A key part of fostering safe and healthy workplaces is directly addressing psychosocial risks. At AP Psychology & Consulting Services, we have created a series of integrated, evidence-based solutions to assist organisations in effectively addressing these issues.
Managing Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace
What are psychosocial risks and hazards?
A psychosocial hazard is an occupational hazard that affects the psychosocial wellbeing of workers – an example of a psychosocial hazard in the workplace might include poor support from management or high job demands. This can affect a worker’s ability to function within the workplace. A psychosocial risk is the likelihood of factors arising from poor management or workplace design that could negatively affect workers’ health. This includes issues such as work-related stress, depression and burnout.
The impact of psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace
On the workforce
Psychosocial risks can lead to physical and mental health issues amongst your employees if they aren’t effectively identified and managed. You may find an increase in employees with burnout, depression or anxiety, or cardiovascular diseases. These issues, in turn, can lead to reduced job satisfaction and productivity and increased staff turnover.
On leadership
It is common for those in leadership to experience increased levels of stress from psychosocial hazards. Without effective strategies to uplift workers and improve the overall company culture, leaders may be unable to manage and lead their teams effectively.
On your business as a whole
Once you understand how psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace can affect staff and leadership, you’ll understand the ripple effect it has on businesses. Unmanaged psychosocial risks can impact overall performance, resulting in decreased productivity, increased leave taken, poor quality of work and high staff turnover.
Our goal at AP Psychology & Consulting Services is to assist you in effectively identifying and managing these psychosocial hazards and risks to improve the overall culture at your organisation. Our team of experts have created a range of evidence-based solutions to ensure that you and your organisation have the skills and tools to help them develop a strong workplace culture and improve their and their team’s performance.
Let AP Psychology & Consulting Services help you manage psychosocial risk in the workplace
Organisations have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for their employees and ensure that psychosocial hazards and risks are effectively managed. As a business, you will be required to:
- Identify potential psychosocial hazards and risks in the workplace
- Assess the impact of these risks and hazards
- Control the risks and regularly review controls to ensure they are effective.
Here is where we at AP Psychology & Consulting Services can help. Our approach to psychosocial risk management is comprehensive: we directly engage with your employees to understand their experiences and conduct an in-depth review of your workplace and systems using our proprietary tool, the Workplace Psychological Safety Index (WPSI). This tool is aligned with ISO45003 and Australian legislation and provides us with a workplace risk profile, giving better visibility over all factors impacting workplace psychological health and safety. We’ll also conduct a Systematic Desktop Review of your strategies, policies and procedures to understand the maturity of your organisation, potential psychosocial hazards and risk management approaches.
The unique blend of people and complex data sets us apart. It allows our team of qualified psychologists and work health and safety experts to create an action plan that targets the root of the problem and encourages improvement at every level.
Our strategic consulting solutions
We offer tailored training solutions to help combat psychosocial risks and hazards within the workplace as part of our Strategic Consulting service. Some of those solutions are:
- Workplace psychosocial risk assessment
- Psychosocial Risk Review
- Action Planning Group Workshop
How can I identify psychosocial risks and hazards in the workplace?
Follow the risk management approach. Understand what the common psychosocial hazards that impact mental health in the workplace are: high job demand, low support options, and inadequate recognition are just some examples. Assess those risks, and implement policies and processes to control those risks where possible. Then, it is a matter of reviewing those controls and consulting with staff to check everything is working. The team at AP Psychology & Consulting Services can help your organisation with each of these steps.
Contact AP Psychology & Consulting Services today to unlock your potential
Through consultative, strategic consulting, the expert team at AP Psychology & Consulting Services is here to help effectively manage psychosocial risks and hazards, creating a safer working environment for all employees. Everything our highly experienced team does is based on genuine data and best practices, delivering solutions that focus on improving employee wellbeing and unlocking potential.
Our aim is to work with you to develop a strategic solution completely tailored to your organisation’s needs. Contact us today, and let us guide you in developing maturity in workplace psychological health and safety, creating a workplace environment where everyone can thrive.
