The relationship between stress and work-related pain has been
demonstrated in prior literature. For example, Carayon et al. (1999)
outlined how work organization and stress can influence strain
outcomes such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The
authors noted that the stress stems from an “imbalanced” work
system (i.e., technology, organization, task environment, and the
worker). Indeed, recent research from Eatough et al. (2012) demonstrates
that work organization influences strain, which in turn
influences work-related pain. Future research should consider the
role of a poor ergonomics climate as a potential influencer of workrelated
stress and work-related pain.
In practice, the ability of the Ergonomics Climate Assessment to
compare an organization's PE and WE facets is beneficial for both
scientists and practitioners. Organizations need to focus on building
climate value for both PE and WE facets of ergonomics climate.
Wilson (2014) notes that it is too common for ergonomics solutions
to be of singular focus due to “time, permission, and access” issues
(pg. 6). In order for organizations to maximize the impact of ergonomics
solutions, we will need to move beyond a focus on just
well-being or a focus on just performance towards a focus on
maximizing both together. This can be done by dedicating resources
to each of the four core factors (i.e., management
commitment, employee involvement, job hazard analysis, and
training and knowledge) while considering both PE and WE facets
concurrently.
As an example, this study's participating company used the results
of the first survey to identify areas for improvement. During
the year between when the two surveys were conducted, the
company (based on the climate data) implemented specific ergonomic
interventions for one production department that had a
relatively poor Ergonomics Climate Assessment score at the time of
the first survey. The ergonomic-based intervention consisted of
both engineering and administrative changes that were developed
by a team of production operators, maintenance and engineering
staff and management, and was developed and implemented
within 9 months of Survey 1. The results of the second survey
indicated that there was a significant increase in both PE and WE
facets of ergonomics climate for that production department. Thus,
the Ergonomics Climate Assessment may be a practical and useful
tool for organizations looking to understand and improve their
ergonomics climate. This tool can be used as a baseline to assess the
effectiveness of organizational efforts focused on improving ergonomics
as well as a measure to assist in the prioritization of ergonomic
interventions during periods of limited resources.
7.1. Limitations and suggestions for further research
This study is based on cross-sectional and self-reported data,
and included only a single outcome measure. As an initial step in
the development of this measure, this outcome provided evidence
needed to move forward with this framework and test more
detailed models. Other outcomes of employee well-being such as
the quality of work life and presenteeism, and operational
performance-based outcomes such as production efficiency, product
quality, and errors or deviations in tolerances should be added
to subsequent models. Nevertheless, based on the results of the
present study, it appears that the Ergonomics Climate Assessment
may be very useful in understanding how an agreement or
disagreement between the PE and WE facets of ergonomics climate
is related to a variety of individual and organizational outcomes.
The results of this study also suggest that the PE and WE facets
were very highly correlated. Although it was most appropriate to
combine the sub-factors within PE and WE facets for the purposes
of analyzing our particular research questions, additional research
should further examine the model by which ergonomics operates
in organizations and the relationship between PE and WE facets.
Our results also suggested that ergonomics climate was best
assessed at the individual level for our sample, because of a lack of
between-group variation. Together, these results suggest that PE
and WE facets were both equally acknowledged within this organization,
and that this perception was facility-wide as opposed to
varying across departments. Therefore, the use of this particular
organization, which had a longstanding tradition of highly visible
ergonomics programs targeting both performance and well-being,
could have influenced the results. Future research should examine
ergonomics climate within companies that may not place a strong
and equal emphasis on both PE and WE facets.
Additional research is also needed to further investigate the
associations between the Ergonomics Climate Assessment tool and
individual and organizational outcomes. For example, it appears
logical that when an organization focuses primarily on operational
performance, the value for well-being decreases, resulting in
increased pain. However, it is less clear why an increased focus on
well-being (over performance) would result in increased complaints
of pain. We proposed that lack of adoption of ergonomic
improvements or work-related stress might help explain this result,
but researchers should explore and test these mechanisms further.
Furthermore, it is possible that the performance and/or well-being
facets of ergonomics climate could be differentially related to other
organizational outcomes such as quality, productivity, and other
aspects of workplace health and safety. An understanding of these
relationships may help organizations recognize the importance of
valuing both performance and well-being facets of ergonomics
climate