Is the activity ergonomics interested by the quality work life?: Theoretical and empirical reflections

Abstract

The relation between Activity Ergonomics and the field of intervention named quality of work life (QWL) is not clear and, in the limit, absent. Thus, is the activity ergonomics interested by the quality of work life? The aim of this theoretical-natured article is to rethink this relation based on two axes: (a) empirical data that characterize the main contemporary problems in the organizations and that invite the work sciences to find solutions; and (b) the history and scientific background of the activity ergonomics that enable this field to promote the well-being in the work. The arrival place of such points gives answers elements to the first question, showing that the problems present in the work life and also the scientific tradition of the activity ergonomic call the ergonomists for a wider spectrum intervention in the field of the quality of work life. This implies for the subject, without abandoning its epistemological presuppositions, in enlarging its field of analyses and contributions, building a QWL approach of preventive bias and distinguishing itself from the assistential tradition of QWL practices.