Workers are submitted to labor processes that produce serious health consequences. Mainly, these consequences originate from management models that separate conception from execution, introduced by Taylorism and Fordism. The implementation of the Japanese management model incurred changes that demanded a more educated worker capable of accomplishing several tasks, and who is apparently more committed to his/her work. However, the physical and mental health of workers whose activities were not affected by production restructuring is being affected by the transformations presently in course in the workplace, such as new performances and demands.
labor processes; psychic suffering in the workplace; mental health