The perception of psychosocial risks at work: the PRIMA-EF survey among EU stakeholders Rome, 5 November 2008 Sergio Iavicoli International Conference Psychosocial Risk Management at Work: The European Framework

What is the psychosocial risk factors perception of OSH European stakeholders?

Epidemiological estimates and risk perception Risk Perception Risk

Factors influencing risk perception Underestimating/ Overestimating capabilities Familiarity – Complacency Severity of consequences – Injury Cost of compliance – Time & effort Voluntary exposure – Risk taking Controllable & understood Hazards Social influence – Peer Pressure/ Role models Personal Experiences Perception of psychosocial risk factors?

Perception of psychosocial risk factors in the scientific literature Web of science

The effectiveness and needs related to regulations governing health and safety at work Perception of work related stress and related outcomes The role and effectiveness of dialogue and cooperation between the social partners especially on the basis of the recent ILO and EU initiatives AIM

Survey timetable April 2007 JuneJulyDecemberMayAugustSept.October Development of questionnaire Pretesting phase Implementation of on-line version Dissemination of results Nov.January 2008 Administration of questionnaire Analysis data

Sample survey NEW EU 27 COUNTRIES Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Malta Poland Slovenia EU 15 COUNTRIES Austria Belgium Denmark Finland Germany Ireland Italy The Netherlands Portugal United Kingdom Spain Sweden

StakeholdersCountries

Questionnaire The questionnaire is organized in the following sections: European Regulations Initiatives Perception of stress Priority issues The most part of these have got closed ended questions European social dialogue

Main Results

Section 1 European Regulations

Has the European Directive 89/391 been effective for the assessment of psychosocial risks and work-related stress? Yes No Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

If you think that the European Directive 89/391 hasn’t been effective for the assessment and / or management of psychosocial risks, what do you think the main barriers in its implementation have been ? (*) TOTAL COUNTRIESSTAKEHOLDERS EU 15 Countries New EU 27 Countries Employers’ association Trade Union Government Low prioritisation 17.7% (1)19.7% (1)16.1% (3)27.3% (1)14.5% (3)20.0% (1) Perception psychosocial issues 17.1% (2)16.9% (3)17.2% (2)18.2% (2)14.5% (3)18.6% (2) Lack of awareness 16.5% (3)11.3% (5)20.7% (1)18.2% (2)19.7% (1)12.9% (3) Lack of consensus 12.7% (4)18.3% (2)8.0% (6)0,0% (6)17.1% (2)10.0% (5) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 4 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. No. of total respondents: 43

Section 2 Initiatives

In the last 5 years, have there been any nation-wide or sector- oriented initiatives in your country that address the issue of work-related stress? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32

TOTAL Awareness raising 53,2% Dissemination/ Participation 39,4% Sustainability 4.3% (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 3 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. No. of total respondents: 51 If YES, have these initiatives been successfully implemented in terms of: (*)

TOTAL COUNTRIESSTAKEHOLDERS EU 15 Countries New EU 27 Countries Employers’ association Trade Union Government Lack of awareness 20.6% (1)18.8% (1)22.2% (1)25.0% (1)20.0% (1)22.7% (2) Low prioritisation 17.6% (2)15.6% (2)19.4% (2)0.0% (7)17.1% (2)27.3% (1) No appropriate tools for assessing and managing stress 16.2% (3)15.6% (2)16.7% (3)25.0% (1)14.3% (3)13.6% (4) Specific regulations limited 13.2% (4)12.5% (5)13.9% (4)12.5% (2)11.4% (4)18.2% (3) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 4 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. If NO, what do you think are the main reasons? (*) No. of total respondents: 18

Are you aware of any practical guidelines that have been developed in your country for assessing and / or managing work related stress? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32

Have the following relevant EC Directives been effective in your country? Yes No

Section 3 Perception of stress

Do you think that workplace violence, bullying and mobbing represent important occupational health concerns in your country? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

TOTAL STAKEHOLDERS Employers’ association Trade Union Government Organisational culture 14,2% (1)12,3% (4)15.6% (1)14,4% (2) Excessive work demands 13,9% (2)6,2% (9)14,1% (2)17,6% (1) Lack of work-life balance 12,5% (3)13,8% (1)14,1% (2)10,5% (5) Lack of appropriate support at work 11,4% (4)12,3% (4)13,3% (5)9,2% (6) Poor interpersonal relation at work 11,1% (5)10,8% (5)10,9% (6)11,8% (4) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 5 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. What do you think are the main causes of work-related stress? (*)

In your opinion, can work-related stress lead to occupational diseases? YesNo No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

TOTAL COUNTRIESSTAKEHOLDERS EU 15 Countries New EU 27 Countries Employers’ association Trade Union Government Increased absenteeism 21,6% (1)22,4% (1)20,6% (1)22,2% (1)22,9% (1)20,8% (1) Decreasing productivity 20,3% (2)20,0% (2)20,6% (1)22,2% (1)18,1% (3)20,8% (1) Increased accidents 16,5% (3)15,8% (3)17,5% (3)16,7% (3)21,9% (2)12,8% (4) Chronic diseases 15,1% (4)14,5% (4)15,9% (4)9,3% (5)16,2% (4)16,8% (3) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 4 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. In your opinion, does work-related stress have an effect on: (*)

In your opinion, can the following work characteristics cause work-related stress: 1 = Completely disagree 2 = Mostly disagree 4 = Mostly agree 5 = Completely agree 3 = Neither disagree nor agree

How would you rate the support and guidance on psychosocial issues (including work-related stress, violence, bullying and mobbing) provided by the following bodies? 1 = Unsatisfactory 2 = Fairly unsatisfactory 3 = Fairly satisfactory 4 = Very satisfactory

TOTAL COUNTRIESSTAKEHOLDERS EU 15 Countries New EU 27 Countries Employers’ association Trade Union Government Occupational health services at enterprise level 22,9% (1)22,8% (1)22,9% (1)23,8% (1)18,5% (2)27,1% (1) Employers organisations 21,5% (2)22,0% (2)20,8% (2)14,3% (4)21.0% (1)25,0% (2) National health services 16,6% (3)19,7% (3)12,5% (5)19,0% (2)21,0% (1)11,5% (5) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 3 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. In your opinion, in terms of managing psychosocial issues at work, which of the following actors or bodies should step up their activities? (*)

Do you think there is a need for practitioners (medical, technical, social, etc.) with specific postgraduate training on psychosocial issues in your country? No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 42 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 Yes No Don’t know

Are you aware of any education and training programmes offered in your country that focus on psychosocial issues? Yes No Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 42 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32

Section 4 European social dialogue

Considering the European voluntary agreement between social partners on work-related stress are you familiar with the content of the agreement? YesNo No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

Considering the European voluntary agreement between social partners on work-related stress, has it been translated into your country’s language? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

Considering the European voluntary agreement between social partners on work-related stress, do you think that the agreement has been implemented effectively in your country? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32

How relevant or useful in your opinion is this agreement in relation to already existing national legislation, agreements and action programmes on work-related stress/psychosocial risks ? No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32 Don’t know Very important Important Somewhat important Not important

How would you rate social dialogue concerning psychosocial risk factors in your country? No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 32 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 32 Don’t know No dialogue Very satisfactory Fairly satisfactory Satisfactory Fairly unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory

How would you rate the effectiveness of the following tools for improving social dialogue concerning psychosocial factors in your country? 1 = No effect at all 2 = Little effect 3 = Effective 4 = Very effective

Do you think that social dialogue and corporate social responsibility can play an important role for the management of psychosocial risks and work-related stress ? YesNo Don’t know No. of respondents of EU 15 Countries: 43 No. of respondents of New EU 27 Countries: 31 No. of respondents of Employers’ Association: 14 No. of respondents of Trade Union: 27 No. of respondents of Government Institution: 31

Section 5 Priority issues

TOTAL COUNTRIESSTAKEHOLDERS EU 15 New EU 27 Countries Employers’ association Trade Union Government Job insecurity 16.0% (1)13,9% (3)19,0% (1)11,3% (5)17,0% (1)18,1% (1) Work-life balance 15,3% (2)16,3% (1)14,0% (3)15,1% (3)13,0% (4)17,3% (2) Economic effects of work-related stress 14,6% (3)13,3% (4)16,5% (2)17,0% (1)15,0% (2)13,4% (3) Migrant workers 13,2% (4)15,1% (2)10,7% (4)7,5% (7)15,0% (2)13,4% (3) (*) Multiple response. Please, note that the table shows the percentage of the 4 most chosen answers and in the bracket their rank. Which issues of relevance that, in your view, should be given more attention at the European level? (*)

Assessing costs investment of prevention at company and social level How to assess and manage psychosocial risk factors How to target the prevention experts at company level Focus on changing work organization and flexibility Capacity Building Research Implementatio n Training of experts Culture of prevention form school education Culture of wellbeing at company level Accessibility to resources and good practices Multidisciplinary health services of European Agreement Filling the gaps perception Good practice Compatibility among available good practices and framework regulation and prevention system Way Forward

It is time to act!

Thank you for your attention!