Our study aims to understand Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) as a managerial framework for improving human, organizational, and societal outcomes. It highlights the study of design equipment, devices, and processes applied to jobs, products, tasks, organizations, and environments. It involves psychological and physiological principles applied to the design of products, systems, and processes.


A large body of management and occupational health research exists that specifies HFE is crucial for planning and designing workplaces for overall efficiency and effectiveness. We examine HFE as a systems discipline that characterizes the study of work and activity. Being a systems discipline means it addresses organizations holistically, rather than in parts. Along with being a systems discipline, it is a human-centric discipline that provides for a human-system interface comprising microergonomics (hardware ergonomics, environmental ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, and work design ergonomics) and macroergonomics.


The meta-analysis of seminal work in this domain strongly suggests the impact of the HFE approach on the sustainability of employees' psychological well-being and supportive work conditions. HFE contributes to Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3). It seeks to promote decent, equitable, and fair employment practices in the workplace (SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth). It also encourages the creation of spaces that meet people's needs (SDG 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure).
In sum, the research articulates human factors and ergonomics as a social strategy for sustainability, bridging organizational and environmental psychology with the science of societal development. HFE is a foundational component of resilient socio-technological systems, which are at the core of an inclusive and sustainable future.