High-involvement work processes, work intensification and employee well-being

Using a national population survey, this article examines how high-involvement work processes affect employee well-being. The analysis shows that greater experiences of autonomy and participation in decision-making have positive or neutral effects. Higher involvement is a key factor predicting higher job satisfaction and better work-life balance while it has no relationship to stress or fatigue. In contrast, higher levels of work intensity increase fatigue and stress and undermine work-life balance. If the quality of working life is a key objective in a reform based on greater employee involvement, close attention needs to be paid to the balance between processes that release human potential and those that increase the intensity of work.