Work-related-stress
Stress at work is a physiological and psychological response to stressful events in the workplace. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including tight deadlines, work overload, interpersonal conflicts, lack of control at work and lack of support from colleagues or employers. The assessment of related work stress is part of the employer’s obligations.
Work-related stress can have a negative impact on the mental and physical health of workers, as well as on company productivity. Therefore, it is important to assess the risk of work-related stress in the company.
The risk assessment work related stress
The risk assessment of work-related stress is a fundamental process to ensure the well-being of workers and the health of the company that includes several stages. In assessing the risk of work-related stress in the company, it is important to take into account the indicators of work-related stress of content and context.
The content indicators concern the work itself, such as the amount of work, its complexity, working autonomy, tight deadlines, the repetitiveness of activities and the lack of control at work.
Context indicators, on the other hand, refer to the environment and interpersonal relationships in the workplace, such as social isolation, uncertainty of the job role and lack of support from colleagues or employers.
The assessment of the two types of indicators should be accurate and detailed in order to identify the workers most at risk of developing related work stress. This way you can plan the most appropriate interventions to reduce stress and improve the well-being of employees.
Preparatory stage
The preparatory stage involves identifying the risk factors present in the organization, from the work context to the management of human resources, to internal and external communication. In this phase, a first analysis of the company situation is carried out, evaluating the organizational and productive characteristics of the company and collecting information on the tasks performed by the employees.
The main objective is to identify possible stress factors related to work activities. At this stage, it is also possible to collect data on the presence of any stress signals among employees. It is important that the preparatory phase is carried out carefully and carefully, so that you have a complete picture of the work situation in which you will be operating later with the subsequent stages of risk assessment.
Stage of the preliminary assessment
The preliminary assessment phase examines the factors identified in the previous phase, analysing the sources of stress and the consequences for the people involved. At this stage, the necessary information is collected through the analysis of available data sources such as company documentation, absenteeism statistics, job satisfaction, etc. direct observation of the places of work and the environments in which work is carried out, as well as interviews with workers.
When the information is collected, it is analysed in order to identify possible risk factors for work-related stress which may be of an organisational or psychosocial nature. At this stage, it is important to involve all stakeholders in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the situation and ensure a participatory approach to risk management. The correct preliminary assessment allows to identify in a timely manner the problems and the critical areas in which to intervene to prevent or reduce the related work stress.
Stage of the in-depth assessment
During the in-depth assessment phase, indicators of work related stress, both of content and context, are identified to better understand the causes of the problem. The data collected during the preliminary assessment are analysed in more detail and precisely to identify the main causes of stress in the company’s workers.
To best perform this activity, it is necessary to use specific tools that allow to collect information regarding the tasks performed, the working context and interpersonal relationships within the organization. The in-depth evaluation phase allows the identification of the critical aspects of the work that can generate stress and the definition of the objectives of the interventions to be carried out in the next planning phase.
Planning phase of the interventions
Finally, we move on to the planning phase of the interventions, where the most appropriate solutions to reduce related work stress are identified. Once the preparatory stages, the preliminary assessment and the in-depth assessment have been completed, it is time to draw up a personalised action plan for each worker or group of workers showing signs of work-related stress. This plan shall be based on the results of the risk assessment and shall include preventive and corrective measures appropriate to the individual situation.
The planning of interventions should involve all hierarchical levels of the company, so as to ensure effective collaboration between the employer and employees in the management of work-related stress. In addition, the action plan should be constantly monitored and updated according to the feedback received from workers and the evolution of working conditions within the company. Only through careful and targeted planning will it be possible to effectively reduce work-related stress and improve the quality of life of workers.
Work stress indicators can be reduced by targeted interventions on company internal communication, employee training and workload management.
How to reduce work-related stress?
To reduce related work stress, there are several strategies that can be adopted both at the individual and company level. First of all, effective time management is essential to organize activities so as to avoid work overload and stress. At the company level, good communication between colleagues helps create a more serene and collaborative work environment.
