Preventing Psychosocial Risks: A Study of Employers’ Perceptions and Practices
The article focuses on the practices implemented to prevent psychosocial risks in companies, such as work overload, threats or assaults, psychological harassment, or exceedingly long working hours. Current scientific evidence suggests that reducing these risks requires an integrated approach, aiming at developing workers’ collective and individual resources and at reducing work constraints. However, there has been very little literature on how employers actually deal with these complex issues. This study aims to gain a better understanding of prevention practices reported by company managers in relation to how they perceive their employees’ exposure to psychosocial risks. We developed an exploratory framework of the relationships between the prevention of psychosocial risks, the perceptions of risk factors by employers, and several workplace features (size, branch, national or international scope, single versus multi-branch company...). Basing on this framework, we conducted a survey among 404 companies. Using factor analyses and multiple regressions, we distinguished between two preventive approaches: 1- specific psychosocial risk management measures resting on procedures and training, and mainly related to the risk of personal integrity violations (harassment, aggression, discrimination, exposure to traumatic events); 2- general working conditions improvements (work organisation, schedules, equipment and environment), which can strengthen resources, but that employers do not really consider as psychosocial risk prevention. Practices are more related to structural variables, worker participation and general health and safety management, than to employers’ perceptions regarding employee exposure. The results highlight two challenges for the authorities. The first one is to ensure that companies adopt a more comprehensive approach of the psychosocial working environment, rather than focusing mostly on harassment. The second issue is to strengthen preventive measures that have a positive impact on the actual work activity. The article concludes with recommendations on how regulatory agencies could adapt their strategies accordingly.