Employees are often exposed to a range of psychosocial hazards, some of which may always be present, while others appear occasionally. Psychosocial hazards have become a bigger and bigger part of the Worh Health and Safety regulation, and it has already been incorporated in Australia. The risk of work-related stress increases when these hazards combine, (for example, a mix of inadequate reward and recognition and harassment) so employers need to address them together rather than separately.
Everyone could be affected by psychosocial hazards. They can take various shapes and forms including:
Low job control
- Limited control over tasks, schedules, and decision-making.
- Highly managed or rigid work environments
High and low job demands
- High demands: Excessive workload, time pressure, emotional strain (e.g., emergency services), exposure to trauma, long hours, or unsafe conditions.
- Low demands: Monotonous or repetitive tasks requiring little mental engagement, an employee needing to constantly seek their own work.
Poor Support
- Insufficient emotional or practical support from supervisors and colleagues.
- Lack of training, resources, or equipment.
Poor organisational change management
- Inadequate planning, communication, and support during transitions such as downsizing or implementing new processes.
Poor organisational justice
- Inconsistent policies, unfair decision-making, and poor handling of under-performance.
Low recognition and reward
- Lack of feedback, rewards, or development opportunities.
- Skills underutilised or tasks conflicting with unclear expectations.
Low role clarity
- Ambiguity or frequent changes in responsibilities, standards, or priorities.
Poor workplace relationships
- Bullying, harassment, or discrimination.
- Conflicts between employees and managers, or among colleagues.
Poor environmental conditions
- Exposure to noise, extreme temperatures, hazardous materials, or unsafe machinery. In the long term these can cause stress and anxiety as employees are exposed to these conditions daily.
Remote and isolated work
- Limited access to resources, communication, or emergency assistance. Examples include FIFO workers, farmers, or night-shift operators.
Violent or traumatic events
- Exposure to threats, physical harm, or abuse. Common in first responders, healthcare, and social work.
If a business does not properly address these hazards, then they could fester and affect even more employees. A harmful environment is not only negative for the employees but for the health of the organisation as well.
Managing psychosocial hazards at work
Psychosocial hazards do carry risks, but the severity of those risks depends on the duration, frequency and intensity of worker exposure to the risks. Hazards can also interact or aggregate, changing the overall risk. Risk management involves a business identifying hazards, understanding risks, what increases exposure to those risks and making the necessary changes to manage the risks. These include work design, systems of work, workplace layout, environmental conditions and workplace interactions.
Jobs should be suited to workers’ skills and experience levels, and tasks must be feasible given available resources. Tasks that are not well matched, or are too demanding can introduce risks, and therefore scheduling, and matching tasks to capabilities reduce it. A poorly designed workplace can lead to cases of unfair dismissal. If an employee receives a bad performance review but they continuously express low support, unrealistic KPIs and increased workload, the business may be found at fault if the employee is fired. The employee was the victim of psychosocial hazards which they tried to complain about, without anything being done.
The role of leadership
Psychosocial hazards cover workplace interactions and behaviour. Encouragement from leaders, treating each other with respect, and great relationships can help mitigate the risks. Employees will feel valued and heard and will not feel like they are drowning with little to no support. On the other hand, toxic cultures amplify those risks, discouraging people from reporting hazards and seeking help.
The business should make it clear to all employees that psychosocial hazards have to be reported as soon as possible. At Polonious, we are trusted with supporting investigators to ensure that this process is finalised as quickly and transparently as possible. This enables the company to develop solutions that directly address the sources of the problem.
Identifying psychosocial hazards
The first step in the management of psychosocial risks is the identification of hazards in the work environment that could harm workers or others.
Psychosocial hazards are more often combinations of factors than isolated issues. Some hazards are extreme, like workplace violence, and cause immediate harm, but most result from years of chronic exposure to one or more risk factors. Such risks can be ongoing and will need long-term attention from the organisation. Effective identification depends on a common understanding by workers and management about what hazards may present in the workplace and how they can fester. To identify hazards organisations can:
- Involve employees in the process
- Conduct surveys
- Observe behaviours in the workplace
- Encourage reporting
Involve employees in the process
Involving employees in the process of identifying psychosocial hazards can go a long way. Employees will be able to spot unfair treatment, harmful behaviour and potentially trust one another more than they would trust the management. Even if you have created a great workplace, employees might not see it that way.
Conduct surveys
To make the identification of social psychosocial hazards easier, it may be worth considering surveys. Surveys should be confidential and employees should be aware that their responses are anonymous. To assist with that, managers can show them how the process works so they feel assured.
Observe behaviours in the workplace
Psychosocial Hazards can be identified through observation of the workplace, work practices and social interactions. For example, hastily completed tasks, risk-taking or delayed actions may be indicators of increased workload, poorly designed job descriptions or unrealistic expectations. Moreover, examining data on incident records, employee complaints, absenteeism, and turnover can also be informative sources. Spotting patterns or trends in data – like certain roles or locations being more dangerous – can help groups focus their risk assessments and target strategies to improve.
Encourage reporting
To ensure psychosocial hazards are correctly identified, a strong reporting mechanism is required. It should protect worker privacy, allowing anonymous submissions where possible. Depending on the size of the business, you might want something simple, such as suggestion boards or lock boxes, or larger companies might consider a more structured system.
Our clients use our whistleblower line to collect information on risks the company is facing and detect unethical or illegal behaviour.
Reporting may be a great option if employees feel at ease when talking to their managers. The right attitude of encouraging open communication and making workers feel safe to report issues can significantly help in identifying and managing hazards.
Evaluating psychosocial hazards
Evaluating psychosocial risks means looking at how much harm could occur as a result of the risk materialising. Companies will need to look at how long, how often, and how badly workers are exposed to certain hazards. For example, risks that happen a lot, last a long time, or are very serious – like being around very upsetting events or having too much work – are more likely to cause problems. Workers usually have to deal with more than one issue at a time, and these problems can mix together, making the risks even bigger. For example, a worker who has to deal with rude customers might be at even higher risk if they do not have help or control over their work situation.
Implementing control measures
Before relying on control measures, test them to ensure their effectiveness, suitability, and ability to function without introducing new risks.
Control measures for psychosocial risks can include:
- Introduce new workplace policies: Policies can help clarify processes and set expectations for behaviour.
- Improve work design: Ensure that every employee has a clear job description and individuals know how to not overstep each other’s roles
- Develop strong reporting lines and communicate them: Whether that is implementing a whistleblower hotline or a conflict resolution person, reporting a problem is key
- Provide employees with resources to assist them: Employee assistance programs as well as bond building can be essential to minimising conflict and managing employee mental health
To implement control measures effectively:
- Provide information, training, and instructions tailored to the nature of the work, associated hazards, and the implemented measures
- Allow workers time to adjust to changes, such as new processes, and actively gather feedback to confirm the measures are working as intended
- Make all information easily accessible to all workers
- Give employees the contact details of someone they can reach out to if they have concerns or questions.
When to review control measures
Employers should not be complacent once control measures have been implemented. They should ask themselves:
- Are the measures effective and free of unintended risks?
- Are there any changes to the nature of risks since the initial assessment?
- Are workers actively participating in risk management and reporting concerns?
- Has appropriate training and instruction been provided?
- Are future changes likely to expose workers to new psychosocial hazards?
- Are better control measures now available?
Questions like these should highlight whether a review is necessary. Those questions should be asked regularly, ranging from every few weeks to every couple of months to ensure that psychosocial hazards are managed effectively.
Drive change today
Creating a safer workplace for all employees is not an easy task. This is why our clients ask for our help when it comes to investigating cases. Through their investigations they are able to find the source of the problem, allowing them to address the risks they are facing in a timely manner. We provide them with flexible workflows, dynamic dashboards, risk matrices and automated reports to help them achieve an optimised process. If you are looking for an efficient case management system, reach out today!
If you are looking for ways to improve your workplace, have a look at our other articles:
8 tips for more effective workplace communication
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