Employees who face high emotional demand and conflicting roles are more likely to report psychological distress — placing them at higher risk of mental health disorders and reduced productivity, reports a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists® (ACGIH) kicked off the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) 2013 in Montreal, Canada, with a dynamic presentation by Frans Johansson, CEO of The Medici Group in New York, NY.

The short answer, according to agency chief Dr. David Michaels, who was asked the question in a Q&A session Tuesday morning, is NO.  Dr. Michaels was emphatic on that point. “We have too much on our plate now,” he said.

Half of workers across Europe think work-related stress is common, and four in ten think it is not handled well at their workplace. Job insecurity or job reorganization is thought to be the most common cause of work-related stress across Europe. There is low awareness of programs or policies to make it easier for workers to continue working up to or beyond the retirement age, though the majority support their introduction.