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Psychosocial risks

Psychosocial risks are aspects of the design and management of work, and its social and organisational contexts, that have the potential for causing psychological or physical harm. Work-related stress is one of the health risks most frequently identified by workers in Europe. The factors that can cause stress for workers and influence their health and well-being can be related to the following: job content; work intensity and job autonomy; working time arrangements and work–life balance; social environment, including interpersonal relationships at work and social support; job insecurity and career development. 

Topic

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Belgian presidency 2024: Eurofound's contribution

From January to June 2024, Eurofound supports the work of Belgium's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

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Spanish presidency 2023: Eurofound's contribution

From July to December 2023, Eurofound supported the work of Spain's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

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Definitions

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Sara Riso

Sara Riso is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is involved in research projects in the areas of employment change and restructuring. She joined...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Oscar Vargas Llave

Oscar Vargas Llave

Oscar Vargas Llave is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and manages projects on changes in the world of work and the impact on working conditions and related...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (22)

Rischi psicosociali per il benessere dei lavoratori: insegnamenti della pandemia di COVID-19

Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health.

23 November 2023
Publication
Research report
Psychosocial risks
Condizioni di lavoro e lavoro sostenibile
Health and well-being at work
Telelavoro
COVID-19
Orario di lavoro
Discrimination at work
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Vita, lavoro e COVID-19 nell’Unione europea e in 10 paesi vicini

L’indagine Vita, lavoro e COVID-19, inaugurata da Eurofound all’inizio del 2020, mira a rilevare l’impatto della pandemia sul lavoro e sulla vita dei cittadini dell’UE in tutte le sue dimensioni. La quinta tornata dell’indagine di Eurofound, realizzata nella primavera del 2022, fa luce anche su una

07 December 2022
Publication
Research report
Living and working in Europe
Skills and training
Social policies
Social inclusion
Psychosocial risks
Gioventù
Working conditions
Telelavoro
Subjective well-being
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
COVID-19
Condizioni e qualità della vita
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Quinto ciclo dell’indagine online «Vita, lavoro e COVID-19: vivere in una nuova epoca di incertezza».

La quinta tornata dell’indagine elettronica di Eurofound, condotta dal 25 marzo al 2 maggio 2022, fa luce sulla situazione sociale ed economica dei cittadini europei a due anni dalla prima rilevazione della COVID-19 nel continente europeo. Analizza inoltre la realtà della vita in una nuova era di

07 July 2022
Publication
Research report
Stand with Ukraine
Psychosocial risks
Gioventù
Telelavoro
Subjective well-being
Trust
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
Unemployment
Health and well-being at work
COVID-19
Living conditions
Condizioni e qualità della vita
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People with disabilities and the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey

A new European Disability Strategy was launched in 2021 with the aim of intensifying progress on ensuring the full participation of people with disabilities in society. The increase of EU policy focus on people with disabilities is timely: the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the challenges they faced in

21 March 2022
Publication
Policy brief
Public services
Psychosocial risks
Subjective well-being
Trust
Health and well-being at work
COVID-19
Disability and chronic disease
Living conditions and quality of life
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Impatto della COVID-19 sui giovani nell’UE

Dopo una lunga ripresa dalla crisi economica (2007-2013), i giovani dell’UE si sono dimostrati più vulnerabili agli effetti delle restrizioni messe in atto per rallentare la diffusione della pandemia di COVID-19. Rispetto a fasce di popolazione più anziana, i giovani hanno avuto maggiore probabilità

09 November 2021
Publication
Research report
Social inclusion
Quality of society
Psychosocial risks
Gioventù
Subjective well-being
Trust
NEET
European Pillar of Social Rights
COVID-19
Condizioni e qualità della vita
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Vita, lavoro e COVID-19 (aggiornamento aprile 2021): peggiorano la salute mentale e la fiducia in tutta l’UE con l’inizio di un altro anno di pandemia

La terza edizione dell’indagine elettronica di Eurofound, condotta nei mesi di febbraio e marzo 2021, mette in luce la situazione sociale ed economica delle persone in tutta Europa dopo quasi un anno intero di convivenza con le restrizioni legate alla COVID-19. La presente relazione analizza i

10 May 2021
Publication
Research report
Living and working in Europe
Psychosocial risks
Gioventù
Telelavoro
Trust
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
Health and well-being at work
COVID-19
Living conditions
Inequality
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Condizioni di lavoro e lavoro sostenibile: un’analisi sulla base del quadro della qualità del lavoro

La presente relazione faro presenta una sintesi dei risultati principali della ricerca di Eurofound sulle condizioni di lavoro condotta nel periodo di programmazione 2017-2020. Delinea i progressi compiuti dal 2000 nel miglioramento delle condizioni di lavoro e valuta se tutti i lavoratori hanno

26 February 2021
Publication
Flagship report
Psychosocial risks
Orario di lavoro
Condizioni di lavoro e lavoro sostenibile
Working conditions
Sustainable work
Undeclared work
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
Work organisation
Employment relationship
Health and well-being at work
Parità di genere
COVID-19
Qualità del lavoro
Invecchiamento della forza lavoro
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Vita, lavoro e COVID-19

This report presents the findings of the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey, carried out by Eurofound to capture the far-reaching implications of the pandemic for the way people live and work across Europe. The survey was fielded online, among respondents who were reached via Eurofound’s

28 September 2020
Publication
Research report
Retribuzione e reddito
Psychosocial risks
Gioventù
Orario di lavoro
Condizioni di lavoro e lavoro sostenibile
Working conditions
Telelavoro
Subjective well-being
Trust
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
Unemployment
COVID-19
Living conditions
Condizioni e qualità della vita
Qualità del lavoro

La vita, il lavoro e la Covid-19: primi risultati - aprile 2020

Nell’arco di poche settimane, la pandemia di Covid-19 causata dal nuovo coronavirus ha trasformato radicalmente la vita delle persone in tutto il mondo. Oltre alle devastanti conseguenze per la salute delle persone direttamente colpite dal virus, la pandemia di Covid-19 ha avuto importanti

06 May 2020
Publication
Research report
COVID-19
Trust
Condizioni e qualità della vita
Retribuzione e reddito
Psychosocial risks
Orario di lavoro
Subjective well-being
Unemployment
Working conditions
Equilibrio tra vita professionale e vita privata
Living conditions
Telelavoro
Condizioni di lavoro e lavoro sostenibile

Burnout in the workplace: A review of data and policy responses in the EU

This report looks at the extent of burnout experienced by workers in the EU, based on national research. As a starting point, the report sets out to consider whether burnout is viewed as a medical or occupational disease. It then examines the work determinants associated with burnout and looks at

10 September 2018
Publication
Research report
Disability and chronic disease
Health and well-being at work
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working time
Online resources results (233)

Survey confirms effectiveness of collective agreements

As part of the European Social Fund project, ‘The practical implementation in economic spheres and enterprises of regulations regarding working conditions and safety at work’, which began in 2008, the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS [1]) undertakes a population survey. The aim is to

10 Agosto 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks
Living conditions and quality of life
Social protection
Work-life balance
Working conditions
Working time
Working conditions and sustainable work

Job insecurity and effort-reward imbalance affect health and well-being

The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA [1]) recently published the results from a substantial research project entitled ‘Psycho-social work environment, mental health and working capacity (in Danish) [2]’, carried out between 2007 and 2010. The study reveals that work-related

19 Luglio 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks
Health and well-being at work

Importance of trust in creating committed employees

Richard Berglund, a social scientist at the Department of Work Science at the University of Gothenburg [1], followed three companies during four years for his doctoral thesis while these companies introduced ‘lean production’. Lean production entails a continuous process of quality and improvement

14 Luglio 2011
Article
Employment and labour markets
Participation at work
Work organisation
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions
Industrial relations
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Sick leave rates during the economic crisis

Research by the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia (Inštitut za varovanje zdravja [1]) into the impact of the economic crisis on absenteeism found that those industries reported to be most affected by the crisis also underwent substantial changes in sick leave rates. Analysis of

5 Luglio 2011
Article
Health and well-being at work
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

TUC survey shows rise in psychosocial hazards at work

The Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) published the findings from its latest survey of health and safety representatives [2] in October 2010. A major part of the survey is designed to provide an indication of the hazards that health and safety representatives must deal with and the problems they face

5 Luglio 2011
Article
Health and well-being at work
Psychosocial risks

Night work and working conditions in 2009

In February 2011, the French Agency for Studies, Research and Statistics (Dares, [1] part of the Ministry of Work, Employment and Health [2]) published the results of a study (in French, 187Kb PDF) [3] on night work [4] in France in 2009, including a comparison with the extent of night work in 1991

26 Maggio 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks
Working time
Work organisation
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

‘Evil Eleven Syndrome’: The dark side of workplaces

A theoretical framework of participatory action research developed by Associate Professor Sirpa Syvänen of the Tampere University School of Management in Finland during the course of her postgraduate studies (Syvänen, 2003) was used to examine the culture at workplaces in the social sector providing

26 Maggio 2011
Article
Ageing workforce
Psychosocial risks
Work organisation
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment for municipality employees

According to the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) model (see Siegrist et al, 2004), effort at work is reciprocated by adequate reward as part of a social contract. Rewards are transmitted in the following three ways:

19 Aprile 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks

Effects of shift work in the Norwegian petroleum industry on family and social life

Operations in the petroleum industry require continuous shift schedules. Although some health effects are known to result from shift work, less is known about its effect on the social and family life of the workers.

14 Marzo 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks
Working time
Work-life balance
Working conditions
Living conditions and quality of life
Working conditions and sustainable work

Happy at work: 10 years of research on job perceptions and evaluations

From 1999 to 2007, DIOVA [1], the directorate for the study into the improvement of working conditions within Belgium’s Federal Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Dialogue [2], supported and encouraged surveys on the psychosocial aspects of work in a range of companies and organisations. The

10 Marzo 2011
Article
Psychosocial risks
Blogs results (5)
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No one left behind? Gender segregation in the workplace sees women losing out

'Women belong in all the places where decisions are made', to borrow from the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These decisions are made everywhere and at every level: in the home and at the workplace; in the boardroom and on the shop floor. Which is why it is of such serious concern to see the ongoing deep

8 Marzo 2023
Mary McCaughey
Blog
Psychosocial risks
Health and well-being at work
Gender equality
Employment and labour markets
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Violence in the workplace: Women and frontline workers face higher risks

Women and frontline workers are most exposed to the risks of adverse social behaviour at work, such as burnout, exhaustion, anxiety and depression. This is according to the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 (EWCTS). In this data story, we dive into EWCTS data (EU27) to examine the

27 Febbraio 2023
Viginta Ivaškaitė-Tamošiūnė
Blog
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working conditions
Subjective well-being
Health and well-being at work
A worker sitting on the floor

Job quality is pivotal in addressing today’s workplace and societal challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. With the lifting of restrictions across the globe, we are now able to examine the many repercussions on the world of work. In particular, the unique demands of the last few years have shone a harsh spotlight on the pressures brought to bear

17 Gennaio 2023
Barbara Gerstenberger
Blog
Pay and income
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions and sustainable work
Working conditions
Subjective well-being
Health and well-being at work
Job quality
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High risk of depression persists following COVID-19 pandemic: Data behind the mental health crisis

Lower levels of health, increasing financial pressure and a significant degree of unmet healthcare: these are the findings of the fifth round of the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey: Living in a new era of uncertainty – a report that presents an overview of responses from over 200,000 people

6 Ottobre 2022
Eurofound
Blog
Living and working in Europe
Psychosocial risks
Health and well-being at work
COVID-19
Living conditions and quality of life
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COVID-19 fallout takes a higher toll on women, economically and domestically

​​​​​​​While women appear to be more resilient than men to COVID-19 in terms of health outcomes, that is not the case when it comes to the economic and social fallout. Measures taken by governments to control the spread of the virus are exacerbating gender divides in unemployment, domestic labour

3 Giugno 2020
Massimiliano Mascherini
Blog
COVID-19
Psychosocial risks
Living conditions and quality of life
Unemployment
Work-life balance
Gender equality
Teleworking
Upcoming publications results (1)

ICT-based asocial behaviours at work: a review of research findings, policies and legislation

Over the last decade, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the way employees work and communicate with each other. Despite the many benefits of digitalisation of work, the widespread access to digital devices in working life provides an alternative medium for new forms of a

September 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report
Digitalisation
Health and well-being at work
Psychosocial risks
Working conditions and sustainable work

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