Research project An organizational and comparative perspective on individuals' work environment and health

The project builds on and combines three different research areas: research at the individual level on working conditions such as demands, control, social support and rewards, and how such conditions are related to individuals' health; research at the organizational level on 'psychosocial safety climate', which can be defined as the policies, practices and priorities that exist in organizations with the purpose to safeguard the health and safety of employees; and research at the macro- or country level about the importance of institutional forms for employees’ influence over and participation in organizations' decision-making.

The project uses unique data from up to 36 European countries and close to 50 000 workplaces on psychosocial risk factors and how they are managed within organizations. This data is combined with longitudinal data at the individual level on job-related working conditions and health, and country-level data on labour market relations and institutional forms of cooperation between the social partners. Work-related ill-health is associated with high costs: for individuals, it means loss of health and income; for employers, it is associated with costs for sick leave and lower productivity; and at the societal level, it leads to lower tax revenues and increased social security and healthcare costs.

Through the combination of individual, organizational and macro perspectives, this project exploits the potential that exists for countries and organizations to learn from each other and to produce knowledge relevant to interventions in organizations.