Paper
Bodywork at Work: Attending to Bodily Needs in Gig, Shift, and Knowledge Work
Published May 11, 2024 · Deepika Yadav, Kasper Karlgren, R. Shaikh
Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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Abstract
The concept of ‘bodywork´ refers to the work individuals undertake on their own bodies and the bodies of others. One aspect is attending to bodily needs, which is often overlooked in the workplace and HCI/CSCW research on work practices. Yet, this labour can be a significant barrier to work, consequential to work, and prone to spill over into other aspects of life. We present three empirical cases of bodywork: gig-based food delivery, shift work in hospitals and bars, and office-based knowledge work. We describe what attending to bodily needs at work entails and illustrate tactics employed so that work can be carried on, even when the body (or technology optimising it) breaks down. Arguing that all systems are bodily systems, we conclude with a call to acknowledge the centrality of bodies in all work and the roles technologies can play in supporting or constraining bodywork differently for different workers.
Attending to bodily needs at work can improve work performance and efficiency in gig, shift, and knowledge work settings.
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