{"id":6394,"date":"2025-10-13T10:02:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T08:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/?p=6394"},"modified":"2025-10-13T12:15:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T10:15:08","slug":"autonomy-at-work-a-lever-for-health-safety-and-sustainable-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/en\/blog-en\/autonomy-at-work-a-lever-for-health-safety-and-sustainable-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Autonomy at Work: a Lever for Health, Safety and Sustainable Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"6394\" class=\"elementor elementor-6394 elementor-6393\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc5133e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fc5133e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba219ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ba219ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Why is employee autonomy essential?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46e767c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46e767c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For over forty years,\u00a0<em>Self-Determination Theory<\/em>\u00a0(Deci &amp; Ryan) has shown that three psychological needs are fundamental to both health and performance:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>autonomy<\/strong>,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>competence<\/strong>,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <strong>social affiliation<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among them, the sense of autonomy plays a central role: it determines the quality of engagement and the long-term effectiveness of teams.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent research (2020\u20132024) confirms this importance:<\/p><ul><li>A study by\u00a0Coti\u010d et al. (2025)\u00a0shows that job characteristics \u2013 in particular autonomy \u2013 are powerful predictors of <strong>employee engagement<\/strong> (Coti\u010d et al., 2025). Likewise, autonomy is inversely correlated with the intention to leave the organisation.<\/li><li><strong>Managerial support<\/strong> for autonomy\u00a0directly improves psychological well-being through work engagement, according to\u00a0Montoya et al. (2025).<\/li><li>Autonomy fosters <strong>resilience\u00a0in the face of stress <\/strong>and the <strong>ability to adapt one\u2019s job<\/strong> (<em>job crafting<\/em>).\u00a0Nie et al. (2023)demonstrate that autonomy and work meaning are key drivers of proactive adaptive behaviours (Nie et al., 2023).<\/li><li>In modern work contexts (hybrid telework, algorithmic management, digital intensification),\u00a0flexibility and autonomyemerge as <strong>protective factors against cognitive overload and isolation<\/strong> (Biron &amp; van Veldhoven, 2024;\u00a0<em>ScienceDirect<\/em>).<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An employee who feels autonomous does not merely execute tasks. They take initiative, adjust their methods, <strong>innovate and project themselves into the organisation\u2019s future.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-daf6dd4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"daf6dd4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/portrait-smiling-male-electrician-pointing-with-hard-hat-equipment-street-1617x1080.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6406\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/portrait-smiling-male-electrician-pointing-with-hard-hat-equipment-street-1617x1080.jpg 1617w, https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/portrait-smiling-male-electrician-pointing-with-hard-hat-equipment-street-1080x721.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/portrait-smiling-male-electrician-pointing-with-hard-hat-equipment-street.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5cb449 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c5cb449\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Which managerial practices strengthen autonomy?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a52606d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a52606d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">1. Autonomy-supportive leadership<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0608be6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0608be6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent studies show that autonomy-supportive management significantly enhances employees\u2019<\/p><div><b>intrinsic motivation and psychological well-being<\/b><\/div><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Van den Broeck et al., 2021; Montoya et al., 2025). Participatory and empowering leadership is based on simple yet powerful behaviours:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>offering structured choices <\/b>(methods, sequencing, time management),<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">providing <b>meaning <\/b>by explaining the <i>why <\/i>behind objectives,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>acknowledging <\/b>employees\u2019 constraints and emotions,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">giving constructive, <b>progress-oriented feedback.<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In practice, even short management training courses (3\u20135 hours + follow-up) can already initiate this transformation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d1bf8c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d1bf8c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">2. Genuine delegation and participation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c5458f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7c5458f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autonomy flourishes when employees can influence meaningful decisions:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>co-constructing <\/b>objectives,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>delegating <\/b>priority setting or tool choice,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>involving teams <\/b>in <b>strategic <\/b>decisions at unit level.<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent studies show that such approaches increase employee engagement and the quality of everyday innovation. Involved employees feel responsible and develop creative solutions that enhance both safety and organisational performance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee72d89 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ee72d89\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">3. Work design and organisation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bb6f93 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7bb6f93\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><i>Work design<\/i>\u00a0is crucial for both risk prevention and performance. Three dimensions promote a true sense of mastery:<\/div><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>method autonomy<\/b> \u2013 freedom in how to achieve results (OKRs focused on objectives rather than presence),<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>planning autonomy<\/b> \u2013 ability to organise one\u2019s priorities and time,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>sequencing autonomy<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 reducing micro-supervision and unnecessary approvals.<\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even in highly regulated environments (industry, construction, pharmaceuticals), such degrees of freedom strengthen psychological safety and motivation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ccb5af3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ccb5af3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">4. Resources, skills and feedback<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19ad771 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"19ad771\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autonomy does not mean absence of structure. For it to be healthy and sustainable, three levers are essential:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Resources:<\/b> tools, accessible information, sufficient time.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Skills:<\/b> continuous training, mentoring, coaching to reinforce mastery.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Feedback: <\/b>regular, constructive input aligning individual initiatives with collective strategy.<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus conceived, autonomy is not an abdication of control, but a protective and stimulating framework that nurtures psychological safety and sustainable performance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab8d799 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ab8d799\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are the effects of autonomy on health and safety at work?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64f2406 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64f2406\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to EU-OSHA (2024, ESENER), lack of autonomy is one of the most frequently cited psychosocial risk factors in European companies. Conversely, a high level of autonomy:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>reduces stress<\/b>,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>promotes psychological safety<\/b>,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <b>enhances organisational resilience<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The WHO (2023) also highlights autonomy as a key determinant of mental health at work.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e4c4db8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e4c4db8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ae8175 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ae8175\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Management that develops autonomy does not weaken performance \u2013 it <strong>strengthens<\/strong> it.<br \/>By giving employees the ability to <strong>choose<\/strong>, <strong>influence<\/strong>, understand and <strong>take ownership<\/strong> of their work, organisations achieve:<\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more<strong> motivated and engaged<\/strong> teams,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more<strong> innovative and resilient<\/strong> organisations,<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a <strong>protective climate<\/strong> for health and safety at work.<br \/>Investing in autonomy means building a culture of prevention, sustainable performance and well-being.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3f4e0c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f3f4e0c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Our solutions <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e073e1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e073e1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At\u00a0<strong>C2D Pr\u00e9vention<\/strong>, we are specialists in risk prevention and the development of sustainable health and safety cultures.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We support organisations across sectors \u2013 from industry to services \u2013 in <strong>implementing appropriate managerial practices<\/strong> through:<\/p><ul><li><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychosocial risk (<strong>PSR<\/strong>) prevention,<\/p><\/li><li><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">development of <strong>participatory leadership<\/strong>,<\/p><\/li><li><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>long-term improvement<\/strong> of team motivation and safety.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Contact us<\/strong> today to strengthen the organisational health and sustainable performance of your teams.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c001e64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c001e64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f93028 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f93028\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autonomy is a key factor in <strong>satisfaction<\/strong>, <strong>engagement<\/strong> and <strong>PSR<\/strong> prevention.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <strong>protects<\/strong> against <strong>cognitive overload<\/strong> and promotes psychological safety.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Participatory managerial practices<\/strong> (co-construction, constructive feedback) boost innovation and motivation.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appropriate <i>work design <\/i>and access to resources turn autonomy into a lever for <strong>prevention and organisational performance<\/strong>.<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>C2D Pr\u00e9vention<\/strong> helps companies build a high-performing, sustainable health and safety culture.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a33b6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2a33b6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">FAQ <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cc8f0b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5cc8f0b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What are the effects of autonomy on workplace health?<\/strong><br \/>It reduces stress, promotes psychological safety and strengthens employees\u2019 resilience.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>How can autonomy be developed without losing control?<\/strong><br \/>By framing it with clear objectives, regular feedback and suitable resources.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is the link between autonomy and psychosocial risk prevention?<\/strong><br \/>High autonomy protects against cognitive overload, isolation and disengagement.<\/p><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Why work with C2D Pr\u00e9vention?<\/strong><br \/>Because we specialise in risk prevention and in supporting organisations towards a sustainable, sector-specific health and safety culture.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a329c48 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a329c48\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sources :<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99cc4c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"99cc4c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Deci, E. L., &amp; Ryan, R. M. (2000).\u00a0<em>Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being<\/em>. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68\u201378.<\/p><p>INRS. (2025).\u00a0<em>Travail sur \u00e9cran : risques pour la sant\u00e9<\/em>. Institut National de Recherche et de S\u00e9curit\u00e9.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inrs.fr\/risques\/travail-ecran\/risques-sante.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">https:\/\/www.inrs.fr\/risques\/travail-ecran\/risques-sante.html<\/a><\/p><p>World Health Organization (WHO). (2023).\u00a0<em>Mental health in the workplace<\/em>. WHO.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/mental-health-at-work\">https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/mental-health-at-work<\/a><\/p><p>European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). (2024).\u00a0<em>ESENER 2024: Psychosocial risks in European workplaces<\/em>. EU-OSHA.\u00a0https:\/\/osha.europa.eu<\/p><p>Biron, M., &amp; van Veldhoven, M. (2024). The psychological experience of flexibility in the workplace. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 187, 100923. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.obhdp.2024.100923<\/p><p>Coti\u010d, T., Podnar, K., &amp; Golob, U. (2025). Job characteristics and employee engagement: Revisiting the Job Characteristics Model in contemporary workplaces. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 12(1), 45\u201361. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/joe.22295<\/p><p>Montoya, I. A., Rangel, L. G., &amp; Fern\u00e1ndez, P. (2025). Work engagement as a mediator between autonomy support and psychological well-being. International Journal of Management Studies, 32(2), 77\u201394. Disponible sur : https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/387795481_WORK_ENGAGEMENT_AS_A_MEDIATOR_BETWEEN_AUTONOMY_SUPPORT_AND_PSYCHOLOGICAL_WELL-BEING<\/p><p>Nie, Y., Chai, D. S., &amp; Leung, A. (2023). Job autonomy and work meaning as drivers of employee job-crafting behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1134823. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1134823\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1134823<\/a><\/p><p>Morgeson, F. P., &amp; Humphrey, S. E. (2006).\u00a0<em>The Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ): Developing and validating a comprehensive measure for assessing job design and the nature of work<\/em>.\u00a0Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1321\u20131339.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0021-9010.91.6.1321\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0021-9010.91.6.1321<\/a><\/p><p>Bakker, A. B., &amp; Demerouti, E. (2017).\u00a0<em>Job demands\u2013resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward<\/em>.\u00a0Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273\u2013285.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/ocp0000056<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is employee autonomy essential? For over forty years,\u00a0Self-Determination Theory\u00a0(Deci &amp; Ryan) has shown that three psychological needs are fundamental to both health and performance: autonomy, competence, and social affiliation. Among them, the sense of autonomy plays a central role: it determines the quality of engagement and the long-term effectiveness of teams. Recent research (2020\u20132024) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Autonomy at Work: a Lever for Health, Safety and Sustainable Performance - C2D Prevention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.c2dprevention.com\/en\/blog-en\/autonomy-at-work-a-lever-for-health-safety-and-sustainable-performance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Autonomy at Work: a Lever for Health, Safety and Sustainable Performance - C2D Prevention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why is employee autonomy essential? For over forty years,\u00a0Self-Determination Theory\u00a0(Deci &amp; Ryan) has shown that three psychological needs are fundamental to both health and performance: autonomy, competence, and social affiliation. Among them, the sense of autonomy plays a central role: it determines the quality of engagement and the long-term effectiveness of teams. 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