Stress prevention and mental wellbeing in the European ICT sector guidelines updated
17.01.20192017 figures report that there were 8.4 million people working in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector in EU-28 with 1.6 million in the UK. With rapid changes and advances in this sector the European Commission funded ‘The Good Work Good Health ll: ensuring the mental wellbeing of ICT employers in a new world of work’ project.
Our Ergonomics & Human Factors Research division carried out an up-to-date literature review to identify how worker mental health affected by recent industry developments. Working across several European communication organisations ‘new world’ risk factors such as mobile working, flexible work, virtual management and virtual teams, the right to disconnect and workplace mental health management were surveyed and considered to include good practice guidelines and insight. To maximise the outreach and readership the guidelines are translated and disseminated within the EU.
Dr Joanne Crawford Head of Ergonomics & Human factors at IOM, carried out the work alongside, Alice Davis, Research Psychologist and IOM consultant Catherine Kilfedder. Joanne, Alice and Catherine are all presenting at the Good Work, Good Health conference in Brussels on the 17th of January 2019. Follow @IOMWorld for more updates.
“This work links to IOM’s expertise in managing psychosocial risks and stress at work. The identification of good practice for sharing across the sector can help others to come up with solutions to their own problems. We urge anyone working in this sector to review the guidelines and make their own workplace changes. A healthy workforce promotes higher productivity and reduces absences.” Dr Joanne Crawford.