A silent epidemic is sweeping through Australian workplaces: Burnout. Latest research reports that a whopping 63.6% of Aussie workers are wrestling with high levels of burnout, and it seems leadership roles are the most impacted. In an era where employee wellness is gaining momentum, these stark numbers serve as a wake-up call for HR to prioritise psychological safety across all employee strata.

Findings from a comprehensive study on psychosocial safety in Australian workplaces underscore the urgent need for definitive action. Alarmingly, nearly nine out of ten employees confessed to experiencing prolonged periods of burnout. With employees facing cumulative exhaustion, it’s high time we rethink our work dynamics.

What’s even more concerning is that these rising burnout levels could potentially put employers in a tough spot legally, considering their recently enhanced obligations to maintain psychosocial safety at work. But with leaders already buckling under their existing responsibilities, how can we prevent this new obligation from becoming the last straw?

The new Code of Practice, effective since April this year, places a stronger onus on employers to ensure their employees’ psychological well-being at work. This calls for a systematic management of psychosocial hazards – factors inherent in work design, interactions, and the nature of the job itself – that could impact mental health and emotional wellbeing, such as bullying or exclusionary behaviours.

An intriguing revelation from the study was that leaders reported higher levels of burnout compared to their teams, with 68.8% of leaders feeling burnt out as opposed to 58.4% of their team members. This underscores the pressure faced by leaders in ensuring psychosocial safety, and the need for strategies to help them manage this responsibility without breaking under the weight of it.

Looking into the link between burnout and psychosocial safety, the survey elicited responses from employees on what they perceived as workplace hazards. The majority reported a sense of uncertainty about their roles and high job demands as key triggers. Addressing this imbalance is critical to stave off stress and potential burnout.

The survey outlined three leading causes of burnout:

1. Lack of role clarity: An astounding 95.3% of respondents indicated that confusion about their roles and responsibilities was a major stressor.
2. Poor change management: Amidst unprecedented work dynamics changes, inadequate change management was reported by 79% of respondents as significantly impacting their psychosocial safety.
3. Inadequate reward and recognition: Not just about pay, but more about feeling undervalued or underappreciated, this issue was identified by 75% of respondents as a significant stressor.

Despite these challenges, there’s a silver lining. Addressing these stressors doesn’t necessarily require hefty investments. What’s needed is a change in approach, a top-down focus on psychosocial safety that not only meets new legal obligations but also nips burnout in the bud.

Employees feeling psychologically safe are more likely to voice their concerns about psychosocial risks promptly. This open communication can prevent employees from shouldering excessive job demands until they find themselves burned out.

High psychosocial safety drastically reduces all assessed psychosocial stressors, including burnout. However, leaders need support to manage their new responsibilities effectively. With leaders influencing the mental health and wellbeing in workplaces significantly, strategies to manage these hazards should ideally start at the top.

Initiatives like ‘leadership coaching triads’ – regular check-ins among three leaders across a business – as a way to support leaders. Equipping our leaders to be proactive, and catching psychosocial risks early, are essential steps towards reducing burnout levels and fostering mental health and wellbeing in our workplaces. This holistic approach is in line with the intention behind the newly introduced legislation and codes.

As we navigate the new normal, let’s not forget that at the heart of every successful organisation are healthy, happy employees who feel safe and valued. Let’s commit to making psychological safety at the workplace a reality, not just an obligation.