EU campaign targets work-related stress
The first Europe-wide campaign to fight stress at work was launched today.
Work-related stress is the second biggest occupational health problem in Europe - back pain is first - and costs employers and governments an estimated €18.65bn a year in lost time and health care costs.
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, stress affects more than 41 million workers in the 15 European Union countries and is triggered by, among other things, a lack of influence at work, monotony and ‘‘tight deadlines’’.
Women are more likely to be affected than men, says the agency, and nearly one in three workers in the EU suffers from job-driven stress. Up to 60% of absenteeism from work is stress-related.
The figures were revealed at the Strasbourg launch of the agency’s campaign, which is designed to raise awareness of the causes of stress at work.
The aim is to change attitudes among employers and employees through ‘‘positive thinking’’ and ‘‘pro-active coping strategies’’.
More clearly-defined roles at work, with greater control for individuals and better communication between staff and bosses, would help improve job satisfaction and therefore the quality of work, says the agency.
The campaign is being backed by the European Commission, and employment and social affairs commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou commented at the launch: ‘‘If Europe is to capitalise on the enormous social and economic potential of the new knowledge economy that is emerging, we need to address the stress that this transition and other workplace changes can cause.’’
‘‘It’s a growing problem, but not one that we have to accept.’’
She said the solutions lay in sharing best practice across the EU - something the commission is promoting alongside EU governments and trade unions during the Working on Stress campaign which runs until October, culminating in European Week for Safety and Health at Work.
The director of the Bilbao-based agency, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, said: ‘‘Our campaign will not only enable us to achieve economies of scale but more crucially allow us to draw on and disseminate examples of good practice.
‘‘No single country has the solution, but together we can make inroads into this costly human and economic problem.’’
