ABSTRACT

In many workplaces, continual change has become the norm. Work processes are becoming more automated, organizations are being restructured and often “downsized” and work demands have intensified (Paoli and Merllie 2001). For full-time employees, excessive workloads are among the most frequently cited occupational stressors. In these circumstances, it can be difficult for managers to achieve the productivity improvements needed to maintain their organization’s economic viability, while also maintaining a safe “system of work” to protect the physical and psychological health and safety of their workers. This is because there are tangible limits to human performance capacities — psychological as well as physical — that have been documented by performance psychologists and ergonomists. When these limits are approached or exceeded by the demands of work performance, people are likely to experience high levels of fatigue, and stress is likely to increase.