Public policy and occupational health psychology in Europe

Increasing evidence exists that workplace absence due to stress-related conditions is a growing problem in Europe. However, the priority on the issue varies between countries. The costs of occupational stress are difficult to accurately quantify, and the incentives for investing in stress-prevention activities are less apparent at an organizational level than in the United States. Consequently, expansion in this area has been considerably slower. The authors present an overview of the problems of occupational stress within Europe. They discuss the response and intervention characteristics of European employers and policymakers and possible developments. If organizations are to become more proactive in their approach to stress prevention, there needs to be a framework for assessing, implementing, and evaluating interventions. The authors outline a framework to adopt.