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Work-related stress

Work-related stress. Dr Malgorzata Milczarek European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Prevention and Research Unit. EU-OSHA. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was established in 1996 in Bilbao to help improve working conditions in the European Union EU-OSHA:

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Work-related stress

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  1. Work-related stress Dr Malgorzata Milczarek European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Prevention and Research Unit

  2. EU-OSHA • The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was established in 1996 in Bilbao to help improve working conditions in the European Union • EU-OSHA: • identifies emerging risks (research) • consolidates knowledge (reports) • stimulates debate (seminars) • collects and disseminates • good practice information • organises raising-awareness • campaigns • develops and disseminates • practical tools

  3. FOCAL POINTS EU Focal Points Candidate & Potential Candidate Countries EEA/EFTAFocal Points

  4. Work-related stress: facts • Work-related stress is one of the biggest health and safety challenges that we face in Europe. • Stress is the second most reported work-related health problem. EU Labour Force Survey (2007): • 28% of workers reported that work negatively affects their mental well-being • 14% of workers who reported work-related health problems, expirienced stress, depresion, or anxiety as the main problem • The number of people suffering from stress-related conditions caused or made worse by work is likely to increase

  5. Work-related stress • Stress: definition and causes • People experience stress when they perceive that there is an imbalance between the demands made of them and the resources they have available to cope with those demands. • Although the experience of stress is psychological, stress also affects people’s physical health.

  6. Symptoms of work-related stress • Organisational: • absenteeism, high staff turnover, poor time-keeping, disciplinary problems, harassment, reduced productivity, accidents, errors, and increased costs from compensation or health care.

  7. Symptoms of work-related stress • Individual: • Emotional: irritability, anxiety, sleep problems, depression, hypochondria, alienation, burnout, relationship problems • Cognitive: difficulty in concentrating, remembering, learning new things, making decisions • Behavioural: abuse of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco • Physiological: back problems, weakened immunity, peptic ulcers, heart problems, hypertension.

  8. Research on emerging psychosocial risks • The expert forecast on emerging psychosocial risks was carried out in 2003 and 2004 by means of the Delphi method. The 10 most important emerging psychosocial risks identified in the survey

  9. Research on emerging psychosocial risks • The main emerging psychosocial risks identified in the forecast: • New forms of employment contracts and job insecurity (the use of more precarious contracts together with the trend towards lean production and outsourcing) • The OSH risks for the ageing workforce • Work intensification (high workload and work pressure) • High emotional demands at work (including violence and bullying) • Poor work-life balance • All of these risks affect workers’ health and safety. They may lead to serious deterioration of mental and physical health.

  10. ESENER-PR European Survey of Enterprises on New & Emerging Risks – Psychosocial Risks 2009

  11. EU-OSHA research • ESENER survey • Europe-wide establishment ESENER Survey asks managers and workers' representatives about how health and safety risks are managed at their workplace, with a particular focus on the work-related stress, violence and harassment. • Computer-assisted telephone interviews (“CATI”) • 2 questionnaires • 31 countries: 36,000 interviews (2009) • 41 national versions of each questionnaire • “Enterprises” = both public and private sectors http://esener.eu

  12. How are the ‘new’ psychosocial risks such as stress, violence and harassment being managed? • Main concerns and causes • Level of concern about stress, violence and bullying or harassment; what are the principal risk factors (e.g. time pressure, poor communication, job insecurity, etc.)? • Measures taken • Ad-hoc or ‘reactive’ measures (e.g. training, change to work organisation, work area redesign, confidential support, changes to working time, conflict resolution) • Procedures in place • More formal or system based than ‘measures’, e.g. procedures to deal with stress, with violence or with bullying or harassment

  13. Main concerns about workplace risksLevel of concern about various health and safety issues % establishments, EU27

  14. Main concerns and causesConcern regarding work-related stress % establishments

  15. Main concerns and causesConcern about various psychosocial risk factors % establishments, EU27

  16. Procedures in placeConcern about work-related stress, bullying or harassment, or work-related violence % establishments, EU27

  17. Main concerns and procedures in placeConcern about work-related stress and existence of procedures to deal with it % establishments

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