Job Stress
Vocational rehabilitation and work resumption
A review of the literature
Nadia Clarkin
Richard Wynne
Work Research Centre
Dublin,
Ireland
1
Stress Impact Project - Chapter 4
Vocational rehabilitation and work resumption
1. Background
The aim of this chapter is to review the literature on vocational rehabilitation and work resumption as it applies to workers who experience stress related illnesses in the workplace.
The main focus was on identifying literature which related to workplace responses to absenteeism due to stress related disorders.
There is increasing evidence which suggests that today more than ever before, employees are working in an atmosphere of anxiety and stress. A fundamental and dynamic shift is taking place in the world of work. Many have called this change the third revolution or ‘tidal wave’.
Most experts have agreed, however, that the situation is a transformation from an industrial economy to an information or knowledge based economy. Structural changes (downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring), changing social and working contexts and the introduction of new technology are all implicated in the stress process. The negative impact of stress can be observed in the wide range of conditions that are associated with it. Stress has been associated not only with a variety of psychological conditions including anxiety and depression, but also with a number of important physical conditions including heart attack, ulcers and stroke. It is also considered to be a contributing factor to low back pain and repetitive stress injuries.
The World Health Organization (2001) predicts that by 2020, mental illness will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, after heart disease. The International Labour
Organization ((ILO), 2000) says mental illness affects more human lives and gives rise to a greater waste of human resources than all other forms of disability. Mental disorders are one of the three
A review of the literature
Nadia Clarkin
Richard Wynne
Work Research Centre
Dublin,
Ireland
1
Stress Impact Project - Chapter 4
Vocational rehabilitation and work resumption
1. Background
The aim of this chapter is to review the literature on vocational rehabilitation and work resumption as it applies to workers who experience stress related illnesses in the workplace.
The main focus was on identifying literature which related to workplace responses to absenteeism due to stress related disorders.
There is increasing evidence which suggests that today more than ever before, employees are working in an atmosphere of anxiety and stress. A fundamental and dynamic shift is taking place in the world of work. Many have called this change the third revolution or ‘tidal wave’.
Most experts have agreed, however, that the situation is a transformation from an industrial economy to an information or knowledge based economy. Structural changes (downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring), changing social and working contexts and the introduction of new technology are all implicated in the stress process. The negative impact of stress can be observed in the wide range of conditions that are associated with it. Stress has been associated not only with a variety of psychological conditions including anxiety and depression, but also with a number of important physical conditions including heart attack, ulcers and stroke. It is also considered to be a contributing factor to low back pain and repetitive stress injuries.
The World Health Organization (2001) predicts that by 2020, mental illness will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide, after heart disease. The International Labour
Organization ((ILO), 2000) says mental illness affects more human lives and gives rise to a greater waste of human resources than all other forms of disability. Mental disorders are one of the three