Organizational and work Psychology, Conversations in Guatemala: Dr. Julio Neffa y Dr. Enrico Rentería Pérez

Abstract

In April 2024, the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala organized four virtual panel discussions on psychosocial risks in the workplace. Experts in human resources management and other professionals from Latin America participated. It was a multidisciplinary exchange on current economic and social transformations. In this space, two interventions are presented. The first, by Dr. Julio César Neffa, argues that a comprehensive approach addresses the worker in physical, mental, and psychological dimensions. He highlights that in the post-crisis period of the 1970s, the International Labour Organization (ILO) expanded its focus to include working conditions and the work environment. The model proposed by Michel Gollac identifies these risks, grouping them into company demands and requirements, such as work intensification, working hours, environmental risks, autonomy and control over the work process, emotional control, ethical and value conflicts, social and work relationships, job security and stability. He advocates for changes in the labor model, appropriate legislation, and preventive measures to improve well-being. He emphasizes that it is the working conditions and psychosocial risks that affect health and occupational well-being. The second, by Dr. Erico Renteria Pérez, emphasizes that informality and rurality dominate in Latin America, affecting the assessment of psychosocial risks. He critiques the exclusive focus on formal employment and highlights the growing post-pandemic digitalization, which generates new labor inequalities. He mentions the limitations in Colombia for assessing risks outside of formal employment. He calls for adapting legislation and tools to new forms of work and criticizes the exclusion of informal workers from theories and legislation. He concludes with a call for a more comprehensive approach in labor research and legislation.