Source: UN News: Sunday, 26 April 2026 00:01 AM
Nearly 9 lakh people are dying every year due to health conditions linked to exposure to long working hours, job insecurity, workplace harassment and bullying. These shocking figures have come to light in a new report of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Tweet URL
Psychological working environment: global developments and pathways to action According to the report, the way work is designed, conducted and managed on a day-to-day basis has a major impact on the health and safety of workers. Worryingly, this impact is now increasing, manifesting itself in rising rates of cardiovascular disease and mental disorders, including suicide. Key Bases of the Report The report’s authors focused on three interrelated areas of work: Nature of work: (demands or expectations, responsibilities and tasks). Management and organization: how work is organized and managed. Workplace policies: (such as measures of performance and rewarding good performance) Methods, and rules to prevent violence and harassment. The authors of the report, considering work pressures, imbalance between effort and motivation in workplaces, job insecurity, long working hours and harassment, estimated 8 lakh 40 thousand deaths per year. Scientific research shows how these risks increase the likelihood of serious health conditions. To ensure the accuracy of this number, these levels of risk, World Health Organization (WHO) and the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease study, which provides information on global mortality and health conditions. Many of these risks have been present for a long time, but ILOis concerned about the effects of recent changes taking place in the workplace. These changes include digital forms of working, AI, remote working and new ways of working. The UN Labor Agency says that if these circumstances or changes are not properly addressed, these circumstances can make existing problems more serious or create new problems. Positive and healthy working environment, says Manal Azzi, team leader for work-related policies and systems at the ILO. “‘Psychosocial risks’ are becoming one of the most significant challenges to occupational safety and health in the modern world of work.” The report emphasizes that these deaths can be prevented if root causes are addressed and psychosocial risk management is integrated into occupational safety systems. For this, social dialogue between governments, employers and workers is necessary. © Unsplash/Vitaly Gariev Modern methods of working have on one hand made tasks easier, while on the other hand have also placed a heavy burden on health, putting people under psychological pressure. The report concludes that countries and enterprises, by proactively addressing these risks, can create healthy workplaces that benefit both workers and organizations, while also strengthening productivity and economic resilience. Some of the report’s highlights: Psychosocial risks result in approximately 45 million ‘disability-adjusted life years’ (DALYs) lost each year. This is a measurement that measures the annual loss due to premature death of an individual due to the burden of disease. That is, if that person had got a healthy environment at work or workplace, then that person could have worked for more years during which the society and the country would have benefited. In other words, years of healthy working life are lost each year due to cardiovascular disease and mental disorders associated with psychosocial risk factors, equivalent to 1.37 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), which is a huge figure. 35 percent of workers work more than 48 hours per week (long working hours are a serious psychosocial risk factor). 23 percent of workers globally have experienced violence or abuse in their working lives. Have faced at least one form of harassment.
