Teachers, air traffic controllers, nurses and sales staff are known to be particularly subject to job stress, yet anyone (regardless of profession or job category) can suffer from it. Stress is the primary cause of psychological distress in the workplace.

The sources of stress are on the rise: frustration, overwork, lack of communication between management and employees, harassment and anxiety about job performance. In France, job-related stress has risen in spite of shorter working hours and the technological progress that had initially promised to improve working conditions.

The nature of stress today is more often psychological than physical, but the problems it causes have taken on epidemic proportions: sleep disorders, backaches, anxiety, depression and even suicide. Not only does stress threaten the mental and physical health of many people, it is also costly for businesses and the state.

This book will help readers to identify and evaluate their own stress factors. It will enable them to understand the mechanisms and risks that are involved in stress and to learn how to face them. The author suggests actions that businesses can undertake to improve the working environment and to optimise workforce management.

“The author pursues and expands the research undertaken in his earlier book. The subject is handled in an accessible and concise manner.”

Le Monde

Patrick Légeron is a medical psychiatrist at Hôpital Sainte-Anne, in Paris, and the head of a company offering counselling services to businesses on the subject of stress in the workplace. He is the co-author, with Christophe André, of La Peur des autres.