| 520 | | | $aWellbeing at work (WAW) continues to increase in importance for employees and employers and across countries. While there are different definitions of what the concept entails, within the European Union (EU) one useful definition acknowledges that well being is a summative concept that characterises the quality of working lives, including occupational safety and health (OSH) aspects, and it may be a major determinant of productivity at the individual, enterprise and societal levels¿ (1). The relevance of the concept is heightened further as the work environment continues to change assisted by increasing migration (especially from less developed to more developed countries), globalisation, the development of new technologies, the move from manufacturing to service-basedeconomies, the ageing workforce and population, an increase in the number of women in the workforce, and the transformation of work patterns; these factors have led to a workforce for which psychosocial risks have increased in priority. Therefore, there is a need to keep employees healthier, which in turn could increase the length of time spent in the workforce and thereby assist with some of the factors mentioned above, such as the ageing workforce. OSH addresses the safety and health of the workforce; while the health¿ aspect is as relevant as the safety¿ aspect in ensuring workplace wellbeing, at times this may not be reflected in the policies within organisations |
