Spain: Managing psychosocial risks in European micro and small enterprises – qualitative evidence from the Third European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2019)

This report presents the case of Spain in a qualitative follow-up study of the Third European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2019) on management of psychosocial risks in micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Interviewed managers and workers in MSEs were frequently unaware of policies at national or sectoral level regarding occupational safety and health in general and, psychosocial risks in particular.

In line with this, findings show that in MSEs psychosocial risks received less attention than physical risks and safety concerns, and that workplace culture was key in the management of psychosocial risks. Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted some companies to introduce measures to address psychosocial risks related to remote working.

This study highlights the need to increase awareness of psychosocial risks among both managers and employees. It is also necessary to involve employees further in the identification of psychosocial risks and the implementation of measures to address them.