A directive aimed at ending stress at work must be a priority for the next European Commission if it is serious about improving mental health in Europe.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is making the call for legislation on psychosocial risks in the workplace during European Mental Health Week.
Europe’s stress and burn out epidemic is becoming worse due to a combination of badly organised work, over work, the expectation of an always available culture, insecure work and new surveillance practices by employers and high pressure working practices.
The European Parliament called on the Commission to bring forward legislation on psychosocial risks during the last term. The ETUC is calling for a directive on psychosocial risks as well as for rapid progress in the legislative process underway towards a directive on telework and the right to disconnect.
But there is still no EU legislation dedicated to psychosocial risks despite the fact that:
· Time pressure or overload of work jumped from 19.5% to 46% between 2020 and 2022
· 44% of workers agree or strongly agree that they experience more work-related stress as a result of the Covid‑19 pandemic, according to the EU-OSHA barometer.
· Over 40% of cases of depression in the EU and UK are attributable to psychosocial work factors.
· People regularly working from home are six times more likely to work in their free time and twice as likely to work 48 hours.
· Fewer than 40% of workplaces have action plans to prevent psychosocial risks at work across the EU.
· The European economy loses €620 billion a year due to work-related depression alone.
ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said:
“Ethical stress cannot be ignored. People who care about their job but are often not given the time, the equipment or the support needed to do it properly. It is stressful for a teacher or a nurse not to be able to do their job in the way they know it needs to be done.
“The data shows that there has unsurprisingly been a huge spike in work-related mental health problems.
“We will hear a lot of well-meaning words about mental health from politicians this week – but the real test of their commitment will be whether the EU delivers a directive to end stress at work.”
