The investigation and evaluation of work and workplaces

Abstract

Most workplaces and jobs demonstrate a mis-match in relation to the workers involved with them. To assess this we must measure the work loads, the workplace characteristics, the work performance, the interactions of these with the workers and the consequences for them. Changes are devised as a result of these measures, and insofar as the measures fall short of the comprehensive list above, then the modifications may be sub-optimal as important aspects are not taken into account. The results of the changes, too, need a similar comprehensive assessment. The paper will follow through the process of investigating industrial workplaces. It will briefly introduce techniques developed for assessing a range of aspects and how they lead to the development of changes. The view of the worker as a total person will be supported by proposals for the combined evaluation of the task, the workplace etc and the state and effects of the social environment, with suggestions for their economic evaluation.