(in German)

In recent decades, various occupations characterized by interactive work have been empirically investigated. In addition, several conceptualizations of interactive work - defined as work involving people - have been developed. Despite those efforts, the question whether and how interactive work affects safety and health at work has hardly been considered. From an occupational science perspective, there is no systematic overview of the current debate.

Therefore, the article aims at shedding light on current debates on interactive work in the context of occupational safety and health in order to stress the general need for further applied research. This is done in two interrelated steps. First, interactive work is defined and differentiated from other forms of work. Second, a synopsis and systematic integration of previous research on interactive work and its consequences are carried out which allows for identifying central research gaps.

Practical Relevance Profound knowledge about the specific working conditions and occupational requirements as well as their effects on employees is relevant for designing interactive work in a way that it supports an employee's health and personality. This article reflects the current state of knowledge and elaborates on further research in order to promote the future development of recommendations for practice.

Please download the article "Interactive (service) work: challenges for applied research" (in German only).