Work and work organization: what is changing? Some reflections towards the ne normaò

This paper focuses on work and work organization, suggesting some insights on current situation and on what it is expected to become the new normal way of working. It starts presenting the evolution of work organization in an historical perspective, putting in evidence the different approaches which have been proposed and describing their main features. A particular attention is devoted to well-being, a peculiar concept which helps in introducing the workers’ perspective in work experience and which has been proposed as a goal to be pursued in any work design activity. Its importance is intrinsic to some of the most important and innovative approaches and it is expected to grow in connection with a larger awareness on the social hand but also on the economic hand. Finally, the paper consider the effects and the implications on work organization of what it has be done during COVID pandemic, namely a sudden and unprepared immersion in smart working, underlying the long-lasting effects which are reasonably expected to maintain in the new normale