Conversely, factors that promote dignity include connection, incorporation and valuing. Thus, feeling connected to work, being an integral part of the organisation and feeling valued positively affect dignity.
“Feeling connected to work, being an integral part of the organisation and feeling valued positively affect dignity”.
Each of these six mechanisms was further examined at four different levels of analysis (societal, organisational, interpersonal and individual). The first three are summarised below with some practical examples:
* Society: This level of analysis includes factors beyond the organisation, commonly associated with political, cultural and social changes. A worker’s dignity can be diminished at the societal level, for example, when his or her country undergoes a major relocation of companies that previously generated employment (alienation), when there are social inequalities in his or her country based on gender, race or economic status (exclusion), or when there’s a strong irruption of automation (dispensability) that modifies the structure of the labour market. On the other hand, dignity at the social level can be strengthened when there are political and social initiatives to redefine decent work (connection), based on different regulations (incorporation), and by protecting the rights of employees (valuing).
* Organisational: This level of analysis examines dignity at the organisational level within the boundaries of an organisation without considering interpersonal relationships. In this sense, dignity can be violated when there’s excessive employee control (alienation) or when there are policies or lack of policies that exclude any group (exclusion). In contrast, dignity at the organisational level can be strengthened when there is genuine employee participation in the organisation (connection), when there are codes of conduct and ethics that are observed by all employees (incorporation), and from a culture that generates a climate of support and honest personal development (valuing).