Summary Challenges in Health, Work and Wellbeing
Week 1
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Stress on the work floor is occupational disease number 1. More than one million people
annually run the risk of a burn-out and other work-related mental illnesses.
Focus on positive aspects
How to avoid work place stress!
Stress a problem? The Dutch case
Research done by Central Bureau of Statistics, TNO and NEA (National Survey Workconditions) in
2018 on work stress
One third of work absence is related to work stress
Reasons mentioned: little freedom or independence, high task
demand and inappropriate behaviour of clients
Especially younger people age 25-34 are at risk
Educational sector, ict sector, business services and industry
1,3 million workers (17,3%) have severe burnout complaints
Total costs absence: 8,7 billion euro: (4,7 billion for mental disorders)
Yearly 11 million working days are lost due to work stress
Costs of absence related to burnout: 2,8 billion euro’s (+300 million since last year)
In macro sociological perspective
• Ageing society
• Digital society
• Other processes?
WORK, HEALTH AND WELLBEING In the context of an ageing society . Implication for the population
Changing green and grey pressure
Double ageing
Pressure on pensions system
Pressure on health system
Implications for organisations
Changing age patterns
More older less younger workers
Lifelong health and wellbeing
Postponing retirement age
Anti age discrimination legislation
Maintain working capacity: the “Good Work”: Lifelong health and wellbeing in work and into
retirement
But: 75% of population not disability free life expectancy at 68
So more chronic health disorders: mental and
MuskuloSkeletalDisorders (MSD)
Week 2
1
, Lecture 2 - Work, health and wellbeing. In the context of an ageing society
Implication for the population
changing green and grey pressure
double ageing
pressure on pension system
pressure on health system
pressure on organisations
Implication for work
changing age patterns
more older less younger workers
lifelong health and wellbeing
postponing retirement age
anti age discrimination legislation
maintain working capacity: the good work; lifelong health and wellbeing in work and intro
retirement
but 75 percent of population not disability free life expectancy at 68
so more chronic health disorders: mental disorders and Muskulo Skeletal Disorders (MSD)
Ken Loach films
socially committed
genre: social realism: UK Based (liberal welfare state)
inspired by current social problems
films have a documentary style to be as realistic as possible
films have documentary -style to be as realistic as possible
casting less well-known actors
each scene is played directly after the actors read the script
the actors don’t know the story-line and don’t know how the film will end; to give a real and
authentic play
Theme: Work
Week 3
Lecture 3 - Work and protection
Work or labour?
Ongoing discussion on the difference between work and labour
o In the Marxist tradition: labour is associated with paid work, a historical category
o as opposed to work, an anthropological category, quintessential to the human species
As in Dutch: werk en arbeid (related to unpaid and paid?)
But other languages have only one term
In French: travail
In German: arbeit
Historical development of work
Early: food, child care and shelter (early division of labour)
Medieval ages: social class as indicator for divison of labour
(Pre-) industrial society: intro of paid labour
o factories
o mechanization
assembly line (Fordism)
mass production (Taylorism, scientific management)
o Urbanization
2
, o Social movements, unions
Service economy
o Digitization
o Automation (CADesign and CAManufacturing)
o Importance of education
o Globalization
Importance of generations and generational differences
Why do we work?
Happiness hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
o Three ‘stages’ in the meaning of work
Compare the shift in meaning with the historical development
Work and work relations and health
The employees
The employer
Government
The role of the government in work conditions and work relations
Why does the government actually interfere in work conditions or work relations?
Arguments pro and con
o Moral arguments
o Economic arguments
o Distributive arguments
Moral arguments pro
o Mandate/mission in constitution: citizens and safety
States should take care of their citizens
o Different types of civil rights
Civil rights (‘classical protection against the state)
Political rights
Social rights (compare them with welfare rights)
o Solidarity: rooted in the religious charity moral: (re)distributive justice
Moral arguments con
o It violates people’s freedom (role of the free market)
o Redistribution is theft (role of the state)
o Taxation is forced labour
o But also
o Welfare arrangements are fostering dependency
o WS is ineffective: W.A. keep people trapped in poverty
o WS is Inefficient: other measures are more effective
Economic arguments pro
o Control over economic developments
o Central control of labour costs
More tax revenues and more competition
Control over the economical finance system
(But why not automatically
o Income policy: redistributive justice
o Government is biggest employer of the country
Economic arguments con
o The role of the free market (Adam Smith’s invisible hand: neoliberalism)
Social arguments
3
, o Regulating argument
Keeping the country together
Working on future social agenda, banning:
Poverty (in all phases of the life course)
Unemployment
Work related health problems
Old age poverty
Other negative consequences of capitalism
Building a welfare state
1. An ideal model: The welfare state often refers to an ideal model of provision, where the state
accepts responsibility for the provision of comprehensive and universal welfare for its citizens
2. State welfare. Some commentators use it to mean nothing more than ‘welfare provided by the
state’. This is the main use in the USA.
3. Social protection. In many other ‘welfare states’, notably those in Western Europe and
Scandinavia, social protection is not delivered only by the state, but by a combination of
government, independent, voluntary, and autonomous public services. The ‘welfare state’ in
these countries is then a system of social protection rather than a scheme operated by
government.
A first step to a definition of WS
Asa Briggs identified three principal elements:
o A guarantee of minimum standards, including a minimum income
o Social protection in the event of insecurity
o The provision of services at the best level possible
This became known as the institutional model of welfare: the key elements are social protection
and the provision of welfare services on the basis of right
Social security in the heart of the welfare state
Social security is the protection which society provides for its members through a series of
public measures, against the economic and social distress that otherwise would be caused by
the substantial stoppage of earning resulting from defined contingencies
Contingencies of social security:
o Sickness
o Maternity
o Injury
o Unemployment
o Old age
o Death
The history of social security
1. First phase: ‘paternalist private charity and poor relief was provided to the indigent’ but harsh
conditions and stigma made this form of provision politically unacceptable.
2. Second phase: as a reaction insurance schemes were developed based on compulsory premium
that entitled the participants to pensions and sick pays. In time these programs were expanded
to include wider coverage and contingencies.
3. Third phase: in this phase the concept of prevention and universally were introduced with the
aim of maintaining and enhancing the quality of life.
4. Fourth phase: from social protection to social investment?
Nineteenth century
Industrial revolution
Urbanization: breeding ground
o Poverty became visible
o Social mission for municipalities and local authorities
o 1854: First Poverty Act, supervision on churches
On the other hand..
4
Week 1
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Stress on the work floor is occupational disease number 1. More than one million people
annually run the risk of a burn-out and other work-related mental illnesses.
Focus on positive aspects
How to avoid work place stress!
Stress a problem? The Dutch case
Research done by Central Bureau of Statistics, TNO and NEA (National Survey Workconditions) in
2018 on work stress
One third of work absence is related to work stress
Reasons mentioned: little freedom or independence, high task
demand and inappropriate behaviour of clients
Especially younger people age 25-34 are at risk
Educational sector, ict sector, business services and industry
1,3 million workers (17,3%) have severe burnout complaints
Total costs absence: 8,7 billion euro: (4,7 billion for mental disorders)
Yearly 11 million working days are lost due to work stress
Costs of absence related to burnout: 2,8 billion euro’s (+300 million since last year)
In macro sociological perspective
• Ageing society
• Digital society
• Other processes?
WORK, HEALTH AND WELLBEING In the context of an ageing society . Implication for the population
Changing green and grey pressure
Double ageing
Pressure on pensions system
Pressure on health system
Implications for organisations
Changing age patterns
More older less younger workers
Lifelong health and wellbeing
Postponing retirement age
Anti age discrimination legislation
Maintain working capacity: the “Good Work”: Lifelong health and wellbeing in work and into
retirement
But: 75% of population not disability free life expectancy at 68
So more chronic health disorders: mental and
MuskuloSkeletalDisorders (MSD)
Week 2
1
, Lecture 2 - Work, health and wellbeing. In the context of an ageing society
Implication for the population
changing green and grey pressure
double ageing
pressure on pension system
pressure on health system
pressure on organisations
Implication for work
changing age patterns
more older less younger workers
lifelong health and wellbeing
postponing retirement age
anti age discrimination legislation
maintain working capacity: the good work; lifelong health and wellbeing in work and intro
retirement
but 75 percent of population not disability free life expectancy at 68
so more chronic health disorders: mental disorders and Muskulo Skeletal Disorders (MSD)
Ken Loach films
socially committed
genre: social realism: UK Based (liberal welfare state)
inspired by current social problems
films have a documentary style to be as realistic as possible
films have documentary -style to be as realistic as possible
casting less well-known actors
each scene is played directly after the actors read the script
the actors don’t know the story-line and don’t know how the film will end; to give a real and
authentic play
Theme: Work
Week 3
Lecture 3 - Work and protection
Work or labour?
Ongoing discussion on the difference between work and labour
o In the Marxist tradition: labour is associated with paid work, a historical category
o as opposed to work, an anthropological category, quintessential to the human species
As in Dutch: werk en arbeid (related to unpaid and paid?)
But other languages have only one term
In French: travail
In German: arbeit
Historical development of work
Early: food, child care and shelter (early division of labour)
Medieval ages: social class as indicator for divison of labour
(Pre-) industrial society: intro of paid labour
o factories
o mechanization
assembly line (Fordism)
mass production (Taylorism, scientific management)
o Urbanization
2
, o Social movements, unions
Service economy
o Digitization
o Automation (CADesign and CAManufacturing)
o Importance of education
o Globalization
Importance of generations and generational differences
Why do we work?
Happiness hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
o Three ‘stages’ in the meaning of work
Compare the shift in meaning with the historical development
Work and work relations and health
The employees
The employer
Government
The role of the government in work conditions and work relations
Why does the government actually interfere in work conditions or work relations?
Arguments pro and con
o Moral arguments
o Economic arguments
o Distributive arguments
Moral arguments pro
o Mandate/mission in constitution: citizens and safety
States should take care of their citizens
o Different types of civil rights
Civil rights (‘classical protection against the state)
Political rights
Social rights (compare them with welfare rights)
o Solidarity: rooted in the religious charity moral: (re)distributive justice
Moral arguments con
o It violates people’s freedom (role of the free market)
o Redistribution is theft (role of the state)
o Taxation is forced labour
o But also
o Welfare arrangements are fostering dependency
o WS is ineffective: W.A. keep people trapped in poverty
o WS is Inefficient: other measures are more effective
Economic arguments pro
o Control over economic developments
o Central control of labour costs
More tax revenues and more competition
Control over the economical finance system
(But why not automatically
o Income policy: redistributive justice
o Government is biggest employer of the country
Economic arguments con
o The role of the free market (Adam Smith’s invisible hand: neoliberalism)
Social arguments
3
, o Regulating argument
Keeping the country together
Working on future social agenda, banning:
Poverty (in all phases of the life course)
Unemployment
Work related health problems
Old age poverty
Other negative consequences of capitalism
Building a welfare state
1. An ideal model: The welfare state often refers to an ideal model of provision, where the state
accepts responsibility for the provision of comprehensive and universal welfare for its citizens
2. State welfare. Some commentators use it to mean nothing more than ‘welfare provided by the
state’. This is the main use in the USA.
3. Social protection. In many other ‘welfare states’, notably those in Western Europe and
Scandinavia, social protection is not delivered only by the state, but by a combination of
government, independent, voluntary, and autonomous public services. The ‘welfare state’ in
these countries is then a system of social protection rather than a scheme operated by
government.
A first step to a definition of WS
Asa Briggs identified three principal elements:
o A guarantee of minimum standards, including a minimum income
o Social protection in the event of insecurity
o The provision of services at the best level possible
This became known as the institutional model of welfare: the key elements are social protection
and the provision of welfare services on the basis of right
Social security in the heart of the welfare state
Social security is the protection which society provides for its members through a series of
public measures, against the economic and social distress that otherwise would be caused by
the substantial stoppage of earning resulting from defined contingencies
Contingencies of social security:
o Sickness
o Maternity
o Injury
o Unemployment
o Old age
o Death
The history of social security
1. First phase: ‘paternalist private charity and poor relief was provided to the indigent’ but harsh
conditions and stigma made this form of provision politically unacceptable.
2. Second phase: as a reaction insurance schemes were developed based on compulsory premium
that entitled the participants to pensions and sick pays. In time these programs were expanded
to include wider coverage and contingencies.
3. Third phase: in this phase the concept of prevention and universally were introduced with the
aim of maintaining and enhancing the quality of life.
4. Fourth phase: from social protection to social investment?
Nineteenth century
Industrial revolution
Urbanization: breeding ground
o Poverty became visible
o Social mission for municipalities and local authorities
o 1854: First Poverty Act, supervision on churches
On the other hand..
4
