Organizational well-being and health promotion

Established by resolution of the Department Council on 21 January 2014, with its administrative office hosted by the Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences (DSCS).

Scientific Director: Prof. Alberto Ghilardi

Proposing Faculty Members

• Prof. Alberto Ghilardi, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology (DSCS)
• Prof. Claudio Maioli, Full Professor of Physiology (DSCS)
• Dr. Luca Falciati, Researcher in Physiology (DSCS)
• Dr. Massimiliano Gobbo, Researcher in Physiology (DSCS)
• Prof. Deodato Assanelli, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine (DSCS)
• Prof. Sergio Albertini, Full Professor of Business Organization (DEM)
• Dr. Caterina Muzzi, Researcher in Business Organization (DEM)
• Prof. Mario Mazzoleni, Associate Professor of Business Administration (DEM)
• Prof. Marzia Barbera, Full Professor of Labour Law (DIGI)
• Dr. Francesca Malzani, Associate Professor of Labour Law (DIGI)
• Prof. Marco Alberti, Full Professor of Industrial Mechanical Systems Engineering (DIMI)
• Dr. Diana Rossi, Researcher in Industrial Mechanical Systems Engineering (DIMI)
• Eng. Filippo Marciano, Teaching Assistant in Industrial Mechanical Systems Engineering (DIMI)
• Dr. Manuela Rossini, Research Fellow in Work and Organizational Psychology (DSCS)
• Dr. Chiara Buizza, Research Fellow in Clinical Psychology (DSCS)

Research Areas and Activities

The Observatory’s interdepartmental nature is designed to integrate the diverse expertise of its members through an interdisciplinary approach. Its activities are based on a psychological and organizational framework, incorporating contributions from neuroscience to optimize human-environment interaction, while maintaining constant reference to the relevant legal framework (legislation, collective agreements, and case law) and to methods and tools for promoting well-being.

The Observatory focuses on the following research areas:

1. Psychosocial Risk Factors: Work-Related Stress
   Promoting organizational well-being through the mapping of functional and dysfunctional organizational areas and implementing interventions targeting both individual workers and organizations.
2. Psychosocial Risk Factors: Workplace Bullying (Mobbing)
   Promoting organizational well-being through the identification of critical issues such as workplace bullying and other relational pathologies in the work environment, and the implementation of tailored interventions for the groups involved.
3. Mental Health in the Workplace
   Promoting occupational well-being by identifying situations that pose a risk to employees’ psychological health and implementing protective interventions at both individual and organizational levels.
4. Active Ageing in the Workplace
   Promoting the psycho-physical well-being of workers aged 50 and over by investigating, through best practices, the individual and organizational factors underlying active ageing and smart ageing policies, and by establishing partnerships with ongoing projects in this area.
5. Impact of Smart Working and New Technologies
   Assessing the effects of remote working arrangements and emerging technologies on workplace environments and occupational well-being.
6. Well-Being-Oriented Leadership
   Conducting preventive analyses of leadership styles, organizational culture and climate, and employees’ involvement in decision-making processes from a well-being-oriented perspective.
7. Work-Life Balance Policies
   Promoting the protection of psycho-physical health and both individual and organizational well-being through the analysis of policies aimed at improving the balance between employees’ personal and professional lives, including within a diversity management framework.
8. Employers’ Obligations in Relation to Emerging Risks
   Examining occupational health and safety legislation in light of evolving case law concerning employers’ duty of care and related liabilities.
9. Occupational Well-Being and Promotion Strategies
   Promoting the dissemination of best practices and corporate social responsibility initiatives, and investigating their relationship with employers’ safety obligations and workplace non-violence.
10. Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
    Investigating the implementation of occupational health and safety management systems within organizations, with the aim of assessing safety climate and safety culture and their impact on employee well-being.
11. Work System Ergonomics
    Promoting the principles, methods, and tools, as defined primarily by national and international technical standards, for the design and ergonomic assessment of workstations and work environments. This includes anthropometric, biomechanical, and cognitive aspects, as well as the influence of thermal, acoustic, lighting, chemical, and indoor air quality conditions.
12. Product Usability
    Promoting human-centred design principles and methodologies for products, tools, and devices used in work and everyday environments, with the aim of ensuring comfortable and effective use across different operational contexts.
13. Optimization of Interaction with the Workplace Peripersonal Space
    Analysing visual-perceptual abilities, attentional capacities, visual exploration skills, and perception-action control processes in real-world conditions. The goal is to promote physical and cognitive well-being in the workplace through the development of computerized quantitative methods for detecting and measuring visual-attentional fatigue (occupational asthenopia), including eye-movement analysis and visual search performance assessment following prolonged visually demanding tasks.
14. Physical Well-Being in Occupational Settings
    Identifying impairments in musculoskeletal system efficiency in order to prevent functional limitations or provide rehabilitative interventions when dysfunctions are already present, thereby supporting occupational well-being. Research activities include the development of personalized exercise programs aimed at mitigating the effects of repetitive work activities that place excessive strain on specific muscle groups or joints, potentially leading to premature functional impairment. The Observatory also designs and implements workplace-based physical activity programs focused on endurance, strength, and balance training.