Resumo:
This research investigates the impact of work organization on productivity management and predictors of illness in the retail sector. The study aimed to analyze the configuration of work processes, the impact of online sales on in-person sales, and the risks to worker health. Methodologically, a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach was adopted, based on the theoretical framework of Ergology and the methodological framework of the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD). After ethical approval, open interviews were conducted with salespeople, whose data were processed using the MAXQDA software. The analysis revealed ten central categories: Individualization, Inefficiency/Bureaucratization, Resignation, Instability/Insecurity, Pressure, Overload, Helplessness, Invisibility, Recognition, and Blaming. The results highlight the prevalence of Pressure and Overload, simultaneously evidencing movements of renormalization among salespeople as a strategy for preserving health and adapting to the environment. The findings confirm that the management model based on goals undermines health, generating physical and mental exhaustion in 100% of the sample and the use of psychotropic drugs in 40%. It is concluded that neoliberal logic and technological innovations intensify professional instability and transform the worker into a disposable resource, where competitiveness replaces solidarity and illness is silenced by individual blame. The urgency of a management model that prioritizes human value over sales metrics to mitigate occupational burnout is highlighted.
