Lectures
Challenges in Work, Health and Wellbeing
(201800084)
, Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
What do we mean by work, health and well-being, and how are they
related?
What is work?
- There is paid and unpaid work/labour
o Productive labour: labour that produces direct economic value and is
usually paid
o Reproductive/subsistence labour: labour needed to keep people's daily
lives going, such as cooking, cleaning, raising children
- This course mainly focuses on paid work within organisations
- Whether work is paid or unpaid may differ across time and places (e.g. childcare,
elderly care)
When we talk about people’s work, we tend to talk about their jobs:
= Situated descriptions of employment, that take into account where and how work is
actually performed
→ Elements of jobs:
o Employment relationship
o Occupation
o Working conditions
o Job characteristics
There are different ways of looking at work:
- Commodification of labour
= This refers to the idea that labour is treated as a product to be bought and sold.
Instead of a human activity with social and personal value, work becomes a
"commodity" on the market.
- Work-centred societies
= Many modern societies are strongly focused on work. Your identity, social
status, and sense of worth are often tied to your profession.
- Anti-work: born to live, forced to work?
= This refers to movements that are critical of the idea that work should be the
central purpose of life. The anti-work movement argues that much work is
unnecessary and exploitative or prevents people from truly finding fulfilment in
life.
Health and well-being
Health and well-being are adjacent concepts
- Well-being
= The combination of feeling good and functioning well; the experience of positive
emotions such as happiness and contentment as well as the development of
one’s potential, having some control over one’s life, having a sense of purpose,
and experiencing positive relationships
, - Health
= Not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being (World Health Organization)
The complex relation between work, health and wellbeing
Work affects health and wellbeing in complex, reciprocal, heterogeneous ways
- Work is an important boost for people’s wellbeing and health
→ Job rewards/resources
o Positive impacts of jobs on wellbeing and health are job rewards and job
resources
o Wellbeing rewards of employment include:
▪ Income, social status
▪ Identity
▪ Social networks
o Health rewards of employment include:
▪ Better self-reported physical and mental health
▪ Psycho-social resources
▪ Health insurances and benefits
- Work is a major cause of illness and injury
→ Job demands/risks
o Job demands, stressors or risks: negative effects of jobs on health and
wellbeing
o Work related health problems are common
The unequal distribution of health/wellbeing risks and rewards of work
Unequal exposure to wellbeing benefits and risks
- Work affects health and wellbeing in complex, reciprocal, heterogeneous ways
- Labour markets are unequal institutions
o Social/occupational class theory
= This theory shows that class differences (e.g., professions with more
autonomy and status versus professions with little autonomy and high
physical demands) lead to differences in health, income, and well-being.
o Labour market segmentation: insider/outsider theories
= The labour market is divided into segments with different conditions.
Examples:
▪ Insiders: employees with permanent contracts, protection, and
better wages
▪ Outsiders: temporary workers, flexible workers, and the self-
employed without security
Kalleberg distinguishes between “good jobs” and “bad jobs”:
▪ Good jobs: security, autonomy, good pay
▪ Bad jobs: insecurity, stress, low pay, little control
- Paid work or workers is often subdivided into segments:
o Blue vs white collar; manual vs non-manual
o Self-employment vs dependent employment (employee)
o Occupation/occupational class
, Inequalities in wellbeing and rewards
Labour market inequalities are related to, for example:
- Earnings
- Contract status and job security
- Entitlement to paid leave
- Autonomy and authority
But also:
- Exposure to health risks and benefits
Unequal exposure to physical health risks
Employment exposes workers to physical and mental health demands or risks in
heterogeneous or unequal ways.
Occupational health disparities:
- Different jobs pose different physical and mental health demands/risks (e.g.
exposure to hazards, repetitive overuse, working conditions, stress)
- Some jobs expose workers more risks than others
- Men and women experience different physical risks because they tend to work in
different types of jobs. Women for instance report more repetitive hand or arm
movements, while men report more handling of heavy loads.
- Physical health risks at work vary across economic sectors. Sectors like
agriculture, mining, construction, and transportation have the highest rates of
workers facing harmful physical conditions. In contrast, sectors such as real
estate, finance, information and communication, and education report much
lower levels of physical risk exposure.
- Men and women experience different mental health risks as they tend to work in
different types of jobs. Women for instance experience more dealing with difficult
customers, patients, etc., while men experience more job insecurity. Overall,
time pressure of overload of work is highest among men and women.
- Mental health risks at work vary across economic sectors. Sectors such as health
and social work, international organisations, education, finance, and
transportation report the highest levels of mental well-being risks. In contrast,
sectors like manufacturing, water supply, mining, agriculture, and household
employment show much lower reported exposure to these psychological risk
factors.
Take away messages
- In our current societies, ‘paid work’ takes on moral value (and this morality may
be criticized)
- The relation between work, health and wellbeing is complex, reciprocal and
heterogenous
- Different jobs are associated with different exposure to physical and psycho-
social demands and resources
Challenges in Work, Health and Wellbeing
(201800084)
, Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
What do we mean by work, health and well-being, and how are they
related?
What is work?
- There is paid and unpaid work/labour
o Productive labour: labour that produces direct economic value and is
usually paid
o Reproductive/subsistence labour: labour needed to keep people's daily
lives going, such as cooking, cleaning, raising children
- This course mainly focuses on paid work within organisations
- Whether work is paid or unpaid may differ across time and places (e.g. childcare,
elderly care)
When we talk about people’s work, we tend to talk about their jobs:
= Situated descriptions of employment, that take into account where and how work is
actually performed
→ Elements of jobs:
o Employment relationship
o Occupation
o Working conditions
o Job characteristics
There are different ways of looking at work:
- Commodification of labour
= This refers to the idea that labour is treated as a product to be bought and sold.
Instead of a human activity with social and personal value, work becomes a
"commodity" on the market.
- Work-centred societies
= Many modern societies are strongly focused on work. Your identity, social
status, and sense of worth are often tied to your profession.
- Anti-work: born to live, forced to work?
= This refers to movements that are critical of the idea that work should be the
central purpose of life. The anti-work movement argues that much work is
unnecessary and exploitative or prevents people from truly finding fulfilment in
life.
Health and well-being
Health and well-being are adjacent concepts
- Well-being
= The combination of feeling good and functioning well; the experience of positive
emotions such as happiness and contentment as well as the development of
one’s potential, having some control over one’s life, having a sense of purpose,
and experiencing positive relationships
, - Health
= Not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being (World Health Organization)
The complex relation between work, health and wellbeing
Work affects health and wellbeing in complex, reciprocal, heterogeneous ways
- Work is an important boost for people’s wellbeing and health
→ Job rewards/resources
o Positive impacts of jobs on wellbeing and health are job rewards and job
resources
o Wellbeing rewards of employment include:
▪ Income, social status
▪ Identity
▪ Social networks
o Health rewards of employment include:
▪ Better self-reported physical and mental health
▪ Psycho-social resources
▪ Health insurances and benefits
- Work is a major cause of illness and injury
→ Job demands/risks
o Job demands, stressors or risks: negative effects of jobs on health and
wellbeing
o Work related health problems are common
The unequal distribution of health/wellbeing risks and rewards of work
Unequal exposure to wellbeing benefits and risks
- Work affects health and wellbeing in complex, reciprocal, heterogeneous ways
- Labour markets are unequal institutions
o Social/occupational class theory
= This theory shows that class differences (e.g., professions with more
autonomy and status versus professions with little autonomy and high
physical demands) lead to differences in health, income, and well-being.
o Labour market segmentation: insider/outsider theories
= The labour market is divided into segments with different conditions.
Examples:
▪ Insiders: employees with permanent contracts, protection, and
better wages
▪ Outsiders: temporary workers, flexible workers, and the self-
employed without security
Kalleberg distinguishes between “good jobs” and “bad jobs”:
▪ Good jobs: security, autonomy, good pay
▪ Bad jobs: insecurity, stress, low pay, little control
- Paid work or workers is often subdivided into segments:
o Blue vs white collar; manual vs non-manual
o Self-employment vs dependent employment (employee)
o Occupation/occupational class
, Inequalities in wellbeing and rewards
Labour market inequalities are related to, for example:
- Earnings
- Contract status and job security
- Entitlement to paid leave
- Autonomy and authority
But also:
- Exposure to health risks and benefits
Unequal exposure to physical health risks
Employment exposes workers to physical and mental health demands or risks in
heterogeneous or unequal ways.
Occupational health disparities:
- Different jobs pose different physical and mental health demands/risks (e.g.
exposure to hazards, repetitive overuse, working conditions, stress)
- Some jobs expose workers more risks than others
- Men and women experience different physical risks because they tend to work in
different types of jobs. Women for instance report more repetitive hand or arm
movements, while men report more handling of heavy loads.
- Physical health risks at work vary across economic sectors. Sectors like
agriculture, mining, construction, and transportation have the highest rates of
workers facing harmful physical conditions. In contrast, sectors such as real
estate, finance, information and communication, and education report much
lower levels of physical risk exposure.
- Men and women experience different mental health risks as they tend to work in
different types of jobs. Women for instance experience more dealing with difficult
customers, patients, etc., while men experience more job insecurity. Overall,
time pressure of overload of work is highest among men and women.
- Mental health risks at work vary across economic sectors. Sectors such as health
and social work, international organisations, education, finance, and
transportation report the highest levels of mental well-being risks. In contrast,
sectors like manufacturing, water supply, mining, agriculture, and household
employment show much lower reported exposure to these psychological risk
factors.
Take away messages
- In our current societies, ‘paid work’ takes on moral value (and this morality may
be criticized)
- The relation between work, health and wellbeing is complex, reciprocal and
heterogenous
- Different jobs are associated with different exposure to physical and psycho-
social demands and resources
