How can we create work environments that support performance and innovation while also protecting people’s health? These were the key questions explored by the two keynote speakers at the international ISSWOV 2026 conference — Prof. Arnold B. Bakker from Erasmus University Rotterdam and Prof. Malissa A. Clark from the University of Georgia. The conference took place from 28 June to 1 July at the Palacký University Arts Centre and was co-organised by Dr Slavka Silberg and Dr Martin Dolejš from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University.
Prof. Arnold B. Bakker is one of the most influential researchers in contemporary work and organisational psychology. His research focuses mainly on work engagement, flow at work, happiness at work, and the processes that contribute to job performance. He is a co-author of the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory, which helps explain why some working conditions lead to burnout, while others strengthen motivation and engagement. The model shows that high job demands combined with insufficient resources increase the risk of burnout, while job resources — such as autonomy, managerial support, high-quality feedback, and development opportunities — are especially important in demanding work situations.
In his keynote, Prof. Bakker focused on work engagement, wellbeing, flow at work, job crafting, and sustainable performance. His research provides an important framework for organisations that want to manage high employee demands systematically: not only by reducing pressure, but also by strengthening the resources that help people cope with their work and find meaning in it.
Workaholism and the culture of constant availability
Prof. Malissa A. Clark has long focused on employee wellbeing, workaholism, overwork, and the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. Her research offers important insights into the consequences of an always-on culture — a work environment in which people feel pressure to respond, work, and stay “online” even outside working hours.
In her keynote, she focused on ways to support healthy work engagement without putting employees’ long-term sustainability at risk. Distinguishing between engagement and workaholism is essential: engagement can be associated with energy, focus, and a sense of meaning at work, while workaholism is linked to a compulsive need to work and can have negative effects on health, relationships, and work functioning.
Prof. Clark is also the author of the award-winning book Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It. In the book, she combines scientific findings with practical recommendations for employees, managers, and organisations on how to reduce excessive work and create healthier, more sustainable working conditions.
The future of work and values
The conference was titled The Future of Work Values: Wellbeing, Diversity, and Meaning in the Age of AI and Transformation. It opened a discussion on how work values are changing in an era of artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and rapid social transformation — and how organisations can combine performance with meaningful work, diversity, mental health, and responsible leadership.
The presentations by both keynote speakers offered two complementary perspectives: how to support energy, motivation, and performance through well-designed job resources, while at the same time preventing overwork, burnout, and a culture of constant availability. The conference brought together academics and practitioners and contributed to the development of international cooperation at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University, as well as to the creation of new research connections.
The professional discussion also continued during the more informal parts of the programme — over shared lunches and dinners, during an academic excursion to Zlín, and while travelling between individual activities. These conversations provided an opportunity to build on the topics raised in the keynote lectures and to exchange experiences across academic and applied settings.
Recordings of the lectures are available on the YouTube channel of the Department of Psychology.