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“A directive to end stress at work must be a priority for the next European Commission if it really wants to improve mental health in Europe”. This is the call from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to mark European Mental Health Week.
“The epidemic of stress and burnout in Europe is worsening due to a combination of poorly organised work, work overload, the expectation of a culture of constant availability, job insecurity, new surveillance practices by employers and high-pressure working practices”.
The ETUC regrets that there is no European legislation on psychosocial risks, despite the fact that :
- Time pressure or work overload will increase from 19.5% to 46% between 2020 and 2022.
- 44% of workers agree or strongly agree that they are experiencing more work-related stress as a result of the avian flu pandemic, according to the EU-OSHA barometer.
- More than 40% of cases of depression in the EU and UK are due to work-related psychosocial factors.
- People who regularly work from home are six times more likely to work in their spare time and twice as likely to work 48 hours.
- Less than 40% of EU companies have action plans to prevent psychosocial risks at work.
- The European economy loses €620 billion a year due to work-related depression.
