There has been a considerable rise in
the number of Danes who feel their physical work environment has
improved, and more feel they have the support of management and
colleagues. At the same time there’s a strong increase in the number of
people who say they experience violence and threats, and people with
shorter educations are still the ones who feel most worn out by their
job.
These are the results from a major new survey from Denmark’s
National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA). 10,600
workers and self-employed people between 18 and 59 from various trades
answered questions about their physical and psychological work
environment and health in 2010. Some of the questions were also asked
in 2005, and the new survey can therefore map the development in how
people experience their physical and psychological work environment.
The result shows both marked progress and major setbacks.
One area of major progress is the considerable reduction in the
number of people who say they have to do hard physical work. There’s a
notable drop in people experiencing working days which for a large part
include actions like carrying loads, back twisting, lifting or pushing
and shoving. There is also a reduction in the number of people who say
they’re expected to work very fast, as well as a reduction in weekly
working hours.
This positive development in people’s physical work environment does
hide considerable local variations however, and is not entirely
clear-cut.
There is a marked increase in the number of people who say they are
exposed to vibrations from vehicles and machinery, and more people are
executing repetitive finger and arm movements many times a minute.
Compared to five years ago there is a slight increase in the number of
people who are performing static work, and more say they suffer from
being exposed to noise. There is a slight drop in the number of people
who consider their general health as ‘very good’ or ‘good’, and the
survey cannot identify a decrease in the number of people who said they
had been victims of a reportable workplace accident.
Increase in violence and bullying
Results are equally divided when it comes to the psychological work
environment. More people say they get more support from close
management and colleagues. But more workers also say their jobs put
psychological pressure on them and fewer feel their work is
meaningful.
There is also an increase in the number of people reporting
bullying, violence and threats of violence. The survey says there has
been a ‘marked and significant’ increase in the number of workers who
have experienced bullying in the work place, been threatened with
violence or been victims of violence. 6.4 percent experienced threats
of violence in 2005. In 2010 the number had risen to 10.6 percent. In
2005 3.3 percent said they had been victims of violence. In 2010 the
number was 7.5 percent. And while 10.3 percent said they had
experienced workplace bullying over the past 12 months in 2005, 12.5
percent said the same in 2010.
The majority of reported bullying cases come from those who work
with people, especially within domestic care and among care assistants,
pedagogues, pedagogue assistants and cleaning assistants. Those who
have experienced violence or threats of violence at work over the past
12 months include police officers, prison staff, teachers, care workers
and people with handicaps. Women generally experience more bullying,
violence and threats of violence in the workplace than men.
Warnings against cuts
The survey documents clear differences between different
occupational groups. Cleaning assistants, home carers, pedagogues and
self-employed people say they spend more than one quarter of their
working day bending over forwards or that they will twist or bend
their back several times an hour. This is more than other occupational
groups.
Psychological pressure is most often reported from those working
with people, but these same groups of workers are also those who most
often say they find their jobs meaningful.
Mechanics, machine and mechanical fitters and slaughterhouse workers
are at high risk of workplace accidents and consider their safety at
work as being lower compared to other occupational groups. And for
young people between 18 and 24 the risk of workplace accidents is
double that of their older colleagues.
The survey has made Danish trade unions issue serious warnings
against planned cuts to work environment funding. Ejner K. Holst,
confederal secretary at The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO),
has noticed how the survey uncovers that major social inequalities
remain and he warns against the planned phasing out of Denmark’s early
retirement scheme:
“Groups like cleaning assistants, home carers and builders still
face unreasonably hard physical work. Work which means they suffer from
pain for many years before they can retire from the labour market. It
is completely grotesque that a majority in the Folketing [parliament]
wants to get rid of the early retirement scheme, which is aimed
precisely at people with hard physical work,” says Ejner K. Holst.
A need for prevention
The LO confederal secretary also finds it unacceptable that the
government has made deep cuts to the Prevention Fund, which helps pay
for measures to improve people’s working environments. And he warns
that planned public sector cuts must not include any cuts to the Danish
Working Environment Authority.
FTF, Denmark’s trade union confederation of some 450,000 public and
private employees, is particularly worried about the increase in the
number of workers who say they experience bullying, threats and
violence in the workplace. FTF agrees with LO in the criticism of the
government’s plans for considerable cuts to the funding of the
Prevention Fund and also warns against cuts to the Working Environment
Authority and the Ministry of Employment.
“It is deeply worrying that we see an increase of the number of
workers who experience a bad psychological working environment.
Therefore it is also completely unacceptable that the
conservative-liberal coalition chooses to undermine the drive to
prevent things like stress and psychological wear and tear,” says Bente
Sorgenfrey, FTF’s president.
The survey comprises so-called descriptive analyses which do not
uncover the reasons why the respondents experience their own work
environment in the way they do.
