TERM PAPER ON

INTERACTION BETWEEN WORK AND HEALTH

BY

NWOKE OLUCHI MARGRET

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCE

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE IMO STATE
UNIVERSITY, OWERRI

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL/OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NSC 733

LECTURER

REV. SR. EZENWUBA

JULY 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Causes of Work Dissatisfaction

4

Effect of Work on Health 6

Strategies to Protect Health at Work 10

Nursing implication 11

Conclusions
12

References

13

Introduction

Safe and healthy working environments are not only a fundamental right but

are also more likely to minimize tension and conflicts at work and improve

staff retention, work performance and productivity. Conversely, a lack of

effective structures and support at work, especially for those living with

mental health conditions, can affect a person’s ability to enjoy their work

and do their job well; it can undermine people’s attendance at work and even

stop people getting a job in the first place(D’Arcy, 2018).

Our standard of living hinges on the money we make, while employment

often contributes to our self-image and self-esteem. Work-related problems

can affect our physical, emotional and mental health. Common issues

include job dissatisfaction, workplace injury, stress, discrimination and

bullying, violence, accidental death and retirement. Job loss, retrenchment or

unexpected loss of income can also cause distress and hardship ( D’Arcy,

2018).

Work design, workplace culture and the physical work environment can

contribute to chronic diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and psychological

illness. Embedding work health and wellbeing into organisational systems

can benefit the health of workers, resulting in reduced absenteeism,

workplace injuries and increase productivity. Work and wellbeing focuses

on improving work processes to benefit the health of workers and prevent

chronic disease risks in the workplace (Virtanen, Stansfeld, Fuhre, Ferrie,

Kivimäki, 2012).

The work people do can positively or negatively affect the likelihood of a

person developing an injury or illness. When it comes to work health and

wellbeing, risk factors include physical inactivity including sedentary work,

unhealthy eating, harmful alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity and poor

mental health. When we look at work health and wellbeing in the workplace
there are many factors we must consider. Work organisation the way work is

done. This includes systems, policies, procedures, processes, physical and

mental demands, work characteristics and the organisational context.

Physical environment the plant, equipment, materials, vehicles, buildings

and structures where the work is performed. Workers the physical,

emotional and mental capacities and behaviours demonstrated. Embedding

work health and wellbeing into existing systems, policies and procedures

can assist in making work health and wellbeing sustainable and relevant to

the entire organisation.

OBJECTIVES

The following are objectives of the study

To discus the causes of work dissatisfaction

To explain the effect of work on health

To discus strategies to protect health at work

Definition of terms

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being, not just the

absence of disease or infirmity.

Work . Paid employment at a job or a trade, occupation, or profession

Causes of Work Dissatisfaction

Not everyone has the opportunity to work in a rewarding and challenging

job. Some people experience job dissatisfaction because they are unhappy or

unsafe at work. Previous choices or life circumstances can limit a person’s

ability to change their employment.People who are unhappy in their jobs

may have problems such as:

Conflict with bosses or workmates, Bullying, discrimination or

harassment, Boredom, Overwork, stress or safety issues, No promotion

prospects, Poor pay, long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and

conflicts with co-workers or bosses,

Unlawful discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably

than another person or group because of characteristics such as: Race,

colour, national or ethnic origin, Sex, Age, Disability, Pregnancy status,

Marital status, Religion, Sexual preference, Trade union activity.

Workplace discrimination can occur when: Recruiting and selecting staff,

Offering terms, conditions and benefits of employment, Deciding who

receives training and what sort of training is offered, Selecting staff for

transfer, promotion, retrenchment or dismissal.

Workplace violence and bullying. Workplace violence is conflict escalated

to the point of physical, emotional or psychological attack. It includes

threats, insults, racial abuse, sexual harassment or physical contact such as

pushing or punching. The attack may come from anybody in the workplace,

including an employer, co-worker, customer or service user. Bullying is a

form of violence that can occur in the workplace. Bullying includes any

behaviour that intimidates, offends, degrades or humiliates another person.

Dangerous workplaces. Some workplaces pose a greater health threat than

others.
Shift work a person working the night shift is at greater risk of a range of

disorders, accidents and other effects. These may include obesity,

cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, transport accidents, work-

related accidents, family problems and divorce.

Certain occupations jobs in forestry, fishing, mining, transport and

storage, agriculture and construction are the most dangerous in Australia.

Hazardous work practices any workplace that doesn’t promote and

enforce safe work practices is dangerous, regardless of the industry.

Examples of hazardous work practices include not wearing personal safety

equipment or failing to use proper manual handling techniques( What Works

Centre for Wellbeing 2017).

Effect of Work on Health

At work, risks to health, also called psychosocial risks, may be related to job

content or work schedule, specific characteristics of the workplace or

opportunities for career development among other things.

Risks to mental health at work can include:

Under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work;

Excessive workloads or work pace, understaffing;

Long, unsocial or inflexible hours;

Lack of control over job design or workload;

Unsafe or poor physical working conditions;

Organizational culture that enables negative behaviours;

Limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision;

Violence, harassment or bullying;

Discrimination and exclusion;

Unclear job role;

Under- or over-promotion;

Job insecurity, inadequate pay, or poor investment in career development;

and conflicting home/work demands.

Positive effects of work on health

There is a tremendously positive relationship between quality work and your

health. Looking and feeling positive improves your productivity and

enhances your overall mental health. Scientific evidence shows that enjoying

your work is an essential element that improves your health. So how can

you achieve a positive effect from your workplace? Salary and fulfilling

work - Everyone enjoys receiving a good salary, but more than that, the real

enjoyment comes from having work that is fulfilling and is appreciated.

Good work-life balance - A good relationship with your close friends and

family is good for your health. Make sure to balance your work and life.

Have time for fun and relaxing.

Doing a job we enjoy and find satisfying can provide a meaningful focus for

our lives, as well as bringing in an income. Our standard of living hinges on

the money we make, while employment often contributes to our self-image

and self-esteem

Negative effect of work

It's not everyone that finds their dream job; some people experience job

dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and other challenges in their workplace. If this

is you, then understand that all these are adverse effects on your work and on

you. Some of the conflicts found in the workplace include,

Conflicts with your colleagues or employee

Stress and overwork

Poor pay

Lack of promotion

Work-related problems can affect our physical, emotional and mental health.

Common issues include job dissatisfaction, workplace injury, stress,

discrimination and bullying, violence, accidental death and retirement. Job

loss, retrenchment or unexpected loss of income can also cause distress and

hardship.

On a strictly business level, workplace conflict leads to downturns in

productivity and increases in absenteeism. It is in an organisation’s best

interests to ensure that employees are happy at work

Digitalisation, globalisation, population ageing and climate change are

changing labour markets in many ways, and this change is affecting people

with disability at least as much as other groups of the population. This is a

good moment to take stock of: the impact of the new employment oriented

disability policy paradigm developed more than 15 years ago which has

contributed to a change in policy thinking and policy making; the reasons for

the large and persistent disability employment gap in most OECD countries;

and challenges and opportunities arising in the new world of work.

Strategies to Protect Health at Work

WHO (2023) recommends employers should implement organizational

interventions that directly target working conditions and environments.

Organizational interventions are those that assess, and then mitigate, modify

or remove workplace risks to mental health. Organizational interventions

include, for example, providing flexible working arrangements, or

implementing frameworks to deal with violence and harassment at work.

Protecting and promoting and strengthening capacities to recognize and

act on mental health conditions at work, particularly for persons responsible

for the supervision of others, such as managers.

Manager training for mental health, which helps managers recognize and

respond to supervisees experiencing emotional distress; builds interpersonal

skills like open communication and active listening; and fosters better

understanding of how job stressors affect mental health and can be managed;

Training for workers in mental health literacy and awareness, to

improve knowledge of mental health and reduce stigma against mental

health conditions at work; and

Interventions for individuals to build skills to manage stress and reduce

mental health symptoms, including psychosocial interventions and

opportunities for leisure-based physical activity.

Ensure good working conditions. Good working conditions means

everyone should be safe and comfortable at work. Additionally, it means

ensuring staff have secure contracts that allow them to take paid leave for
illness and crucial life events.

Enable a good work life balance. Friends and family are important for our

health. Unfortunately, work can sometimes get in the way of our

relationships. Good work ensures employees have a balance between their

work and their personal lives, allowing them to spend valuable time relaxing

and seeing friends and family.

Provide training and opportunities to progress. Good work also allows

staff to gain skills and chances for progression. Workers can then develop

and potentially increase their incomes and career prospects. This can help to

promote social mobility and reduce the socio-economic inequalities that are

linked to negative health outcomes.

Create an enabling environment for change Both governments and

employers, in consultation with key stakeholders, can help improve mental

health at work by creating an enabling environment for change.

Relationship Between Work and Health

This brief examines literature on the relationship between work and health

and analyzes the implications of this research in the context of Medicaid

work requirements. Key findings include the following:

(1) Being in poor health is associated with increased risk of job loss, while

access to affordable health insurance has a positive effect on people's ability

to obtain and maintain employment.

(2) There is limited evidence on the effect of employment on health, with

some studies showing a positive effect of work on health yet others showing

no relationship or isolated effects.

(a) Job availability and quality are important modifiers in how work affects

health; transition from unemployment to poor quality or unstable

employment options can be detrimental to health.

(b) Selection bias in the research (e.g., healthy people being more likely to

work) and other methodological limitations restrict the ability to determine a

causal work-health relationship.

(3) Studies note several caveats to and implications of the research on work

and health that are particularly relevant to work requirements in Medicaid.

For example:

(a) The work-health relationship may differ for the Medicaid population

compared to the broader populations studied in the literature, as Medicaid

enrollees report worse health than the general population and face significant

challenges related to social determinants of health.

(b) Limited job availability or poor job quality may moderate or reverse any

positive effects of work.

(c) Work or volunteering to fulfill a requirement may produce different

health effects than work or volunteer activities studied in existing literature.

(d) Loss of Medicaid coverage under work requirements could negatively

impact health care access and outcomes, as well as exacerbate health

disparities.

Nursing Implication

Healthcare organisations monitor patient experiences in order to evaluate

and improve the quality of care. Because nurses spend a lot of time with

patients, they have a major impact on patient experiences. To improve

patient experiences of the quality of care, nurses need to know what factors

within the nursing work environment are of influence. The main focus of

this research was to comprehend the views of Dutch nurses on how their

work and their work environment contribute to positive patient experiences.

The nurses mentioned essential elements that they believe would improve

patient experiences of the quality of nursing care: clinically competent

nurses, collaborative working relationships, autonomous nursing practice,

adequate staffing, control over nursing practice, managerial support and

patient-centred culture. They also mentioned several inhibiting factors, such

as cost-effectiveness policy and transparency goals for external

accountability. Nurses feel pressured to increase productivity and report a

high administrative workload. They stated that these factors will not

improve patient experiences of the quality of nursing.

Conclusion

Work-related problems can affect our physical, emotional and mental health.

Common issues include job dissatisfaction, workplace injury, stress,

discrimination Andrew bullying, violence, accidental death and retirement.

Work is an essential part of your life; you tend to feel satisfied and find a

meaningful purpose whenever you find yourself doing what you enjoy.

What's more, you earn income through your work. income is important, but

way beyond that, perception of yourself influences your definition of your

self-worth. The relationship between work and health, whenever something

happens whether negative or positive at work it can affect your physical,

mental, and emotional health

References
D’Arcy, C. (2018). Resolution Foundation. May 2018.
Available from: www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/low-pay-britain-2018/

Virtanen M, Stansfeld SA, Fuhrer R, Ferrie JE, Kivimäki M (2012) Overtime Work as a
Predictor of Major Depressive Episode: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the Whitehall II
Study. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30719.

What Works Centre for Wellbeing (2017) What types of wellbeing training are effective
in different sectors? Available from: whatworkswellbeing.org/blog/learning-at-
work-and-wellbeing-what-works/

World employment and social outlook - Trends (2022). Geneva: International Labour
Organization; 2022
(https://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/weso/trends2022/
WCMS_834081/lang--en/index.htm, accessed 26 August 2022)