La rapidité des changements qui s’opèrent dans les organisations engendre une intensification du travail qui se traduit par une augmentation de la charge de travail. La littérature scientifique identifie de plus en plus clairement la charge de travail comme un facteur de risques dont les répercussions affectent les individus et les organisations. Bien que les connaissances actuelles portant sur la charge de travail permettent de quantifier des conséquences humaines ou organisationnelles, elles sont difficiles à utiliser pour agir dans l’amélioration des situations de travail. Cet article a pour objectif de contribuer à la modélisation de la charge de travail dans sa globalité et sa complexité à l’intérieur de la dynamique de l’individu, de son activité professionnelle et de son contexte organisationnel. Elle vise à définir des composantes de la charge de travail et à cerner des facteurs qui l’influencent directement ou indirectement à partir de situations de travail réelles. Une recherche terrain s’est déroulée dans une organisation du secteur de l’assurance auprès de préposés au service à la clientèle en privilégiant des observations, des entretiens individuels et de groupe. Les activités réelles de travail des préposés ont été analysées en privilégiant le modèle de l’activité réelle de travail tel qu’utilisé en ergonomie. Cinq facteurs dynamiques de la charge de travail émergent de la recherche et ils permettent de réviser et d’enrichir un modèle explicatif de la charge de travail.Rapidly changing organizations are associated with work intensification which translates into workload problems. Scientific literature has clearly identified workload as an important risk factor for individuals and for organizations. Though current knowledge on workload allows for the measurement of its impacts on individuals and on organizations, it is still difficult to clearly identify its nature and to improve working conditions accordingly. The objective of this paper is to contribute additional information to a workload framework applied to work situations where individual characteristics, professional activity and organizational contexts are all determinants of a complex and dynamic work situation. The goal of this study is to improve knowledge on the workload phenomenon and ultimately to determine important direct and indirect factors influencing workload. A field study in real working situations was conducted among customer service agents in the insurance industry. Observations in natural settings, individual interviews and focus groups were conducted using an activity analysis ergonomic approach. Results show the presence of five dynamic factors affecting workload: 1) working tool design considering the task at hand, 2) multiplication and variety of demands, 3) balance between organizational expectations and means to achieve them, 4) simultaneous activities to assure customer satisfaction and, finally, 5) minimal feedback and recognition on a daily basis. These results underline the fact that quantity of work is not necessar...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the difficulties encountered in the hybrid roles of physician−managers (P−Ms), examine the impact of organizational constraints on the role conflicts experienced by P−Ms and explore the different ways their two roles are integrated. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted, using six focus groups made up of clinical co-managers, medical directors and P−Ms. In all, 43 different people were interviewed to obtain their perceptions of the day-to-day realities of the role of the P−M. The data collected were subsequently validated. Findings Although the expectations of the different groups involved regarding the role of P−Ms are well understood and shared, there are significant organizational constraints affecting what P−Ms are able to do in their day-to-day activities, and these constraints can result in role conflicts for the people involved. Such constraints also affect the ways P−Ms integrate the two roles. The authors identify three role hybridization profiles. Practical implications The results afford a better understanding of how organizational constraints might be used as levers of organizational change to achieve a better hybridization of the dual roles of P−Ms. Originality/value This paper seeks to reach beyond a simple identification of constraints affecting the dual roles of P−Ms by analyzing how such constraints impact on these professionals’ day-to-day activities. Results also enable us to further refine Katz and Kahn’s (1966) role model, in addition to identifying hybridization profiles.

The few studies that raise the negative consequences of technology on quality of life in the workplace, and particularly on health, have not succeeded in establishing a direct link between a deterioration of health and the use of technology. This is due to the fact that there are few epidemiological studies on the direct consequences of the use of ITC on health.

The North American trucking industry has been facing chronic issues related to the retention of a skilled workforce since the end of the 1980s. These issues have both direct economic and social impact; for example, high driver turnover has been linked to higher accident rates. Research has revealed a clear link between the dispatcher’s role and driver turnover, yet little is known about the interactions of this relationship in day-to-day work experience. The aim of the present article, therefore, is to document the dynamic environment shaping interactions between dispatchers and truck drivers in addressing issues related to high turnover. In order to capture the daily interactions of these players, a qualitative approach was used, based on 17 individual interviews and three group discussions with dispatchers, truck drivers and labour and management representatives from 11 different Quebec-based organizations. The results reveal four key characteristics influencing the day-to-day dynamics of trucking operations: 1) the importance of dispatcher-driver interaction in efficient and quality work operations; 2) the precedence of customer satisfaction in these interactions; 3) the interdependent nature of the dispatcher-driver relationship; and lastly, 4) the role of listening and mutual respect. More specifically, the results suggest that dispatcher-driver interactions tend to occur in a high-pressure environment where work demands often necessitate prioritizing operational concerns over interpersonal ones. They also demonstrate that a bi-directional, “win-win” relationship based on constructive interactions, listening and mutual respect are essential conditions in achieving both work efficiency and job satisfaction. These results appear to confirm the findings of several previous studies and shed new light on understanding the relationship between these players.

In a context of changing demographics and transformations to the world of work, concerns about age management are gradually turning into concerns about knowledge management. The vast experiential knowledge and diverse skills developed by workers to cope with the numerous situations encountered in the course of their work and to protect themselves against risks to their health and safety constitute part of the intangible assets vital to the sustainability of worker expertise and even the survival of the organization. Management practices play an important role in helping safeguard experiential knowledge in organizations. However, the transformations that have been taking place in recent years in response to an unstable economic climate have driven organizations to introduce a number of changes in workplaces. Three case studies, conducted in Quebec, each focused on the study of a specific occupation (film technicians, food service helpers, and homecare nurses), and based on interviews and observations made in the field, will be presented in an effort to describe the impact of some of these changes, namely precarious employment, flexible management practices and work intensification, on knowledge sharing in real work situations. The results suggest that by undermining work teams and increasing the workload of experienced workers, these changes actually hinder the knowledge sharing process. In fact, in such a context, the work teams are continually being reconfigured, which can demotivate experienced workers who constantly have to initiate new recruits despite already having a work overload. Possible avenues for research are proposed with a view to helping organizations cope with these changes in a way that supports the experiential knowledge transfer and sharing process so vital to organizational performance and the preservation of worker health.Dans un contexte de mutations démographiques et de transformations du monde du travail, les préoccupations pour la gestion des âges se sont progressivement transformées en préoccupations pour la gestion des savoirs. En effet, les nombreux savoirs développés avec l’expérience par le personnel pour faire face aux multiples situations rencontrées dans l’exercice de leur travail et se protéger des risques à leur santé et à leur sécurité constituent une part du capital immatériel essentiel pour la pérennité de l’expertise, voire la survie de l’entreprise. Les pratiques de gestion occupent une place importante pour assurer la sauvegarde des savoirs dans les entreprises de même que le contexte organisationnel. Or les transformations du monde du travail des dernières années en réponse à un univers économique instable ont poussé les entreprises à introduire de nombreux changements dans les milieux de travail. Trois études de cas menées au Québec, portant sur un métier donné (technicien de cinéma, aide en alimentation, infirmière en soins à domicile), et s’appuyant sur des entrevues des observations sur le terrain, seront présentées pour tenter de décrire l’influence de certains de ce...