“The workplace is the most important environment for most people’s health, whether it is a home, office, factory or forest.” (Kjellström 2007)

Social sustainability is one of three global goals noted in the Rio Convention 1992 by the UN World Commission of Environment and Development. While economic sustainability is a booster of change for modern organisations, ecological sustainability remains a constant task, while social sustainability is less looked at in the everyday workplace. But “the labour force of a human being is part of the person and their dignity, therefore the labour market can not be looked at as every other market”, as Sociologist Senghaas-Knobloch 2011 states.
Statistics since 2005 show alarming figures concerning the well-being and health of working people world wide. Therefore, it is important to understand how organisational structures and subjective processing and coping are interlinked. The seminar is based on sociological and psychological knowledge, focussing on theories and praxis concepts that allow gathering an understanding on how organisations and their role actors can shape a workplace “socially sustainable”. Within the course we will explore the psychological effects of the quality of the social climate, communication and interaction, in order to understand social vulnerability. We discuss effects of socially anti-sustainable workplaces marked by problems as work addiction, burnout and mobbing, and more sustainable approaches like occupational health management and or work-life-balance. Ethics and responsibilities are addressed as well.
The seminar uses English as a lingua franca. Coping with the effects of this setting is part of the reflection within the course, referring to differences between communication, comprehension and understanding within a working environment. Students are supported to express themselves, didactically and by the lecturer. The interactive learning setting (by TCI methods) combines theoretical and practical elements, supporting reflection on own experiences of participants. Students should be willing to participate in this manner.
The next summer term will offer a 2nd part of the seminar with topics of further consideration and a field exploration (though part 1 and 2 can be attended separately).

Open for 1st semester students and above, recommended for 3rd semester Bachelor students before their internship and thesis, as well open for Master and Erasmus students, and to students of other faculties. This course is limited to 20 participants.

2 SWS: Fortnightly, starting in the 2nd week of the term, probably Tuesdays 4 – 7 pm; 3 hours (s.t.!). Please register reliable via Stud.IP for your participation.

References
Hämäläinen, Riitta (2006). Workplace Health Promotion in Europe. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
Meyerhuber, Sylke (2014) Trust and Time in Reorganisations and the Role of Middle Managers. In Guido Becke, Mindful Change in Times of Permanent Reorganisation – Organizational, Institutional and Sustainability Perspectives. Heidelberg New York London: Springer, 147-166.
Pongratz, Hans & Voß, Günter (2001). From Employee to ‘Entreployee’ – Towards a ‘Self-Entrepreneurical’ work force? In: SOWI – Sozialwissenschaftliche Informationen, 2001, pp. 42-52.

Performance requirement / CP
Preparation of an interactive lecture and exposition in small groups (6 CP / 3 CP).