Премини към основното съдържание
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Psychosocial risks

Psychosocial risks are aspects of the design and management of work, and its social and organisational contexts, that have the potential for causing psychological or physical harm. Work-related stress is one of the health risks most frequently identified by workers in Europe. The factors that can cause stress for workers and influence their health and well-being can be related to the following: job content; work intensity and job autonomy; working time arrangements and work–life balance; social environment, including interpersonal relationships at work and social support; job insecurity and career development. 

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Definitions

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Sara Riso joined Eurofound in 2006 and is currently a senior research manager in the Working Life unit. She is engaged in research projects focusing on digitalisation and working...

Senior research manager,
Working life research unit
Oscar Vargas Llave

Oscar Vargas Llave is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound and manages projects on changes in the world of work and the impact on working conditions and related...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (25)

The scale of undeclared care work (paid care work that is lawful but not declared to public authorities) in the EU is considerable. Recent estimates suggest that 6.8 million undeclared workers provide care or household services across the EU, with 2.1 million specifically in the care sector.

25 March 2025

Over the last decade, information and communication technologies have changed the way employees work and communicate with each other. While the digitalisation of work offers many benefits, widespread access to digital devices in working life has created new forms of antisocial behaviour.

25 September 2024

During the pandemic, many young people had to change their plans for the future. While at the end of 2023 young people’s labour market situation was more favourable than it had been in recent years, many obstacles remained on their route to independence, such as the rising cost of living and

21 May 2024

Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health.

23 November 2023

Проучването „Живот, работа и COVID-19“, което Eurofound стартира за първи път в началото на 2020 г., има за цел да проследи широкообхватното въздействие на пандемията върху работата и живота на гражданите на ЕС. Петият кръг на проучването на Eurofound, проведено през пролетта на 2022 г., също хвърля

07 December 2022

Петият кръг на електронното проучване на Eurofound, проведено от 25 март до 2 май 2022 г., дава информация за социалното и икономическото положение на хората в цяла Европа две години след откриването на COVID-19 за първи път на европейския континент. В него се разглежда и реалността на живота в нова

07 July 2022

A new European Disability Strategy was launched in 2021 with the aim of intensifying progress on ensuring the full participation of people with disabilities in society. The increase of EU policy focus on people with disabilities is timely: the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the challenges they faced i

21 March 2022

След дългото възстановяване от икономическата криза (2007—2013 г.) младежите в ЕС се оказаха по-уязвими към последиците от въведените ограничения с цел забавяне на разпространението на пандемията от COVID-19. Младите хора по-често са изправени пред загуба на работни места, финансова несигурност и

09 November 2021

Третият кръг на електронното проучване на Eurofound, проведен през февруари и март 2021 г., хвърля светлина върху социалното и икономическото положение на хората в Европа след почти една пълна година на живот в условията на ограничения поради пандемията от COVID-19. В настоящия доклад са анализирани

10 May 2021

В настоящия водещ доклад се прави обобщение на основните констатации от изследванията относно условията на труд, проведени от Eurofound през програмния период 2017—2020 г. В него се очертава напредъкът, постигнат от 2000 г. насам за подобряване на условията на труд и се изследва дали всички

26 February 2021

Online resources results (236)

Employees favour security and stability in current crisis

A questionnaire-based survey carried out by Adecco Greece [1] in March–May 2011 investigated the outlook and expectations of Greek employees amid the economic crisis. [1] http://www.adecco.gr/

Situation of social workers

Two recent reports from the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA [1]) examine the situation of social workers in Poland based on extensive qualitative and quantitative research. Since the fall of communism in 1989, social assistance has been distinguished from the Polish health care system and

Impact assessment of mental health on employment

The study, Impact assessment of mental health on employment for policy development [1] (IAMHE), was partly funded by the European Social Fund [2] to obtain a better understanding of the main obstacles that affect the access, integration, retention and progression at work of those with mental health

Survey confirms effectiveness of collective agreements

As part of the European Social Fund project, ‘The practical implementation in economic spheres and enterprises of regulations regarding working conditions and safety at work’, which began in 2008, the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS [1]) undertakes a population survey. The aim is to

Job insecurity and effort-reward imbalance affect health and well-being

The National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA [1]) recently published the results from a substantial research project entitled ‘Psycho-social work environment, mental health and working capacity (in Danish) [2]’, carried out between 2007 and 2010. The study reveals that work-related

Importance of trust in creating committed employees

Richard Berglund, a social scientist at the Department of Work Science at the University of Gothenburg [1], followed three companies during four years for his doctoral thesis while these companies introduced ‘lean production’. Lean production entails a continuous process of quality and improvement

TUC survey shows rise in psychosocial hazards at work

The Trades Union Congress (TUC [1]) published the findings from its latest survey of health and safety representatives [2] in October 2010. A major part of the survey is designed to provide an indication of the hazards that health and safety representatives must deal with and the problems they face

Sick leave rates during the economic crisis

Research by the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia (Inštitut za varovanje zdravja [1]) into the impact of the economic crisis on absenteeism found that those industries reported to be most affected by the crisis also underwent substantial changes in sick leave rates. Analysis of

Night work and working conditions in 2009

In February 2011, the French Agency for Studies, Research and Statistics (Dares, [1] part of the Ministry of Work, Employment and Health [2]) published the results of a study (in French, 187Kb PDF) [3] on night work [4] in France in 2009, including a comparison with the extent of night work in 1991

‘Evil Eleven Syndrome’: The dark side of workplaces

A theoretical framework of participatory action research developed by Associate Professor Sirpa Syvänen of the Tampere University School of Management in Finland during the course of her postgraduate studies (Syvänen, 2003) was used to examine the culture at workplaces in the social sector providing


Blogs results (5)
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'Women belong in all the places where decisions are made', to borrow from the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These decisions are made everywhere and at every level: in the home and at the workplace; in the boardroom and on the shop floor. Which is why it is of such serious concern to see the ongoing deep

8 March 2023
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Women and frontline workers are most exposed to the risks of adverse social behaviour at work, such as burnout, exhaustion, anxiety and depression. This is according to the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 (EWCTS). In this data story, we dive into EWCTS data (EU27) to examine the pr

A worker sitting on the floor

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work. With the lifting of restrictions across the globe, we are now able to examine the many repercussions on the world of work. In particular, the unique demands of the last few years have shone a harsh spotlight on the pressures brought to bear

17 January 2023
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Lower levels of health, increasing financial pressure and a significant degree of unmet healthcare: these are the findings of the fifth round of the Living, working and COVID-19 e-survey: Living in a new era of uncertainty – a report that presents an overview of responses from over 200,000 people

6 October 2022
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​​​​​​​While women appear to be more resilient than men to COVID-19 in terms of health outcomes, that is not the case when it comes to the economic and social fallout. Measures taken by governments to control the spread of the virus are exacerbating gender divides in unemployment, domestic labour an

Upcoming publications results (3)

The overview report of the European Working Conditions Survey 2024 ( EWCS24) provides a comprehensive description of the workforce, and includes information on digital work practices, social relations at work and inclusive workplaces. It evaluates job quality across seven dimensions: earnings,

November 2025

Poor mental health, especially anxiety and depression, affects many people in the EU. Trends impacting mental health include the change from physical to digital work environments, climate change, inequality and people’s concerns about their economic situation. While poor mental health was already pr

July 2025

The first findings from the European Working Conditions Survey 2024 (EWCS24) provide information on changes over time in the seven domains of job quality and key indicators on the quality of working life and sustainable work. They also include information on algorithmic management, hybrid work,

May 2025
Data results (28)

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