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Experiences with questions on quality of work in the Dutch survey on Work in the Information Society. Session ‘Learning from European experts’. Quality of work in the TNO-surveys. The TNO tradition Risks and outcomes A new approach for OSH-research? The limits of the Karasek-approach
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Experiences with questions on quality of work in the Dutch survey on Work in the Information Society Session ‘Learning from European experts’ Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Quality of work in the TNO-surveys • The TNO tradition • Risks and outcomes • A new approach for OSH-research? • The limits of the Karasek-approach • Basic research model for OSH-research • WIS II: Quality of Work at Risk? • Way forward Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
The TNO W&E Organisation Survey tradition • 1994: First monitor-study • 1996: Second monitor-study • 1998: Work in the Information Society I (WIS I) • 2000: TNO front runner companies in ICT • 2002: Work in the Information Society II (WIS II) • 2004: TNO survey on Virtual Organizations (VvO) • 2005: TNO Good employer en employee-ship (GWS) • 2005: TNO survey on Labour relations (AA) • Also: NEA (Nederlandse Enquête Arbeidsomstandigheden) • The future: broadening the NEA to employer survey Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Quality of work: type of research Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Occupational risks • Individual level: the risks a worker is exposed to • Method of assessment • Psychometric scales • Items • Person of the assessor • Aggregated level: percentage of workers exposed to risk Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Outcomes: occupational health / situation • Variables used: • Absenteism • Complaints • Individual level: • Method of assessment: • Subjective assessment of health or other variable • Objective assessment • Amount of variance explained? • Aggregate level: • Method of assessment • Person of the assessor • Worker or employer? (Nijhuis; Houtman) Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Example: VvO: outcomes at the company level • Estimates at the company level for the last year: • percentage of workers which have complained about high work stress • percentage of workers which have had serious complaints with their neck, shoulder, arms or wrists? Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Example: VvO: Qualificatory levels and knowledge sharing at the company level • Qualificatory levels: • Simple work : ___[number of workers] or [percentage] • Qualified work: ___[number of workers] or [percentage] • Highly qualified work : ___[number of workers] or [percentage] • Work of academic stature : ___[number of workers] or [percentage] • Can you give a figure between 1 to 10 for the degree to which your workers disseminate knowledge and information between themselves? Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
The Karasek-approach: employee level research • JD-JC are individual reports of organisational variables • Job demands: are an expression of the job rhythm workers are exposed to • Job control: the means to deal with the job demands (use of time, use of colleagues, use of managers) • Link between individual and organisational variables has not thoroughly been researched. Measurement issues: • Problems in relating individual problems to organisational policies: do organisational measures touch everybody? • Policy measures need interpretation • Little is known about organisational variability • Problems of operationalisation and indication • Is aggregation a valid method for indication? • Which function/person is the valid interpretator? • Problems of conducting multilevel analysis Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Multilevel analysis in OSH-research • OSH-research has mainly been interested in research at the individual level (risks and consequences) • JD-JC-model (Karasek): the introduction of the organisational dimension to OSH-research, but from an individual perspective • With organisational variables, MLA is a requirement for OSH-research Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
2002: Work in the Information Society study II • Data collection: NIPO Business Monitor • Representative stratified & weighted sample, representative for … Dutch companies • N=1000, .. sectors, .. size categories >10 • Main interest: • Knowledge work • Use of new technology • New organizational forms • Individualisation • Weak groups in the labour market • Data on company-level and worker-level Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Way forward • OSH-research has moved more closely to organisational policy and with that to governmental policies • Research area has become quite complicated: more sophisticated + thought thru approaches: requires more and better theory Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work
Thanks for your attention! www.tno.nl Steven Dhondt - Questions on quality of work