Work-related stress

A highly publicized phenomenon, to the point of sometimes monopolizing public debate on occupational health issues, stress in the workplace is not just a question of fashion. Numerous studies have found that 15% to 25% of employees suffer from stress at work, making it the most widespread occupational health phenomenon. Since the 2000s, awareness of the issue has grown in line with the fact that occupational hazards are not only created by exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents. The way work is organized, supervised and experienced can generate health problems and dysfunctions that affect business performance. As such, engineers need to be aware of these issues.

The social cost of stress in France is estimated at around 3 billion euros a year, equivalent to 0.15% of GDP and just over 20% of the budget of the occupational risks branch of the French health insurance system. The link between stress and suicide has been widely discussed, but remains difficult to prove. However, the range of deleterious consequences of stress is much wider, and includes somatic illnesses. The occupational determinants of stress have been the subject of much research, and there is a relative consensus on their nature.

People sometimes talk about "good" and "bad" stress. This distinction has no theoretical basis and leads to errors in the measures taken to combat stress in companies. Whether it's a question of avoiding stress, identifying it, mitigating its impact or repairing its damage, the scientific knowledge available provides elements that enable effective action to be taken against a phenomenon that is eminently subjective, but nonetheless accessible to rationality.

The aim of this article is to present the conceptual aspects of this phenomenon, as well as the measurement tools available. It describes the determinants of work-related stress and its known consequences. Finally, it provides guidelines for prevention.