idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Grafik: idw-Logo

idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft

Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
06/05/2019 08:50

New research project for today’s world of work

Dr. Susanne Langer Kommunikation und Presse
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

    Digitalisation makes it possible for us to complete more work in the same amount of time. However, the increasing speed at which we receive information and tasks can also have a negative impact on the workforce. In a research project at the Chair of Psychology (Economic and Social Psychology), and the Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), researchers are investigating the requirements of today’s world of work and are highlighting how employees can deal with stress.

    The German statutory accident insurance provider for employers (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung) is funding the project with approximately 450,000 euros.

    In an increasingly connected and digital world, the world of work is undergoing fundamental change. Access to information is easier and collaboration is more flexible. Smartphones and laptops mean that employees can be contacted and keep working at all times, no matter where they are. One consequence of this is that the boundaries between work and leisure time become blurred, and another is that the working environment changes, which can have an impact on employees’ health.

    Work that was completed one task at a time in the past using analogue systems is now increasingly carried out in parallel using software platforms. These new work processes enable work of a higher quality to be completed at a quicker rate, thereby releasing potential for growth. Whilst this means that more work can be carried out in the same amount of time, it also means that skills employees have become outdated and they have to learn new ones. This can also pose a risk to employees’ physical and mental health. Bearing this in mind, suitable measures must be put in place to identify health risks caused by these aspects of work intensification and to counteract them.

    FAU researchers led by Prof. Dr. Klaus Moser and Prof. Dr. med. Hans Drexler are investigating the causes and consequences of this work intensification in a research project called ‘ArbeitsVerdichtung Erlangen-NUErnberg (AVENUE)’ and are compiling instruments for analysis and preventive measures on a web-based platform. This platform provides support to experts such as specialists for occupational safety, company health management staff and company doctors, as well as employer’s liability insurance providers and accident insurance providers with specifying new forms of work intensification, identifying their causes and defining needs-based approaches for dealing with them in a manner that is favourable for the workload.


    Contact for scientific information:

    Further information:
    Dr Roman Soucek
    Phone: +49 911 5302 245
    roman.soucek@fau.de


    Original publication:

    https://www.arbeitsverdichtung.de/ (in German)


    Images

    Criteria of this press release:
    Journalists
    Medicine, Psychology
    transregional, national
    Cooperation agreements, Research projects
    English


     

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).