Affiliations: CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Program in Occupational Health and Environmental
Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Chia-Yu A. Lin, CanChild Centre for
Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, 1400 Main Street West, IAHS
408, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 1C7, Canada. Tel.: +1 905 525 9140, extension
26842; Fax: +1 905 522 6095; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Work organization consists of three contexts: (a) the external
context/factors, (b) the organizational context/practices, and, (c) the work
context/process. The investigation of work organization may lead to more
effective prevention and intervention for work-related injury and illness.
Studies have suggested that workers with limited English proficiency may be
more prone to work-related injury and illness. The purposes of this qualitative
phenomenological study were to gain a better understanding of the meaning of
work organization to Chinese workers with English as a second language (ESL)
and to explore their lived experiences on how work organization affects their
health. Ten in-depth face to face interviews were conducted with Chinese ESL
workers (5 males and 5 females; ages ranged from 22 to 41 years) who were
employed in English-speaking workplaces in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario,
Canada. Interviews were translated and transcribed before importing them into
NUD*IST, a qualitative data management software program. The transcripts were
then coded, and categories were developed based on the codes. Subsequently,
eight themes were identified from the categories. Work organization was
perceived by Chinese ESL workers to be at an impersonal and distant level.
Workers also identified work organization related issues (i.e., employers'
priority, communication, work culture, job autonomy, recognition, and
individual characteristics) as factors affecting their health at workplaces.
However, these workers commonly expressed resignation towards their own health.
Workplaces, especially those with Chinese ESL workers, need to place greater
emphasis on implementing effective health and safety approaches to maximize the
health of these workers.
Keywords: Chinese ESL workers, work and health, worker's perception, workplace health
