What are working conditions?

This post is an automatic translation from a text written in Slovenian. Translation is generated with use of DeepL Pro tool. Original text is postaed and available here: https://paradim.si/category/slovensko-zdravstvo-2022-23/

In the light of current developments, or rather the currently highly publicised developments in Slovenian healthcare, I am raising the topic of working conditions with these following notes. The guiding question for this note is: what are we talking about when we talk about working conditions?

In the theoretical arena, the most commonly used term for this type of topic is the working environment , with pay, attitudes and others being elements of the working environment. The term working conditions here highlights an important feature: these elements of the working environment condition the final result. They can therefore exist in different states, and it is this state that determines the final outcome, whether in terms of people’s satisfaction and motivation, or in terms of the quality or quantity of the work done, the final business result, and so on.

Knowing, or just being a little more aware of, the breadth of conditions already known is useful from several perspectives when working in a non-managerial or managerial role. This is because the totality of working conditions affects our work and wider lives, and for managers this breadth provides the levers through which they can build the bottom line, organisational member satisfaction and other outcomes.

Elements of the work environment

Broadly speaking, the work environment is divided into three areas: (1) work, (2) the physical environment and (3) the social environment.

1 Work. The first part refers to work activities. So what performing a job role requires of us. We can learn about it through the following questions:

• What activities or tasks do we perform within this role? Are the activities monotonous and repetitive, or is there dynamism and variety in the role description?
• How long do the tasks need to be performed, at what pace and how much work (quantitatively) needs to be done?
• Who are the people involved? Who is performing the role, with whom and for whom?
• Who, how many people and in what ways are affected by this role? What does it mean to make a mistake and what are the consequences? What (personal) impact and weight does the role have for the practitioner?
• What skills and knowledge are needed to perform the role? How much preparation is needed? How much learning and training to maintain the level of quality of performance?
• What is the authority of the individual performing the role? Does he/she have control over the course of the activity he/she is carrying out?

2 Physical environment.

• The condition (comfort and functionality) of the building or space in which the work is carried out.
• The spatial arrangement and accessibility of the individual units of the working environment, including the provision of lifts and (if necessary) accessibility for the physically disabled.
• The condition and accessibility of the equipment used in carrying out the work, including the cleanliness of office desks, etc.
• Safety from injury, from hazardous substances or other effects of physical environmental factors (e.g. radiation).
• Cleanliness of the room, lighting, temperature, odour and presence of sound.
• Accessibility and cleanliness of toilets, bathrooms, drinking water and other essential parts of the physical work environment.

3 Social environment. This section covers all the relationships that are part of the performance of our work. The following three groups can be identified:

• Relationship with colleagues. In this group we are interested in the extent to which there is cooperation, mutual help and encouragement, and exchange of knowledge. Also, how much conflict there is and how it is resolved. Colleagues are both internal (e.g. within the same unit or organisation) and external (related institutions, partner organisations).
• Relationship with management.Within this category, two issues are often highlighted: involvement in decision-making and recognition of good work. Leadership shows its views and beliefs about us through its own communication. We want to be respected and valued.
• Relationship with customers. “Customer” as a business term also refers to the patient in the healthcare system. It is the group to whom our work is addressed and from whom we draw feedback on the relevance and effectiveness of our work.

Evaluating working conditions

The elements of the working environment as represented by the content of this paper are in themselves objective or factual, i.e. non-evaluated. When a situation is described in terms of ‘working conditions issues’, we must also talk about the perception and evaluation of these conditions.

We can talk about evaluation at two levels. At the level of the individual, the so-called individual-work matching takes place in the performance of work. The first area of this matching is competence (the individual has the skills and knowledge needed to do the job) and the second is personality (the individual’s values, beliefs and other personality traits match the work environment). When we talk about valuing, the second is highlighted: for example, when an individual values personal health and life balance highly, or the quality of home relationships and private life, he or she wants working conditions in which work pressures do not interfere with this private life.

Another level of valuation applies to the (larger) community. As a society, we also set standards or social criteria for what are good and bad working conditions. As we develop and progress, we naturally want to raise these standards higher (and e.g. systematically enable better health and personal balance in the population). Certain criteria thus become law (e.g. the 8-hour day or the 40-hour week), while others act as common criteria for good and bad working conditions.

Conclusion

This note has presented the complex subject of working conditions in a few essential points in order to outline the breadth of the field. All the components of the working environment exist in different states: pay can be high or low, the attitude of the manager can be positive, motivating or demotivating and conflict-ridden, the relationship with colleagues can be competitive or cooperative, the workplace can be clean and scented or vice versa. The state of each (in its own way) influences the final outcome, both personal and organisational.

The following two sources of content were used in the production of the transcript:

Raziq, A. and Maulabakhsh R. (2015). Impact of Work Environment on Job Satisfaction. Procedia Economics and Finance 23 (2015), pp. 717-725.

Manyisa, Z. M. and van Aswegen, E. J. (2017). Factors affecting working conditions in public hospitals: A literature review. International Journal of African Nursing Sciences 6 (2017), pp. 28-38.