Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) is a tool for assessing psychosocial working conditions, health and wellbeing. The tool can be used free of charge by all interested enterprises and organisations and is available in three versions: 1) a long version for research use (141 questions and 30 dimensions), 2) a medium length version for use by environmental professionals (95 questions and 26 dimensions), and 3) a short version to be used by workplaces (44 questions and 8 dimensions).

The questionnaire was developed by the Psychosocial Department of the National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen, Denmark. The COPSOQ aims to improve and facilitate workplace evaluations making national and international comparisons possible. In many European countries, the COPSOQ concept has been applied successfully by a diverse range of enterprises, public services and CSOs. It is used to improve communication between researchers, environmental professionals and workplaces and to make workplaces more attractive, sustainable and viable.

This concept appears to have not yet resonated strongly within the field of sustainable consumption and production but shows significant promise in terms of going beyond minimal labour conditions towards a well-being based approach.

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Strengths and weaknesses:

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How you can take action:

The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire can be used by CSOs to assess the psychosocial indicators in their own organisation. CSOs can support or initiate campaigns that encourage the inclusion of the COPSOQ into the management practices of enterprises and advocate that stakeholders of the SCP community use this tool. CSOs can also take part in further investigating best practice examples of the psychosocial questionnaire in use. Finally, the COPSOQ provides opportunities to network with scientific institutions and other CSOs.

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Case study:

There is no specific successful case documented yet in the field of SCP but several interesting surveys have been published. Recently, the city of Stuttgart conducted a survey to assess the psychosocial stresses and strains in the city’s administration. All employees throughout all departments were interviewed. www.stuttgart.de/item/show/273273/1/9/360983

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Learn more and get inspired:

COPSOQ

Stuttgart survey

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You can download the whole paper on indicators “Measuring Performance towards Sustainable Consumption and Production – Types of Indicators and Indicator Sets” and other interesting papers of the Action Town project in the Library!

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