With recommendations to the Commission on psychosocial risk, stress and mental health at work
A-10-2026-0225
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Estelle Ceulemans
- Voted on · Adopted 413–210–29 · See the decision →
- Full procedure 2026/2023
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Parliament's committee report asks the Commission to propose a directive on work-related psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work, based on an impact assessment and the recommendations in the annex.¶¶ It calls for binding employer duties: prevention, regular participatory psychosocial risk assessments, action plans, reporting channels, return-to-work support and protective services.¶¶¶ It asks for a legal presumption that health damage is work-related where the worker shows exposure and consistent injury, with the burden on the employer.¶¶ It wants gender-based violence and harassment at work recognised as a psychosocial risk, and a zero-tolerance approach with safe reporting and victim protection.¶¶ It calls for minimum standards on recognition, prevention and compensation, a definition of psychosocial risks, and better enforcement through labour inspectorates and a stronger European Labour Authority mandate.¶¶ It asks that the proposal be covered by existing budgetary allocations and that it not lower existing protection levels.¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs asks the Commission to propose a directive on work-related psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work, after an impact assessment, following the recommendations in the annex.¶¶
Key points
- Parliament asks the Commission to run an impact assessment, including a competitiveness and SME test, and then propose a directive on work-related psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work.¶¶
- The proposal should set minimum requirements to prevent, eliminate or reduce psychosocial risks and outcomes such as work-related stress, burnout, mental disorders, addiction, cardiovascular diseases and musculo-skeletal disorders.¶
- It should apply to all workers, including trainees and apprentices, in all public and private sectors, and define psychosocial risks, risk factors, work-related stress, moral distress, presenteeism and primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.¶¶¶
- Employers should prevent psychosocial risks, apply the general prevention principles of Directive 89/391/EEC, avoid imposed telework, address safe staffing levels, and provide reporting mechanisms protecting workers from retaliation.¶¶¶
- Employers should provide regular training to workers, managers and supervisors, and adopt policies prohibiting violence, harassment, bullying and discriminatory behaviour with confidential reporting and protection from retaliation.¶¶
- Employers should carry out regular psychosocial risk assessments, also on significant work changes, and adopt an action plan with measures on staffing, work-life balance, workload, presenteeism, the right to disconnect, harassment, automated decision-making and high-risk sectors.¶¶¶
- Restructuring, reorganisation, teleworking changes and automated decision-making or monitoring with significant impact should first undergo a psychosocial risk assessment, with human oversight of algorithmic systems.¶¶
- Workers should have the right to a psychologically safe working environment, to mental health support, and to a supported and sustainable return to work with an individual plan.¶¶¶
- Workers should be able to report psychosocial risks, including anonymously, and be protected from retaliation; workers' representatives should be involved in designing and monitoring reporting channels.¶¶
- Workers should be able to exercise the right to disconnect, and employers should ensure digital tools and work organisation support it.¶¶
- Member States should ensure labour inspectorates have powers, training, tools and resources for psychosocial risks, and the Commission should strengthen the European Labour Authority's mandate.¶¶
- Member States should apply a legal presumption that health damage is work-related where the worker shows exposure and consistent injury, unless the employer proves otherwise.¶
Who is affected
- Employers in all sectors, who would have binding duties on prevention, assessment, action plans, reporting and return-to-work support.¶¶¶
- Workers, including trainees and apprentices, who would gain rights to a safe environment, support, reporting and disconnection.¶¶¶
- Small and medium-sized enterprises, which should get simplified tools, guidance and tailored support for risk assessments.¶¶
- Member States, which should ensure inspections, data collection, education and training, and the legal presumption.¶¶¶
- Social partners, who should be involved in implementation, collective bargaining and data monitoring.¶¶
Figures and deadlines
- more than 840,000 people die every year from health conditions linked to psychosocial risks¶
- 77 % in 2010, 78 % in 2015 and 80 % in 2024 of the EU workforce report good or very good health¶
- exposure to high work intensity rose from 27 % in 2015 to 40 % in 2021
- work-related psychosocial risks cost over one hundred billion euro annually and account for approximately 60% of lost working days in the Union¶
- 1 in 3 doctors and nurses report symptoms of depression, 1 in 10 experience passive suicidal thoughts, 1 in 3 experience bullying or threats of violence, and 10% report physical violence or sexual harassment¶
- 29 % of workers report being not very well informed or not at all informed about prevention of work-related stress¶
- managers flag unclear accountability (28%), lack of explainability (27%) and inadequate protection of employees' physical and mental health (27%)¶
Legal basis: Article 153(2), point (b), and Article 153(1), point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶