Wednesday 22 July 17:15
- 18:45
Hall: 01 - Basilica
Chair and Discussant:
Converso Daniela
Co-Chair:
Viotti Sara
Division: Division 1: Work and Organizational Psychology
In recent years, the concept of sustainability has evolved to encompass not only the ecological and socio-economic
environment but also the improvement of the quality of life for all humans. The optics of sustainability and
preservation of resources in working life posits that the nature of work should not result in long-term deterioration of
the individual. Rather, workers should be guaranteed the ability to maintain their health, motivation, and satisfaction,
as well as the capacity to reconcile work and private life, and to retain the relevance of their skills.
The issue of job sustainability assumes greater significance when viewed in the context of the progressive ageing of
the working population. The phenomenon of population ageing is a global one. Today, on average across the OECD
countries, for every 100 workers there are 44 people aged 50 and over who are not in the labour force - either because
they are inactive or in retirement. This number is expected to rise to 56 by 2050. It is imperative that various actors
involved (employer, occupational health specialists, etc.) acknowledge the significance of aging workers, as they will
continue to exert a considerable influence on the global labour market and the overall health of the population in the
near future. In this view, the present symposium includes some studies that highlight some important challenges in
reference to the topic of job sustainability.
The first contribution focuses on the relationship between workplace safety and work ability, analyzing it as a function
of ageing and demands among workers in the field of manufacturing industry.
Thesecondcontributionisalongitudinalstudyfocusingonthebidirectionalrelationshipbetweenworkability,jobdemands,andburnoutamongteachers,highlininghowthecomplexinteractionsamongthesevariablesneedtobedeepeninordertounderstandhowtoeffectivelyinterveneinsupportjobsustainability.Thethirdstudyexplorestheinteractionsandperceptionsbetweendifferentgenerationsofworkers,pointingouttheimportanceofaddressinggenerationaldifferencesinordertopromoteamoreinclusiveandhealthierworkenvironment.Thetwolaststudiestackleanimportanttopicinrelationshiptoageingandhealthatwork,whichisaggressionsandviolence.Thisisparticularlyrelevantincertainworkingcontextsuchasthehealthcaresector,whereaggressionshavebeencontinuouslyincreasingisthelastdecades.
