How culture affects psychosocial risk
Establishing a culture of safety in a workplace is a critical step in effectively managing work, health and safety risks—both physical and psychosocial.
Part of the Identify and manage mental health risk module.
Management plays a vital role
Establishing a culture of safety in a workplace is a critical step in effectively managing work health and safety risks—both physical and psychosocial. Top management plays a vital role in establishing and influencing workplace culture, and managers who actively promote work health and safety are more likely to realise improved safety outcomes, culture and performance.
Expectations of managers are changing
Organisational cultures can be influenced by broader community values and attitudes, and community expectations can be powerful drivers of change in workplaces. The Australian community is steadily building understanding that workplace injury can include physical or mental harm. This increasing awareness will drive expectation that employers understand their duty to identify and effectively control psychosocial hazards as far as reasonably practicable in the workplace to prevent workers experiencing mental harm.
The harm caused by psychosocial hazards often results in longer injury recovery times, higher costs, and more time away from work. These hazards can be overt—e.g. traumatic events—or they can also be more subtle, such as a lack of role clarity or isolated work.
Ways to create a positive culture
Within organisations, top management can promote positive cultures by demonstrating a commitment to:
- systematic management of work health and safety risks
- role clarity, worker involvement and workgroup cohesion
- consultation and clear 2-way communication
- compliance with procedures
- organisational learning
- appropriate training
- organisational justice and an environment of dignity and respect
- supervisor support
- a positive leadership and management style
- sharing what supports are available to people in the workplace.
For more information on why leadership and culture are critical to managing psychosocial hazards at work, and how management can take practical steps to manage psychosocial risks, please visit the Safe Work Australia website.
This summary was adapted from content created by Safe Work Australia with permission.