Video Displays, Work, and Vision (1983) / Chapter Skim
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8. Job Design and Organizational Variables
8. Job Design and Organizational Variables
Pages 173-193
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From page 173... ...
The research evidence examined in previous chapters has indicated little likelihood that VDT use involves serious health or safety hazards, but there is evidence that some jobs in which VDTs are central parts of the work equipment are associated with many kinds of worker complaints -- including (but not only) complaints related to vision.
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From page 174... ...
No systematic research program has yet been undertaken to study job design specifically for jobs in which VDTs are used. Consequently, there is no adequate body of knowledge concerning the psychosocial aspects of VDT work and the resulting mental and physical strains (see Table 2.1 in Chapter 2 for an evaluation of existing studies)
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From page 175... ...
Defining Psychosocial Stress and Strain Strains refer to complaints and include negative affective states or changes in attitude, performance decrements, and poor biological functioning. Strains often result from stressors, including stressors on the job.
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From page 176... ...
. FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS IN VDT WORK Person-Environment Fit We find it useful to think of the misfit between the characteristics of a worker and of the work environment as a potential precursor of psychological and physiological strain.
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From page 177... ...
For example, the introduction of VDTs to make a work environment quieter and to make text editing more pleasant may be negatively perceived by employees because it generates a misfit with regard to their technological word-processing skills. Rather than feeling more satisfied, the employees may feel just the opposite, at least until their objective skills change.
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From page 178... ...
~ STRESSORS FOR STUDY IN VDT WORK Given the paucity and inconclusiveness of the psychosocial literature on VDTs, one can only suggest possible stressors for study. The stressors discussed below were selected primarily because of circumstantial evidence or because other research on psychosocial stressors has suggested that they may have important and general effects on workers' well-being.
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From page 179... ...
It is hypothesized that this reactivity may increase the risk of atherosclerosis. If so, VDT work that threatens a person's need for control could increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
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From page 180... ...
One of the special aspects of VDT work is unpredictable
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From page 181... ...
had data on six VDT operators who, fortunately (for the study) , encountered an unexpected system breakdown and showed elevated levels of adrenalin, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, irritation, feelings of fatigue, and boredom.
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From page 182... ...
What constitutes a bit in information theory when comparing the work of entering first~raft text and of making revisions? If the secretary's phone rings while VDT work is being done, is the interruption included as part of the normal definition of complexity as bits of information?
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From page 183... ...
characteristics account for group differences in well-being cannot be determined because no differentiation between these characteristics has been made. The separate elements of complexity also have not been examined in VDT studies, so the effect of complexity in VDT work on well- being is unknown.
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From page 184... ...
If this is the case in VDT work, then it would be valuable to monitor the rate of change in VDT software and hardware technology as a predictor of the well-being of employees. To our knowledge no such research has been done.
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From page 185... ...
Consequently, we cannot draw conclusions about its effects on wellbeing in VDT work. Quantitative Workload Up to this point we have considered qualitative aspects of the work.
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From page 186... ...
Field studies have found similar effects of deadline pressures on the cholesterol levels of medical students facing academic exams (e.g., Horwitz and Bronte-Stewart, 1962) , on tax accountants approaching the April federal income tax deadline (Friedman et al., 1958)
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From page 187... ...
Overall, these findings suggest that the study of VDT operations should consider both the quantitative and qualitative nature of the workload. Prescription for Overload—Deadline Plus Delay We have discussed both delays and deadlines as potential stressors in VDT work.
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From page 188... ...
S medical records of air traffic controllers and commercial pilots, all of whom entered their occupations passing the similar standardized medical examinations.
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From page 189... ...
, but they generally share the above properties. Some VDT work may, by its organization, reduce social interaction and thereby reduce opportunities for social support among workers.
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From page 190... ...
These outcomes include serum cholesterol elevations among employees losing their jobs (Cobb and Kasl, 1977; Gore, 1978) , escapist drinking among a national random sample of employees experiencing various levels of occupational stressors,3 emotional strain in a sample of 23 occupations ranging from blue to white collar (LaRocco et al., 1980)
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From page 191... ...
There has been no systematic study of the extent to which different types of VDT work have an effect on social support. Given the key role of social support in the literature on psychosocial stressors and well-being, it may be worthwhile to investigate whether VDT work in some conditions creates a new form of sociotechnical system (Emery and Trist, 1960)
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From page 192... ...
Systematic studies of the relative contributions of each psychosocial stressor as a component of the context in which the VDT is used would provide a much greater increase in knowledge about the psychogenic health effects of VDT use than would studies that compare a VDT group and a non-VDT group, as has been done in some designs. If more detailed evaluations of psychogenic factors in VDT work and well-being are carried out, P-E fit theory may provide a useful conceptual device for systematically examining the relationship of the VDT user and the work environment to user well-being.
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From page 193... ...
But it is that assessment that is at the heart of research on psychosocial stressors and how they affect employee wellbeing. ~ is that assessment that largely remains to be done with regard to psychosocial aspects of VDT use.
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