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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

Eurofoundin alkuvuodesta 2020 aloittaman Eläminen, työskentely ja covid-19-pandemia -tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää pandemian laaja-alaisia vaikutuksia EU:n kansalaisten työhön ja elämään. Keväällä 2022 toteutetulla Eurofoundin tutkimuksen viidennellä kierroksella käsitellään myös Ukrainan

07 December 2022

Eurofoundin viides, 25.3–2.5.2022 toteutettu sähköinen kyselytutkimus valottaa ihmisten sosiaalista ja taloudellista tilannetta eri puolilla Eurooppaa kaksi vuotta sen jälkeen, kun covid-19-tauti havaittiin ensimmäisen kerran Euroopan mantereella. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan myös elämistä Ukrainan

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

Pitkään kestäneen talouskriisistä elpymisen (2007–2013) jälkeen EU:n nuoret osoittautuivat olevan muita alttiimpia niiden rajoitteiden vaikutuksille, joiden käyttöönotolla pyrittiin hidastamaan covid-19-pandemian leviämistä. Nuoret kärsivät vanhempia ikäryhmiä todennäköisemmin työpaikan menetyksestä

09 November 2021

Helmi- ja maaliskuussa 2021 toteutettu Eurofoundin kolmas sähköinen kyselytutkimus valottaa ihmisten sosiaalista ja taloudellista tilannetta eri puolilla Eurooppaa, kun covid-19-rajoitusten kanssa oli eletty lähes kokonaisen vuoden ajan. Tässä raportissa analysoidaan tutkimuksessa sen käynnistämisen

10 May 2021

Tässä lippulaivaraportissa on yhteenveto keskeisistä havainnoista, joita Eurofound on tehnyt ohjelmakauden 2017–2020 aikana työoloista. Siinä kartoitetaan eteneminen työolojen parantamisessa vuoden 2000 jälkeen ja selvitetään, ovatko kaikki työntekijät hyötyneet myönteisestä muutoksesta yhtä paljon

26 February 2021

Online resources results (236)

Job satisfaction low among doctors

International online information network Healthgrouper [1] has published a report (in Bulgarian, 1.5Mb PDF) [2] on job satisfaction among doctors in Bulgaria. The survey, intended to identify factors that determined doctors’ job satisfaction, was conducted in March 2012. [1] http://healthgrouper.com

Highest paid report greatest satisfaction at work

In January 2013, the Polish Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS [1]) carried out a survey, Satisfaction With Work and its Evaluation’. The survey was based on a representative random sample of 1,227 adult Polish workers, and aimed to examine their views about how happy they were with their work. [1

Work-related mental stress focus of research and policy debate

An annual Absenteeism Report (in German) [1] has looked at the impact of flexible working on employees’ levels of stress and related health risks. The 2012 research was jointly compiled by WidO [2], the research institute of public health insurer AOK [3], and Bielefeld University [4]. The study was

Study highlights the dangers of work-related stress

A study, The psychological stress of work and its consequences (in German, 2Mb PDF) [1], was carried out in 2011 by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO [2]). It was based on complex empirical analysis, and shows a clear link between psychosocial job strains and health outcomes. In

Well-being at work in the healthcare sector

A report, Development and protection of well-being and organisational health in healthcare (in Italian, 3.88Mb PDF) [1], is being promoted by the Italian Federation of Hospital and Local Health Agencies (FIASO [2]) with the aim of establishing a shared protocol for assessing the risks of work

Low levels of company allegiance among employees

GfK [1] is a leading market research agency. Its survey on employee engagement, pressure and stress related to employment, the GfK International Employee Engagement Survey [2], was conducted by the agency’s Custom Research sector [3] in April 2011. The survey was carried out across 29 countries, and

Women workers and managers more prone to headaches

Headache is a very common health problem. The worldwide point prevalence of headache, regardless of type, has been estimated to be as high as 46% in the general adult population (Stovner et al, 2007).

Playing the game to tackle work-related stress

Work-related stress is one of the most serious occupational hazards in the Netherlands. It is caused by a variety of factors, including the content and organisation of work, the management style of supervisors and the organisational culture.

Emotional exhaustion may trigger cut in working hours

With labour shortages expected in the coming years, the Dutch Government is searching for opportunities to increase the number of hours each person works.

Effects of work environment and family–life balance

The Work and Family–Life Balance Barometer 2012 (/Barómetro de Conciliación/) was created using data collected from 710 questionnaires completed by Spanish employees. Using these data, the business services consultancy firm Edenred [1] and IESE Business School [2] have published a report (in Spanish


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 maaliskuu 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 tammikuu 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 ac

6 lokakuu 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

3 kesäkuu 2020
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,

March 2026

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,

September 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
Data results (28)

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