not be limited to the workplace. CONCLUSIONS: According to companies' perceptions, sustainable work includes but is not limited to integrating work to corporate sustainability guidelines, respecting labor laws and human rights, developing synergy between areas/departments towards sustainability, providing possibilities for constructing health in its multidimensionality with the worker as protagonist, and creating work that is meaningful, pleasurable and leads to happiness and recognition. ACE and PDW offer valuable concepts to support companies in bridging the gap between their corporate sustainability vision and practices, i.e., transforming guidelines into actions towards sustainable work. In this sense, sustainable work is believed to be that which improves the organization's performance and promotes professional development as well as workers' health broadly and positively (not limited to the absence of illness, but in the sense of building health) and well-being. Thus, it fosters respect for and the development of intelligence and creativity (as opposed to alienating work) by performing work that has meaning and significance, understanding the profound importance of physical, cognitive and organizational issues, and above all, the importance of work to the development of culture (Bolis et al., 2014).

Intersetorialidade em saúde e trabalho no contexto atual brasileiro: utopia da realidade? / Intersectorialidad en salud y trabajo en el contexto actual brasileño: ¿utopía de la realidad? / Intersectoriality in health and work in the current brazilian context: the utopia of reality?

O cenário político-econômico-social vivido desde 2015 traz novos desafios e caracterizações para o cuidado integral ao trabalhador. Objetivou-se dar visibilidade à perspectiva de formuladores e gestores de políticas públicas direcionadas ao trabalhador, no que se refere à intersetorialidade, no período de transição entre os três últimos governos. Atores vinculados à saúde do trabalhador (ST) de diferentes instâncias (Saúde, Trabalho, Previdência Social e Justiça) foram entrevistados. Houve um consenso quanto às dificuldades para concretização da prática intersetorial. De modo geral, isso enfraqueceu a construção de uma visão sistêmica do campo e de como um setor, mais do que completar ações do outro, faz parte de um sistema único que objetiva garantir a ST. Trata-se de uma vulnerabilidade do campo que dificultou a construção de estratégias coletivas de resistência frente às reformas trabalhista e previdenciária.(AU)

El escenario político-económico-social vivido desde 2015 presenta nuevos desafíos y caracterizaciones para el cuidado integral al trabajador. El objetivo fue proporcionar visibilidad a la perspectiva de formuladores y gestores de políticas públicas dirigidas al trabajador, en lo que se refiere a la intersectorialidad, en el período de transición entre los tres últimos gobiernos. Fueron entrevistados actores vinculados a la salud del trabajador de diferentes instancias (Salud, Trabajo, Previsión Social y Justicia). Hubo un consenso en relación a las dificultades para llevar a cabo la práctica intersectorial Por lo general, eso debilitó la construcción de una visión sistémica del campo y de como un sector, más que completar las acciones del otro, forma parte de un sistema único cuyo objetivo es asegurar la salud del trabajador. Se trata de una vulnerabilidad del campo que dificultó la construcción de estrategias colectivas de resistencia ante las reformas laboral y de previsión social.(AU)

The social-economic-political scenario since 2015 presents new challenges and characterizations for the worker's comprehensive health care. The aim was to give visibility to the perspective of public policies managers and formulators directed to the worker regarding intersectoriality in the transition period in the last three Brazilian governments. To this end, we interviewed some people from different sectors (Health, Labor, Social Welfare, and Justice) linked to the workers' health. There was a consensus concerning the difficulties faced in implementing intersectoral practice. Overall, this led to the weakening of building a systemic view of the field and of how a sector, rather than completing actions of another one, is part of a single system that aims to ensure the worker's health. This is an issue of the field vulnerability that toughened the construction of collective strategies of resistance to labor and social welfare reforms.(AU)

Brumadinho: entre a prudência e a probabilidade, a tragédia / Brumadinho: between prudence and probability, tragedy

Será possível, em algum momento no futuro, explicar com exatidão o que aconteceu no caso do rompimento da barragem de Brumadinho? Apesar de, muitas vezes, se utilizar a palavra exatidão no mundo da engenharia, sabe-se que, em muitos casos, trata-se de um eufemismo. A arte da engenharia consiste em projetar, construir, implementar e gerenciar diferentes tipos de sistemas que podem trazer consequências tanto positivas como negativas para os trabalhadores, para a sociedade, para o meio ambiente. Aconteceu um evento ou uma sequência de eventos que levou ao rompimento. A engenharia de barragens de rejeitos conhece e é capaz de controlar todos os eventos passiveis de acontecer e que, articulados, podem levar ao rompimento? Há dois caminhos: primeiro, o conhecimento total; a engenharia conheceria tudo e seria capaz de projetar de modo a evitar, com certeza, todos os eventos nocivos. Segundo: a engenharia não conhece a totalidade dos fenômenos, mas sabe que, fazendo como sempre se fez (com o conhecimento empírico) e com margens de segurança grandes, a probabilidade de rompimento se aproxima de zero. Ninguém projeta uma barragem para que ela se rompa. Mas se projeta uma barragem sem dominar na totalidade os eventos que podem ocorrer. Quando se conhece a totalidade da situação, o que deve ser feito para evitar o rompimento é 100% conhecido ­ e precificado. Entretanto, isso nunca acontece, a probabilidade de ocorrência de eventos nunca é completamente conhecida, eles não são determinísticos e a incerteza é um fato.

Will it be possible, sometime in the future, to exactly explain what happened in the dam failure in Brumadinho? Although word "exactness" is often used within the world of engineering, it is often known to be an euphemism. The engineering art consists in projecting, building, implementing and managing different types of systems which might have both positive and negative consequences for workers, society and the environment. Some event or series of events culminated in the dam failure. Is tailings dam engineering aware of and able to control all possible events which together might cause a failure? There are two possible paths: one involves absolute knowledge ­ engineering has absolute knowledge of everything and is able to design projects in a way to avoid any harmful event. According to the other, while engineering does not have absolute knowledge of all the phenomena, its traditional know-how (empirical knowledge) and wide margins of safety make the odds of dam failure come close to zero. No one projects a dam just to fail. But dams are projected without absolute control of all possible events. When the entire situation is known, all that should be done to avoid failures is 100% known ­ and the price fixed. However, this never happens, the probability of the occurence of events are never completely known, they are not deterministic and uncertainty is always a fact.

Brumadinho: between prudence and probability, tragedy.

Will it be possible, sometime in the future, to exactly explain what happened in the dam failure in Brumadinho? Although word "exactness" is often used within the world of engineering, it is often known to be an euphemism. The engineering art consists in projecting, building, implementing and managing different types of systems which might have both positive and negative consequences for workers, society and the environment. Some event or series of events culminated in the dam failure. Is tailings dam engineering aware of and able to control all possible events which together might cause a failure? There are two possible paths: one involves absolute knowledge - engineering has absolute knowledge of everything and is able to design projects in a way to avoid any harmful event. According to the other, while engineering does not have absolute knowledge of all the phenomena, its traditional know-how (empirical knowledge) and wide margins of safety make the odds of dam failure come close to zero. No one projects a dam just to fail. But dams are projected without absolute control of all possible events. When the entire situation is known, all that should be done to avoid failures is 100% known - and the price fixed. However, this never happens, the probability of the occurence of events are never completely known, they are not deterministic and uncertainty is always a fact.

Será possível, em algum momento no futuro, explicar com exatidão o que aconteceu no caso do rompimento da barragem de Brumadinho? Apesar de, muitas vezes, se utilizar a palavra exatidão no mundo da engenharia, sabe-se que, em muitos casos, trata-se de um eufemismo. A arte da engenharia consiste em projetar, construir, implementar e gerenciar diferentes tipos de sistemas que podem trazer consequências tanto positivas como negativas para os trabalhadores, para a sociedade, para o meio ambiente. Aconteceu um evento ou uma sequência de eventos que levou ao rompimento. A engenharia de barragens de rejeitos conhece e é capaz de controlar todos os eventos passiveis de acontecer e que, articulados, podem levar ao rompimento? Há dois caminhos: primeiro, o conhecimento total; a engenharia conheceria tudo e seria capaz de projetar de modo a evitar, com certeza, todos os eventos nocivos. Segundo: a engenharia não conhece a totalidade dos fenômenos, mas sabe que, fazendo como sempre se fez (com o conhecimento empírico) e com margens de segurança grandes, a probabilidade de rompimento se aproxima de zero. Ninguém projeta uma barragem para que ela se rompa. Mas se projeta uma barragem sem dominar na totalidade os eventos que podem ocorrer. Quando se conhece a totalidade da situação, o que deve ser feito para evitar o rompimento é 100% conhecido ­ e precificado. Entretanto, isso nunca acontece, a probabilidade de ocorrência de eventos nunca é completamente conhecida, eles não são determinísticos e a incerteza é um fato.

Work for sustainability: Case studies of Brazilian companies.

The introduction of strategic corporate sustainability policies is expected to result in the improvement of several issues in companies. One of these issues is work, which should involve greater well-being for workers. Within the context of production engineering, this research connects sustainability and work-related issues, the latter seen in light of the discipline of ergonomics. Based on case studies conducted at four companies considered sustainability benchmarks, we examined how the introduction of the theme of sustainability has influenced work-related issues. The elements analyzed here were the corporate sustainability strategy, organizational practices for deploying the strategy, and the work design phase. The last element is the moment in which work is prescribed in the organization. The results show that, despite the announcement of the inclusion of changes in work, there is not any explicit evidence confirming that such changes are considered as a requirement for corporate sustainability projects.

A case study of the implementation of an ergonomics improvement committee in a Brazilian hospital--Challenges and benefits.

This article discusses the creation of an improvement committee (IC) to implement policies aimed at improving working conditions in a public health institution in the city of São Paulo. Suggestions were proposed for future implementations of this organizational mechanism, pursuant to the presentation of the process of its formation and the main results achieved. The findings led to the conclusion that good outcomes require autonomy and support from management, and the adoption of effective measures to improve and legitimize the improvement committee's existence. Another important issue is facilitating worker involvement and creating a locus for dialog among people with different visions within the organization. Thus, two approaches converge: a top-down approach in which policies are defined and improvement actions are actually implemented based on a general outlook of the production and work system, and a bottom-up approach specific to employees who are also engaged in improvement policies and in putting them into practice. It is also possible to point out problems and opportunities arising from actual work situations to the higher levels of management. This kind of approach fits with macroergonomics, because it integrates strategy, organization and work issues. It is possible to discuss the benefits of this approach for companies and provide conditions for workers to engage effectively in these processes. In conclusion, these proposals can be considered from an emancipatory perspective, given that different actors should be able to codetermine working conditions and work content, thus directly influencing their individual and collective experiences. The support and commitment of upper management are essential elements of success in maximizing the effectiveness of this organizational approach.

Estudo do trabalho em Núcleos de Apoio à Saúde da Família (NASF), São Paulo, Brasil / Work study in Family Health Support Centers (NASF), São Paulo, Brazil

Objetivo: buscou-se identificar as principais tarefas realizadas em dois Núcleos de Apoio à Saúde da Família (NASFs) de uma região da cidade de São Paulo e conhecer como os seus profissionais desenvolviam suas atividades para atingir os seus objetivos. Métodos: estudo de caso, inspirado na Ergonomia da Atividade e no método da Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho (AET). Resultados: constatou-se que o trabalho do NASF é caracterizado pela variabilidade de tarefas que são compartilhadas entre as equipes envolvidas. São adotados distintos arranjos organizacionais, caracterizados pelos espaços de reunião, participação em comissões e grupos, além da subdivisão da equipe para representação do Núcleo nesses espaços. Os indicadores de produtividade utilizados não contemplam a especificidade do trabalho. Os recursos físicos e materiais são insuficientes para a realização das tarefas. Conclusões: o NASF e as equipes da Estratégia Saúde da Família devem trabalhar juntas, porém há diferenças significativas que interferem nessa parceria: prioridades, ferramentas de trabalho, modelos de gestão e de atuação. Os resultados evidenciam potencialidades e desafios enfrentados no cotidiano de trabalho e permitem aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a realidade da operacionalização de ações relacionadas a políticas públicas na atenção primária à saúde.

Objective: the purpose was to identify the key tasks performed at two Family Health Support Centers (NASF) in São Paulo city, Brazil, and to understand how their professionals performed their activities to achieve their goals. Methods: this case study was inspired by the Activity Ergonomics and the method of Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA). Results: The findings show that the work at the NASF is characterized by variable tasks that are shared among the teams involved. Different organizational arrangements are adopted according to available resources as meeting space, participation in committees and groups, as well subgroups to represent the Center in these spaces. Productivity indicators used did not contemplate the tasks specificity. The financial and material resources are scarce to perform the tasks. Conclusions: the NASF and the Family Health Team have to work together; however, there are significant differences that interfere with this partnership: priorities, work instruments, and management and activity models. The results demonstrate potentialities and challenges faced in the daily work and enable deeper knowledge on the reality of actions implementation related to public policies on primary health care.

Advancing a sociotechnical systems approach to workplace safety--developing the conceptual framework.

Traditional efforts to deal with the enormous problem of workplace safety have proved insufficient, as they have tended to neglect the broader sociotechnical environment that surrounds workers. Here, we advocate a sociotechnical systems approach that describes the complex multi-level system factors that contribute to workplace safety. From the literature on sociotechnical systems, complex systems and safety, we develop a sociotechnical model of workplace safety with concentric layers of the work system, socio-organisational context and the external environment. The future challenges that are identified through the model are highlighted. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Understanding the environmental, organisational and work system factors that contribute to workplace safety will help to develop more effective and integrated solutions to deal with persistent workplace safety problems. Solutions to improve workplace safety need to recognise the broad sociotechnical system and the respective interactions between the system elements and levels.

Mapping the relationships between work and sustainability and the opportunities for ergonomic action.

A map was drawn up of the relationships between work (in its multiple interpretations) and sustainability (sustainable development and corporate sustainability) based on a bibliographic analysis of articles that discuss these themes jointly in the current academic literature. The position of the discipline of ergonomics focused on work was identified from this map and, based on its specific academic literature, it was possible to identify where this discipline could contribute so that work and workers can be included in the discourse of sustainable development and considered in corporate sustainability policies. Ergonomics can be actively influential within the organization on issues relating to work improvements; it may boost integrated increases in the organization's performance and in workers' well-being; it can provide support for changes and new (environmental) sustainability-related work requirements to be considered; and it can contribute to the definition of the concept of work in a context of sustainable development.

Contributions of ergonomics to the construction of bus drivers health and excellence in public transport and at work.

This article is the product of research that analyzed the work of bus drivers of a public transportation company that is considered a benchmark reference in its field of operations, in which it strives to achieve operating excellence. Within this context, the authors sought to understand how such a company has managed to maintain a policy that is capable of reconciling quality public transport while also providing working conditions compatible with the professional development, comfort and health of its workers. Ergonomic work analysis and activity analysis were the guiding elements used in this study. Initial analyses indicate that the activity of drivers includes serving a population and providing mobility for it, which depends on driving the vehicle itself and on relationships with colleagues, users, pedestrians, drivers and others.

The 193 call center, a meaningful public service!

This article is the first part of an on-going ergonomic work analysis with the emergency services call center set up by the Fire Department of the Military Police of São Paulo. The final objective of the research is to identify the prescribed task, the real work executed and strategies used by workers to meet the demands of the job. Starting by identifying the tasks and activities developed, this article analyzes the work of the emergency services call center which is of vital importance to the organizational structure, since it is the start point for the process that results in fulfilling the corporation's mission.

The use of participant-observation protocol in an industrial engineering research.

Based on literature, this article aims to present the "participant-observation' research protocol, and its practical application in the industrial engineering field, more specifically within the area of design development, and in the case shown by this article, of interiors' design. The main target is to identify the concept of the method, i.e., from its characteristics to structure a general sense about the subject, so that the protocol can be used in different areas of knowledge, especially those ones which are committed with the scientific research involving the expertise from researchers, and subjective feelings and opinions of the users of an engineering product, and how this knowledge can be benefic for product design, contributing since the earliest stage of design.

An approach to aircraft seat comfort using interface pressure mapping.

The objective of the present study is to propose a method to dynamically evaluate discomfort of a passenger seat by measuring the interface pressure between the occupant and the seat during the performance of the most common activities of a typical flight. This article reports the results of resting and reading studies performed in a simulator that represents the interior of a commercial aircraft.