One quarter (25%) of workers in Europe report feeling stressed at work all or
most of the time, and a similar proportion say that work affects their health
negatively. Psychosocial risks - for example, monotonous tasks, high work
intensity, tight deadlines, work-life unbalance, violence and harassment from
the public or from colleagues - contribute to work-related stress in workplaces
in all EU Member States. A new report, published as part of a Europe-wide
campaign Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress gives a broad overview on
psychosocial risks at European workplaces and gives examples on the way forward
at political as well as company level.

Repetitive and monotonous tasks are among the most prevalent risks at work
together with work intensity aspects, experienced by one quarter or workers
across the European Union. The same proportion of workers say that work affects
their health negatively. However, some aspects of the work environment, such as
work-life balance and having career prospects, contribute to better health and
well-being. Although the prevalence of workers working long hours is
decreasing, work-life balance remains a problem for one-fifth of European
workers.

Although fewer people report working long hours, job insecurity has increased
across Europe, and in some countries work intensity has increased in companies
struggling in the economic crisis. Work-related stress is often seen as a
‘sensitive' or ‘difficult' area - a perception that may however differ from one
country to another. In particular, managers of small companies find it
difficult to tackle psychosocial risks because of lack of resources or
expertise.

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AplusA-online.de - Source: Eurofound