As algorithms increasingly shape workloads, monitor employees and make decisions at work, lawmakers want employers to assess the mental-health risks before deploying them. The European Parliament’s Employment Committee has backed a push to make psychosocial risk assessments a requirement for AI-driven workplace changes.
Burnout, depression, stress and harassment are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace, Estelle Ceulemans (S&D/BE) argues. The European lawmaker says one of the reasons is the increasing use of digital technologies and AI in the workplace — and wants the EU to address it.
The term technostress has come into use to describe the stress associated with the use of digital technologies at work. It can come from constant connectivity, information overload, pressure to keep up with new systems, digital surveillance or a loss of control over how work is organised.
“Addressing these structural work-related problems is not only an occupational health obligation but also an economic issue, costing €100 billion annually for work-related depression in the EU.”
— Member of the European Parliament Estelle Ceulemans (S&D/BE)
And those risks are becoming relevant to an ever-growing share of Europe’s workforce. An estimated 42.3 per cent of EU workers may already be subject to algorithmic management. That figure could rise to 55.5 per cent within five years.
Meanwhile, work intensity increased substantially in the last decade. Psychosocial risks now account for around 60 per cent of lost working days in the EU. Worldwide, more than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to psychosocial risks, according to the International Labour Organisation.
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“Addressing these structural work-related problems is not only an occupational health obligation but also an economic issue, costing €100 billion annually for work-related depression in the EU,” she argues.
Lawmakers call for protective measures
Ceulemans is spearheading an initiative aimed at tackling the issue. As rapporteur, she authored the legislative initiative approved by the European Parliament’s Employment Committee on Wednesday. It passed with 41 votes and is expected to go before the full Parliament in October. If approved, the proposal would call on the European Commission to draw up legislation — or explain why it chooses not to
Specifically, the European Parliament’s committee asks for a mandatory psychosocial risk assessment prior to the introduction of restructuring measures, like changes to teleworking, or automated decision or monitoring systems.
Lawmakers want burnout and workplace stress to be treated as organisational problems. Employers would be expected to carry out psychosocial risk assessments. These would cover factors such as excessive workload and high work intensity. Companies would also be required to create action plans to reduce those risks. The report also calls for workplace policies explicitly prohibiting violence, harassment, bullying and discriminatory behaviour.
The proposal would also require employers to provide individual plans for employees returning after an absence caused by work-related issues. These could include reduced or adjusted hours, changes to tasks or workload. One of the more legally significant proposals concerns a change in the burden of proof. Injury or damage to a worker should be presumed to be work-related unless the employer can demonstrate otherwise.
Pushback from the right
Although the report passed comfortably, 12 lawmakers voted against it. Patriots for Europe shadow rapporteur Margarita de la Pisa Carrión (PfE/ES) argued that lawmakers needed to balance workers’ protection with employers’ ability to run their businesses. In her opinion, the report did not do it adequately.
