Monotony significantly affects workers’ well-being, but the Maltese top the list of EU member states that have been spared from the doldrums on the job, according to a report.
Just 22 per cent of Maltese reported that their main paid job involved monotonous tasks, compared with the EU 28 average of 45 per cent.
Croatia is at the other end of the spectrum with the bulk of workers – 64 per cent – caught up in a tedious job that normally involves plant and machine operators.
The ‘Psychosocial risks in Europe’ report was published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and Eurofound.
Released as part of a Europe-wide campaign, Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress, it acknowledges the complex relationship between health and work and recognises that practical support is needed to bring about change.
A quarter of workers in Europe report feeling stressed at work all or most of the time, with a similar proportion saying their job affected their health negatively.
Psychosocial risks – such as monotonous tasks, high work intensity, tight deadlines, work-life imbalance, violence and harassment – all contribute to stress.
Jobs involving repetitive and monotonous tasks can be demotivating and contribute to psychosocial problems, while very complex tasks might add to stressful situations unless the worker has the necessary skills to cope.
Across the EU, 13 per cent of workers report that they need further training to cope with their duties; this percentage is higher among workers under 35 .
Interestingly, in Malta, a relatively large proportion of workers – 45 per cent – are under 35.
The report also addresses working hours, which play a crucial role in health and well-being, leading to sleeping disorders and fatigue. In Europe, 21 per cent of workers put in more than 48 hours on average each week – Greece has the highest percentage of workers in that situation, while Finland has the lowest share.
Just over 20 per cent of men work 48 hours or more a week
In Malta, just over 20 per cent of men work 48 hours or more a week, compared with some six per cent of women. The majority of both men and women work between 35 and 40 hours.
According to the Working Time Directive, member states had to take measures to ensure time at work, including overtime, did not exceed 48 hours over a seven-day period.
Irregular working hours also posed a risk to workers’ health making it harder to reconcile their job with family life.
The less regular their working time scheme, the more problems workers faced in striking a work-life balance.
Malta has the lowest rate of workers with irregular hours, but they are also less likely to have flexibility and to influence the time they work.
In general, workers can cope better with risks posed by irregular working time and work-life balance problems when they can influence their own hours.
The social environment at work is also important and it can prevent or be conducive to psychosocial risks.
Possible hazards include lack of social support, poor relationships with one’s superior and conflicts.
Studies have shown that the presence of social support from colleagues and supervisors could in some way moderate or act as a buffer to reduce possible psychosocial ill-effects on working conditions.
In Malta, an island that prides itself for solid support networks, workers report a lack of social support. In Demark, Ireland, Malta and Portugal the lack of social support is more than five percentage points higher than in the EU as a whole (nine per cent).
In Italy only one per cent of workers complain of this.