Worker Voices and Psychological Health brings together research-based evidence with worker testimonies to show how modern working life shapes psychological wellbeing.The book begins with a selective history of work and a clear explanation of wellbeing that integrates hedonic (feeling good) and eudaimonic (meaning and purpose) perspectives. It goes on to trace how work has changed, clarifying what psychological wellbeing really means, and showing how job demands, autonomy, resources and support shape stress, work life balance and work performance. First-person accounts from a diverse range of job holders, including those in senior management, administrative roles, skilled trades, caring and service work, operatives, and elementary occupations, reveal the everyday pressures and practical conditions that help workers cope, recover and thrive. Looking ahead to a future AI-enabled economy, the book concludes by considering those jobs that may be at risk, and those that are likely to evolve and flourish.Grounded in the words of real workers and connecting psychosocial factors with the day-to-day realities of working life, the book will appeal to anyone interested in the contemporary workplace, including students of organisational psychology, health psychology, occupational health, mental health, and human resource management, as well as professionals in these fields.
Dr Ivan Robertson is Emeritus Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at the University of Manchester and co-founder of Robertson Cooper Ltd. He has been responsible for over 40 books and has worked as a practitioner across all sectors of the economy and across the world.
Section one: The evolution of jobs. Chapter one: A short, selective history of work and jobs. Section two: Psychological wellbeing and work. Chapter two: What is psychological wellbeing? Chapter three: Work and its consequences. Chapter four: Leadership, wellbeing, sickness-absence, presenteeism and return to work. Chapter five: Interventions to improve mental health at work (changing workers or changing work). Section three: Jobs and workers' voices. Chapter six: Job categories for study. Chapter seven: Managers, directors and senior officials. Chapter eight: Professional occupations. Chapter nine: Associate professionals. Chapter ten: Administrative and secretarial. Chapter 11: Skilled trades and occupations. Chapter 12: Caring, leisure and other service occupations. Chapter 13: Sales and customer service. Chapter 14: Process, plant and machine operatives. Chapter 15: Elementary occupations. Chapter 16: Future jobs.