| Abstract |
The 2011 Work, Stress, and Health Conference addressed the changing nature of work and the implications of these changes for the health, safety, and well-being of workers. The conference covered numerous topics of interest to labor, management, practitioners, and researchers, such as work and family issues, new forms of work organization, changing worker demographics, and best practices for preventing stress and improving the health of workers and their organizations. The conference gave special attention to economic aspects of job stress - which seemed especially appropriate given recent worldwide economic turmoil. Expert presentations and informal get-togethers with leading scientists and practitioners provided an exciting forum for learning about the latest developments on the conference themes and topics. Researchers, business and organizational representatives, labor leaders, and medical and social science professionals with interests in occupational safety and health presented posters, paper sessions, and symposia that addressed the conference topics. However, there was an emphasis on the presentation of research findings focused on the main conference theme of 'Work and Well-Being in an Economic Context.' Specifically, there were numerous poster, paper, and symposia presentations which addressed the following issues: 1. Influence of the economy on management and employment practices, the organization of work, job security, and income disparity; 2. Economic consequences of stressful working conditions and stress-related disorders for employers, employees, and society at large, including costs of illness, injury, disability, and organizational productivity and performance losses; 3. Economics of stress prevention and workplace interventions, including economic barriers to their implementation. |
