The socio-economic environment and mental health
In Germany, over the past few years the use of the term "stress" has increased significantly. Today, stress seems to be everywhere: at work, in traffic, when shopping, in the family. Feeling "stressed" has a negative connotation and generally means being "overburdened". But stress is a two-edged sword. It can act as a challenge, which stimulates physical and mental abilities, or it can lead to overload and temporary or even long-term disability conditions.
These statements are particularly applicable to the world of work: Responsibility is, on the one hand, a workplace requirement which develops social and intellectual abilities. On the other hand, under certain circumstances, it can cause anxieties and feelings of being overloaded.
Negative strains can:
* Damage mental and physical health;
* Hinder the preservation and development of intellectual abilities and skills;
* Impair social interactions (family, leisure, and political-cultural activities).
Research has shown that mental and psychosocial strains such as monotony, time pressure, and the conduct of superiors are especially important in the workplace. Since the mid 1980s employees have experienced an increase in stress related to both physical and mental working conditions. This is due mainly to rationalisation and the rapid introduction of technology, which took place in the industrial and service sectors.
Today, entire in-company and inter-company work systems are being redesigned. This includes mechanisation and automation as well as the use of electronic data processing and communication technologies, which involve far-reaching changes in organisations. New activities and workplaces, a greater emphasis on group work, "just-in-time" and "lean production", and a change in the division of labour due to outsourcing are having a significant impact on stress in the workplace. On the positive side, these changes have led to a reduction in monotony, increased co-operation, greater autonomy and decision-making ability through group work and more highly skilled tasks. However, stress due to time pressure, deadlines, and demands in terms of quality, quantity, and greater flexibility is increasing.
These developments impact organisations in different ways. Suppliers, for instance, are particularly vulnerable to an increase in workplace stress because they have to be on continuous standby and are subject to unpredictable overtime and increased shiftwork.
It is becoming clear that physical stress in the workplace has decreased and mental stress has increased. Social parameters at the end of the 1990s, including global market competition, unemployment, and problems in financing government social welfare benefits, have also increased work stress. Many companies, however, recognise that appreciable gains in productivity are only possible by creating a motivated and committed work
