{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T07:32:21Z","timestamp":1777879941908,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,7]],"date-time":"2021-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1617753600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Workplace Health Saf"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Auxiliary tasks such as administrative work often include tasks that are unnecessary in the view of workers but still have to be done. These tasks can threaten a worker\u2019s self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of unnecessary and unreasonable tasks on musculoskeletal pain.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fifty-five office workers (29 male; mean age = 41.96, SD = 14.2 years) reported their unnecessary and unreasonable tasks at the beginning of the study and kept a diary of their daily musculoskeletal pain over 5 weeks, using a visual analogue scale. Other work-related risk factors (prolonged sitting), job resources (participation in decision-making), and individual risk factors (sex, smoking, exercise, body mass index, maladaptive back beliefs) were controlled for in multilevel regression analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Findings:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Multilevel regression analysis with 742 reports showed unnecessary tasks ( B = 4.27, p = .006)\u2014but not unreasonable tasks ( B = 3.05, p = .074)\u2014to predict the daily intensity of musculoskeletal pain, beyond other significant risk factors, such as prolonged sitting ( B = 2.06, p = .039), body mass index ( B = 1.52, p &lt; .001), and maladaptive back beliefs ( B = 3.78, p = .003). Participation in decision-making was not a significant protective factor ( B = \u22121.67, p = .176).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions\/Application to Practice:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The higher frequency of unnecessary tasks\u2014compared with unreasonable tasks\u2014could place workers at risk for musculoskeletal pain. Work redesign that reduces unnecessary and unreasonable tasks can make a valuable contribution to worker health and safety among office workers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/2165079921994830","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,7]],"date-time":"2021-04-07T07:29:47Z","timestamp":1617780587000},"page":"410-418","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["When Unnecessary Tasks Weigh Heavily on the Back: A Diary Study on Musculoskeletal Pain"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"69","author":[{"given":"Yannik","family":"Faes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Bern"},{"name":"University of Geneva"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4274-0261","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Achim","family":"Elfering","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Bern"},{"name":"University of Geneva"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-2165079921994830","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apergo.2019.102894"},{"key":"bibr2-2165079921994830","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sjpain.2017.09.014"},{"key":"bibr3-2165079921994830","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajim.22732"},{"key":"bibr4-2165079921994830","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Eatough E. 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