Brussels, 07/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - A new venture, the Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress campaign, to raise awareness in public opinion of the psychological, physical, social and economic risks of stress at work, was officially launched on Monday 7 April by the director of the European Agency for Safety at Health at Work (EU-OSHA), Christa Sedlatschek, EU Social Affairs Commissioner Laszlo Andor and Greek Employment Secretary Vasilis Kegeroglou.
Stress at work is often the second most frequently reported work-related problem and in some member states, it is the commonest issue. EU-OSHA is running the campaign and has carried out a survey, which found that roughly one in two European workers say that stress is common in their workplace. Four in ten say that the problem of stress at work is badly managed by their employers. Stress accounts for nearly half of days off work. Sedlatschek said: “The harsh reality is that it's misunderstood and that many companies are reluctant to fight it”.
Even when stress does not lead to days off work, Andor pointed out that it has negative effects on the performance of European companies in other respects. '”Workers affected by stress find it difficult to concentrate, make more mistakes and are subject to more frequent accidents at work. Prolonged psychological pressure may result in serious health problems, such as cardiovascular or musculoskeletal diseases”, he said.
The campaign in more than 30 countries in Europe in 2014 and 2015 does not simply aim to raise stakeholders' awareness of the risks related to stress. Sedlatschek says that companies are more aware of the problem than they were in 2002, when an initial European campaign on the subject was launched. She said 80% of managers these days say they are aware of stress or are worried about the risks of stress at work, but only 30% of companies have put measures in place to manage the phenomenon. The campaign hopes to increase this figure. Andor pointed out that “one of the main messages of the campaign should be that stress and psychological risks can be effectively managed”.
EU-OSHA says the six most common causes of stress and psychological risks are a) excessive workload; b) conflicting demands and lack of role clarity; c) lack of involvement in making decisions that affect the worker and lack of influence over the way the job is done; d) poorly managed organisational change and job insecurity; e) ineffective communication and lack of support from management or colleagues; and f) psychological and sexual harassment and third party violence.
EU-OSHA has an annual budget of €2 million for the campaign. In June, the European Commission will unveil its strategy for health and safety at work for 2014-2020, in which the European Parliament, the employers and trade unions and the presidencies of the EU Council of Ministers are also involved. In the30 or so participating countries, more than 100 partnerships with private and public bodies have already been set up. Prizes will be awarded to best practices and a manual and a “toolbox” to help understand the risks related to stress are also available. (JK)