OP8
CREATING A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF HEALTHY WORK: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE FEATURES OF HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY WORK
J. Daniels1, L. Sangwoo2, E. Dutton2, K. Sarter2
1Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, UK
2Warwick Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick, UK
Background:
Evidence shows that some features of work promote good mental and physical health outcomes, and others are associated with poor health outcomes. However, there is no common understanding of the features of healthy/unhealthy work across different disciplines.
Aim:
To develop a common framework of the features of healthy/unhealthy work, encompassing consensual definitions useable across research and policy domains.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review of reviews of major theoretical models and frameworks of work and health alongside grey literature searches. Data synthesis identified features of healthy/unhealthy work and developed consensual definitions of these features. The features and definitions were refined following two workshops with academic, policy and practice experts.
Results:
We screened 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in the systematic review, reviewing 35 in detail. Our grey literature search included 26 textbooks and 53 other sources (e.g., policy reports).
We identified 32 fine-grained features (e.g., job demands) of healthy/unhealthy work that formed the basis of a comprehensive framework. These features have more specific exemplars (e.g., emotional demands) and synonyms or related terms (e.g., workload). We developed definitions of these features that represent a consensus across theoretical models and frameworks. We identified potential interventions for each job feature.
Implications for policy or practice:
The framework can be used as a foundation for comprehensive measurement and research translatable across disciplines, and hence in developing policies for healthy work. For example, the framework could be used in systematic reviews to rank each feature’s impact on health relative to other features.
