The Third International Conference on Working Environment Economics

Overview

Working environment economics is an emerging and increasingly important field that explores the economic consequences of workplace conditions at societal, organisational, and individual levels. This interdisciplinary area investigates how various aspects of the working environment impact both organisational performance and employee well-being. A key research area within the field is the identification of workplace interventions that are both effective and cost-effective in improving working conditions - for the benefit of organisations and their employees.

Conference Aim

The Third International Conference on Working Environment Economics aimed to bring together leading scholars from around the world to examine how organisational design and leadership practices influence the sustainability, productivity, and health of both firms and employees.

Theme and Scope

This year’s theme focused on employee well-being and organisational performance, interpreted broadly to include:

• Protection of employees' mental and physical health
• Promotion of gender neutrality in workplace culture and compensation
• Attraction and retention of talent
• Reduction in absenteeism and presenteeism.

The concept of internal sustainability lies at the heart of these concerns. A sustainable firm is one that safeguards its human capital as an integral part of long-term success.

Special Session: Economic Evaluation of Working Environment Interventions

The programme included a dedicated session on the economic evaluation of interventions aimed at improving the working environment, including themes such as:

• Empirical studies on the costs and effects of various workplace interventions
• Theoretical perspectives on economic evaluation
• Methodological challenges in conducting economic evaluations.

Research Focus

The conference explored how organizational design and leadership can be harnessed to mitigate these challenges. Contributions covered empirical, theoretical, or policy-related aspects that shed light on:

• The causal links between workplace environment and economic outcomes
• Innovations in organizational structure that promote well-being
• Leadership strategies that foster healthy, equitable, and productive work settings
• Economic evaluation.

Participation and Submissions

The Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen, and the National Research Centre for the Working Environment had invited national and international researchers with an interest in the economics of the working environment to attend the conference.

Researchers, students, and professionals interested in the field were welcome. In addition to keynote speeches by two of the world’s leading working environment economists (TBA), participants were invited to submit research presentations within topics such as:

• Economic evaluation of workplace interventions
• Costs of a sub-optimal working environment for employers and employees
• Effects of working environment quality on organisational performance
• Improvement of physical work conditions (chemical exposure, nanoparticles, dust, ergonomics)
• Impacts of job strain, long hours, and pay-for-performance schemes on health outcomes
• Costs and impacts of regulatory interventions on labour market performance
• Rational behaviour in the labour market concerning work environment design
• Other relevant topics within working environment economics.