ASSIGNMENT3
Q) Describe the significance of mental health in work place.Identifying
and addressing psychosocial risks.
Mental health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being, and its impact extends to
the workplace.A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. When employees
experience positive mental health, they are more engaged, motivated, and
creative.
Safe and healthy working environments are not only a fundamental right but are
also more likely to minimize tension and conflicts at work and improve staff
retention, work performance and productivity.
Psychosocial Risks definition (OSHA):
Psychosocial risks arise from poor work design, organisation and management,
as well as from poor social context of work, and they may result in negative
psychological, physical and social outcomes.
Psychosocial risks to mental health at work
At work, risks to mental health, also called psychosocial risks, may be related to
job content or work schedule, specific characteristics of the workplace or
opportunities for career development among other things.
Risks to mental health at work can include:
under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work;
excessive workloads or work pace, understaffing;
long, unsocial or inflexible hours;
lack of control over job design or workload;
unsafe or poor physical working conditions;
organizational culture that enables negative behaviours;
limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision;
violence, harassment or bullying;
discrimination and exclusion;
unclear job role;
under- or over-promotion;
job insecurity, inadequate pay, or poor investment in career development;
and
conflicting home/work demands.
Significance
The OSH Pulse survey conducted by EU-OSHA in 2022 shows that 27% of workers
experience stress, anxiety or depression caused or made worse by work. Some of
the psychosocial risks that have been found to have the most detrimental effect
on workers’ health are unsocial working hours and work intensity.
A preventive, holistic and systematic approach to managing psychosocial risks is
believed to be the most effective. EU-OSHA’s European Survey of Enterprises on
New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) explores how psychosocial risks are perceived
and managed across European enterprises, identifying the main drivers, barriers
and needs for support. The survey shows that psychosocial risks are believed to
be more challenging and more difficult to manage than ‘traditional’ OSH risks.
Further analysis shows that especially micro and small companies tend to
underestimate psychosocial risks and are often lacking appropriate preventive
measures. There is a need across all companies and all Member States to raise
awareness and provide simple practical tools on a sectoral basis for managing
work-related psychosocial risks.
Prevention and management:
mental health must be addressed in a comprehensive way across all policy
areas, including mental health at work.
With the right approach, psychosocial risks can be prevented or successfully
managed, regardless of business size or type.
Managing work-related psychosocial risks is not just a moral obligation and a
good investment for employers, it is a legal imperative set out in Framework
Directive 89/391/EEC, supported by the social partners’ framework agreements
on work-related stress and harassment and violence at work.
Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that workplace risks are properly
assessed and controlled. Involving workers in this process is essential to ensure
better and more effective identification and management of the risks. Workers
and their representatives have the best understanding of the problems that can
occur in their workplace, and involving them has been shown to be a success
factor when combating psychosocial risks at work.
References: EU-OSHA, WHO (mental health at work)
