AN ASSIGNMENT ON INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS

Topic: Work conditions vs Psychological and Psychological Fatigue

Submitter by:Shamma Parveen (Roll no. 26/09) & Ginsuanpau Tunglut (Roll no, 09/09) Department of Management NEHU, Tura Campus

INTRODUCTION: Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental process es. Psychologists use systematic methods in an effort to understand more about the house any whys of behaviours and human thought processes. Industrial/Organization Psychology is that branch of psychology that is concerned with the study of behaviour in work settings and the application of psychology principles to chance work behaviour. WORK CULTURE: The conditions in which an individual or staff works, including but not limited to such things as amenities, physical environment, stress and noise levels, degree ofsafety or danger, and the like. Condition: 1. Law: An uncertain future act or event, the occurrence of which determines the existence or extent of an interest or right, or liability or obligation; or which initiates, halts, or terminates the performance of a duty. 2. Contracts: The central instrument in a contract. A condition (1) invests or divests the rights and duties of the parties to the contract, or (2) stipulates that the occurrence or non occurrence of a certain event creates or terminates a contract. An actual or stipulated condition is called an express condition or condition in deed , and a condition deemed to be automatically present is called an implied condition or condition in law. Breach of a condition constitutes breach of the contract, and entitles the aggrieved party to call for setting aside (rescission) of the contract, and to claim for damages. A minor term (incidental point) of the contract is called a warranty, breach of which may call for damages as compensation but not rescission of the contract. See also condition precedent, condition subsequent, in nominate term, and intermediate term. Amenities: Additional features (such as high quality fixtures, proximity to shopping centers or schools, striking or unique design) that enhance the desirability, and often the appraisal value, of a property. Environment: The sum total of all surroundings of a living organism, including natural forces and other living things, which provide conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage. See also environmental factors.

Working Condition: Although many worker s ideal might be a comfortable, quiet, and elegant office, complete with latest in office equipment and technology in reality people often work under less than perfection conditions. In fact, for some workers the work environmen t is quite hostile, hampering their abilities to get the job done and threatening their health and well -

being. Workers exposed to extreme weather conditions, dangerous and noisy machinery, and potentially harmful chemicals all face great difficulty in doin g their jobs efficiently. An additional work condition relates to the scheduling of work the length of workdays and the time of day (or night) during which people work. Industrial/organizational psychologists have long been concerned with the conditions u nder which people work, particularly the role that the physical work environment plays in affecting worker performance, satisfaction, and health (Oborne & Guneberg, 1983). Working conditions refers to the working environment and all existing circumstances affecting labor in the workplace, including job hours, physical aspects, legal rights and responsibilities. For example, Congress has explained that the purpose of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, which IOSHA implements in Indiana, is "to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions. In the context of machines or equipments, working condition means it is operational. For example, once the State introduced prima facie evidence that the machine was in proper working condition, the burden of production shifted to Mullins to rebut the State's prima facie showing.

Physical Conditions of the Work Environment: Among the more obvious factors that can affect the behaviour of workers are the physical conditions of the work environment, including the levels of lighting, the usual temperature, the levels of noise, the amounts and types of airborne chemicals and pollu tants, and aesthetic features such as the colors of walls and floors and the presence (or absence) of artwork, music, plants, or decorative items. While some of these factors, such as extreme noise, high or low temperature, and very low illustration, can g reatly hamper work performance, others, such as music and colors, have more subtle effects on workers. Temperature: Workers who labor under extreme heat or cold may exhibit some decrease in performance. Realizing this, many offices and factories have inst alled adequate heating and cooling systems. However, some industrial workplaces still remains too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter (or vice versa, when workplaces are overcooled or overheated). Moreover, it is impossible to escape the heat or c old in certain types of jobs, such as those in steel mills, boiler rooms, and refrigeration plants, or jobs that requires working outside in extreme temperatures, such as condition work and road repair. Research on the effects of temperature on work perfor mance indicates that when workers are exposed to extreme temperatures-greater than 900 F. Or lower than 32 0 F. There are some decrements in both manual and cognitive work performance (Kobrick&Fine, 1983). In general, hot and humid conditions tend to increa se the demands of heavy physical work, causing excessive fatigue and reduction work output. Prolonged exposure to heat can, in extreme cases, lead to serious injury and even death (Sanders & McCormick, 1993). Extreme cold may impair performance of tasks that requires fine hand-motor movements. There is also some evidence that exposure to less extreme temperature -slightly warm or cool conditions for prolonged periods may also affect task performance adversely due to worker

fatigue or discomfort (Enander, 1984; 1987; Meyer & Rapp, 1995). However, a number of factors, such as workers adaption to the extreme temperatures, the duration of exposure to heat or cold, individual differences in the tolerance of extreme temperatures, and the types of clothing worn, make straightforward interpretations of the effects of extreme temperatures on work performance difficult (Bell, 1981; Malchaire, 1995; Vicroy, Shaw, & Fisher, 1982). Moreover, simple measurement of temperature is not easy, since a variety of atmospheric factors can interact with temperature to produce conditions that are more or less extreme in terms of their effects on the human body. Noise: Noise is defined as some unwanted, distracting sound that may interfere with work performance. Individuals perceived noise differently. A sound that may interfere with work performance. Individuals perceived noise differently. A sound that is not at all di sruptive to one worker may be considered distracting noise to another. Although noise does not have to be loud to be distracting, it is louder noise that are more often considered to be stressful by workers. Motion: Some workers conduct their work activities while seated behind the controls of vehicles that move them about on the ground, in the air, and in outer space. The accompanying vibrations, feelings of movement, accelerations, and decorations (and in outer space, feelings of weightless) mean that hu man factors psychologists must considered motion as a working condition. The most common motion condition is vibration. All modes of transportation subject occupants to some degree of vibration. Certain machines and tools, such as jackhammers, industrial machinery, and handheld power tools, cause considerable vibrations to operators. What are the effects of continual exposure to vibration? Vibration may affect task performance, particularly in activities that involve visual tracking and steady hand movements. More common are the subjective effects of vibration, such as the distraction and discomfort caused by vibration and motion, which may lead to feelings of annoyance, disorientation, and motion sickness. Motion is a particular problem in jobs that involve moving at high speeds. Jet pilots and astronauts are subjected to extreme acceleration and deceleration effects that can seriously impair performance. The weightlessness that accompanies working in outer space creates a host of problems, including motion sickness, dizziness, and disorientation, that human factors psychologists are studying intensely, both in actual space flights and in simulated conditions. Pollution: Because of the wide range of chemicals used in industrial workplaces and the various substances used in construction and furnishing working areas, many workers are exposed to a supervising number of potentially harmful substances. Among the many workers who are particularly prone to chemical pollutions are miners, who are exposed to potential ly lethal gases; farm workers, who may come into contact with dangerous insecticides or fertilizers; industrial workers, who may have to use toxic chemicals; and even surgical teams, who may be exposed to harmful gases released from aesthetic equipment. While in most of these

jobs exposure to the pollutants is a known, job -related risk, many workers may be unaware of the potentially harmful chemicals presented in almost any workplace. The effect of airborne pollution on job performance is scanty. Most of th e research has examined the effects of carbon monoxide and found that exposure has lead to decreases in attention, sensorimotor coordination, memory, and problem -solving ability. Carbon monoxide pollution may be a particular problem for persons working aro und automobiles and gasoline-powered machinery, and employees in smoggy and polluted urban areas. Aesthetic factors: Music, color, and scents In the 1950s and 1960s strong claims were made for the positive effects of certain kinds of music and certain colours on work performance. Many businesses and industries began to pipe in industrial background music or had the walls painted in monitoring colors. Despite such claims, there is little sound research on the effects of such aesthetic factors on work performance. However, it is possible that factors such as music and an aesthetically pleasing environment may have subtle, but complex, effects on work behaviour. There is some evidence that music played in offices and certain office colourings may increased a ttention to work tasks, and that most employees view music played in offices favourably. Office decorations, such as plants and posters, and tidiness also tend to have positive effects on visitors. Psychological Conditions of the Work Environment: Research has shown that the physical layout and designs of a work setting, the amount of workspace available, and the types of furnishings can all affect worker behaviour by creating various psychological conditions, such as feelings of privacy or crowding, a s ense of status and importance, or perceptions of anonymity and unimportance. For example, the layout of a work area can govern the amount of contacts and interactions that workers have with another. Work areas designed to facilitate social interaction typically have positive influences on workers job satisfaction and performance. However, work areas that are congested and allow too much socializing and too little privacy may be determined to important organizational outcomes such as productivity. The amount of work allocated to a particular worker and the privacy of that space are also linked to notions of status and importance within the organization. Top-level executives usually have large, private offices, while lowly clerical workers, assemblers, or dat a processors might be lined up, nearly shoulder to shoulder, in a huge, open room. Research has compared traditional closed-office designed to open-office designed. While open-office designs allow ease of interaction among employees and greater opportunity for supervisors to observe and interacts with workers, the evidence indicates that workers may sense a lack of privacy and control over their space in such settings. This may lead to dissatisfaction with the work environment and may negatively affect work behaviour. However, the psychological effects of the physical layout of the employees and their status in the organization. Moreover, individual differences are also important, since some research indicates that workers abilities to regulate privacy, by screening out unwanted interruptions, can reduce the negativity associated with lack of privacy. Researchers has shown that physical and psychological conditions of the environment work together to have an important impact on worker behaviour and attitudes. One study

assessed the effects of four workspace characteristics on the attitudes and behaviours of office workers: I. The number of workers in an office, which constituted the measure of crowding; II. The measured seating distance between workers, another index of crowding; III. The number of enclosures or partitions surrounding each individuals work stations ; and IV. Office darkness. The results showed a link between these four variables and rates of employee job dissatisfaction and turnover. When the office was perceived as dark and crowed, and had few partitions, workers tends to be dissatisfied and were more likely to quit than workers who were not exposed to these conditions. Temporal Conditions of the Work Environment: Work Schedules Industrial/organizational psychologists are concerned not only with the physical and psychological conditions of work but also with the temporal conditions -the time structure of the workday. Although the vast majority of employees work a nine -to-five scheduled, more and more people are working on alternative types of schedules. There are some important reasons why non-traditional work schedules exist. First, many production-oriented organizations must operate around the clock to meet the demand for the goods they produce. This necessitates the use of three eight-hours shifts. In addition, many service organizations, such hotels, hospitals and retirement homes, require an around the clock staff, necessitating three eight hours. Second, over the year stores, restaurents, and other retail operations have extended their hours of operation into the evening, which means that more than one crew of workers is needed. More recently, in the large urban centres, traffic congestion has led to alternative work schedules to allow workers to commute at nonpeak times. Finally, some of the more flexible work schedules have developed in an effort to give workers a greater sense of control over the planning and timing of their workdays. We will examine several types of work schedules and their effects on the workers. Shift work Work shifts are any sort of scheduling in which groups of employe es alternate working times to keep the workplace in extended or continuous operation. A three shift day might typically consist of morning or day shift from 6 am to 2 pm, an afternoon or swing shift from 2 pm to 10 pm and a night or graveyard shift from 10 pm to 6 am. Shifts may also vary in terms of the days worked. Typically employees work five days and have two days off, although a number of variations are possible. Research indicates that night shifts may disrupt the natural sleep and waking cycles of workers bodies, often referred to as circadian rhythms, an may lead to problems such as high rates of stress, fatigue, job dissatisfaction, and performance errors. There is also some evidence that work accident rates are higher for workers found that workers on the night

shift had decreased alertness, greater disruptions in sleeps patterns, greater health problems, and more family difficulties than workers on the day shift. Work performance deficiencies and stress may be particularly problematic when workers are rotated from day to night shifts during a month, which does not allow their bodies to adapt to regular schedules. Compressed work weeks Work organizations have also tried compressed work weeks, in which the number of workdays is decreased while the number of hours worked per day is increased. Most common are four ten hour days, although there have been some attempts at scheduling three 12 hours shifts. The extra day off allows workers time to take care of tasks that need to be done Monday through Friday, such as going to the doctor, dentists, or tax accountant. Usually compressed work weeks including a three day weekend, which allows workers more free time to take weekend vacations. Both of these benefits cut down on absenteeism, since workers previously might have called in sick to take an extra day of vacation or to run errands. An extended shift might also allow a worker to miss peak traffic times. However, a drawback is that working parents might have difficulty finding children care for the extended workday. Also on the negative side, a ten-hour (or 12 hours) workday is more exhausting than the typical eight-hour day. This fatigue may lead to decreases in work productivity and concerns for work quality. For the work organization, the shorter work week can reduce overhead costs when the plant is shut for the fifth day. Company savings are also realized in terms of decreased start-up time. Furthermore, certain compressed work schedules, such as 12 -hours shifts, are particularly effective for the staffing of organizations that must maintain continuous operation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Flexitime Flexitime is a scheduling system whereby a worker is committed to a specified number of hours per week but has some flexibility concerning the starting and ending times of any particulars workdays. Often flexitime schedules operate around a certain core hours during which all workers must be on the job. However, the workers can decide when to begin and end the workday as long as they are present during the core period and work an eight -hour day. Some flexitime schedules even allow workers to borrow and carry hours from one workday to the next or, in some extremely programs, from one week to another. The only stipulation is that an average of 40 hours per week is maintained. The main advantage of a flexitime is that workers can sleep in and begin work later in the morning, as long as they make up the time by staying late. Employees who want to leave work early to do some late-afternoon shopping can arrive early to work that day. An advantage for the company includes reduced rates of absenteeism and the virtual elimination of tardiness. Only certain types of companies can introduce flexitime. It is not possible if a task requires employees to work together, as in assembly line work, or what there must be some guarantee of minimum staffing, as in a service organization. Also, not all positions are amenable to flexitime schedules. For example, in a library, book shelves and cataloguers might be able to work on such schedules, while workers staffing the check out and

information desks may not be able to work on flexitime since they have to cover the desks during the hours when the library is open. However, in many organizations, especially in government and civil service, flexitime has been quite successful and is very popular with employees.

Psychological fatigue: Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or loss of strength. The duration of fatigue for a patient with cancer has been found to last from one to two times the length of time between diagnosis and completion of treatment, so it is common for fatigue to persist beyond a patient's treatment regimen. Causes Many people experience fatigue as a side effect of cancer treatment. Both chemotherapy and radiation therapy are associated with fatigue. Scientists believe fatigue also occurs because the body is devoting so much of its energy fighting the cancer that it has little left over for daily life. Often the feelings of exhaustion are more intense immediately following a cancer treatment, but they gradually ease over time as the body gains strength. During chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs kill both cancer cells and healthy cells, including red blood cells. This can lead to anemia, or low red blood cell counts, which causes fatigue. Chemotherapy agents also attack white blood cells, weakening the immune system. Medications, pain, depression, and the stress of the diagnosis and treatment are other factors that result in fatigue. Treatments If anemia is a problem, physicians may prescribe iron supplements or dru gs, such as erythropoietin, to stimulateblood cell growth. In some cases, blood transfusions may be necessary. Many people with cancer find that they must pace themselves, alternating periods of activity with small naps. Going to bed earlier also seems to help. Research has shown that people who exercise experience less cancer -related fatigue. Walking or using an exercise bicycle are good choices. For those who have severe weakness, even a few minutes of gentle stretching in bed can make a difference. Eating nutritious food is another way to get an energy boost to better fight cancer. Include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and plenty of protein, if nausea and vomiting are not a problem. High-calorie liquid meals can help offset severe weight loss for those who cannot tolerate solid foods. Drinking plenty of water also helps prevent diarrhea and dehydration, which add to fatigue.

Alternative and Complementary Therapies Yoga has proven to be highly effective in reducing stress, thereby increasing energy and helping people to relax and sleep better. Marijuana has been used to help ease nausea in cancer patients. Since a loss of appetite can cause weakness and fatigue, marijuana may help indirectly. Most states do not permit the use of marijuana for medical reasons. Physicians will be aware of these regulations. Other complementary therapies, such as massage, aromatherapy, meditation, or prayer, help people with cancer relax, easing their worries and ultimately combatting fatigue.