Another important step has been taken for occupational health and safety, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned bosses to take necessary precautions.

With a report titled "Working Conditions and Burnout Syndrome of Private Bank Employees in Ankara," the government took action against burnout syndrome, which directly affects business life and turns into a health problem.

The physical, social and psychological aspects of working life will be examined, and smoke free workplace models will be put into practice as part of this report. General Director of Occupational Health and Safety Orhan Koç said that socioeconomic reasons, such as long shifts, wages, workload and comfort at workplaces, trigger occupational burnout syndrome and added that emotional exhaustion is higher in people who smoke.

In the report, working conditions, reasons affecting emotional exhaustion and psychosocial conditions of the bank employees were revealed. Koç drew attention to factors like workload, shift extension and continuation to a problematic business life and said those are risks that can be confronted in nearly every sector.

According to the research where a total of 1,183 people from 138 branches of 17 private banks which serve in Ankara participated, 48 percent of employees work overtime. It revealed that the burnout level of those who work overtime is higher.

Besides, this level is also high in people who think his or her monthly income is insufficient. It is said in the report:

"The regulation of bank employees' wages in consideration of economic conditions can contribute to the decrease of the burnout level," he said.

Smoke-free workplace models should be planned

The burnout syndrome is also highly related to smoking. In the report, 41 percent of employees that smoke are much exhausted emotionally than others. Within the context of health improvement, some similar works of national and international examples of smoke free workplaces can be conducted.

The report says, "Firstly, collaborations with smoking cessation polyclinics can be conducted for those who want to quit smoking. Some educational programs for employees and executives about stress management can be organized."

It is stressed that psychosocial risks should be taken into consideration in the evaluations about the occupational health and safety.

Arrangements should be done, and people who have some problems, especially mental ones, should be provided supports. If necessary, treatment opportunities should be planned, as well.

In this context, activities including situation determination, risk evaluation and intervention works should be organized at the occupational health and safety department of workplaces. Lastly, the report implied that advanced works which have causality dimensions should be conducted about the burnout levels and psychological problems of bank employees.