ABSTRACT
A few years ago I was minded to teach a course on the Design of Environments and of Work, which is all about how to make jobs and workplaces fit for human beings so as to maximize health, well-being, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety. Fascinating stuff, I thought but the students did not agree. I had forgotten that they are now “customers” and all consumers like goods to come attractively packaged. “Design of Environments and of Work” sounded so dull that eyes swiftly moved on to other options in the handbook. Then I considered the crux of the issue. So many workplaces are manifestly unsuited to human beings that what we are really talking about is how environmental and psychosocial stressors create strain, ill-health, accidents, and disasters. I changed the title of the course to “Work and Stress” and I had many more “takers” even though the content of the course remained exactly the same.
