Work, Health and Performance

Mission statement Work, Health and Performance

The Work, Health and Performance (WHP) programme examines human behaviour in the increasingly dynamic context of work and organizations. It is our ambition to conduct solid and sound research on work, health and performance, with the aim of having a significant impact both theoretically and in society. The WHP group includes researchers with a high diversity of expertise, with the shared mission to understand and promote healthy and safe working in a changing society. Our theoretical aim is to advance our understanding of work behaviour, and related cognitive, affective, and motivational processes, by integrating perspectives from different (psychological) disciplines. Our applied aim is to use this knowledge to positively influence antecedents, processes, and outcomes of healthy and safe working in current and future society.

Our research programme comprises four interrelated research lines:

1. Psychology of fatigue. By integrating different perspectives from psychology, we aim to understand the nature and consequences of mental fatigue. We also aim to explore the role of fatigue in the context of work, exercise and social relationships.
2. Hybrid working and sustainable well-being. We collaborate with scientific and applied partners to examine the challenges of hybrid working, and we advise on prerequisites for sustainable hybrid working (combining on-site and off-site working) for diverse groups of workers. Relevant topics are: remote working in relation to work-life balance, remote leadership, and (in)equality and social inclusion.
3. Safety and moral behaviour. We study the factors that contribute to (un)safe and (im)moral behaviour and social responsibility in work environments. We focus in particular on the role of social network structures.
4. Sedentary work and physical activity. We aim to understand the psychological processes that drive sitting behaviour and physical activity as they emerge before, during and after mental work. We use technology to continuously track people’s sedentary behaviour and physical activity, in combination with advanced statistical methods.

Our research is characterized by a multi-method approach. We conduct laboratory experiments, longitudinal field studies, and applied intervention and implementation studies. We combine self-report measures with objective behavioural, psycho-physiological, and/or neurocognitive measurements. We use open science practices. We value and contribute to (interdisciplinary) team science and we collaborate intensively with scientific and applied partners.

Members of the WHP group have national and international standing, and serve on various editorial positions for high-quality journals in the field. The ambiance within our group is open, positive, collaborative and inclusive. The group meets weekly for inspiring research meetings.

For an overview of current PhD-projects please click here