Roughly 70% of employed Canadians indicate that their work experience affects their mental health. Administering psychosocial risk trainings and employee assistance programs helps decrease the likelihood of employees suffering in silence.
Every year, one in five Canadians will experience mental health related illnesses. Due to their mental health struggles, at least 500,000 Canadians miss work every week. It is important to look at the contributing factors in order to identify these risks and hazards that come with mental health issues so that a healthy work environment can be ensured.
A webinar on Managing Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace hosted by Melissa Hughes, Director of Business Solutions at Workplace Options (WPO), and Robert Gould, Vice President of Canadian and Student Business Solutions at WPO, encapsulates all the significant ideals needed to address psychosocial risks in the workplace. In addition, guest speaker Barbara Veder, champion of workplace culture, published researcher, and educator, outlines her perspectives of managing psychosocial risks within an organization.
Psychosocial Hazards
Psychosocial hazards are dangers or risks to an individual’s environment and community that can cause damage. In a workplace setting, psychosocial hazards are elements that can cause stress which affects an employee physically, psychologically, or both.
The most prominent psychosocial hazards that affect employees on a daily basis include
- Working conditions
- Organizational factors
- Lack of communication around business stability
- Relationship factors
- Not feeling safe expressing opinions and ideas in meetings
An accumulation of all these factors can result in severe psychosocial or psychological injuries or hazards within the workplace. Barbara claims, “If there is a lot of change going on and there isn’t communication, communication is one of the best ways to manage change and to keep your organization aligned to the priorities.” Making sure employers and employees are practicing open dialogue and assessing their mental health needs creates a secure foundation for organizations to build upon and create a stable work environment.
Barbara continues, “The research tells us that if the working conditions are incredibly straining, working long hours, working back-to-back high priority projects, we as employees don’t have enough time to recover.” Giving employees more time to address each project with precision and care will allow them to improve their performance and productivity overall.
Indicators that a person may be impacted by psychosocial risks (PSRs) at work may include emotional, behavioral, physical, and relationship changes. These changes may consist of anxiety, irritability, psychosomatic disorders (such as fatigue and chronic pain), isolation, lack of interest and detachment, absenteeism, and decreased performance.
Psychological Safety
In an article published by Safety Culture, Roselin Manawis states, “A psychosocially safe workplace is a workplace that is more encouraging to work in and can help foster better connections between employees.” Creating an environment where employees can challenge themselves to be better and feel supported is important for companies to be successful.
“Trust is the foundation. People can take risks, they are able to ask questions, they build the opportunity to make a mistake… be open to input… show vulnerability,” says Barbara.
48 percent of employees experience mental health risk factors related to their work environment. The pillars of psychological safety are ensuring employees feel included and safe to learn, contribute, and challenge the status quo. If any or all are compromised, the mental wellbeing of the employee will be at risk and harm will be caused.
As the webinar addressed, the pillars of psychological safety are there for employees to reevaluate their mental health status and help organizations understand what employees need for mental health stability, benefit, and safety.
Psychosocial Risk Prevention
Several prevention measures organizations can implement into their work schedule to help reduce hazards and injuries include
- Utilizing Global PSR Management and Prevention policies
- Implementing Quality of Life at Work committees
- Promoting gender equality and diversity
- Offering compensation policies
- Increasing training and awareness for managerial roles
- Offering trainings for Human Resources and occupational health committees
- Providing information to increase awareness in employees
- Helping managers and colleagues identify sensitive situations
- Offering individualized support
- Following escalation policy when appropriate
Contact us for more information on Workplace Options wellbeing programs, services, and trainings for your organization.
