In recent years, the growing awareness of mental health’s critical role in overall well-being has driven significant changes in workplace practices. One such development is the alignment with the international standard ISO45003:2021, addressing Psychosocial Hazards in the workplace.
SafeWork NSW recently released its Psychological Health and Safety Strategy 2024-2026, which outlines the regulator’s increased commitment to reviewing workplace Psychosocial Risk Management, ensuring that mental health and psychological safety are prioritised alongside physical safety in occupational health and safety regulations.
Understanding Psychosocial Hazards
Psychosocial Hazards refer to elements of the work environment, job design, management, and organisational culture that can potentially cause psychological or social harm. Unlike physical hazards, psychosocial risks are less visible but can profoundly affect employees’ mental health, productivity, and overall well-being. These hazards include stress, bullying, harassment, high job demands, lack of support, and poor organisational justice.
The impacts of these hazards can manifest in various ways, including anxiety, depression, burnout, and even physical health issues like cardiovascular disease. The ripple effects extend beyond the individual, leading to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher organisational turnover rates.
Benefits of Addressing Psychosocial Hazards
The implementation of this Code of Practice is expected to create more positive workplaces by:
- Creating healthier work environments that support their employees’ mental and physical well-being
- Improve employee morale, higher job satisfaction, and increase productivity
- Reduce the economic burden associated with mental health issues, such as absenteeism, presenteeism (where employees are physically present but not fully functioning), and turnover
- Enhance an organisation’s reputation as a responsible employer, attracting and retaining the right staff
Want to Learn More?
Howden Insurance Brokers (a partner of Bounce Readiness) and Bond University have created a 10-hour specialised eLearning program, Leadership in Psychosocial Risk Management, supporting organisations to achieve their obligations and provide them with the tools and training to develop and implement strategies to meet the new Code of Practice, including:
- Identifying Psychosocial Hazards
- Identifying behaviour change and work-related stress
- Learning strategies to support effective communication for empowering their team
- Understanding strategies to promote psychosocial risk management and build resilient organisations
For more information on Psychosocial Hazards, or to enrol in the eLearning program, please contact us.