UNISON: Restructuring is a risk to workers' health

Company restructuring can seriously harm workers' health, research backed by public sector union in the United Kingdom UNISON has found. The union helped prepare a 'Health in restructuring' report supported by the European Commission. It is calling on organisations to put a UNISON five-point action plan into place, including risk assessments to investigate possible health impacts of organisational change. The research shows that workers who take part in restructuring are 2.5 per cent more likely to get ill, with workers who lose their jobs and workplace survivors both affected. An organisation's efficiency is also likely to suffer, the research found, as workplace restructuring triggers increased absence, a rise in injury and accident rates and a wide variety of depressive disorders. Greg Thomson, UNISON's national development manager and the report's co-author, said: 'Restructuring can also have an impact on the family and friends of those affected, as it may involve relocation as the only option to retaining the post. This can be expensive, lonely and disruptive for the family as a whole. We are urging employers to follow our five-point plan to prevent health and safety issues.' UNISON plans calls on employers to: be open about any proposed restructuring and to consult properly; provide access to counselling; treat workers fairly, using a transparent process and compensating properly those who lose their jobs; take into account the negative side effects of restructuring; and provide lifelong learning to help workers find other jobs more easily.