Employees have personal responsibilities as well as responsibilities to their employers. They also have rights. In order to maintain their well-being, employees need opportunities to resolve conflicting obligations. Employees are often torn between the ethical obligations to fulfill both their work and non-work roles, to respect and be respected by their employers and coworkers, to be responsible to the organization while the organization is reciprocally responsible to them, to be afforded some degree of autonomy at work while attending to collaborative goals, to work within a climate of mutual employee-management trust, and to voice opinions about work policies, processes and conditions without fear of retribution. Humanistic organizations can recognize conflicts created by the work environment and provide opportunities to resolve or minimize them. This handbook empirically documents the dilemmas that result from responsibility-based conflicts. The book is organized by sources of dilemmas that fall into three major categories: individual, organizational (internal policies and procedures), and cultural (social forces external to the organization), including an introduction and a final integration of the many ways in which organizations can contribute to positive employee health and well-being. This book is aimed at both academicians and practitioners who are interested in how interventions that stem from industrial and organizational psychology may address ethical dilemmas commonly faced by employees.

This book offers twelve chapters organized into three major sections that address occupational stress and quality of working life. The authors are an internationally renowned team of scholar-research-practitioners who are grounded in applied science and clinical practice. Section 1 includes five chapters that address the organizational and individual costs of occupational stress. The costs are humanitarian and economic; both human suffering and financial burdens are important. Section 2 includes three chapters that focus on ways to mitigate the negative effects of occupational stress. We must help those who are suffering but we must do more by preventing distress where we can and building on positive, strength factors where possible. Section 3 includes four chapters that examine and expand our understanding of work life quality. Work life quality is so important because of the effects it has on workers and leaders, as well as the spillover impact into families and communities. These twelve chapters, highlight both core knowledge and new developments within the rapidly growing field of research on stress and the quality of working life. We believe this information can help to raise awareness of the causes and costs of occupational stress and poor quality of working life. Further, this should provide a challenge, some incentive, and renewed insight for organizations in Brazil and elsewhere to begin thinking about and acting in ways that lead to a less stressful environment for their workforce.

The book Quality of Work Life: A Comprehensive Study is written in the context of changing and emerging workplace realities. More than a decade has passed since the phrase “quality of work life” (QWL) was first introduced. During this period, QWL has been the subject of many academic papers, experiments in different settings and, recently, increased interest among managers and the popular press. This book also presents the new reality that QWL is the shared responsibility, not only for the management and workers but also the union leaders, government officials and behavioral scientists. QWL must change continually and go forward from initial problem solving to an actual partnership between management and workers. The content and the elements of the book would encourage the students to relate their own knowledge and experiences to the text.

This book provides an understanding and imaging of how a stress-free workplace might be designed and implemented in the context of the ‘new normal.’ Statistics show that more and more people are experiencing an increase in work-related stress, and its impact on individual psychology and well-being as well as organizational performance can be devastating. Globally, the most recent data on work-related illnesses account for 2.4 million deaths. Against this backdrop, and taking stock of how the pandemic is affecting the workplace and employee well-being, this book proposes transformations in work spaces, from implementing effective “greening” features, to more efficient technology-supported spaces. It establishes links between workplace design and creativity, happiness and productivity, confronting related issues such as generation gaps, digital interruptions, collaborative work environments and sustainability, and their respective connections with workspace environment and well-being. The book situates this discussion within a broader discussion on work and quality of life. Furthermore, the book demonstrates how several sustainable development goals might be achieved through transformed work spaces. Through an intersection between organizational psychology, well-being and quality of life studies, sociology, human resources, and ergonomics, this book is a timely examination of work-related stress in relation to work spaces that require rethinking and transformation in the throes, and wake, of the pandemic.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of safety and ergonomics in the workplace. From work-life balance and mental health to risk prevention, maintaining a healthy and happy workforce has become essential for the progress of every company. Moreover, ensuring inclusive spaces has become a pillar of business with some worrying that the diversity agenda will be overshadowed by the recent pandemic. It is imperative that current research is compiled that sheds light on the advancements being made in promoting diversity and wellbeing in the modern workforce. The Research Anthology on Changing Dynamics of Diversity and Safety in the Workforce is a comprehensive reference source that provides the latest emerging research on diversity management and initiatives as well as occupational health and safety practices in the workplace. These concepts are necessary for global workplaces to remain safe, efficient, and inclusive. Covering topics such as employee equity, human resources practices, and worker wellbeing, this anthology provides an excellent resource for researchers, human resources personnel, managers, safety officers, policymakers, CEOs, students, professors, and academicians.

Work-related stress is costly not only to employees, but also to organizations and society. For example, it is estimated that work-related stress, depression, and anxiety costs British employers £1,035 per employee and that workplace stress costs the US economy up to $300 billion annually. However, elevated levels of stress often cannot be changed, and, if demands were not placed on employees, employee learning, organizational innovation, and societal economic growth would be hindered. Consequently, it is vital that occupational health practitioners, employees, employers and researchers strive to better understand and manage workplace stress, such that employee health and well-being can be improved. This book can assist organizations and individuals as they encounter workplace stress. This edition highlights research done by 25 authors across 12 chapters that challenges how work stress is viewed and assessed. Additionally, a number of social and psychological influences on the stress experience are examined. Our beliefs and expectations of stress and its results, whether helpful or hurtful, can have a profound influence on our stress experiences. Also, the way that we approach our work (e.g., job crafting) or the treatment we receive from others (e.g., with dignity) can either mitigate or exacerbate any harmful or beneficial effects of stress. Moreover, how we assess the psychological (e.g., burnout and well-being) or physiological (e.g., cortisol) outcomes of stress are meaningful, and the proper diagnosis of stress (e.g., stress surveys) underlies our understanding. We hope that the findings reported in these chapters and the insights of these scholars will provide ways for you and/or your organization to improve the health and well-being of employees.