Types of work and their characteristics

The basis of human activity is purposeful professional activity. It is at work that a person spends most of his time. Someone does it for their own satisfaction and pleasure, others - for the material support of themselves and their families.

Theory: basic terms, definition of the concept of "work"

Work - the direction of human activity, the signs of which are expediency and creation.

The category of labor is the totality of a series of phenomena or concepts that are characterized by the same signs. The content, nature and forms of labor are classified as labor activity categories.

The content of labor activity is the aggregate of individual elements of labor, the identification of which occurs depending on the professional nature of the work, its structure, level of complexity, and the existence of a certain sequence of implementation.

The nature of labor is the qualitative characteristics of labor activity, which combine several types of labor in a group according to certain characteristics.

Forms of work - a set of types of labor operations, the implementation of which requires energy costs, the use of mechanized or automated equipment and machines.

Classification of labor activity: types and characteristics of labor

In fact, classifications of labor there is a huge variety. This is because labor is a complex multi-aspect socio-economic phenomenon.

Depending on the content of the work is divided into:

• Mental and physical. A clear line between these two types of labor does not exist. Therefore, they distinguish mainly mental and mainly physical labor activity. Mental labor implies the flow of active thinking processes, and physical work involves the expenditure of a person's muscular energy.
• Simple work and complicated. Simple labor activity, as a rule, does not require workers to have any professional qualification, certain skills and abilities. Complex work is only possible for people who have a specific profession.
• Functional and professional. In the implementation of functional labor activity, emphasis is placed on the performance of a certain number of functions characteristic of the relevant profession. Professional work acts as a subset of functional labor, creating a professional structure, depending on the set of labor functions. Example: a teacher is a functional kind of work, a drawing teacher is a professional kind of work activity.
• Reproductive and creative work. Reproductive work implies the performance of a standard set of functions, and its result is predetermined in advance. To the creative labor activity not all the employees show their abilities, it depends on the level of education of the worker, his qualifications, creativity of thinking and inclination to innovations. This is the result of an unknown result of creative work.

Depending on the nature of these types of labor:

• Concrete and abstract labor activity. Concrete labor is the work of an individual worker who transforms the object of nature with the aim of making it useful and creating consumer value. Allows you to determine the productivity of labor at the enterprise level, compare the performance indicators of individual industries and areas of activity. Abstract work is a proportionate concrete work, where the qualitative diversity of the set of functional types of labor activity is receding into the background. Creates the value of commodity output.
• Independent work and collective. Types of independent labor include absolutely all types of work activity, which is carried out by a specific employee-employee or a certain enterprise. Collective work is the work of a group of workers, the personnel of an enterprise, its separate department.
• Private and public work. Social work always consists of the private, since the latter has a social character.
• Hired and self-employed types of labor. Hired labor activity is carried out on the basis of the conclusion between the employer and the employee of the employment contract, the contract. Self-labor involves the independent creation of an enterprise and the organization of the production process, when the owner of the production provides himself with a working place.

Depending on the results of work, there are:

• Live and past work. Live work - the work of a person, which he carries out at a given time. The results of past labor activity are reflected in the objects and means of labor that were previously created by other workers and are products of industrial destination.
• Productive work and unproductive. The main difference is the form of the created good. As a result of productive labor activity, natural-material goods are created, and as a result of unproductive labor, the benefits of social and spiritual orientation are of value and utility to the public.

Depending on the means of labor used in labor activity, there are:

• Manual labor. It is done manually. It is allowed to use simple hand tools.
• Mechanized labor. For the implementation of the type of labor under consideration, the exploitation of mechanized tools is an indispensable condition. And the energy that the worker expends, is distributed to the tool of labor activity and changes in the subject.
• Machine work. The object is transformed by the exploitation of machinery, which is managed by the worker. On the shoulders of the latter is still the responsibility for the performance of certain functions.
• Automated work. Assumes the modification of the object through the operation of automatic equipment. The employee is required to exercise quality control over the mechanisms that perform all the necessary functions without involving the human factor.

Depending on working conditions:

• Stationary and mobile work. Includes all types of labor, which are determined by the specifics of the technological process and the varieties of the produced goods.
• Easy, medium and hard work. Depends on the level of physical activity that the worker receives when performing certain functions.
• Free labor and regulated. It depends on the specific conditions of work activity and the stylistics of enterprise management.

Depending on the methods used to attract people, there are:

• Work on foreign economic coercion. A characteristic feature is the lack of the desire to work for a person. An employee carries out forced labor without any motivation (material, spiritual, etc.).
• Labor activity for economic coercion. A person works to have money for the existence and maintenance of himself and his family. All employees are engaged in forced labor.
• Work of their own free will. A characteristic feature is the employee's desire to realize his labor potential. The results of such work are for the benefit of society.

Basic forms of work

1. Forms of work related to the involvement of muscle activity. Require significant energy costs to the employee, because the underlying physical effort, and the implementation of any process in automatic mode is impossible. This form includes manual labor.
2. Mechanized forms of labor activity. Characterized by less physical activity and more complicated program of actions, which is associated with the use of mechanized equipment.
3. Partially automated forms of work. In the production process, a key role is played by automatic equipment and machine tools, and a person is only needed to carry out maintenance of used machines. Characteristic features: monotony, accelerated pace of work, suppression of creative initiatives.
4. Forms of labor activity that require management of production processes. It includes all types of work in which the employee acts as a necessary operational link, and his main task is the management of the production process and control over the automated equipment.
5. Intellectual forms of work. Characterized by the need to activate mental activity of the brain, memory, attention, etc., as well as minimal physical exertion. This form includes managerial, creative and scientific work, as well as labor activity of medical workers.
6. Conveyor forms of labor. A characteristic feature: the division of the production process into individual operations, which must be performed in a certain sequence. Details for each employee are given in automatic mode by using a belt conveyor.

Features of mental work

Mental labor is an activity that requires the reception and processing of information data, the realization of which is due to the activation of the thought process. For mental work activity, the strong tension of the activity of the central nervous system is characteristic. Also, there are cases when physical exercises are necessary for the successful implementation of mental work.

Workers of intellectual work. Who are they?

Mentally working people include managers, operators, employees of creative professions, medical workers, students and students.

To the category of "operators" are people whose labor activity is related to the management of machines, equipment, control over the flow of technological processes.

Managerial work is carried out by the heads of organizations, enterprises, teachers. Feature: the minimum amount of time for processing information.

Artistic professions include artists, artists, writers, composers, designers. Creative work is the most complex kind of mental labor.

Medical personnel are also considered to be intellectual, but only those specialties that involve constant contact with people-patients, and performance requires increased responsibility, where the decision must be made as soon as possible, there is a deficit of the time factor.

The scientific work of students in schools and universities requires activation of memory, attention and perception.

Physical labor activity

Physical labor is carried out due to certain physical exertion. A characteristic feature is the interaction of the human worker with the means of labor. At physical labor activity the person is a part of technological process and the executor of those or other functions in labor process.

Mental and physical work: physiological differences

Mental and physical labor activities are interrelated and interdependent. Any mental work requires certain energy costs, as well as physical effort is impossible without activating the information component. For example, all types of manual labor require a person to activate both mental processes and physical activity. The difference is that physical activity is dominated by energy expenditure, while intellectual work is dominated by brain work.

Mental activity triggers a large number of nerve elements, rather than physical, because mental work is complex, skilled, extensive and multifaceted.

Physical fatigue is more noticeable from physical activity than from mental labor. In addition, with the onset of fatigue, physical work can be stopped, mental activity can not be stopped.

Occupations of manual labor

To date, physical labor is more in demand, and skilled workers are much easier to work for than "intellectuals." The shortage of workers gives rise to relatively high rates for performing work that requires physical effort. In addition, if heavy physical work is performed in conditions unfavorable to human health, there is an increased payment at the legislative level.

Light physical labor is handled by: production workers, automated process managers, maintenance personnel, seamstresses, agronomists, veterinary workers, nurses, medical orderlies, industrial goods sellers, physical education instructors, sports section trainers, etc.

For occupations with moderate physical loads are: machinist of woodworking and metalworking industry, mechanic, adjuster, surgeon, chemist, textile worker, driver, food industry worker, household and public service personnel, seller of production goods , Railway worker, lift truck driver.

For occupations with heavy physical loads are: a builder, virtually all types of agricultural work, a mechanic, a superficial miner, an oil, gas, pulp and paper, woodworking industry worker, a metallurgist, a caster, and others.

To occupations with physical work of increased severity are: underground miner, steelworker, timber feller, wood carver, bricklayer, concrete worker, excavator, loader of non-mechanized labor, worker in the production of construction materials (non-mechanized labor).

Functions of labor

Work performs the following functions:

• Participates in the reproduction of goods (is one of the production factors) aimed at meeting human needs;
• Forms public wealth;
• Promotes the development of society;
• Stipulates the development of scientific and technological progress and culture;
• Participates in the formation of man;
• Acts as a way of self-realization and self-expression of the individual.

The Role of Labor in Human Life

"Work from a monkey made a man" - a familiar phrase, is not it? It is in this phrase that there is a deep meaning that reflects the great role of labor in the life of each of us.

Work activity allows a person to become a person, and a person to realize himself. Labor is the guarantor of development, gaining new knowledge, skills and experience.

What happens next? A person cultivates, acquires knowledge, experience, relying on which creates new goods, services, cultural values, provoking scientific and technical progress, causing new needs and fully satisfying them.