OCCUPATIONAL FATIGUE IN HYBRID AND REMOTE WORK REGIMES: IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WORK SAFETY IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Recent digital transformations have significantly changed work organization, expanding the adoption of remote and hybrid work arrangements across different sectors. Although these modalities provide benefits such as flexibility, autonomy, and reduced commuting, they have also introduced new challenges related to mental health, ergonomics, and occupational safety. In the agricultural sector, these factors may be intensified by the combination of field activities, travel, technical responsibilities, and digital demands. This study aimed to analyze occupational fatigue in hybrid and remote work arrangements, considering its implications for workers’ mental health and occupational safety in the agricultural sector. The methodology consisted of a qualitative and descriptive literature review based on scientific articles, institutional documents, and recent publications addressing telework, hybrid work, psychosocial risks, ergonomics, mental health, and occupational safety. The results indicated that occupational fatigue in these work arrangements is associated with hyperconnectivity, difficulty disconnecting from work, extended working hours, inadequate ergonomics in home-based work environments, social isolation, and increased cognitive demands. These factors contribute to higher levels of stress, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, burnout syndrome, musculoskeletal symptoms, and reduced professional performance. Fatigue was also found to impair essential cognitive functions, including attention, working memory, decision-making, and risk perception, potentially increasing human errors, rework, and productivity losses. It is concluded that preventing occupational fatigue requires integrated measures involving working-hour management, the right to disconnect, ergonomic support, mental health promotion, appropriate organizational communication, and the incorporation of psychosocial risks into occupational safety policies.