The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has published a report on the relationship between the quality of work and the quality of life in Europe.
The report, entitled ’Working and Living in an Enlarged Europe’ , is a response to the focus in recent years on the interrelationship between economic and social development. Using a range of quantitative comparable data from the spring 2002 Eurobarometer the report is an initial attempt to analyse the relationship between quality of work and quality of life.
The overall results presented in the report support the idea that there is a dynamic relationship between living and working conditions. They also confirm that there is a limited ’spill-over’ effect from demanding working conditions to a reduced quality of life. In the light of these results the importance attached to the European Employment Strategy (EES) and the re-defined Lisbon Strategy is underlined.
The report states that the European social model considers favourable health as a pre-condition to a modern and competitive knowledge economy. In this sense, social policy expenditure is seen, not so much as a cost, but rather as a social investment, particularly in health and education.
Social policy expenditure is seen, not so much as a cost, but rather as a social investment, particularly in health and education, which has a direct impact on employment and competitiveness.
Health is used as an indicator to measure quality of work. Unfavourable working conditions, such as high stress and strenuous physical working conditions, are seen as having an immediate effect on health conditions, family, social relations and overall life satisfaction.
The report contains two chapters (page 16 and page 19) which analyse the consequences of different degrees of physical and psychological working conditions on the quality of life. The chapters also contain compared data between old and new Member States.
The report concludes that assuming that economic and social conditions will continue to improve in EU member states, improving the quality of work will become increasingly important.
