In 2018 and 2019 Eurocadres managed a project on PSHR for Professionals and Managers in the EU. This project was the origin of the campaign EndStress.EU launched by Eurocadres to tackle PSR at work.

“4 in 5 managers express concern about work-related stress;

61% of female managers have sleep problems;

As much as 60% of all lost working days can be attributed to work-related stress and psychosocial risks”.

Moreover, the development of telework throughout Europe, and especially since the Covid19 crisis, has only accentuated the problems due to over-connection.

In its report “Telework and ICT-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age”, Eurofound shows the impact of telework on the increase in working time.

This problem does not concern only teleworkers but also all mobile workers. Technological innovations not only lead to an increase in the (especially mental) load but also to a reduction in the possibilities of recovery. Indeed, in order to be able to recover properly, it is essential to be able to disconnect physically and psychologically. Dependence on mobile phones promotes irregular and disturbed sleep which has an impact on health. Sufficient sleep (both in terms of number of hours and quality of sleep) is essential for physical and mental health, and lack of sleep can lead to all kinds of health problems.

Besides, the blurring of boundaries between work and private life is becoming more acute with increased digitalisation.

Trade unions are an important part of the solution through our participation in social dialogue and collective bargaining. The problems relating to not disconnecting must be addressed wherever possible. We take the responsibility to develop and promote remedies which can be tailored through sectoral and company collective bargaining.

During the last Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment (TSS) that took place on the 23^rd of June 2020, Eurocadres highlighted the need for investing in occupational health & safety and addressing psychosocial risks in the "Contribution of the Social Partners to relaunching Growth and Employment in the Aftermath of COVID-19" meeting. We highlighted the fact that psychosocial risks must be addressed, and we need legislation which ensure that our right to disconnect works in real Life.

Eurocadres supports the intentions behind the parliament’s initiative on R2D (report 28/07/2020) and asks the commission to encourage both a directive to make the R2D effective and also urges the member states and national social partners to implement the European Framework Agreement on Digitalization in accordance with their respectively national labor market model, especially in the teleworking field, in order to avoid excessive overtime

• preserve work-life balance
• prevent health risks
• ensure that telework is sufficiently regulated and supervised
• establish regular reviews with the trade union representatives in order to take the necessary corrective measures.

We urgently ask the Commission to propose a directive which fully respects national and sectoral collective bargaining structures and traditions.

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