Affiliations: Department of Research and Occupational Health,
Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, and Faculty of Social
Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavic, Iceland
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Gudbjorg Linda Rafnsdottir,
Department of Research and Occupational Health, Administration of Occupational
Safety and Health in Iceland, Bildshofdi 16, IS-110 Reykjavik, Iceland. Tel.: +
354 550 4658; Fax: +354 550 4610; E-mail: linda@ver.is
Abstract: Great changes have come about in the last decade regarding the
organization of work. High technology and the steadily increasing ideology of
technocracy has produced a profound effect on the organization of work in some
workplaces. This effect has made the psychosocial and physical working
environment tougher, especially for women. The results we are presenting here
show that when dividing fishing factories into three technological stages; low
technology, middle technology and high technology, the job strain was highest
and the decision authority by the employee was lowest in the high technological
factories. This even had an impact on health and on the atmosphere at the
workplace, where the employees in the high technological factories were more
likely to complain about several health problems as well as about low degrees
of cheerfulness at the workplace and tiresome jobs. However, these same people
were the most positive towards the implementation of the high technology and
the new way of organizing their job that the technology introduced.
Keywords: technology, work environment, organization, gender, well being
