Working atmosphere, work demands and work ability of the workforce in successful retail markets

Abstract

Based on the Finnish Work Ability Concept, the following question was studied: What is the working atmosphere, what are the work demands and what is the work ability and health of the workforce in successful retail markets? The safety assessment of the workplace was followed by the use of the quantitative Work Ability Index (WAI) and a semi-structured tape-recorded interview to get more qualitative details about work demands, work organisation and work satisfaction of the employees. The text was transcribed and analysed. A “treasure” of good work ability and health was found. Its value was independent from branch, gender and age. Most employees enjoyed their work and three types of workers can be described with equal distribution. The leadership in the market had a definite understanding that people want to work autonomously and that they accept their responsibility for the success of the market. The teams we found performed a triangle of good appreciative leadership, individuality and ability to cooperate. The work organisation was based on the following principles: Decrease of physical work demand according to age, sufficient amount of workers when high amounts of stock arrive and fair distribution of the work load according to gender: e.g. men do the heavy work in the stockroom and have Saturday off.