Programa de qualidade de vida no trabalho da UFRN: uma avaliação centrada na percepção dos trabalhadores

Abstract

The changes in the labor market lead to an increasing rate of production and competitiveness; because of that, workers adopt a more sedentary lifestyle, which along with other reasons, results in a growth of the number of workers affected by diseases worldwide. Among the most frequent illnesses are mental and behavioral disorders, musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, as well as back pain, which may have as consequences the need for leaving work and retiring early. This finding has become one of the main reasons for the growing interest by the organizations in the workers’ health. One of the implications of this matter is the significant expansion of investments in Programs of Quality of Life at Work, since the diseases are usually related to the work environment. In accordance with that information, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte has implemented its Program of Quality of Life at Work, entitled “Viver em Harmonia”, which focuses on verifying the perception of workers about the activities offered in the program. The individual experiences of workers with the program are taken as basis for this study. It is a descriptive and qualitative study, theoretically based on the ergonomics of the activity applied to the quality of life at work. In order to promote the information on the subject, a documentary analysis of the establishment and the program was performed, additionally 32 semistructured interviews were carried out with coordinators and participants of the activities of the program. The data found was treated by categorical content analysis in the light of the ergonomics literature and of the ergonomics of the activity studies applied to the quality of life at work. Overall, the program was satisfactory in spite of low adherence and divulgence, and the lack of activities related to work situations. Aiming to solve these problems and to contribute to a better development of the program, suggestions were collected from the main actors of Programs of Quality of Life at Work, i.e., the workers of the institution. If implemented, these suggestions may contribute to the progress of the “Viver em Harmonia” program and therefore may contribute to improving the quality of life at work, which is the ultimate purpose of the program. In conclusion, the study indicated that there are several challenges to be overcome and strategies to be reconsidered by the directors and managers responsible for planning and implementing a course of action in quality of life at work at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.