WORKPLACE STRESS: a collective challenge

WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY & HEALTH AT WORK 28 APRIL 2016

What is World Day for Safety?

•  April 28 is also the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers.

•  Since 2003, the ILO observes the World Day on Safety and Health at Work on April 28.

•  “It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.”

What is the theme of the campaign?

“Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge”

“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth

becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”

What is Work-related Stress?

•  Stress is the harmful physical and emotional response caused by an imbalance between the perceived demands and the perceived resources and abilities of individuals to cope with those demands.

•  Work-related stress is determined by work organization, work design and labor relations and occurs when the demands of the job do not match or exceed the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker, or when the knowledge or abilities of an individual worker or group to cope are not m a t c h e d w i t h t h e e x p e c t a t i o n s o f t h e organizational culture of an enterprise.

The Causes•  The workplace factors that can cause stress are

called psychosocial hazards. •  Psychosocial factors / hazards are defined by the

ILO as the “interactions between and among work environment, job content, organizational conditions and workers’ capacities, needs, culture, personal extra-job considerations that may, through perceptions and experience, influence health, work performance and job satisfaction”.

The Causes•  A negative interaction between occupational

conditions and human factors leads to emotional disturbances, behavioral problems, biochemical and neural-hormonal changes leading to mental or physical illness.

•  Whereas, when working conditions and human factors are in balance, work creates a feeling of mastery and self-confidence; increases motivation, working capacity and satisfaction; and improves health.

Examples of Psychosocial Hazards

1  Content Of Work

2  Context Of Work

Content Of Work•  Work environment and work equipment

•  Task design

•  Workload, workpace

•  Work schedule

Context Of Work•  Organizational culture and function

•  Role in organization

•  Career development

•  Decision latitude / Control

•  Interpersonal relationships at work

•  Home-work interface

The Causes•  Workplace Violence is any action, incident or

behavior that departs from reasonable conduct in which a person is assaulted, threatened, harmed or injured in the course of, or as a direct result of his or her work.

•  Psychological Violence is the intentional use of power, including the threat of physical force, against another person or group that can result in harm to a person’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social state or development.

The Magnitude of the Problem

Globalization

The Magnitude of the Problem

•  Technological development, innovation and digitalization

•  New forms of work organization and restructuring

•  New forms of employment and labor relations

•  Higher job demands and workload

•  Ageing and demographic changes in the workforce

•  Poor work-life balance

The Magnitude of the Problem

Global economic crisis and recession

Stress Impact on Worker’s Health, Safety& Wellbeing•  Stress impact can vary according to individual

response.

•  High stress levels can contribute to developing health-related impairments and unhealthy coping behaviors.

Stress Impact on Worker’s Health, Safety& Wellbeing•  Health Impairments

o  Cardiovascular disease

o  Musculoskeletal disorders

o  Burnout

o  Depression and anxiety

o  Suicide

Stress Impact on Worker’s Health, Safety& Wellbeing•  Burnout

o  A state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that results from long-term involvement in work situations that are emotionally demanding

o  Occurs when there is a disconnection between the organization and the individual with regard to the main areas of working life: values, fairness, community, reward, control and workload.

•  Depression

o  Loss of interest or pleasure, depressed mood, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite and poor concentration.

Stress Impact on Worker’s Health, Safety& Wellbeing•  Coping Behaviors

o  Drug abuse and alcoholism

o  Increased cigarette smoking

o  Unhealthy diet

o  Insufficient physical activity

o  Sleep disorders

“Healthy citizens are the greatest assest any country can have.” - Winston S. Churchill

Productivity Impact & Economic Cost of Stress

•  Increased absenteeism and presenteeism

•  Reduced motivation, satisfaction and commitment

•  Staff turnover and intention to quit

•  Reduced efficiency and accuracy in performance

•  Poor productivity, competitiveness and public image of the enterprise

Collective Measures to Prevent Stress

•  Control

•  Workload

•  Social Support

•  Matching the job and the worker

•  Training and education

•  Transparency and fairness

•  Physical working environment

Collective Measures to Prevent Stress

•  Individual counseling

•  Induction

•  Mentoring of new staff

•  Effort-reward balance

•  Motivation

Conclusion“Making employers aware, informed and competent to address these new risks creates a safe and healthy working environment, bui lds a posit ive and constructive preventive culture in the organization, boosts engagement and effectiveness, protects the health and wellbeing of workers, and increases productivity.”

Thanks!