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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. 

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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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Definitions

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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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 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 (23)

Workplace violence is a social phenomenon of a certain magnitude. Overall, approximately one in ten European workers report having experienced some form of workplace violence, either physical or psychological, in the previous 12 months. Foundation Findings provide pertinent background information

17 September 2010

The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, formerly the National Institute of Occupational Health, has conducted the fourth Danish Work Environment Cohort Study (DWECS) covering the five-year period 2000–2005. The 2005 results indicate no clear trend of overall better or worse

18 April 2007

This summary is based on an analysis of findings of the second European survey on working conditions conducted in 1996. The survey findings show that stress and musculo-skeletal disorders are the main health risks at work and highlights the need for a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to the

16 March 1998

Online resources results (233)

Caring professions at risk of job burnout

The work@social [1] interest group (/Interessengemeinschaft/) of the Union of Salaried Employees, Printing Workers and Journalists (Gewerkschaft der Privatangestellten, Druck, Journalismus, Papier, GPA-DJP [2]) commissioned a a survey on job burnout. The study was coordinated by the human resource

Occupational differences in incidence of conflicts and bullying

Conflicts and bullying at work have been frequently discussed in the Norwegian media over the past year. When these topics are presented, the research often offers an insight into single cases of conflict or bullying, rather than presenting an overall picture of the situation in workplaces. In 2007

Generational differences in attitudes towards work

An EU-funded research project, called the ‘Generational approach to the social patterns of the relation to work’ (SPReW [1]), focuses on the factors leading to either solidarity or tensions in intergenerational relations in the area of work. The research attempts to provide a better understanding of

Factors determining rate of employee turnover in companies

In 2007, the Lithuanian Labour Exchange (Lietuvos darbo birža, LDB [1]) commissioned a survey to analyse the most important factors influencing the turnover of employees in Lithuanian enterprises. Two groups of respondents were interviewed within the framework of the survey, comprising: [1] http:/

Study examines views of women and men at work

‘Women and men in organisations’ was a survey conducted on behalf of the Centre for Partnership and Equality (Centrul Parteneriat pentru Egalitate, CPE [1]) by the Institute of Marketing and Polls (Institutul de Marketing şi Sondaje, IMAS [2]) during the period of March–April 2006. The population

High incidence of truck drivers falling asleep at the wheel

Between 2005 and 2007, the Department of Public Health [1] in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Ghent University [2] conducted an epidemiological study (in Dutch, 525Kb PDF) [3] on the sleeping and driving habits of Flemish truck drivers. [1] http://www.ugent.be/en/departments?ugentid

Positive effects of anonymous job applications

For some time, several municipal and governmental bodies have applied, to various extents, anonymous job application procedures in their recruitment. So far, the actual impact of such anonymous job applications is not well known although the idea is supported both in theory and practicse.

Wide differences among workplaces in quality of working life

The Finnish Working Life Barometer 2007 (in Finnish, 471Kb PDF) [1], monitored by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö, TEM [2]), is the 16th national barometer measuring annual changes in working life. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were carried out among

Social workers subject to intense work pace and stress levels

In recent years, several studies on the work environment have been carried out by the Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket, WEA [1]) based on interviews and reported cases of work-related diseases: Work-related disorders 2006 (in Swedish) [2], Occupational accidents and work-related

High level of perceived risk among call centre operators

The call centre industry is growing rapidly in Italy: the customer relationship management (CRM) group Customer Management Multimedia Competence estimates that some 250,000 operators are employed in 1,400 companies. Call centres are currently perceived as the archetype of a post-industrial society


Blogs results (5)
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'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 Marzec 2023
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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

A worker sitting on the floor

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 Styczeń 2023
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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 Październik 2022
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​​​​​​​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 Czerwiec 2020
Upcoming publications results (1)

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
Data results (20)

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