Preventing Stress, Improving Productivity European Case-Studies in the Workplace

Changing the workplace to help prevent stress is much more cost effective in the long term than treating employees for the effects of stress. But to date, there has been little guidance for employers who wish to implement such programmes. This text has gathered together examples of best practice in the workplace across a range of EU countries and organizations. It explores the costs and benefits of stress prevention for workers and organizations and includes case studies, evaluations and reviews. It should be of value to occupational psychologists, consultants and managers across a wide range of work settings.

In a representative study made of European workers, twenty-eight per cent of employees reported that stress affects their health and their performance at work. Occupational stress is a serious problem for the performance of individuals, organisations and as a consequence, for national economies. Preventing Stress, Improving Productivity investigates the ways in which companies can combat stress by changing the working environment rather than only treating individual employees with stress symptoms.Costs and benefits of stress prevention are discussed, with an emphasis on appraoches that involve both the work situation and the individual worker. The heart of the book consists of eleven European country chapters, each overviewing the current status with respect to occupational stress and its prevention in that country and then presenting one detailed case study an example of good preventive practice. Preventing Stress, Improving Productivity identifies five factors that are critical for a stress reduction programme to work, both in terms of employee health and well-being and from a financial point of view. Successful strategies combine participation from workers and support from top management. Useful as a reference for psychologists, human resource managers, occupational physicians, ergonomists and consultants, this book will also be an invaluable aid to managers in the day-to-day running of organisations.

Michael Kompier is Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Cary Cooper is BUPA Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).