Framework agreement

1. ETUC/CES/ EGB Framework agreement on work-related stress 8 October 2004

2. Signatory Parties John Monks General Secretary of the ETUC Dr.Jürgen Strube President of UNICE Paul Reckinger President of UEAPME Rainer Plassmann General Secretary of CEEP ETUC, Bd du Roi Albert II, 5, B-1210 Brussels, Tel. +32 2 224 04 11 http://www.etuc.org UNICE, Av. de Cortenbergh 168, B-1000 Brussels, Tel. +32 2 237.65.11, http://www.unice.org UEAPME, Rue Jacques Lalaing 4, B-1040 Bruxelles, Tel. +32 2 230 75 99 http://www.ueapme.com CEEP, Rue de la Charité, 15 B-1210 Brussels, Tel. +32 2 219 27 98 http://www.ceep.org

3. Part 1 - The Framework Agreement from a Health & Safety Point of View Roland GAUTHY -Research Officer, ETUI-REHS

4. Since the signature of the FA, what have been done or still have to be done in order to fulfil it? Translation  commonly agreed ? Dissemination of the FA ? How to improve FA’s usability & efficiency ? Good or bad experiences ? Interpretation ? Report & monitoring ? Etc…?

5. 1. Introduction Work-related stress has been identified at international, European and national levels as a concern for both employers and workers. Having identified the need for specific joint action on this issue and anticipating a Commission consultation on stress, the European social partners included this issue in the work programme of the social dialogue 2003-2005.

6. § 1 – Common concern • Stress is a common concern for the social partners • A need for a specific joint action has been identify

7. Stress can potentially affect any workplace and any worker, irrespective of the size of the company, field of activity, or form of employment contract or relationship. In practice, not all work places and not all workers are necessarily affected.

8. § 2 – Broad coverage Broad coverage of WR-stress situations • Even the SMEs are considered • Diversity of working contracts or relationships

9. Tackling stress at work can lead to greater efficiency and improved occupational health and safety, with consequent economic and social benefits for companies, workers and society as a whole. Diversity of the workforce is an important consideration when tackling problems of work-related stress.

10. § 3 – Impact & diversity • EU major cause of concern • Health effects on individual workers • Economic impact on business and social costs (€20 billion in 1999) / 50% of lost working days • Figures (2000) • 28 % of European workers / 41 millions workers • 29% women / 28% men • Technicians, (35%), managers (32%), clerks (25%) • Diversity of the workforce : gender, age, qualification, etc.

11. 2. Aim The aim of the present agreement is to increase the awareness and understanding of employers, workers and their representatives of work-related stress, draw their attention to signs that could indicate problems of work-related stress.

12. § 1 – Awareness & Understanding • All the signatory parties are involved in the prevention of work-related stress (WRS): it’s a common task • They should understand the mechanisms beyond WRS • Not only as a health & safety issue • Lot of other aspects of the working life are potential stress factors

13. The objective of this agreement is to provide employers and workers with a framework to identify and prevent or manage problems of work-related stress. It is not about attaching blame to the individual for stress.

14. § 2 – Main target • All the parties should be able to • Identify • Prevent • Manage • WR-stress in a collective perspective (the focused is not put on the individual) and • With action-oriented instruments

15. Recognising that harassment and violence at the work place are potential work related stressors but that the EU social partners, in the work programme of the social dialogue 2003-2005, will explore the possibility of negotiating a specific agreement on these issues, this agreement does not deal with violence, harassment and post-traumatic stress.

16. § 3 – Excluded issues • Issues such as mobbing, bullying, physical or sexual violence, etc. & their consequences (e.g. post-traumatic stress) are recognized as potential stress factors • They are excluded from this agreement because they could be part of future negotiations between the EU social partners

17. 3. Description of stress and work-related stress Stress is a state, which is accompanied by physical, psychological or social complaints or dysfunctions and which results from individuals feeling unable to bridge a gap with the requirements or expectations placed on them.

18. § 1 – What is stress • It’s not the best part of the FA but that’s it! • Stress as a state … = OK • … resulting from individual incapability…: this is far too subjective • Immeasurable • Too individual • Linked to stress in general (instead of WR-stress) but even there one could be stressed in other ways than those described here…  Operationally speaking, this § does not provide us with any help…

19. The individual •  is well adapted to cope with short-term exposure to pressure, • which can be considered as positive, •  but has greater difficulty in coping with prolonged exposure to intensive pressure. • Moreover, different individuals • can react differently to similar situations & • the same individual can react differently to similar situations at different times of his/her life.

20. § 2 – “positive short term pressure” This part of the description is also a part of our FA but • The 1st meaning is not totally correct : it’s a singular perspective… (it’s not scientifically accepted) • The 2nd meaning doesn’t add any value to the FA • Too individual • Too far from work-related factors  it’s virtually an “empty” part of this FA

21. Stress is not a disease • but prolonged exposure to it • may reduce effectiveness at work • and • may cause ill health.

22. § 3 – self speaking Stress • Is costly for the companies • Has a human price

23. Stress originating outside the working environment • can lead to changes in behaviour & • reduced effectiveness at work. • All manifestations of stress at work • cannot be considered as work-related stress. • Work-related stress can be caused by different factors such as • work content, • work organisation, • work environment, • poor communication, etc.

24. § 4 – Link with workplace Here we have the key-issue of this chapter because : • it concerns the workplace • even when stress is imported from the outer world • even if it is not work-related • It focuses for the 1st time on the dynamics of stress

25. Stress or strain? WORK ENVIRONMENT TASK EQUIPMENT PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT MENTAL STRESS INDIVIDUAL MENTAL STRAIN FATIGUE-LIKE EFFECTS MENTAL FATIGUE MONOTONY REDUCED VIGILANCE SATIATION ACTIVATION WARMING UP FACILITATING EFFECTS IMPAIRING EFFECTS

26. 4. Identifying problems of work- related stress Given the complexity of the stress phenomenon, this agreement does not intend to provide an exhaustive list of potential stress indicators. However, high absenteeism or staff turnover, frequent interpersonal conflicts or complaints by workers are some of the signs that may indicate a problem of work-related stress.

27. § 1 – Stress Indicators • It became quickly clear that a “shopping list” had to be avoided ! • We agreed instead on examples from • The workers’ group (such as absenteism & staff turn-over) Counterbalanced with examples from • The employers’ group (individual perspective like “workers’ complaints)

28. Identifying whether there is a problem of work-related stress can involve an analysis of factors such as work organisation and processes (working time arrangements, degree of autonomy, match between workers skills and job requirements, workload, etc.), working conditions and environment (exposure to abusive behaviour, noise, heat, dangerous substances, etc.), communication (uncertainty about what is expected at work, employment prospects, or forthcoming change, etc.) and subjective factors (emotional and social pressures, feeling unable to cope, perceived lack of support, etc.).

29. § 2 – Identification process This is a key-§ with mentions of important stressors related to • Work organization, processes • Working condition & environment • Employment prospects (job security, contractual relations) & forthcoming changes !!! Non-subjective factors !!! • Subjective factors: emotional & social pressures…

30. If a problem of work-related stress is identified, action must be taken to prevent, eliminate or reduce it. The responsibility for determining the appropriate measures rests with the employer. These measures will be carried out with the participation and collaboration of workers and/or their representatives.

31. § 3 – Actions (Key §) • Actions taken with the PARTICIPATION & the COLLABORATION in all the 3 steps of systematic stress-reduction • Prevention • Elimination • Reduction • The fact that the employer’s willingness to act is necessary is also recognized in this §

32. 5. Responsibilities of employers and workers Under framework directive 89/391, all employers have a legal obligation to protect the occupational safety and health of workers. This duty also applies to problems of work-related stress in so far as they entail a risk to health and safety. All workers have a general duty to comply with protective measures determined by the employer.

33. § 1 – Reference to the Framework Directive 89/391 (FWD) • The FWD describes clearly the obligations of the employers in the field of O.S.H.  the clear FWD’s reference REINFORCES the FA • Workers’ compliance is needed : this is fully acceptable

34. P.A.: Safety & health protection of workers (89/391) • Avoid risks } • Evaluate residual risks } ~ STRESSORS • Combat risks at source } • Adapt work to • Individuals • Technical progress • Replace by the less dangerous • Coherent overall protection  work organisation, working conditions, social relations, … etc. • Priority to collective measures • Instructions to workers

35. P.A.: implementation • Priority = elimination of risk factors = elimination of stressors • Stressors  Stress (Cause  Consequence) • Exposure to risk factors = stressors • Adaptation (from stress to « stress-less ») • MSD: risk factor… repetitive movements… • STRESS: risk factor (stressor)…short delays…

36. EU Directive (+ praxis) Avoid risks Evaluate residual risks Combat risks Adapt work Less dangerous Coherent protection Collective measures Instructions to workers FA Stress Aim: Awareness, Signs Causes: Work Content, Organisation, Environment, Communication Identification: Signs + Stressors + Individual Prevent, evaluate, reduce  measures: Management, Communication, Training FA Stress & HS Directive

37. Addressing problems of work-related stress may be carried out • within an overall process of risk assessment, • through a separate stress policy • and/or by specific measures targeted at identified stress factors.

38. § 2 – Choice of the instrument The choice of the instrument on how to address the problems of WR-stress is open: different methods are in use • Overall risk assessments as foreseen in the FWD • Stress policies • Specific measures dedicated to specific problems

39. 6. Preventing,eliminating or reducing problems of work-related stress Preventing, eliminating or reducing problems of work-related stress can include various measures. These measures can be collective, individual or both. They can be introduced in the form of specific measures targeted at identified stress factors or as part of an integrated stress policy encompassing both preventive and responsive measures.

40. § 1 – Kind of measures • Flexibility is given to adapt the measures to each situation  Collective (or individual) measures • Anti-stress (or better said “anti-stressors”) policy should be understood as DYNAMIC ACTION PLAN (because it is revised)  see following ex.

41. Risk Assessment : • What ? • Why ? • When ? • How ? • Who ?

42. A Solution-Oriented Model

43. From risk assessment  actions • The basic idea of this ACTION-ORIENTED model is that as soon as a problem is detected (at any level) a solution is searched… • On a participative way = with the workers who experience the problem • If a satisfying solution cannot be found or if the problem could not be understood, other competences are involved External experts don’t master the real situation  they start from another posture

44. Reminder • The Preventive Approach (P.A.): • Its strategy = eliminating the risks • Its implementation = compulsory & dynamic • Essential characteristics: • Participative • Holistic • Multidisciplinar

45. Where the required expertise inside the work place is insufficient, competent external expertise can be called upon, in accordance with European and national legislation, collective agreements and practices.

46. Track potential causes  interpersonal, hierarchy, burden (work loads), schedules, noise … etc. Try to find a suitable solution to well (participatory) identified problems Holistic approach focused on objective facts & subjective feelings External expertise when necessary

47. Remark on the experts… Do not underevaluate the worker (or overevaluate the expert): the worker / the operator is the UNIQUE real expert on his workplace Consequently, • Call the expert neither too soon nor too late  when necessary • Require from him profesionnalism, ethic, privacy … • Eliminate gurus, or « besserwisser » (there are millions of them in the field of stress)

48. Once in place, anti-stress measures should be regularly reviewed to assess their effectiveness, if they are making optimum use of resources, and are still appropriate or necessary.

49. § 3 – Dynamic nature of the process • Regular review of the anti-stress(ors) measures • Monitoring of the • Effectiveness • decreased stress-level? • elimination of risk factors? • Necessity to increase / modulate the efforts, address other issues, etc…

50. Such measures could include, for example: • management and communication measures • such as clarifying the company’s objectives and the role of individual workers, ensuring adequate management support for individuals and teams, matching responsibility and control over work, improving work organisation and processes, working conditions and environment, • training managers and workers • to raise awareness and understanding of stress, its possible causes and how to deal with it, and/or to adapt to change, • provision of information to and consultation with workers and/or their representatives • in accordance with EU and national legislation, collective agreements and practices.