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Empowering work teams in homecare: the psychosocial challenges of organizational transformation

Publication

The ever-changing world of work can be seen as a mirror of our society. The attraction of participative forms of organization is recurrent. Over the last ten years or so, the autonomous team model has been gaining ground in the homecare sector. In theory, this model is supposed to improve both the working conditions of professionals and the responsiveness of structures in the face of the turnover and absenteeism that are characteristic of this sector of activity. But what does this mean in practice? How are working conditions experienced during the transformation process? What impact does this have on the psychosocial health of professionals? By means of a longitudinal study carried out in a homecare company undergoing organizational change, we show how the implementation of the autonomous team model is experienced by professionals, and what the expectations and psychosocial issues generated by the transformation are. The study is based on a psycho-ergonomic approach, with the aim of preventing occupational risks.