Work-related stress

A new report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) looks at the economic costs of work-related stress. The report, a literature review summarising studies in this area, examines how it costs more to ignore this problem than to address it.

The report, Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks, looks at work-related stress and its effect on ill-health and identifies new challenges to tackling it. These include increasing globalisation, advances in information technology and new types of contractual and working arrangements.

Working life today is described as becoming more difficult due, among other things, to the constant pressure of time and multi-tasking.

The report reaches three conclusions around the costs of work-related stress, job strain, workplace violence and harassment (bullying) and psychosocial risk factors such as lack of support at work and an excessive workload.

The first conclusion is that studies indicate that there is a strong business case for preventing stress and psychosocial risks at work. Secondly, simple systematic analysis is needed to help organisations assess the costs related to stress and psychosocial risks. These costs relate to absence at work, presenteeism and staff turnover.

Finally, the report looks at the relationship between work-related stress, psychosocial risks and mental health problems, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease and diabetes.

https://osha.europa.eu/en/teaser/calculating-the-cost-of-work-related-stress