Ergonomics, International Labour Organization and future of work

Abstract

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is one of the most significant international organizations dealing with workers' problems. In 2019, this organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. On that occasion, the ILO presented programs for work improvement for the coming period. In this regard, the Director-General of this organization has published a document entitled “The Future of Work Centenary Initiative”. Based on the analysis of this document, it was noted that the ergonomics and its possibilities of contributing to the improvement of the work and working conditions of workers were not mentioned in this initiative, which presents an omission in terms of the possibility to achieve a complete humanization of work. It was also noted that the contributions of some other scientific disciplines in this direction were also not recognized. One of the main contributions of this paper manifests in the identification and systematization of the main areas that have an impact on work improvement. It has been identified 14 such areas. Only by developing all the identified areas and engaging experts in those areas can a comprehensive and complete improvement of the work and well-being of workers in the future be ensured. Part of the paper is devoted to the role of ergonomics in improving the work and position of workers, as well as the possibility of closer cooperation between the ILO and international ergonomic organizations such as the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES).