Abstract

OREJUELA GOMEZ, Johnny Javier  and  RAMIREZ, Angela. Aproximación cualitativa al estudio de la subjetividad laboral en profesionales colombianos. Pensam. psicol. [online]. 2011, vol.9, n.16, pp.125-144. ISSN 1657-8961.

Objective. To understand the meaning attributed to work by professional individuals who are active members of the Colombian labor market, which is currently affected by a series of significant transformations which can be generally categorized as fragmented, precarious, unstable and uncertain. Subjectivity in the context of work is approached from the viewpoint of the meaning attributed to work as a socioeconomic activity based on the analysis of work-associated representations, the centrality attributed to it as a social activity, the social rules associated to a working activity, and the work-related values which are introduced and assumed. Method: A descriptive-interpretative, qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with six qualified employees with different types of contract, from the cities of Cali and Bogotá, Colombia. Results. Data obtained explained that qualified professionals give a positive valuation to work and they accept it as a social activity with a sense of self-expression and personal development, which in social hierarchy is only bettered by the family, and which is taken on with a deep sense of commitment, quality and improvement; from this they expect respectful treatment and a fair salary. Conclusions. Work is a social activity with a value which is more than instrumental, since it represents possibilities of personal and professional development, assuming diligence as a social virtue, in which intrinsic aspects are more predominant in their subjective evaluation than the extrinsic.

Keywords : Industrial Psychology; job satisfaction; human resources; working conditions.

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