Work design: Achieving a better balance of the workload and improving the employee well-being

This research project concerns operational ‘work design’ decisions to positively impact the workload balance (and the consequential working conditions and well-being) of employees, in an increasingly digital, real-time data-driven and uncertain context. It aims to develop a smart innovative design of work, integrating decisions about labour flexibility (and the training needed to accommodate it), digitization and automation (supported by the integration of technology in workflows), and real-time adaptability. This design will support a better balance of workload within and between individuals, and an improved human-technology collaboration, which is key to improve working conditions (such as a fairer distribution of work, more work variety, and less workload peaks) and their social impact (such as less stress, staff fall-outs and safety critical human errors).