Mental Workload Management and Evaluation: A Literature Review for Sustainable Processes and Organizations

Abstract

Current organizational and manufacturing processes imply high mental workload demands that can be evaluated through the construct of MWL (mental workload). This term is often used in new manufacturing and organizational environments, which have replaced physical tasks with cognitive activities involving a high MWL. By overusing the attentional resources given to the tasks, such work environments are placing high cognitive loads on operators, thus affecting their performance and causing them to experience mental fatigue. A formal evaluation of MWL offers the opportunity to prevent mental disorders and maintain mental health. On the other hand, the lack of evaluation and proper management of MWL in the industry can result in errors that create economic costs, accidents, injuries, or even deadly events. Finally, MWL assessment and management can be a human-oriented strategy designed to improve and sustain the future of an organization. Industries must find competitive advantages in sustainable processes from the economic, environmental, and social view. In this sense, this chapter aims to present a literature review to provide a comprehensive literature analysis of MWL evaluation and management for sustainable processes in the manufacturing industry, from a social perspective.