author of work in the heart Y Job Well Done Award (La Découverte, 2010 and 2021), holder of the chair of work psychology at the National Center for Arts and Crafts, Yves Clot analyzes the consequences of the individualization of work.
Does the individualization of work have consequences on the health of employees?
Of course. The organization of work makes people sick in part. It creates evils, which we let proliferate and then try to solve them. With the individualization of work, it is the conditions that allow us to do good that deteriorate. People do well when they recognize themselves in what they do and when, from time to time, they are proud of what they do. Most health problems are due to “reducing” activity. Not doing quality work becomes poison if there is no further discussion possible.
How does individualization produce loneliness?
Thanks to digital tools, what has developed around task and job prescription is formal, observable communication. But not everything is said in these exchanges. When we can no longer have a dialogue about what everyone considers the degradation of work, about what employees can’t control, that’s a problem. On the contrary, it is a pleasure when, among colleagues, we find the solution to the blind spot, and agree on how to address it with the hierarchy. If we give up putting blind spots on the table, loneliness sets in, little by little the poison acts, and health deteriorates.
Do we know the extent of the damage?
In 2014, the Ministry of Labor indicated that 35% of industry employees and 37% of public function (State or hospital) declared not feeling (always or frequently) “the pride of a job well done”. In 2021, 54% of employed workers believed “not being able to do a good job” Y “having to sacrifice quality”. These numbers are constantly growing. This is an important political question, because using your intelligence to degrade products or services makes people sick. There is a very strong link between the quality of work and public health.
What kind of health problems are related to the organization of work?
The damage to health is both psychological and physical, simultaneously. We now know that impeded gesture is the cause of musculoskeletal disorders. prevented due to lack of resources. When we talk about stress, we’re talking about employees who no longer have the resources to deal with it, because the organization doesn’t give them what they need to do a job that endures.
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