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Biography
Dr Jonathan Houdmont is a Lecturer in Occupational Health Psychology at the Institute of Work, Health & Organisations, University of Nottingham. He obtained a BSc in Psychology from the University of Leeds followed by a PGCE in Adult and Further Education from the University of Keele, prior to undertaking a career teaching A-Level psychology in the Further Education sector. After obtaining his MSc in Occupational Health Psychology with Distinction from the University of Nottingham in 2002, he joined the staff at the Institute of Work, Health and Organisations. He subsequently completed a PhD in Applied Psychology on the issue of caseness for work-related stress.
Jonathan's research and consultancy is focused on two strands of activity that have generated a series of peer reviewed journal papers, commissioned reports, book chapters, and conference presentations:
- Psychosocial work environment measurement and intervention issues, with a particular focus on high-stress occupational groups. This currently finds expression in research on work-related stress in the policing, prison, and fire service contexts.
- Workplace health promotion intervention design and evaluation. This strand of activity currently finds expression in research on the promotion of sun safety in the construction sector and physical activity among firefighters.
He is co-editor of the biennial reference series 'Occupational Health Psychology: Global Perspectives on Research and Practice'. He is also co-editor of 'Occupational Health Psychology', currently the sole student textbook for the discipline. Both books are published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Jonathan is Director of the MSc in Workplace Health and Wellbeing, an innovative education and training programme for workplace health (and safety) practitioners. The course is centred on the interface of scientific evidence, legislative and policy drivers, and professional practice in the management of contemporary issues in workplace health and wellbeing. Jonathan convenes five (of eight) modules on the course and supervises student research projects on this MSc and others.
Jonathan offers PhD supervision on a range of topics in the occupational health psychology domain. He is currently primary supervisor to five PhD students. The theses that he supervises are unified by virtue of being driven by psychological theory and possessing the potential to make a genuine improvement to the health and wellbeing of workers. To this end, the research that he supervises is orientated towards providing an evidence base that practitioners might use as a basis for the enhancement of working life.
Jonathan was Executive Officer and a Charitable Trustee of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology from 2003 to 2010. He was the Academy's Conference Co-ordinator, organising four international conferences (Berlin, 2003; Porto, 2004; Dublin, 2006; Valencia, 2008).
Teaching Summary
Convenor of MSc modules on:
- Work-Related Stress
- Workplace Health Promotion
- Organisational Research and Evaluation Methods
- Health Legislation, Policy and Guidance
- Applied Research Project
Selected Publications
MUNIR, F., CLEMES, S., HOUDMONT, J. and RANDALL, R., 2012. Overweight and obesity in a cohort of UK firefighters Occupational Medicine. (In Press.)
HOUDMONT, J., KERR, R., and ADDLEY, K.,, 2012. Psychosocial factors and economic recession: The Stormont Study Occupational Medicine. 62(2), 98-104 HOUDMONT, J., KERR, R. and RANDALL, R., 2012. Organizational psychosocial hazard exposures in UK policing: Management Standards Indicator Tool reference values Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. 35(1), 182-197
Current PhD students (2011-2012)
Karen Coomer - Work ability in the UK manufacturing context
Haitham Hassan - Psychosocial safety climate among immigrant workers in the Dubai construction sector
Humaira Latif - Psychological capital, work engagement, and job performance in Pakistani teachers
Paul Madgwick - Development and evaluation of a sun safety intervention for the UK construction sector
Yan Yang - Procrastination among PhD students
Jonathan welcomes PhD proposals that hold the potential to make a real improvement to the health and wellbeing of workers. His research is orientated towards providing an evidence base that practitioners might use as a rationale for the introduction of occupational health policies and procedures. This focus is reflected in the PhDs that he supervises. Proposals are welcomed on topics consistent with Jonathan's four primary research foci:
Psychosocial work environment and worker health
This strand of research examines relations between various aspects of the psychosocial work environment such as job demands, control, support, relationships, role, and change on the one hand and health outcomes on the other. Its purpose is to draw attention towards the existence of such relationships with a view towards promoting the management of potentially harmful aspects of the psychosocial work environment. Exemplar publications:
Houdmont, J., Zhou, J. and Hassard, J. (2011). Overtime and psychological wellbeing among Chinese office workers. Occupational Medicine, 61, 270-273.
Houdmont, J., Kerr, R., & Addley, K. (2012). Psychosocial factors and economic recession: The Stormont Study. Occupational Medicine, 62, 98-104
Psychosocial issues in high-stress occupations
This strand of research explores psychosocial risk (work-related stress) in high-stress occupational groups with a view to the identification and management of sector-specific issues. To date, this research has involved prison and police officers. Exemplar publications:
Bevan, A., Houdmont, J., & Menear, N. (2010). The Management Standards Indicator Tool and the estimation of risk. Occupational Medicine, 60, 525-531.
Houdmont, J., Kerr, R., & Randall, R. (2012). Organisational psychosocial hazard exposures in UK policing: Management Standards Indicator Tool reference values. Policing: An international journal of police strategies and management. 35, 182-197.
Methodological issues in the measurement of work-related stress
The measurement of work-related stress in large-scale workforce surveys is important as the findings of such surveys inform occupational health policy and practice. The way in which work-related stress is measured in such surveys has important implications for the prevalence estimates generated. This research explores the variety of approaches to measurement, considers their implications, and attempts the development of standardised and theory-based case definitions. Exemplar publications:
Houdmont, J., Cox, T., & Griffiths, A. (2010). Work-related stress case definitions and prevalence rates in national surveys. Occupational Medicine, 60, 658-661.
'Defining a case of work-related stress'. This research, commissioned by the UK Health and Safety Executive, is reported in chapter 3 of my PhD.
Workplace health promotion, with a specific focus on sun safety
In the UK, the majority of cases of occupational skin cancer attributed to solar radiation are to be found in the construction sector. This research explores the prevalence of the problem, advances the development of sector-specific interventions, and evaluates the effectiveness of such interventions. Exemplar publications:
Madgwick, P., Houdmont, J., & Randall, R. (2011). Sun safety measures among construction workers in Britain. Occupational Medicine, 61, 430-433. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/1533/