Promotion of Healthy Work Environments at INESC TEC

A healthy work environment is crucial not only to the well-being of the community but also to the success and productivity of organisations. Institutions recognise that a well-designed work environment boosts employee satisfaction, reduces stress, and decreases the number of absences. Moreover, organisations that prioritise these aspects achieve better overall performance and reduce costs associated with HR turnover and healthcare. At INESC TEC, this topic is also on the agenda; but before we delve into it, let’s check the numbers that highlight the urgent need to address it. 

This topic is not new to Europe. According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), between 1998 and 2019, non-fatal accidents at work decreased by 58% in the European Union, while fatal accidents decreased by 57%. These figures reinforce the importance of prevention measures and the promotion of healthy work environments. The European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) – by EU-OSHA – highlights that managing workplace risks (including work-related stress) is essential for ensuring employees’ health and safety. 

In Portugal, the Boletim Estatístico de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho (2024 edition, with data on workplace risk factor identification, evaluation, and control for 2022) by the União Geral de Trabalhadores (UGT) highlights the importance of these processes. As in previous years, most Employers and Local Units (62.7%) organised both Occupational Safety and Health services. Regarding the activities organised by the services, the percentage of Units that implemented professional risk prevention, health promotion, and health surveillance programmes remains high, at 83.2%, 70.0%, and 83.0%, respectively. However, on a less positive note, the total number of work accidents increased significantly from 2021 to 2022, especially in the case of accidents with fatal consequences – namely with workers that weren’t associated with the corresponding Unit.  

How does this apply to INESC TEC? 

To address issues related to healthy work environments, INESC TEC’s Commission for Diversity and Inclusion (CD&I) launched the initiative “Promotion of Healthy Work Environments – INESC TEC Barometer”, in January this year. Tânia Gaspar, researcher at the Portuguese Laboratory of Healthy Work Environments (LABPATS) and leader of the project “Ecosystems of Healthy Work Environments” (EATS) led this session. This project aims to evaluate the health conditions and lifestyles of professionals, as well as how organisations foster (or fail to) ecosystems that promote health and well-being, towards reducing psychosocial risks, increasing well-being and, consequently, outcomes. Institutions like the World Health Organization or the International Labor Organization have dedicated special attention to this issue.  

Following Tânia Gaspar’s presentation of the project to INESC TEC, the decision was made to carry out the EATS survey with the Institute’s community. This is an ongoing process. Depending on the results, and together with LABPATS, INESC TEC will be able to outline action points to improve the work environment and, consequently, the well-being of our community. Moreover, the results will undoubtedly be useful for the next opinion piece.

Commission of Diversity and Inclusion (CD&I)