Psychosocial action

In Europe, a general movement of growing awareness of the problem of psychosocial stress at the workplace has developed. This psychosocial burden involves stress, workplace violence and all forms of abusive conduct, such as moral or sexual harassment in the working environment.

In the wider context of the European dynamic, the ASTF is taking part in this combat to reduce the psychosocial burden by creating an awareness among the professionals concerned on the basis of its own awareness.

But how can a psychosocial burden be defined?

It is a burden of a psychosocial nature which has its origin in the performance of work or occurs during the performance of work with damaging sequels for the physical or mental health of the individual.

These sequels may include sleep disorders, hypertension, respiratory disorders or digestive problems; on the mental side, examples include depression, loss of motivation, anxiety and even ideas of suicide.

Stress caused by working conditions, relational suffering experienced in some inter-personal or group conflicts, together with violence and harassment for example, create a psychosocial burden.

The conditions of life and wellbeing at work are not influenced solely by safety and health at the workplace but also by psychosocial factors, such as working relationships and the organisation of work.

We cannot stand idly by in face of abusive behaviour whose psychological, physical, social and even economic consequences have proved too many to list.