“The prevention, management and reduction of stress at work need to be taken into account at different levels of governance and in the private sector,” said the PACE Standing Committee, which called on member States to identify legislative gaps in their workplace health and safety policies, to ensure a better coverage of psychosocial risks – in particular for health-care and social workers, police officers, teachers and customer-service providers – bearing in mind the gender dimension.
The resolution unanimously adopted today, based on a report by Stefaan Vercamer (Belgium, EPP/CD), recommends expanding the list of occupational diseases to stress-induced disorders, including burnout. “Member States should also examine the impact of robotisation and artificial intelligence on the organisation of work, so as to reduce stress – linked to job insecurity – and foster job sharing,” the parliamentarians stressed.
Finally, the adopted text encourages employers to ensure a healthy work-life balance by introducing shorter, four-day weeks (28 to 32 work hours per week), flexible hours, greater autonomy, teleworking possibilities and job-sharing schemes.
