PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS,
STRESS AND HEALTH AND
THE WORLD OF WORK
Presented By
Matthew M Ncube
ILO Specialist Working Conditions and Environment
Public Service Employee Health & Wellness Indaba V
9th-12- October 2005
SCOPE OF PRESENTATION
Background, Introduction and Objectives,
 Definition of Stress,
 ILO Safework Infocus Programme on Working
Conditions and Environment,
 Stress in the World of Work,
 Proactive Interventions Against Stress,
 Prevention of Stress,
 Recommendations,
 Conclusion

Objectives, Background, and
Introduction
 To
highlight the adverse impact of stress in the
world of work,
 To motivate for the development and
implementation of proactive strategic
responses against psychosocial factors in the
world of work,
 To provide information on the ILO response to
HIV/AIDS in the World of Work in the context
of psychosocial factors.
MOTIVATIORS
IF WE ALWAYS DO WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS
DONE WE WILL GET WHAT WE ALWAYS HAVE
“NOTHING” NO PROGRESS AT ALL,
 WE NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE PLATEAU
OF SATURATION THROUGH INNOVATION FOR
OUR SURVIVAL AND FUTURE”
 “WE SPEND OUR TIME PREPARING TO LIVE AND
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LIVE”

DEFINITION OF STRESS
A force which deforms bodies,
 Body’s general plan for adapting to all exerted
influences , changes, demands and strains,
 Plan comes into action once the body is
exposed to the strain factors that range from
violence, exposure to hazards at work,
 Stress factors include physical, mental and
psychosocial elements,
 Stress is response of the body to strenuous
factors, influences and demands.

Definition of Stress……
 Stress
affects the wear and tear of the body,
 Background stress is desirable as a source of
motivation,
 Stress fuels the body’s activity,
 The response of the body to stress depends
on a number of factors of the individual,
 Adverse effects are exerted when the body is
subjected to excessive levels of stress.
ILO SAFEWORK INFOCUS
PROGRAMME
GOVERNMENT
WORLD OF
WORK
WORKERS
EMPLOYERS
0RGANIZATIONS
ORGANIZATIONS
COMMUNITY
ILO Safework Infocus
Programme on OSH
 ILO
Conventions on Safety and Health,
 Hazard Profiling,
 Health Risk Assessments,
 Proactive Operational Programmes for
Occupational Safety and Health,
 Psychosocial Factors in the World of Work,
 Action at National and Enterprise Levels.
ILO Safework Infocus
Programme on OSH
Prevent occupational non-disabling and
disabling injuries,
 Prevent occupational illnesses and diseases,
 Prevent downgrading factors on the economy or
business processes,
 Responsible care concept regarding community
responsibilities.

HAZARD PROFILING AND
HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
What are the
Hazards?
Exposure
Characteristics?
Acute and
Chronic Effects?
Evaluation of
Hazards?
Prevention and
Protection?
HEALTH EFFECTS?
HAZARDS:
Chemicals,
Physical,
Engineering,
Biological,
Ergonomics,
Psychosocial
PROACTIVE OSH PROGRAMMES
 Occupational
Safety,
 Occupational Health Services,
 Occupational Hygiene Services,
 Occupational Safety and Health Promotion,
 Occupational Safety and Health Training,
 Integrated proactive intervention approach.
Stress in the World of Work
Management attributes and techniques,
 Prevailing psychosocial conditions,
 Person and environment fit,
 Social, Emotional and Physiological Approach,
 Social Support,
 Sexual harassment,
 Violence in the World of Work,
 Unemployment and Insecurity.

Stress in the World of Work
MANAGERIAL STYLE,
 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE,
 ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE,
 PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND
COMPENSATION,
 STAFFING ISSUES,
 ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIALIZATION,

STRESS IN THE WORLD OF
WORK
 CAREER
STAGES,
 SELF ESTEEM
 GENDER, JOB STRESS AND ILNESS,
 ETHNICITY,
 ERGONOMICS
 SHIFT WORK.
STRESS IN THE WORLD OF WORK
HAZARDS
SOCIAL
SELF ESTEEM
ORGANIZATIONAL
SOCIALISATION
STAFFING ISSUES
GENDER
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
SEXUAL
HARASSMENT
1. Management Attributes and
Techniques
 Non
defined operational policies and
procedures,
 Poor interactive synergies and feedback,
 Lack of social dialogue,
 Lack of defined job processes,
 Autocratic and disregard for employees,
 Poor involvement of employees.
2. Prevailing Psychosocial
Conditions ILO Resolution (1975)
 Work
should respect workers lives and health,
 Leave them time for rest and leisure,
 Provide opportunities to serve society,
 Provide for development of personal
capacities for self-fulfilment,
 Workplace should provide for social support
and recognition,
 We need to relate our work to social life.
3. SOCIAL SUPPORT
 Lack
of support from peers,
 Lack of support from social groups,
 Lack of support from immediate family,
 Lack of support in the workplace,
 Interactive variables that include psychosocial
psychobiological and individual psychological
stress reaction provoke final outcome of
physical illness.
4. SEXUAL HARASSMENT
 Applies
to both female and male employees,
 Supervisor and subordinate interrelationships,
 Sexual remarks and comments,
 Sexual favours for rewards,
 Posterity packages.
 Both verbal and physical specifically directed.
 It is unwelcome, undesirable and variable.
5. VIOLENCE IN THE WORLD OF
WORK
 Verbal
abuse,
 Abusive language,
 Physical violence,
 Derogatory language,
 Demographic attributes also feature with
individual characteristics,
 Control at organization level has been very
poor.
6. INSECURITY
 Security
of employment uncertain,
 National economic performance,
 Retrenchments,
 Social Protection,
 Employment opportunities,
7. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
 Ambiguous
organizational structure,
 Poor communication characterized by
rumor mongering,
 Lack of clearly defined operational policies and
procedures,
 Lack of clearly defined management
systems,
 Lack of organizational character,
 Workers feel insecure with little information.
8. ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND
CULTURE
 Organization
lacks motivation,
 Workers do not belong and do not have
identity,
 Every one does whatever they fee like
because the system does not care,
 Executives and management operate in
cocooned stratified levels,
 What is our mission and vision and is it
known?
9. ORGANIZATIONAL
SOCIALIZATION
 Does
the organization provide for
opportunities for social staff interaction?
 Do we recognize the important role of
promoting employee interaction?
 Promoting accommodation of all
employees through sharing of problems
and challenges,
 TEAM building together everyone achieves
more.
10. PERFOMANCE MEASURES
AND COMPENSATION
 No
clearly defined corporate functional
objectives,
 Employees do not know how they fit into the
organizations goals and objectives,
 Individual functional objectives not set and fully
explained to all employees,
 Measures of performance are not defined,
 Appraisals are not comprehensive,
11. STAFFING ISSUES
 Inadequate
staffing levels,
 Lack of clear organ gram with properly
assigned functional staffing levels,
 Overloading employees with unrealistic
targets and goals,
 Staff and skills development,
 Proper job assignment,
 Lack of a comprehensive promotional system.
12. CAREER STAGES
 No
clearly defined career development policy,
 Succession planning and preparedness,
 Promotion system,
 Access to equal opportunities,
 Recognition and identification of high flyers,
 Effective recruitment system.
13. SELF ESTEEM
Favourability individuals typical of self
evaluation,
 Low esteem highly susceptible to
environmental stressors,
 Highly esteemed cope better with stresses,
 Self esteem is actually self evaluation and
perception,
 Measure of self confidence very essential

14. GENDER, JOB STRESS AND
ILLNESS
 Effects
of stress on women still need further
comprehensive research,
 Coronary heart disease prevalence has
been found to be high among men,
 Women need to cope with demands of
pregnancy,
 Women therefore are highly susceptible
than men however further investigations
are needed regarding job placement.
15. ETHNICITY
 Cross
cultural aspects,
 Aspects of poverty, economic marginality,
inadequate housing, unemployment, crime
and discrimination,
 Not usually and traditionally identified,
 Prejudice and discrimination are the
notable stressors,
 Influences assignment with regard to
allocation of favourable conditions.
16. SHIFT WORK
 Circadian
rhythms,
 Immune system,
 Adaptation considerations,
 Health environment,
 Recuperation period,
 Proper management of shift work,
 Evaluation of effects of shift work.
17. ERGONOMICS
 Design
of work stations,
 Design and specification of jobs,
 Standard job procedures,
 Assignment of job tasks,
 Synchronization of operational procedures,
 Review of operational procedures,
 Introduction of new technology or innovations.
IMPACT OF STRESS
 Raised
heart beat,
 High blood pressure,
 Increased muscle tension,
 Electrodermal (sweat gland activity),
 Disturbance of cardiac output,
 Disturbed breathing patterns,
 Modifications in gastro intestinal activity,
 Disturbed immune functional system.
IMPACT OF STRESS
 Disturbed
hormonal responses of the
cathecolamines (adrenaline and
noradrenaline and cortisol),
 Effects on blood clotting,
 Release of reserve energy from adipose
tissue,
 Blood pressure during working time than
leisure time.
IMPACT OF STRESS
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Increased alcohol and substance abuse,
Reckless and irresponsible sexual behaviour,
High susceptibility to illnesses,
Compromised immune system,
Burn out that leads to deprived and
compromised illhealth,
High risk to occupational accidents,
Low productivity.
BURN OUT!! BURN OUT!!!
BODY HAS EXCEEDED
CAPACITY TO RESIST
ILL HEALTH
EFFECTS
HIGH RISK SEXUAL
BEHAVIOUR
HIGH BODY EXHAUSTION
REDUCED IMMUNE
SYSTEM
MOBILE TIME BOMB
IMPACT OF STRESS
 Body
has a limited capacity to deal with
stress,
 Break point,
 Recuperation,
 Fair wear and tear of the body,
 High risk behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS
responsible and proactive behaviour.
IMPACT OF STRESS
Gastro
intestinal effect,
Irregular eating habits,
Poor nutrition,
Poor state of wellness,
Disturbed eating patterns and
habits.
PROACTIVE INTERVENTIONS
 Identify
causes of stress,
 Identify sources of stress,
 Develop and implement effective
proactive interventions,
 Review policies of corporate
organizations,
 Redesign jobs,
PROACTIVE INTERVENTIONS
 Improve
communication system,
 Review of personnel policies,
 Cascade decision making process to lower
levels,
 Conduct periodic stress audits,
 Establish a comprehensive monitoring system
for stress in the world of work through stress
audits as a means of regular monitoring.
PROACTIVE INTERVENTIONS
 Monitoring
system for stress focusing on the
following:
 Job content,
 Work scheduling,
 Physical working conditions,
 Employment terms and expected outputs,
 Relationships to work,
 Communication systems and reporting
protocol.
SECONDARY PREVENTION OF
STRESS IN THE WORLD OF WORK
Develop and implement stress management
courses to enhance recognition of stress,
 Include simple relaxation techniques,
 Change of life style,
 Time management,
 Development of personal stress management
techniques,
 Return to work preparation of employee
programme very essential.

ILO RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS
ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in World of Work,
 Ten Key principles:
 Recognition of HIV/AIDS as a Workplace Issue,
 Non-discrimination,
 Gender equality,
 Healthy work environment,
 Social dialogue,
 Screening for purposes of exclusion from work,
 Confidentiality,

ILO CODE OF PRACTICE ON
HIV/AIDS
o
o
o
o
o
Continuation of employment relationships,
Prevention and proactive initiatives,
Care and support.
Programme implementation strategies and
operational activities,
Comprehensively defined measures of
performance?
RECOMMENDATIONS
We need to develop and implement effective
measures to monitor stress in the world of work,
 We need to recognize the impact of stress on
HIV/AIDS initiatives,
 We need to develop proactive effective
management systems for stress in the world of
work,
 We need to address the hazards of stress in the
world of work through proactive interventions.

THE WAY FORWARD
HIV/AIDS poses the single greatest challenge to
the survival of humanity,
 We need to make a difference in each and every
day that we have as an opportunity,
 The proactive approach is not a luxury but a
must,
 The role of the Public Service in driving national
economic development needs to be
acknowledged and provide leadership.

CONCLUSION
 Each
and every one of us need to
acknowledge that we are a potential
resource of opportunity for change.
 What can we contribute to the KHOMANANI
National Initiative?
 Employees make an important contribution to
national economic development in our member
states.
REFERENCES
 ILO
Encyclopaedia on Occupatioanl Safety
and Health,
 Integrated Occupational Occupational Safety
and Health Management ISSA Publication 154
of 2003 Matthew M Ncube and Edwin Kaseke.
 www.issa.org
 www.ilo.org (website)